In, Out, Shake It All About: January 2025 Transfer Window

[Mar]

Arfield gone, official.

Terrible transfer. His best contribution to the club was leaving it. He did get an assist, but that's only on the basis that Charles shrugged off a few challenges to slot home against Northampton.

[TiredTrotter]

Arfield gone, official.

Terrible transfer. His best contribution to the club was leaving it. He did get an assist, but that's only on the basis that Charles shrugged off a few challenges to slot home against Northampton.

Pretty much all transfers in the past 12m have the scent of desperation on them. I hope Steven gets a big say in transfers this summer, because letting Dion go and replacing him with Etete on loan is a fecking scandal.

[Mar]

Pretty much all transfers in the past 12m have the scent of desperation on them. I hope Steven gets a big say in transfers this summer, because letting Dion go and replacing him with Etete on loan is a fecking scandal.

I never expected a decent replacement when Charles went, not given the situation we were in. Why would the board splash cash on an outside bet. They're just playing out this season.

Letting Charles go and bringing in Etete reminds me of selling Anelka and bringing in Rasiak. Looks terrible, feels terrible and certainly not pushing the club forward.

[GhostoftheBok]

This isn't Anelka for Rasiak. No manager has seen fit to give Dion a go in the Championship, but Etete has played over 50 games at that level. He may or may not work out, but plenty of coaches rate him.

We've swapped a fit player for an unfit one. A proven scorer for an unproven forward. Those are bad things.

However, Dion looks a shadow of himself and he's never a lone striker in a million years - so what loss is he now that Schumacher is here? Minimal.

Evatt got sacked because he was clearly underachieving with the group he had. So we should improve. Whether we improve enough to go up is an other issue. How many players impress Schumacher enough to stay past the summer is another.

[GhostoftheBok]

Worth adding, as a window I don't love it.

However, I think we've seen a fraction of what we'd hoped to see from a good number of players.

New manager. Clean slate.

Let's hope many stay fitter than they have.

[BWFC_Insane]

Worth adding, as a window I don't love it.

However, I think we've seen a fraction of what we'd hoped to see from a good number of players.

New manager. Clean slate.

Let's hope many stay fitter than they have.

I think we need and will be looking at a major summer rebuild. Regardless of underperformance we simply don’t have the necessary tools in place unless Schuey can find a different way. Midfield is too lightweight for this league and doesn’t have enough running in it. We are very reliant on Collins and have precious little real goal threat to offer. No real pace. Limited wing backs.

I think given the business everyone else has done it doesn’t add up to promotion. Sadly. Though if I’m wrong it will be a lovely surprise.

It is very last chance for a lot of these players. Last chance saloon to prove they deserve to wear a Bolton wanderers shirt.

[Mar]

This isn't Anelka for Rasiak. No manager has seen fit to give Dion a go in the Championship, but Etete has played over 50 games at that level. He may or may not work out, but plenty of coaches rate him.

We've swapped a fit player for an unfit one. A proven scorer for an unproven forward. Those are bad things.

That's what I was stating with the Rasiak comparison. We had a steady influx of goals from a player we've gotten rid of and an unproven quantity from a player that has come in. Rasiak had 24 goals in 65 for Southampton at the time we brought him in. So, not a bad record, but certainly not proven at PL level.

However, Dion looks a shadow of himself and he's never a lone striker in a million years - so what loss is he now that Schumacher is here? Minimal.

Evatt got sacked because he was clearly underachieving with the group he had. So we should improve. Whether we improve enough to go up is an other issue. How many players impress Schumacher enough to stay past the summer is another.

Would Schuey have managed to get more from Dion were he in charge? I'd suspect so. Moving from Bolton's way of playing to a different manager isn't going to help. Still there may have been more to it than just the football side of things with his alleged off the field antics.

[Armchair Wanderer]

The three outgoings...

Charles... Didn't fit the system, out of form, expensive, got some money back and wages a bit lighter. No idea. Makes sense though.

Arfield and Williams... Both contracts expiring in the summer. No idea about either but Williams from the championship so maybe highish wages.

Here's my thought about Williams. Bradley went back to Liverpool, need someone in there. Williams gets a two year contract. I'd suggest that the club wanted him for one season, but didn't want to be in trouble the following summer so the second season is cover. Schon comes in and is more what the club wants. Three year contract. Then, incase anything happens, Murphy comes in on loan. Now, by this point it's not a managerial choice. Seems like for whatever reason, say wages, they needed Williams out this window.

