All, of course, as I see it, but:
Eze, Hughes, Rufer, LBS, Nagasawa. That's the lot who deliver confidently and consistently at A League quality starter level. None being perfect but consistently good enough. LBS a bit of an incomplete player still, but has enough to be special starting sauce. Nagasawa delivers as soon as he doesn't have to carry the entire midfield and creative duties. Great attitude and work rate. That's not perfection but it's a solid enough starting base. Obviously with a couple of likely retention issues.
Of the rest that I'd consider as up to scratch as starters in a stronger squad:
Payne still has his quality contributions while now getting found out defensively more often and more inconsistent than he was.
Retre is a tidy link player with good players around him. Lacks physicality but, like Tim Brown, does more than he gets credit for.
Josh? We may have trained him into a more reliable, better player than he arrived. And with less game time AKH and Carrol also had game killing bloopers.
So that's 8 I'd keep as starters.
Must haves:
Eze or replacement if gone. Import 1.
Strong playmaking, leading import level CAM - import 2. In an alt universe give me a young Juan Mata. Franco Geraldes level would do.
Singh could share some time here with Nagasawa and import 2, if Singh became a free.
Import 3 I've committed to Josh.
Import 4 Rufer replace if needed.
Import 5 LB.
That's 9 starters. Positionally a LB and CB needed. Rufs and Eze kept or replaced. New CAM. Many will disagree on me keeping Josh.
Tuiloma we've got, like it or not. He's a plusses and minuses guy, goals at both ends. Please god let us keep Hughes another year. But the little I've seen of Jayden Smith had me interested.
So, really it's Eze, Import CAM, Rufs, LB to sort. With Josh, I've got four imports to spend if need be.
And I've got a back four and DM CAM Retre and Nagasawa diamond mid. LBS, Eze up top. LBS coming deeper more. Goals from Eze/CAM and bits and pieces.
Others.
Piper: touch and shot of a drunken horse. Otherwise good. I'd start LBS. But Piper to bully goals late.
Sheridan: has some real wheels. Needs that forward pass and cross. Potential Payne understudy and replacement if he can develop. UtilityDM? Last chance to show more development.
LKH: not really a RB with his turning circle. But a back up there. Potential Rufer long term replacement, but strengthen up for there. Don't know that he's hard enough for CB but he's young.
Edwards: maybe but I want threats from both flanks.
Armiento: maybe but I want good defence on both flanks.
I'd do that import at LB.
Conchie: end of the road, unless a coach sees something I don't.
Najjarine: maybe, but Singh or him, as competition and depth for Retre, Nagasawa, CAM.
Sander: not enough.
Cassidy, Loke, GSR, Walker, Supyk. It's the big time. Get big, get better. Come on up if you can.
We'd still be a fairly slight midfield so I'd want a hard, strong CAM. And CAM, Rufs, Striker, Hughes, BT, to some extent Payne dishing enforcement as required vs Aussies and Aucklanders. You don't have to be dirty but you have to be strong.
