Hypothetical Football Expansion Draft Protection Lists

Pavel Buchnevich

Drury and Laviolette Must Go
Dec 8, 2013
57,228
23,101
New York
Who would each club protect?

Some basic rules I'm making up.
  • You can only protect 8 players
  • Positional requirements are irrelevant. 8 total players.
  • Players signed this summer are exempt from the protection lists.
  • This is only for players who've played a first team game. But if they have played one official first team game, they are eligible to be drafted.
For now this is only a hypothetical thread for argument's sake, but if people would like to make this into some type of expansion draft game, we can also start discussing that. I would be up for participating, if we got enough participants.
 

Vasilevskiy

The cat will be back
Dec 30, 2008
17,820
4,608
Barcelona
Barça:

Ter Stegen
Pedri
Messi
Ansu Fati
Araujo
Griezzman
De Jong
Dembele

Maybe Dest/Emerson instead of Araujo
 

Savant

HFBoards Sponsor
Sponsor
Oct 3, 2013
36,500
10,479
Liverpool

Alisson
Alexander-Arnold
Robertson
Virgil
Fabinho
Mane
Salah
Diogo Jota

Konate exempt
 

les Habs

Registered User
Sep 21, 2005
22,236
3,964
Wisconsin
Gavi would be exempt add Moriba

I wasn’t sure if today counted.

Not sure I’d go with Moriba if it’s a real life situation considering his contract and the impasse with the club. Not sure I’d go with him either way. I’d probably go Dest, Araujo, Alba, Trincao (if he’s eligible) or Depay. Probably Dest, Araujo or Trincao.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Duchene2MacKinnon

Pavel Buchnevich

Drury and Laviolette Must Go
Dec 8, 2013
57,228
23,101
New York
Dortmund:

Haaland
Moukoko
Reyna
Bellingham
Dahoud
Guerreiro
Morey
Akanji

The last two spots weren’t easy picks. Hummels and Reus could’ve been options, but I don’t see the point of listing two guys at the end of their careers when they aren’t that much better than the other options. Zagadou might’ve been another option, but he can’t stay fit.
 

Albatros

Registered User
Aug 19, 2017
12,275
7,723
Ostsee
Kingsley Coman
Alphonso Davies
Serge Gnabry
Leon Goretzka
Lucas Hernández
Joshua Kimmich
Jamal Musiala
Leroy Sané
 

AB13

Registered User
Apr 29, 2019
6,998
2,605
Smith-Rowe
Partey
Pepe
Saka
Tierney
Martinelli
Gabriel
Aubameyang

That’s if you don’t count players on loan (Saliba). Maybe Leno/Lacazette/Willock over Gabriel
 
Last edited:

Havre

Registered User
Jul 24, 2011
8,459
1,733
If I understood correctly...

Spurs:

Kane
Son
Hojbjerg
Lo Celso
Ndombele
Skipp
Scarlett
Reguilon

Might very well have been my list as well. I might have replaced Reguilon with Bergwijn, but it is somewhat of a coin toss for me. I think Bergwijn is a safer bet as in not being completely uselss, but Reguilon probably has the higher ceiling.

I don't hate that group for Spurs. I think it is a reasonably solid core, but except for the first 3 that statement is clearly more based on potential that actual performances the last years. It would be disappointing if Lo Celso and Ndombele weren't to become very good PL players this season. Reguilon at least being servicable and Skipp continuing his development into at least a good PL midfield player. Scarlett is probably years off, but you would still protect him of course.
 

Savant

HFBoards Sponsor
Sponsor
Oct 3, 2013
36,500
10,479
Not Harvey Elliott?
Would he be exempt but for that stupid cup game. Yeah I guess you can put Elliott on and take Mane off then. Might have to find room for Curtis Jones too then. The “problem” is LFC have six players that are locked in. I guess they expose Mane and Firmino to get one of them back. Maybe expose Diogo back to get 2 out of those three back and keep Jones, but I don’t know that I would risk losing Diogo either. Salah is the only definite attacker
 

AB13

Registered User
Apr 29, 2019
6,998
2,605
Mount
Havertz
Werner
Kante
Pulisic
Gilmour
Kovacic
Chilwell

This was really difficult.

EDIT: I'm a dumb fool and forgot about James. James over Kovacic.



Cavani instead of McTominay is crazy-town bananapants IMO.
Surely you have to protect Mendy and Jorginho? Mendy isn’t easially replaceable, there are very few keepers that command the six yard box as well, and Jorginho has a unique profile in your squad. Two of your four best players in the CL (along with Kante and Silva). I Absolutely no reason at all to protect Chilwell. I really don’t understand that one.
 
Last edited:

Wee Baby Seamus

Yo, Goober, where's the meat?
Mar 15, 2011
14,704
5,715
Halifax/Toronto
Surely you have to protect Mendy and Jorginho? Mendy isn’t easially replaceable, there are very few keepers that command the six yard box as well, and Jorginho has a unique profile in your squad. Two of your four best players in the CL (along with Kante and Silva). Absolutely no reason at all to protect Chilwell. I really don’t understand that one.

There are only 8 spots and I can't justify Jorginho or Mendy over any of them. Given that we'd only lose one player in an expansion draft situation, I feel okay with Mendy, Jorg, Ziyech, CHO, Zou, Rudi, Christensen, and Abraham all exposed if we can only protect 8.

You don't rate Chilwell, but Chelsea fans do. He's young and already very very good. Strong defensively, good crosser, back post goal threat. Will be a top LB for the foreseeable future.
 

AB13

Registered User
Apr 29, 2019
6,998
2,605
There are only 8 spots and I can't justify Jorginho or Mendy over any of them. Given that we'd only lose one player in an expansion draft situation, I feel okay with Mendy, Jorg, Ziyech, CHO, Zou, Rudi, Christensen, and Abraham all exposed if we can only protect 8.

You don't rate Chilwell, but Chelsea fans do. He's young and already very very good. Strong defensively, good crosser, back post goal threat. Will be a top LB for the foreseeable future.
Your squad in general is strange in the sense that you have about 20 really solid players but no real elite superstars. The starting 11 and bench are basically all at a similar level so there is no heirarchy at all in the team. Looking at your scoring charts last season reflects this pretty well. Every single first team player in the Chelsea squad seems to have ceirtain pretty large sections of the fanbase that love them and other large sections that want them out.

Your first 11 and second 11 would probably go to 7 games against each other in a north american style playoff series. I can’t think of any other club in that situation. It’s hard to know who to protect. There is not a single unanimous one except maybe Kante (and I could see people just going for Gilmour in midfield and loading up on attackers to protect).
 
  • Like
Reactions: luiginb

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad

-->