Reconstruction time again: the summer 2018 transfer thread

[GhostoftheBok]

One of the few benefits of having sod-all money is that we might see the academy graduates get more chances. Glad to see Earing get a contract.

[malcd1]

I have read somewhere that our Championship striker target will only be a loan so he might not be one of the released players. Not sure who that can be though as I am not that well versed in Championship squad players.

[mullayo]

I have read somewhere that our Championship striker target will only be a loan so he might not be one of the released players. Not sure who that can be though as I am not that well versed in Championship squad players.

Cheers Malcd,Loan eh?
Strange a Championship striker not a Prem League kid?
Hmmm...Must be proven so possibly older? Some team's still under contract third striker?


Your signature reminds me of "never trust a tennis player; love means nothing to them..."

[mullayo]

BREAKING NEWS: ACTUAL SIGNINGS X 3

Chiori Johnson, Stephen Duke-McKenna and Joe Pritchard.

http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2018/06/15/bo ... ding-form/

21 year-old Pritchard spent time on trial with Wanderers last season. The former Tottenham central midfielder could be on the fringes of the first-team squad. However, at 5ft 7in and 66kg he's unlikely to be a defensive mid.

20 year-old Johnson, is a versatile defender and free transfer from Arsenal where he spent 12 years. Trialled at Blackburn and with our second team last year.

17 year-old Duke-McKenna is a promising right winger from Everton.

GK: Ben Alnwick, Ben Amos, Jake Turner
RB: Mark Little, Stephen Darby
LB: Andrew Taylor,
CB: David Wheater, Mark Beevers
DM: Jason Lowe,
AM: Oztumer, Josh Vela, Joe Pritchard
RW: AMEOBI???, Craig Noone
LW: Will Buckley
ST: Adam Le Fondre, Conor Hall
TS: Mystery Champ Loan Striker

[GhostoftheBok]

Pritchard and Johnson are two players who looked like they might be something but never kicked on - Pritchard especially was someone Spurs fans were talking about in the 15/16 season. Never heard of Duke-McKenna, but if Everton have let him go at 17 then he's unlikely to walk into the team. I'd assume they're all on very low wages and will get a chance to show what they can do in the U23s.

I've no issue with these kinds of deals. They'll all have had very good football educations and plenty of players take a step back to push on in their careers.

[mullayo]

Pritchard and Johnson are two players who looked like they might be something but never kicked on - Pritchard especially was someone Spurs fans were talking about in the 15/16 season. Never heard of Duke-McKenna, but if Everton have let him go at 17 then he's unlikely to walk into the team. I'd assume they're all on very low wages and will get a chance to show what they can do in the U23s.

I've no issue with these kinds of deals. They'll all have had very good football educations and plenty of players take a step back to push on in their careers.

I think that's what we'll get a lot of.
I figure the plan/budget is get four or five guys we've heard of + whole lot of cheap darts to throw at the dartboard and see what sticks.
I don't have much confidence in Pritchard either. Too lightweight for senior football. I was 13 the last time I was 66kg.

[GhostoftheBok]

Pritchard and Johnson are two players who looked like they might be something but never kicked on - Pritchard especially was someone Spurs fans were talking about in the 15/16 season. Never heard of Duke-McKenna, but if Everton have let him go at 17 then he's unlikely to walk into the team. I'd assume they're all on very low wages and will get a chance to show what they can do in the U23s.

I've no issue with these kinds of deals. They'll all have had very good football educations and plenty of players take a step back to push on in their careers.

I think that's what we'll get a lot of.
I figure the plan/budget is get four or five guys we've heard of + whole lot of cheap darts to throw at the dartboard and see what sticks.

Four or five established pros will not cut it. We were short already and then we released players. We do need to try and get some development players in and give them a go, but even with loans if we bring in half a dozen (or possibly fewer) established players then we can kiss goodbye to our Championship status for sure.

[mullayo]

Really Ghost,
Let's do the maths. Millwall only used 20 players all last year. Bare minimum obviously.
We got 15 already (if we re-sign SAmeobi) we assume can do the job at Champ level - including 2 of my 4 or 5 'SIGNINGS'.
Two or three more moves and three Prem kid loanees at Antonee level as squad players and we've hit 20 with all those darts yet to be used .

