Tooling up: The summer 2024 transfer thread

[BWFC_Insane]

Pretty obvious to me that Evatt looked at the first game and decided that was it for Iredale. You can’t blame him as it was simply not good enough. Equally though some players get chance after chance. I feel like he’s never really been that keen on Iredale for whatever reason.

[GhostoftheBok]

Ian was very keen on him prior to his injury. They will have data and see things in training we can't. It may be that Evatt and the staff just know he is very unlikely to ever hit his previous levels. He'd have wanted Jack to make sure Johnston wasn't rushed back, but after Orient and with Johnston looking so strong it seems reasonable to let him go.

It's a shame, but if your body can't do it it can't do it.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Jack has been a useful bloke to have around because he can play in a couple of positions were rarely well-stocked in - LCB & LWB. We now have Schon, Williams and JOT to play wide left so that’s half the remit gone. The other half isn’t as easily covered but yeah.

It’s not the worst player to lose on d-day and if (if) it frees up space and cash for a potential game changer, then that’s the risk/reward thing.

[Mar]

Well, sorry to see Iredale go but can imagine that it makes sense.
We've got room to improve the squad now.

Given Ladapo has just left Ipswich, there may be consideration for us going in for Ladapo. When Ipswich got promoted out of League One, he had a knack of coming off the bench and scoring. He didn't manage to repeat the feat on loan at Charlton, but he may end up proving useful for us should we want to go down that route.

I don't think we're short of strikers, so I can't see it happening. Us shipping out N'lundulu certainly opens up that possibility though.

Could've been worse, we've kept the core of the squad and sorted transfers out early in the window.

[brommers95]

[brommers95]

Can’t say I’m sad to see him go but he was adequate back up here in his two seasons. Best of luck to him up north

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Good luck Jack. And ooh, this means the speculation ain’t over….

[GhostoftheBok]

Jack has been a useful bloke to have around because he can play in a couple of positions were rarely well-stocked in - LCB & LWB. We now have Schon, Williams and JOT to play wide left so that’s half the remit gone. The other half isn’t as easily covered but yeah.

It’s not the worst player to lose on d-day and if (if) it frees up space and cash for a potential game changer, then that’s the risk/reward thing.

Lefties are always at a premium.

We will be looking at young lads like Noel Atom in case they shake loose from the Cat 1 system, but so will everyone else.

Jack is now gone, so we have to make do with what we have until January and have another look.

I can't see a freebie who fills the gap at the back, such as it is.

[BWFC_Insane]

Jack has been a useful bloke to have around because he can play in a couple of positions were rarely well-stocked in - LCB & LWB. We now have Schon, Williams and JOT to play wide left so that’s half the remit gone. The other half isn’t as easily covered but yeah.

It’s not the worst player to lose on d-day and if (if) it frees up space and cash for a potential game changer, then that’s the risk/reward thing.

Lefties are always at a premium.

We will be looking at young lads like Noel Atom in case they shake loose from the Cat 1 system, but so will everyone else.

Jack is now gone, so we have to make do with what we have until January and have another look.

I can't see a freebie who fills the gap at the back, such as it is.

Does sound like we expect to sign a free. Not necessarily a replacement for Iredale. But sounds like Evatt thinks we will sign one. I can’t see we’d have let Iredale go if we didn’t need the room in the squad.

[GhostoftheBok]

Does sound like we expect to sign a free. Not necessarily a replacement for Iredale. But sounds like Evatt thinks we will sign one.

We've been talking to Aaron Connolly for over a month and he's turned down two offers from Ireland.

That doesn't mean it's him, but he would seem to fit our needs the most. Has played both the striker and 10/7 roles in this kind of system in the Premier League under Potter. He's young enough to have resale value if we can get him fit. He's a "character" who is seen as a win-at-all-costs sort.

You'd imagine we will make a signing if we can.

[brommers95]

Per Iles:

“The Bolton boss has confirmed he has been in talks with two different players who have been discussing moves to Premier League or Championship sides. It is hoped post-window that he can now complete one of the deals to fill the final slot in the squad.”

https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/2 ... itch-hibs/

[GhostoftheBok]

The other players that comes to mind, other than Connolly, is Thom Haye.

No idea if he moved somewhere last minute, but his agent was shopping him around the Championship and not quite getting the offers he wanted.

Hard to imagine him ending up in League One at the start of the summer, but we're into the weird bit now.

[The_Gun]

What’s the craic with Matheson then? It’s hard to see him getting any minutes if he remains.

