Snog, Marry, Avoid: Summer 2023 Transfer Window

[BWFC_Insane]

Not convinced at all. Clearly the club want to be automatic promotion candidates this season. That places an immediate need onto Nlundulu’s shoulders to deliver. Not in a year or two’s time but now.

I think it’s a big big gamble. Has some of the right attributes but seen a lot like that down the years and few actually make it. He never to me looked likely to put it all together. Evatt might work some magic and turn him into an unplayable striker for next season. I do hope so.

[Spartan2]

I think Dan's actually a pretty good player, but we all see things differently.

[irie Cee Bee]

Dan has all the attributes t be a very good striker. He is big, strong, has running pace allowing him to drop off, collect and he can dribble, has a good shot and can head. He has the armor and is still fairly young. What he lacks currently is an understanding of the game, when to do what. that can be coached. Lets hope he takes that on-board. If he does, we will have an awesome player in a couple years.

[DJBlu]

The lad wants to be a professional footballer and has talent.

Last season was his push to impress and personally I think he tried too hard.

3 years in the bank with a club that will love him and he'll fly.

Show em who's the boss Dan!

[GhostoftheBok]

Dan on a 3 year deal is a very good bit of business. We needed the type, so I'm glad to have him back.

Baccus for £275k would be outstanding business.

[The_Gun]

I’m not sure there would’ve been many clubs banging on Southampton’s door for Dan, especially not clubs with our aspirations.

I liked some of what I saw from him, and am not writing him off, but he does look like a raw 19 year old. 24 is not really that young for a forward - in fact, it’s typically when you’d expect them to be peaking, so I think this is a risk.

[dave the minion]

Not convinced at all. Clearly the club want to be automatic promotion candidates this season. That places an immediate need onto Nlundulu’s shoulders to deliver. Not in a year or two’s time but now.

I think it’s a big big gamble. Has some of the right attributes but seen a lot like that down the years and few actually make it. He never to me looked likely to put it all together. Evatt might work some magic and turn him into an unplayable striker for next season. I do hope so.

OK. A very predictable comment I guess....
The challenge I would put forward though is who else is available that is better than Dan for the money we are able to pay?
With Bod and Charles as presumably 1 & 2, adebayejo as 3, I think Dan is a pretty damn good 4th choice striker.....

[BWFC_Insane]

Not convinced at all. Clearly the club want to be automatic promotion candidates this season. That places an immediate need onto Nlundulu’s shoulders to deliver. Not in a year or two’s time but now.

I think it’s a big big gamble. Has some of the right attributes but seen a lot like that down the years and few actually make it. He never to me looked likely to put it all together. Evatt might work some magic and turn him into an unplayable striker for next season. I do hope so.

OK. A very predictable comment I guess....
The challenge I would put forward though is who else is available that is better than Dan for the money we are able to pay?
With Bod and Charles as presumably 1 & 2, adebayejo as 3, I think Dan is a pretty damn good 4th choice striker.....

I doubt he’s that cheap from Southampton on 3 years. And it seems possible we are going to sign another striker on top too.

The play with Nlundulu seems to be turning his raw potential into a player worth a lot. Which I get. It could happen. I’m just not convinced yet. He’s 24 and there are players far more likely to fire us to our goal next season.

But I mean Evatt sees something in him and we all see the attributes there. It’s whether he can learn to be a footballer or not. If he can then it will be inspired.

[Prufrock]

There's a player in there. Bit like Bod in that he's a unit but wants it to feet short. Two decent options each for to feet and in behind now. If we can unlock it there's some player in there. Strikes the ball really well too. Happy enough.

[GhostoftheBok]

He adds to that group of players Evatt will believe he can coach into a foundation to build a Championship squad on.

The right build, technical ability and athleticism.

Johnston ideally needs to sign a new deal there. He's one Evatt marked as "a top Championship player" for the future.

[jmjhb]

If we get the likes of Kane Wilson in, I can see the logic of this signing. Otherwise I'm struggling

[Prufrock]

He adds to that group of players Evatt will believe he can coach into a foundation to build a Championship squad on.

The right build, technical ability and athleticism.

Johnston ideally needs to sign a new deal there. He's one Evatt marked as "a top Championship player" for the future.

Yeah he's the one that worries me on an "out ". Can't really afford for him to be walking away for nothing.

[sonicthewhite]

I think out of those with only 12 months left then Johnstone and Dempsey would be getting contract extensions now. Johnstone clearly the priority of the two for it to happen. For me I would be offering him a new 3yr deal with the potential of an extra year. Long term balance to the defensive unit and financial security to the club as any potential buyer would need to pay our price. I'd go so far as to say if he continues to improve he'd be worth in the 8-10 mil price range.

