Summer 2021 Transfer Thread.

[brommers95]

That said, for the impending window: unless we offer transfer fees for such players - which is possible but arguably a poor use of money for assets that could be free in six months, especially when we have finite finance and several areas to improve - then I’d suggest they’re far more likely to come in June than Jan. This one is probably about finding unwanted players, which doesn’t necessarily equate to being cack - MJ and Dapo prove that.

Yes agreed. For this upcoming window, loans of promising youngsters and loans/frees for ‘un-wanteds’ I think is a much better use of resources for now.

I’m sure there are plenty of guys in the Championship (and even L1 to a lesser extent) who aren’t getting game time at their current clubs that could dramatically improve us (as you’ve highlighted in previous posts DSB).

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

That said, for the impending window: unless we offer transfer fees for such players - which is possible but arguably a poor use of money for assets that could be free in six months

That's a very reasonable argument. I think the counter-point is whether they'd make us more likely to get into the playoffs - or, rather, would Evatt see it as boosting our chances? Equally, if we go the other way, would they help keep us in the division?

It's a fair question and a reasonable theoretical. Still, not for me (barring, possibly, the last idea: guaranteed saviours).

I'm a greedy man, Ghost, and I want to see us improve. I'd like us to sign eight or nine players in January who at the very least improve the inadequate backups; as per the Prufrock Formula, ideally they'd be replacing some first-teamers who then become good backups themselves.

And that's more or less right through the XI. I like what Dixon brings to the team's style but I can't shake the feeling that he's hardly excellent at the rather important consideration of keeping the ball out of the net; for shot-save percentage he was in L2's lowest half-dozen last season and I think Iles said he's 17th in this one now. Better, but good enough? Evatt called him the English Ederson but sometimes I worry he's more like the Boro-born Claudio Bravo. True, shots-saved can be a reductive metric, but it's hardly irrelevant. With Gilks doddering into his anecdotage, we need at the very least a sensible rival; I'd prefer an improvement.

And so on, throughout the team. I try to be open-minded but I doubt anybody can convince me we don't need better full-backs than Brockbank and Gordon. I'd like a Taggart of a centre-back. MJ needs help. Lee can't last. We need a 10. We've been woefully underpowered in the front three all season. Apart from that, we're laughing.

With that in mind, I don't think spending fees (which would logically reduce our spending power elsewhere, and might even raise the asking price among other clubs/agents/players) is the way to go. Not just yet. Should it happen, I won't be round the front with bedsheets, but I'll worry we're not strengthening as widely or as wisely as we might.

That said, for the impending window: unless we offer transfer fees for such players - which is possible but arguably a poor use of money for assets that could be free in six months, especially when we have finite finance and several areas to improve - then I’d suggest they’re far more likely to come in June than Jan. This one is probably about finding unwanted players, which doesn’t necessarily equate to being cack - MJ and Dapo prove that.

Yes agreed. For this upcoming window, loans of promising youngsters and loans/frees for ‘un-wanteds’ I think is a much better use of resources for now.

I’m sure there are plenty of guys in the Championship (and even L1 to a lesser extent) who aren’t getting game time at their current clubs that could dramatically improve us (as you’ve highlighted in previous posts DSB).

It's a bit of a lottery - for every Dapo a Maddison, for every MJ an Elbo - but it's low-risk and worth it IMO.

[GhostoftheBok]

With that in mind, I don't think spending fees (which would logically reduce our spending power elsewhere, and might even raise the asking price among other clubs/agents/players) is the way to go. Not just yet. Should it happen, I won't be round the front with bedsheets, but I'll worry we're not strengthening as widely or as wisely as we might.

I think we've seen enough of Evatt to know he will want to have a crack at promotion this season. If he thinks a lad with 6 months to run on his deal can give us a boost towards that goal I think he'd push for having him in.

That doesn't mean we will see us spend anything. It may be that we have targets in mind who don't require a fee and who Evatt thinks will give us that boost.

I completely (and I mean 100% and with bells on) believe we should be committed to a long term transfer strategy. It should be the case that we are feeling out contract situations and sounding out the reps of players that we might not need for 2-3 windows. We should have progression plans in place for Doyle, Lee, Baptiste, Aimson and anyone else who isn't a long term solution to a position. We should have targets in mind for if Dapo is bought or a player suffers a long term injury. We should have a short list of at least 6 players we are closely tracking for every position on the pitch.