For me, you can't even compare Murphy with Williams in terms of which is better or if one approves anything. Smells like a pure long-term plan kind of thing. In my brain at least.

Also, while I'm here. I think post Reading, on the offish post match, the manager talked about having too many players and possibly doing some business over the next two weeks. Not two days. Unless I remember that wrong. Sounds to me in hindsight that it was always possible loans, as opposed to signings. And he's still got too many players, so some may go out.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Some interesting free-agent stories out there. Whether they're any use, or they pass the spreadsheet test, who knows. They're all freebies for a reason - often injuries. (These are all central/defensive midfielders, at least in part.)

If you want a six-footer, there's Tashan Oakley-Boothe (24). Spurs grad, played tier-2 for Stoke, tier-3 for Lincoln then Blackpool, left them last January to Portuguese top-flighters Estrela da Amadora, released in September.

If you want experience, there's Tom Carroll (32), released yesterday by MK Dons. 94 Prem games (Spurs & Swansea), 82 Champo, 68 L1.

Joe Morrell was a Pompey regular till a knee injury last January. Became a free agent in summer Wrexham were interested, but no deal yet. Still training with Pompey. Only 27 - but also only 5ft6...

Dru Yearwood (24) is an Arsenal academy output who went to Southend for two third-tier seasons, was picked up by second-tier Brentford, then went to the MLS with New York Red Bulls. Was a regular for three seasons (despite a lengthy suspension after he reacted to a time-wasting opponent by hoofing the ball into the crowd, more specifically and completely accidentally smack into the face of a young girl sitting in the front row). Moved to MLS team Nashville for the 2024 season, regular for most of the season. Released last month, largely for salary-cap reasons.

Luke Amos (27) was released by Hibs this week. Was on Spurs' books and made an appearance under Pochettino; went to QPR and made 50-odd appearances across the 21/22 and 22/23 seasons. Released summer 2023, signed for Hibs in January 2024.

Louie Watson (23) was released by Luton last summer. The West Ham graduate has played Champo football for them and Derby, and 21 tier-3 games for Charlton last year.

If you want a six-footer who Schumacher likes, there's Conor Grant (29). The left-footed Scouser, who played 137 games for Plymouth (14G 22A), was reluctantly released by Schuey in summer 2023 (after their promotion) due to various injuries. He went to Port Vale and left by mutual consent yesterday after 44 appearances. If this were a Keith Hill-style "I know a guy" situation, you'd imagine he'd be training with us with a view to getting fit (it worked with Kieran Lee). But does he fit the new algorithm?

[BWFC_Insane]

When you analyse yesterday in the cold light of day how many clubs signed players who would be considered needle movers for us? I don’t see many. Beyond the obvious big spenders.

I suspect that say a Cosgrove might have offered what we miss that experienced target man but he’s hardly set the world on fire anywhere and even with Schuey was a back up option who got 8 goals. Now that isn’t be and end all and someone who has done it and knows the role is maybe more likely to offer something that a kid on loan who has barely found their own place in the game yet.

However, the difference is arguably not massive at least on paper.

There were probably players who would have improved us but then the question is whether we would have had to pay too much for them and ended up regretting it in the summer.

I think the real issue this window was not even selling Charles. We all see he wasn’t the same player as last season. Or the beginning of last season where he was at his peak. He wanted out we got an offer and sold him. I think the issue was spending that money or money in general on another technically sound but weak as piss midfield player in Randall. We have just ended up sinking too many resources into players that are too similar. And not fixed the gaps more broadly. We had Lolos, CMG, Mcatee who could all play that attacking midfield role but there is also a question whether our system works that well with that sort of attacking midfield player or whether it leaves us a bit weaker in the middle. However, whether Randall is good enough or not or a great player or not it still remains the case that in my view he hasn’t improved us in a meaningful way because he hasn’t addressed the weaknesses. Sinking our money into Evatts target and then dispensing with Evatt was careless at best but honestly there are for me enough data points to say that the last couple of years the club in terms of footballing decisions has made a lot of wrong turns. Hopefully they will learn from that. But I don’t think in reality yesterday was a day they could have done too much to correct them.

