I don't know if the Merieles departure can be characterized as a surprise, since the rumours had swirled for the last couple of days but there's no question the 11th hour transfer request came out of the blue. Well, feck off if you don't want to be here, I say. Another mercenary in the end so I won't shed any tears.
What strikes me, though, is that his departure, on top of all the deadwood that got shipped out today, means that we basically have built a brand new squad in the past two windows (a few quality stalwarts aside, of course). By my count, all of Roy's buys are gone and most of Rafa's dregs are out the door too (a few loans notwithstanding). Make no mistake, this is now Kenny's side to shape and mould and groom for greatness. And I'm thrilled that he's been given license to do that from the owners and help to make it happen from Damien Comolli. Hats off gents.
With that said, I hope this spells the start of a much more stable period for the club. We've got stability in the board room now and stability in the coaching set up. It's time for some stability on the pitch and in the squad. Enough with the revolving door we've seen in the past few years. Enough with players coming in for a year or two and then moving on. It's time to build a squad of players that can gel over the long term and return the club to trophy-winning glory. Lead the way, Kenny.