I have zero issue with us waiting 6 months to sign a player, especially a 21 year old. However, we need a right back in this window. So if we imagine that Wilson is "the guy" for our long term planning then we can either find a 6 month stop-gap or we can sort out a small fee with FGR to get him through the door. If the situation were we can take or leave a right back then I'd say why bother forking out in January, but I don't think that's where we are - having seen just how bad that right flank is defensively when Jones is out.

If there's an Amaechi-style 6 month loan out there who can add genuine quality to the side, by all means get that. As I said before to Insane, sometimes short-termism is long-termism in disguise - but sometimes you find you need your long term solution in a bit sooner.

The same goes for our Sarcevic replacement. We need that player, so if we have to pay a minimal fee then so be it. Again, if there's some excellent loan to bridge a gap then amazing. If a long term solution to an area happens to be available for loan first (I'm looking at you, Tariq Uwakwe and Ellis Simms) then all the better.

[GhostoftheBok]

The same goes for our Sarcevic replacement. We need that player, so if we have to pay a minimal fee then so be it.

Spoke to a journo mate of mine in London overnight who has us as one of the clubs talking to Bristol City about Tyreeq Bakinson.

Played in midfield with Sheehan whilst on loan at Newport and the two of them ran the show, getting into the play offs. Big lad, good engine and intelligent on the ball. I had no idea his contract was running down and I'd not have thought we'd get near him after he played so much in the Championship last season, but he's apparently struggled this term and City are looking to make changes to avoid relegation. I think the suggestion is that injury issues to other players might mean he stays on; but they're looking at all options.

He's only 23 and I'd be excited to get him in.

I am not "ITK", but the sourcing will be spot on on this one.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

The same goes for our Sarcevic replacement. We need that player, so if we have to pay a minimal fee then so be it.

Spoke to a journo mate of mine in London overnight who has us as one of the clubs talking to Bristol City about Tyreeq Bakinson.

Played in midfield with Sheehan whilst on loan at Newport and the two of them ran the show, getting into the play offs. Big lad, good engine and intelligent on the ball. I had no idea his contract was running down and I'd not have thought we'd get near him after he played so much in the Championship last season, but he's apparently struggled this term and City are looking to make changes to avoid relegation. I think the suggestion is that injury issues to other players might mean he stays on; but they're looking at all options.

He's only 23 and I'd be excited to get him in.

I am not "ITK", but the sourcing will be spot on on this one.

All good news, Ghost, but is he the 10 (as implied by your self-quote) or the missing beef/talent in the double pivot (as implied by "big lad, good engine")?

[GhostoftheBok]

All good news, Ghost, but is he the 10 (as implied by your self-quote) or the missing beef/talent in the double pivot (as implied by "big lad, good engine")?

I'd call him a 6/8, as opposed to the 8/10 that was Sarce. As you say, he's the beef in the Williams/Sheehan sandwich....

Sheehan played as a 10 in that Newport side and yon mon played box-to-box.

[BWFC_Insane]

All good news, Ghost, but is he the 10 (as implied by your self-quote) or the missing beef/talent in the double pivot (as implied by "big lad, good engine")?

I'd call him a 6/8, as opposed to the 8/10 that was Sarce. As you say, he's the beef in the Williams/Sheehan sandwich....

Sheehan played as a 10 in that Newport side and yon mon played box-to-box.

Didn’t Sheehan play in front of Newports back four?

[GhostoftheBok]

Didn’t Sheehan play in front of Newports back four?

Later. At this stage Newport sat Scott Bennett in front of their back three and used Sheehan as a 10, or as an 8 with another mid. They always had either Labadie or Bekinson in midfield - usually Bekinson, but sometimes both.

[GhostoftheBok]

As a caveat and to show my total lack of "ITKness", I was also told last week that we were keeping tabs on Danny Loader. Whilst that would be a phenomenal signing, he did just score his first goal for Porto the other day after making his debut off the bench....so that's not happening.

[GhostoftheBok]

George Thomas has stepped up his recovery at QPR and is being touted for a January loan move to boost his chances of making the Wales squad (I say boost, he currently has zero chance). Given that Sheehan had to be excused due to his back and Jones was being talked about as getting in before his injury, it's not out of the question that we'd look a good fit.