GK: Ben Alnwick, Ben Amos,
RB: Mark Little, Stephen Darby
LB: Andrew Taylor,
CB: David Wheater, Mark Beevers
DM: Jason Lowe,
AM: Oztumer, Josh Vela,
RW: AMEOBI???, Craig Noone
LW: Will Buckley,
ST: Adam Le Fondre,
TS: Mystery Champ Loan Striker

Pratley, Henry, Kirchoff and Derik were essentially one position upgraded by Lowe
Morais and Jem and maybe left wing were upgraded by Oz.
Madine/Wilbrahaim by Mystery Champ Loan Striker
Third centreback (Dervite/Reece) needs replacing and that's about it.

We're working toward the day we can field a fulkl team of our own so are upgrading our core with younger, keeper-types in the interim.
We should only sign value and use loanees for the rest.

As for our released players, they simply weren't good enough anymore - so, for me, almost anything is an upgrade or worth a punt. Interesting article about our last year's releases - apparently none of them have made an impact anywhere.

https://lionofviennasuite.sbnation.com/ ... eased-list

[GhostoftheBok]

Really.

We've made it clear that Amos is surplus to requirements, for a start. His wages are too high to not get rid if we can. The two right backs listed we were actively trying to replace, with only Little being anywhere near what we need. Adam Le Fondre is a player PP seemingly doesn't rate up top on his own and if we switch to a two striker system then the lack of squad depth only gets worse - so the "mystery striker" looks more like competition for one striking role.

Your list only includes 14 players we actually have at the club, one of whom is out of contract. Add in that one of them is someone we have actively tried to get rid of, one is someone who was replaced with a loan at the end of last season and another is apparently want-away due to lack of football and the situation is rather more stark than you make out.

So as you yourself say, 20 is bare minimum and we at the very most currently have 14 according to your own list. That includes two signings, which means we need 6 more. 4-5 "guys we've heard of" would put us at 16-17 players.

Also, it's worth noting Millwall actually used 24 players. That's the lowest total since Burnley 4 years earlier.

[GhostoftheBok]

To my mind we need 20 trusted, first team players - plus half a dozen lads the coach feels can step up, or short-term loans until January. I'd say 25 is more like the actual "minimum" number of available players you need over a season and that's probably low for us, as we have a few injury prone players.

Finances will mean that we are operating on minimums, but if we try to make do with 18 players and then scraping together a subs bench from youth teams and loans when we get injuries then we'll be facing another relegation battle.

*edit* Also worth noting that we lack utility players in the squad. Our centre backs really are just that. Our fullbacks are just fullbacks. The two lads we've signed can play in a couple of positions and that's great, but generally we've got a lot of players who are worthless if you don't give them exactly the role they like. That makes scraping by with a handful of players even more dangerous.

[mullayo]

To my mind we need 20 trusted, first team players - plus half a dozen lads the coach feels can step up, or short-term loans until January. I'd say 25 is more like the actual "minimum" number of available players you need over a season and that's probably low for us, as we have a few injury prone players.

Finances will mean that we are operating on minimums, but if we try to make do with 18 players and then scraping together a subs bench from youth teams and loans when we get injuries then we'll be facing another relegation battle.

*edit* Also worth noting that we lack utility players in the squad. Our centre backs really are just that. Our fullbacks are just fullbacks. The two lads we've signed can play in a couple of positions and that's great, but generally we've got a lot of players who are worthless if you don't give them exactly the role they like. That makes scraping by with a handful of players even more dangerous.

Agree all good points. I think we'll do the latter.
"make do with 18 players and then scraping together a subs bench from youth teams and loans when we get injuries."
When injury strike one of the darts can run around like a headless chicken... If he's cabbage bung another one on at halftime. The players simply aren't there to fill our squad on our budget.
Looking at Transfermarkt free agent list there aren't that many Champ level players about all the ones WE released are high up the value list - that's why I've been trawling through the frees.

If we're signing League one frees they mostly go in the dart category right away.

Our strategy will rely on running the injury bug gauntlet and getting big minutes out of Lowe and Oz. What we didn't get from Pratley, Kirchoff or SAmeobi last year.

Cash-strapped + hamstrung by a lack of choice our season will come down to the calibre of loanees and fielding the same core (Alnwick, Wheevers, Lowe, Oz and TBA) as much as possible.

[GhostoftheBok]

There are players about. That's always the case. They'll all have catches and qualifiers attached, though. Some lads have injury histories, others might have a known behaviour issue etc. We won't limit ourselves to England and Scotland with the agents and stats working how they do these days, but I'd imagine it'll be a case of getting domestic players in earlier than any foreign players we might end up with. More due diligence is needed and players are less likely to relocate to another country for the wages we offer, especially with UK tax law. Brexit will also now be a consideration. If we get anyone in from abroad, I'd imagine it'll be later in the process.