[Prufrock]

They left it too late pulling the trigger. And maybe there's no money left this year.

But for me we already had a bloated squad so no issue with losing deadwood, Charles the only one you'd expect to meaningfully contribute and I get why we sold him.

Feels to me that we should have enough to make time play offs, the reason for binning the manager is that squad was underachieving. Then it's a bit of a lottery, if we don't go up we can take our time in the summer.

I'd have potted Evatt much earlier, but once you're in that situation I can see why they've done what they've done.

[The_Gun]

I’m somewhat disappointed not to see SSA go out on loan. My assumption is that he’s been earmarked as Arfield’s replacement, but there wouldn’t appear to be many minutes available, unless someone gets injured.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Deadline Day is very often the worst combination of hype and disappointment - like New Year's Eve but without the booze.

The big problem among the louder section is not just that we've sold the (previously) most reliable striker, or even that we've sold him to a rival, but that we've not replaced him - except with a youngster whose debut could be charitably described as troubling. Add in that many of the same malcontents would also rather us play with 10 than with Vic and it's a concern.

I do to an extent share BWFCi's concern that Randall is not what we most needed, and given the narrative that we're too far to one side of the pretty/gritty spectrum, the signing feels somewhat hubristic: a tiara on a show-pony? Had we followed that signing with James Collins and then, IDK, some unit in def-mid than maybe the natives would be less restless - but then maybe they'd be calling the new old striker an ancient carthorse or something.

This is a demanding fanbase but it does react to stimulus: feed it wins and it smiles. After the euphoria of Evatt's departure, the emotion of Darby's dream and the relief of a very sensible managerial appointment, Reading was a comedown, Etete a shock and deadline day a disappointment. But with the right words this week and a fast start on Saturday, most of this mini-low will soon be forgotten.

[TonyDomingos]

Do I have the honour of having started the worst transfer thread EVER?!

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

I’m somewhat disappointed not to see SSA go out on loan. My assumption is that he’s been earmarked as Arfield’s replacement, but there wouldn’t appear to be many minutes available, unless someone gets injured.

We mighty need him to cover for Thomason's lunging tackle suspensions...

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

Do I have the honour of having started the worst transfer thread EVER?!

Consider yourself lengthily banned from starting these threads. We might need a Pru special for summer

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

I think non-league clubs can loan after the January window, so SSA could go to say the National League if that's what we think is best.

[GhostoftheBok]

They left it too late pulling the trigger. And maybe there's no money left this year.

But for me we already had a bloated squad so no issue with losing deadwood, Charles the only one you'd expect to meaningfully contribute and I get why we sold him.

We got the player we didn't manage to get in the summer. That's about all we can say about it.

The squad was bloated, as you say. It's great to get rid of some players who didn't want to be here. I have liked Randell over his time here, but he wanted out and he's been injured far too much. I imagine he'll do well s a winger down south.

There are only 3 positions in the squad where we don't have 2 players per position currently contracted beyond the summer, if we include extension clauses.

So Schumacher had a squad he felt was too big and needs room to work in the summer. He will probably look to move on a couple more at least, regardless of which division we're in.

You're right that Evatt should have gone earlier. I'm not sure the window would have looked radically different regardless. One or two at most.

[GhostoftheBok]

I think non-league clubs can loan after the January window, so SSA could go to say the National League if that's what we think is best.

Longtermism.

This window doesn't exist in isolation.

If Sonny is to make a real impact here in the future he needs loans. We've seen how it has benefitted Conway.

Sonny is behind a lot of depth and would never play. Get football into him.

[The_Gun]

I’m somewhat disappointed not to see SSA go out on loan. My assumption is that he’s been earmarked as Arfield’s replacement, but there wouldn’t appear to be many minutes available, unless someone gets injured.

We mighty need him to cover for Thomason's lunging tackle suspensions...

You joke, but this is actually quite a big problem for someone who’s meant to be our leader.

Last season Thomo had the joint most yellows in the division (tied on 14 with a certain J. Vela).

This season he again has the joint most yellows in the division (this time tied on 10 with Baily Cargill).

Even when he was regularly turning in MotM performances last season his discipline was barely excusable, but now his form has fallen off a cliff, his place in the team must be under severe threat.