He's barely played any senior football, so it's hard to know what to think of him; but he was supposed to be a Premier League player in the making at one stage. Another who was a European traveller too, so fits the Evatt mould.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

George Thomas has stepped up his recovery at QPR and is being touted for a January loan move to boost his chances of making the Wales squad (I say boost, he currently has zero chance). Given that Sheehan had to be excused due to his back and Jones was being talked about as getting in before his injury, it's not out of the question that we'd look a good fit.

He's barely played any senior football, so it's hard to know what to think of him; but he was supposed to be a Premier League player in the making at one stage. Another who was a European traveller too, so fits the Evatt mould.

For those, like me, thinking "who he?":

Leicester-born, 24, came up through Coventry ranks. Made his debut aged 16 during an injury crisis and appeared sporadically but only really broke into the team three seasons later (2016/17), playing 28 of his 42 third-tier games. That was enough for Leicester City to buy him on a three-year contract, but he never made the first team, being loaned to third-tier Scunny in 2018/19 (37 games and 3 goals as they finished second-bottom) then Dutch top-tier side ADO Den Haag in 2019/20. That was the season curtailed by Covid and he only went there in mid-January, ie exactly when a documentary would start playing doomy piano music and the narrator would say something about "a huge problem nobody foresaw". And I'm not talking about ADO's manager at the time being Alan Pardew.

Released by Leicester that summer, he signed for QPR, whose website described him as an "attacking midfielder, who can operate on either flank" in a piece which also said "While Thomas is a creative player, he prides himself on his work-rate in matches, adding: 'I won’t stop running, I will always work hard for the badge – and hopefully I will score a few goals along the way. I think work ethic should be the foundation of any footballer. It’s definitely something I strive for.''" Manager Mark Warburton said: “He has flexibility in his position on the pitch and a real hunger about how he plays the game."

He played 17 tier-two games for them last season despite a two-month thigh problem, and featured in each of the last seven games. Back in August this year, Warby refused to let the lad on loan: “He provides energy, quality and he’s got that lovely ability to run beyond defenders as well. I’ve had a lot of enquires; will we let George out on loan? Absolutely not. He’s got a big role to play for us this season.”

Not so far, though. He appeared five times in the first seven games, but they were all as late subs except for one start, when he and Andre "son of Jason" Dozzell were subbed after 36 minutes with the Rs 2-0 down at home to Barnsley (after also bringing on former BWFC loan target Jimmy Dunne on at half-time, they came back to draw 2-2, which must have been bittersweet for the replaced players).

Hasn't played a minute since mid-September: six times an unused sub, six times out of the squad. Which fits better loanwise with Ghost's whisper than with Warby's long-ago insistence. In late October the manager said the boy had been poorly – “He had a sickness bug that really knocked him. There is a lot of cold and flu going around. George got it and got hit quite hard for a couple of weeks. But he is back and looked good in training and is in contention” - but still no minutes.

He's contracted until 2023 with an option to extend, so I think the Rs will still be in loan-and-monitor mode rather than flog-and-cut-losses. It remains to be seen, though, whether we'd be his best option.

[GhostoftheBok]

Sorry, I assumed people would know who he was.

He's 100% a modern 8/10 for me. Works his arse off, physically solid for his size and "press resistant", if people will forgive the modern terminology. Good movement in the box and can finish too.

He could be a very good Championship player at least, if he can stay fit. He'd certainly score goals at this level.

He was brought in to help fill the hole left by Eze, which tells you a lot about what QPR thought they were getting when he arrived.

Big issue for me is that he is very vocal and extremely demanding. I believe he captained Wales a couple of times at youth level and he also captained Leicester's U23s. We do need more voices on the pitch.

Anyway, just one to keep an eye on for January, in my opinion.

[GhostoftheBok]

That Stocky game has solidified for me that Delf shouldn't be here anymore. Woeful. I'm also much more willing to hear arguments that the need for a new centre half is urgent and we don't have time for Johnston to grow into his role.

Keeper, 3 defenders, 2-3 midfielders and 2 forwards wouldn't be outrageous. Will never happen in one window, but it's how short we are of having the quality and depth we need.

At minimum we need 2 fullbacks, 2 mids and a forward as soon as possible.