Loans are becoming more and more difficult to get cheaply these days. There's money in the Championship and Premier League clubs are increasingly looking to recoup development costs through loan fees. I don't envy Ken and PP their jobs this summer.

I'd not be surprised if we started the season light on numbers, I just hope we don't.

[palindromeofbolton]

Burton have offered contracts to six players who might go free: winger Lloyd Dyer (35), midfielder Hope Akpan (26), former BW keeper Harry Campbell (22) and defenders Tom Naylor (26), Damien McCrory (28) and Jake Buxton (33). 35yo forward Luke Varney has been released, full-back Tom Flanagan (26) has been transfer-listed.

Hammersmith-born but a one-cap Norn Iron international, 6ft 2in Flanagan has played across both defence and midfield, totalling 57 games in the Championship. Nigel Clough explains that with Burton relegated, he has to “make cuts somewhere”: "He's got a year left, but we have to free something up somewhere. With John Brayford, if Damien McCrory stays, and Ben Turner stepping in at left-back as he did, I don't think we can carry all three. He's made 57 Championship appearances in the last two years, and he did well. He had a new lease of life, almost, at full-back. The reasoning for bringing him back was he covers you all the way across the back four. That's still the case, but we have to make cuts somewhere and unfortunately, that's one of them. He hasn't done anything wrong greatly. It's just that, as I say, if Damien signs, it'll be Brayford and Damien who'll be our full-backs."

A quick update if we're going to do a Burton: of the six who were offered new contracts, Campbell and McRory are staying, while Naylor has gone to Portsmouth. Buxton, Dyer and Akpan are "yet to finalise their plans".

Can't believe we'd be contemplating Buxton or Dyer, but Akpan remains a decent and realistic and target. He's still not committed to a new deal, suggesting he's cocking an ear to what another club, or clubs, might offer.

[mullayo]

Burton have offered contracts to six players who might go free: winger Lloyd Dyer (35), midfielder Hope Akpan (26), former BW keeper Harry Campbell (22) and defenders Tom Naylor (26), Damien McCrory (28) and Jake Buxton (33). 35yo forward Luke Varney has been released, full-back Tom Flanagan (26) has been transfer-listed.

A quick update if we're going to do a Burton: of the six who were offered new contracts, Campbell and McRory are staying, while Naylor has gone to Portsmouth. Buxton, Dyer and Akpan are "yet to finalise their plans".

Can't believe we'd be contemplating Buxton or Dyer, but Akpan remains a decent and realistic and target. He's still not committed to a new deal, suggesting he's cocking an ear to what another club, or clubs, might offer.

Yeah Akpan was one I found and coveted in my trawl through the frees.
26 years-old, 6ft 0in. Former Nigeria international played 26 games last year 137 in total with 7 goals and six assists. 22 yellows and 2 reds (has 6 total in his 200 odd game career - bit of a worry).

Loks a decent squad option but at this stage we can only Hope!

[GhostoftheBok]

Akpan has known fitness and attitude issues, which is presumably why he's at Burton in the first place. He'd be a risk.

[mullayo]

Akpan has known fitness and attitude issues, which is presumably why he's at Burton in the first place. He'd be a risk.

Thought there must be something like this. Any of that Burton lot any good?
How about Tom Naylor (26)?

[GhostoftheBok]

Akpan has known fitness and attitude issues, which is presumably why he's at Burton in the first place. He'd be a risk.

Thought there must be something like this. Any of that Burton lot any good?
How about Tom Naylor (26)?

Honestly not a clue. I don't think their fans were too impressed with the Championship campaign, from what I've read, but that's the limit of my knowledge there. Hard to judge players in a team playing above their level.

[mullayo]

Akpan has known fitness and attitude issues, which is presumably why he's at Burton in the first place. He'd be a risk.

His red-card record suggests either a temper or lazy reckless tackler...
However, he's 26 now. About time he grew up. Maybe I could get an arm around him and give him the last chance saloon speech...

[GhostoftheBok]

There was an FA investigation a few years ago for some homophobic tweets. 2 managers have dropped him over his lack of fitness. There was an incident at Reading where he said he was injured but there was doubt around it. On top of that there's the disciplinary record.

People seem to think he has ability, but he has a poor rep as a pro. Madine was the same, though, and PP got him playing.

[palindromeofbolton]

Millwall apparently interested in taking Amos for the season.

Iles reports that Charlton paid £4k of his £16k p/w wage last year - and Kenneth obvs wants more this time around.

http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/wa ... _is_right/