Ancelotti pours cold water on transfer speculation

Extremely wise words indeed.

The only way we should be signing anyone in this window is if they will 100% make a difference to the team – better than what we have, otherwise why bother.

Much better to "muddle along" than make more expensive mistakes in my opinion.

It's well and truly a seller's market in January, we shouldn't be spending silly money when we can get a better deal in the summer with much more choice and hopefully also do some serious offloading at the same time.

We should be able to find 10 pts (even at our worst?) out of the remaining 15 games. There's only the Europa to aim for and that next season will drain us combined with the other 3 competitions, the squad and first team isn't up to it.

Let's use this season and next to build for the future.

Having said what I've said, if there's any Gana Gueye types out there for ٦m we should be in there.

I don't feel I'm being negative, but just realistic.

However what Marcel Brands said last week is that Carlo likes 4-4-2 and with that in mind they would be looking for a right-sided player.

Obviously Walcott being hauled off against West Ham and Sidibe pressed into the role emphasizes the need to address this problem, therefore if we bring in anyone at all then I expect someone in to cover this.

Brands will be working closely with Ancelotti. They will be waiting until the last minute for our target(s) to say Yes.

The reason we wait, is not because we want to, it's that our players want to. Think Sissoko who said Yes, then last-minute signed for Spurs... or Giroud who last minute said No.

Until we have Champions League football, we cannot get the top quality players and even the promising ones will see other clubs as more attractive.

This window is just about keeping the Sky yellow-tie brigade in a job.

We need to get top players in early pre-season, not 3 weeks after the season has started. Keep any money we have until it can be used correctly.

How much would Tyrone Mings cost?

'Appy days...

Keeper - we're not going to get better than Pickford at present

Full backs - don't need

Centre-back - Holgate partnered with Mina or Keane. Buying anyone here just hampers Gibson's development

Midfield - with Sigurdsson and Gbamin to come back soon to join Davies, Delph and Schneiderlin. This area is surely 1 in 1 out.

Left wing - Bernard, Gordon and possibly Iwobi.

Right wing - I'd say this is the only area as Walcott doesn't cut it and Sidibé is surely a stop-gap.

Up front - 2 out of Richarlison, Calvert-Lewin and Kean. Anyone else would simply block Kean.

I'm with the view that we only need a right midfielder at this stage and can cope to the summer when we try and ship out some of the overpaid and underperforming players.

As for centre-midfielder, we definitely needed one, but then we shifted from 3 in the middle to 2. If we stick with just 2, then yes we are ok numerically. But that counts on Gomes and Gbamin coming back. So, I'd hold fire unless we can get a quality loan.

Wingers / wide midfielders: Gordon is right-footed and can play there. Iwobi can only play wide for Carlo Ancelotti, he's right-footed. So is Bernard. That all three like playing on the left comes from playing as left forwards, cutting inside on their right. They aren't playing left forward, they would be playing left midfield, and so it might be prudent to actually sign a left-footed wide man, if we switch back to 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1, then the left-footer can always go play right wing and cut inside on his left. Our old friend Malcolm is such a player.

Malcolm, by the way, signed for Zenit in the summer, played two games and got injured. He has a hip injury that "feels okay one day and not the next" (source: Link). Sounds a bit dodgy to me. He's a bit dodgy too, going there, but if the price is right, might be worth a punt, and he's still only 22.

Steve 12-speak for yourself
I want young Tom here
There are a few dicks I don't want
But if we had Harry instead of Brands we would have no problems shifting those dicks with a few phone calls.

As what happened with Rojo in the summer, the club walked away from the deal rather than bowing to Man Utd, 'who thought they had us over a barrel.

As a result Holgate got his opportunity and that has become one of the few highlights of our season for me.

Edit: then let Brands and Ancelotti try to sort any wheat from the January chaff.

Nobody overpriced, too old or wants mega wages.

Liverpool 3 tears ago were avrage they got Klopp gave him time and now there reaping the benifits..

By the time we are doing the same with Carlo they will be moving in the opposite direction...

We won't go down, won't win anything, outside chance of Europe. Lets just get used to Carlo and vice versa.

Recruit in the summer.

Not easy, but a real winger that can go past defenders and cross the ball would be very welcome.

The amount is times I have read Sidibe is a great or good crosser of the ball is unbelievable. He gets about 50% of his attempts towards an Everton player, better than Walcott but still average to OK at best.

I'm shocked at how poor the crossing is, even Digne and Siggy have struggled in what was one of their strengths. To often backwards or infield. Annoys me, must really pee the forwards.