Yes, another season has come and gone without a trophy. Yet just about everything else you could've asked for, happened. Glass ceiling to fourth place? Gone. Fear of facing the top teams? Gone. Those two things (and small others) have been replaced by youth and endeavor. It was fitting that the move for the first goal took 17 passes and the second 16 passes, it was a great sign of the change Martinez has brought to the club. Also it was a nice sign to see McCarthy pick up a goal, he definitely deserved it this season based on his work in the midfield. Outside of Pienaar, no one really had a down year per se. Kone was hurt, Lukaku was inconsistent and divides opinion but if you buy him now for 20-25 million pounds he's only going to get better. Mirallas was productive, the defense was the third best in the league despite having to start the terror that is Antolin Alcaraz at times. Stones has been very good, as has Barkley. Coleman was rightfully the player of the season, and Baines performed as well as he could given the offense is being spread around more evenly. However, there are some spots to fill. The left side of midfield needs some freshening up. Might I suggest Dusan Tadic of Twente? Given that Roberto will have 30 million to spend, maybe grabbing him for under 10 mil (Twente are in financial trouble and need to sell) could still allow for buying Lukaku. If Chelsea don't want to sell or Rom doesn't want to move, there are a few options. Bony may be costly, I've never really liked Remy, and Michy Batshuayi is an unknown quantity. Either way, look for around 6 new players in the first team to combat Europa (including academy players).