[BorsdaneWhite]

I know “X” is hardly the Lyceum of informed debate, but it does highlight what Evatt and Markland are up against.

I know the Whites are hardly innocent of insane financial gambles. I know we’ve suffered because of it. But Brum are not so much a yardstick as an utter disgrace—exemplifying all that’s so very wrong with the contemporary game: Sterling beachballing between the desperate hands of the Big Four; United’s annual £90m blindman’s buff; Marseille’s School of Russell Brand transfer policy. Its depressing. I hope they flounder in a season of draws and throw-ins.

[TANGODANCER]

I can't see a freebie who fills the gap at the back, such as it is.

Give the job to Gethin Jones. He's well capable even as a right footer and not shy of going forth.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

The other players that comes to mind, other than Connolly, is Thom Haye.

No idea if he moved somewhere last minute, but his agent was shopping him around the Championship and not quite getting the offers he wanted.

Hard to imagine him ending up in League One at the start of the summer, but we're into the weird bit now.

Seems to be jobless now. Refused a contract extension because he wanted to go abroad, so he will still have the theoretical option of every club with a squad space. Which includes us, but lots of others too.

What’s the craic with Matheson then? It’s hard to see him getting any minutes if he remains.

He has a much narrower suite of options to be loaned to - non-league, Ireland I think (but that's three-quarters over - plays Feb-Nov).

I do feel a bit for Matheson, being used as 19th man for long trips, neither A nor B. Which is not to say I think he's pushing for a first-team slot - he's arguably at best fourth choice RWB (maybe lower if Williams can switch there). He needs games.

I think I read somewhere in yesterday's cavalcade (it's too long to wade back through) Iles reporting Evatt saying they'd had offers to borrow Matheson but were waiting for the "right loan". They must have all been shit to take none of them and leave him with options like Fylde or three months in Galway.

[GhostoftheBok]

Evatt cites the players he's interested in as "Premier League", whether that means they were last season or once were I've no idea.

Connolly fits the bill of "once upon a time" Premier League talents - but then so did Kacha.

If we look past Everton's one-time world beating pair of Dele Alli and Andre Gomes for a second you've got the equally unlikely Dennis Praet and the slightly more likely Jake Livermore - though Marc Iles said the two names he knew of were younger players.

Everybody's favourite wayward son Brandon Williams doesn't seem to fit our needs right now.

The player that would tick almost all boxes is Steven Alzate.

30-40 games in the Premier League, 25 years old, most recently over in Belgium with our best friend Marlon at Liege. Mates with our new best friend Baxter and experienced in exactly this system for the same reasons as Connolly, without having quite the injury record of the Irishman. Can play both the #6 and '10 roles and offers international level ball-carrying ability. Was in the lower leagues on loan when Evatt was at Barrow, so will be a player he'll have seen on his oft-cited scouting trips.

Right age, right skills, just left a Premier League club on a free. Seems to fit the available information.

The obvious "don't be daft" part is that he's a Colombia international who was playing in Europe not long back, but then I suppose that's sort of a Schon level issue.

Anyone got any names they'd throw into the ring?

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Evatt cites the players he's interested in as "Premier League", whether that means they were last season or once were I've no idea.

I suspect, from its context in Ilesy's article, that that quote (harvested before deadline day) may have been about the potential loanees. It could be read either way, I suppose.

Before deadline day he told The Bolton News: “Moving two players out will give us some options but I will add that some of the players we are observing are completely free, so are not governed by the transfer window. We might need to allow the window to shut and see if they get their move to higher places, and if that doesn’t materialise then we should be next in line.

"It might not be Friday but somewhere down the line that something happens. There are one or two really good Premier League players who are becoming available too, and their first choice is Championship, that’s where we’re at, but if we’re patient they could become available too.

"There are different scenarios we could face but I am hoping we manage to strengthen a little bit and then concentrate on what we have got."

[GhostoftheBok]

That's fair. I read the Prem players as becoming available "somewhere down the line" after Friday - which would make them freebies.

The perils of reading the spoken word, as edited by a very busy local hack.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

That's fair. I read the Prem players as becoming available "somewhere down the line" after Friday - which would make them freebies.

The perils of reading the spoken word, as edited by a very busy local hack.

Ludicrously busy. Poor sod was up at 5am yesterday to edit a podcast. The distant conglomerate owners of local news outlets squeezing the lemon till the pips squeak - but then, how many of us on here pay for the BN any more, online or paper? (I do, online, but more out of pity and support than to Access Exclusive Content.) It's no wonder the local-paper sites are hellscapes of pop-ups.