[The_Gun]

That Stocky game has solidified for me that Delf shouldn't be here anymore. Woeful. I'm also much more willing to hear arguments that the need for a new centre half is urgent and we don't have time for Johnston to grow into his role.

Keeper, 3 defenders, 2-3 midfielders and 2 forwards wouldn't be outrageous. Will never happen in one window, but it's how short we are of having the quality and depth we need.

At minimum we need 2 fullbacks, 2 mids and a forward as soon as possible.

I agree, but realistically it's going to be difficult to bring in five players that are better than what we have in January, especially when free agents are basically a no-go and we're unlikely to pay transfer fees.

Finding five good players either in the loan market, or whose clubs will release them from their contracts early is a tall ask. I'm sure we have plenty under consideration already, but it's improbable we're going to be able to repeat the success of last Jan.

[GhostoftheBok]

I agree, but realistically it's going to be difficult to bring in five players that are better than what we have in January, especially when free agents are basically a no-go and we're unlikely to pay transfer fees.

Finding five good players either in the loan market, or whose clubs will release them from their contracts early is a tall ask. I'm sure we have plenty under consideration already, but it's improbably we're going to be able to repeat the success of last Jan.

I agree and if everyone was fit we could get away with 3, but we have a thin squad and loads of players out or with a tendency to pick up knocks. The outfield players who can roughly be relied upon to be fit to play every game are:

Santos, Johnston, Baps, Gordon, Thomason, Kachunga, Dapo, Izzy.

The rest are either coming back from injuries, injured or have a history of injuries.

Williams is sick right now and I haven't put him in the reliable list due to that. If we include him that's 9 outfield players we don't currently have to worry about unless they take a knock. Not only is that pathetically few reliably fit players, it's got some of our worst performers in it.

[officer_dibble]

We need players available 1st Jan as well, say we keep shipping 2, 3, 4 goals a game all through December. Will be urgent come 1st Jan. The nosedive in the last 6 weeks has been abysmal.

[GhostoftheBok]

Every team will have watched the last two games and seen that if you stand off us we'll beat you and if you get at us we will fall to bits.

Wycombe will go at us hammer and tongs off the back of an extra day's rest and no extra time. We will see where we are after 90 minutes of that.

[BWFC_Insane]

That Stocky game has solidified for me that Delf shouldn't be here anymore. Woeful. I'm also much more willing to hear arguments that the need for a new centre half is urgent and we don't have time for Johnston to grow into his role.

Keeper, 3 defenders, 2-3 midfielders and 2 forwards wouldn't be outrageous. Will never happen in one window, but it's how short we are of having the quality and depth we need.

At minimum we need 2 fullbacks, 2 mids and a forward as soon as possible.

I agree, but realistically it's going to be difficult to bring in five players that are better than what we have in January, especially when free agents are basically a no-go and we're unlikely to pay transfer fees.

Finding five good players either in the loan market, or whose clubs will release them from their contracts early is a tall ask. I'm sure we have plenty under consideration already, but it's improbable we're going to be able to repeat the success of last Jan.

We signed 8 last time. I mean I agree January is a tough window. I suspect we'll need a significant number to avoid going down. Because for me this squad is shot. It needs a rebuild. It'll be loans won't it?

And if we can get the required physicality and keep Dapo then I think we'll limp through.

Then the summer is when we correct the mistakes (hopefully) of last summer and ship out most of those players and rebuild with a league one side - that can compete physically with the rigours of this league.

[Prufrock]

Is there a left back in Johnston? I just don't see him cutting it at CB, but he's good at defending 1v1 and tenacious, Gordon is hopeless and John has gone backwards. Aimson was awful on the ball last night but looks like he might be the best bet defensively. Literally the tallest dwarf.

[GhostoftheBok]

The name put forward to me today was Marvin Ekpiteta. Not sure how that would work, as he's playing regularly for Blackpool up a division, but worth a mention.

Johnston has played left back as a youngster for Liverpool, but then for Liverpool he was a ball-playing defender who could play in midfield, rather than the hoof-merchant we see before us right now. I don't think you take a youngster whose confidence is in bits and ask him to play even slightly out of position; but I'd welcome being wrong.

In an emergency, maybe; but if we passed up signing a specialist to challenge John in order to play Johnston there I'd go mildly postal.