[sonicthewhite]

He adds to that group of players Evatt will believe he can coach into a foundation to build a Championship squad on.

The right build, technical ability and athleticism.

Johnston ideally needs to sign a new deal there. He's one Evatt marked as "a top Championship player" for the future.

From what I know he has the potential to be much better than Madine ever was and we got £6m for him.

[GhostoftheBok]

The issue with renewing Dempsey now is next season. There has to be space in the squad to improve the squad next time around, especially if we go up. It can be difficult to sell players (as we've found with John) and we've made a point of saying we won't force a player out if we can help it.

Assuming we sign Baccus and another midfielder on permanent deals then we will have all our 6 midfield choices (assuming MJ is a utility type) under contract past the summer. Whether we go up or not we will probably want to make changes in each compartment, so where do we change?

In attack Dad Bod is, in theory, currently an option to change over. Further back we have Jones, Johnston and possibly MJ (if we are counting him as Santos cover) expiring, so loads of space to improve things even if we get Johnston tied down.

Out wide we have John expiring currently.

Generally you want at least 3 players coming out of contract (or loans ending) so you can refresh things, even if it's going pretty well; because it can always be better. You also always want to have some kind of pathway to offer youth, if someone stands out in the 18s or Bs.

That's not to say we shouldn't renew Dempsey (I really like him), but all these choices present issues in one way or another. If we renew Dempsey then the optimal addition as an attacking mid (for squad building purposes) becomes a loanee or short-term veteran signing.

Assuming Baccus and Wilson do show up (just for the sake of argument), the squad map looks like this. Reds are expiring and blues are contracted beyond next summer.

bwfc squad map.png (69.23 KiB) Viewed 1477 times

[GhostoftheBok]

From what I know he has the potential to be much h better than Madine ever was and we got £6m for him.

Yes, I agree. However, to Insane's point, Madine made the most of himself. He took what he had and fashioned himself into a useful footballer - along with managers seeing how they could use him in their teams.

If Nlundulu makes as much of himself as Madine did, he'll be a much better player. It's up to him (and the coaches) to do that.

This is the gig, though. Markham's department's job is to give the coaches as much suitable talent as possible and the coaches have to get as much as they can out of those talents. The players have to give everything they can be improve a little bit every day. If everyone does their job you win things, but it can break down at any point of failure.

[sleepingindiana79]

According to Nixon we are still waiting for green light for flick imagine he will be in center mid and if keanu comes of aswell think we will be strong in midfield may get more creativity out of midfield and be good computing for Morley and Dempsey and Sheehan

[The_Gun]

I think out of those with only 12 months left then Johnstone and Dempsey would be getting contract extensions now. Johnstone clearly the priority of the two for it to happen. For me I would be offering him a new 3yr deal with the potential of an extra year. Long term balance to the defensive unit and financial security to the club as any potential buyer would need to pay our price. I'd go so far as to say if he continues to improve he'd be worth in the 8-10 mil price range.

8-10 million what?! Definitely not pounds Sterling.

I doubt Arsenal would get much more than £10m for Rob Holding, and he’s a proven Premier League centre back.

[BWFC_Insane]

He adds to that group of players Evatt will believe he can coach into a foundation to build a Championship squad on.

The right build, technical ability and athleticism.

Johnston ideally needs to sign a new deal there. He's one Evatt marked as "a top Championship player" for the future.

From what I know he has the potential to be much better than Madine ever was and we got £6m for him.

At 24 Madine had nearly 40 league goals at league one and above including double figures one season.

Nlundulu has 6.

Whilst I get he may be a late bloomer and that he has considerable raw attributes. The odds are not in our favour.

[DJBlu]

He adds to that group of players Evatt will believe he can coach into a foundation to build a Championship squad on.

The right build, technical ability and athleticism.

Johnston ideally needs to sign a new deal there. He's one Evatt marked as "a top Championship player" for the future.

From what I know he has the potential to be much better than Madine ever was and we got £6m for him.

At 24 Madine had nearly 40 league goals at league one and above including double figures one season.

Nlundulu has 6.

Whilst I get he may be a late bloomer and that he has considerable raw attributes. The odds are not in our favour.

He also had 180 appearances to help out. Dan's on 68 with 12 of them in the Premier League.

56, scattered around different teams, Madine had a 4 year run in the same team.

The lad needs stability and will get that here. Give him a chance.