Schu me the way to Amarillo - Summer 2025 Transfer Thread

[BWFC_Insane]

Are there any older ones out of contract? Think we should be looking at that rather than a kid. Someone with experience looking for a few more years.

Slim pickings. Lapsing Champo keeper contracts include:

Freddie Woodman (PNE): linked with Man U so I guess not.

James Shea (Luton): 33, definitely third choice but been there seven years and the Londoner has never played for a club further north than Luton.

Jack Bonham (Stoke): 32 in September, and thus a long way away from his infamous teenage debut when, as a sub for Watford, he let in two poor goals and cost them automatic promotion. Released that summer, he battled back via Brentford, loans and two seasons at third-tier Gillingham to Stoke, where he’s been second choice for four seasons. 120 League One games (39 clean sheets), 54 Champo (15 clean sheets).

Ben Killip (Pompey): 30 in November, signed short-term from Barnsley in Jan to be third choice. 25 games in L1 and just one Champo. Hmm.

Frank Fielding (Stoke): 37, hasn’t played regularly since the season Parky was keeping us up.

Jon McLaughlin (Swansea): 37, ex Rangers. Last regular football was 2019/20.

Simon Eastwood (Oxford): 36 in June and at Oxford since 2016, he wasn’t named in the EFL squad list this season but he coaches in the community so you imagine he’d stay there.

Ta. Slim pickings indeed. Preston have offered contracts to some of their OOC players but not Woodman.

He’s good. Let’s get him. Man Utd? Pfffft.

[Worthy4England]

TBF, Redshite probably have a much longer list of keepers better than Onana.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Ta. Slim pickings indeed. Preston have offered contracts to some of their OOC players but not Woodman.

No worries, keeps me quiet. Yeah next week we’ll start getting the retained/release lists, which will firm some things up (and squash some things flat) - but as you imply, in a lot of cases if there’s no offer by now they’re quite close to the door.

[BWFC_Insane]

Should be an interesting summer. Completely new coaching setup and DoF. One assumes that given in reality I suspect Schumacher has known we weren’t going anywhere for a good month maybe longer plenty of planning has taken place.

Hoping for a summer of solid and quiet work not a bunch of big splashes. Needs a lot of careful thought I think. And shrewd operators - maybe with some wildcard picks that they can get more out of than others have done.

[Worthy4England]

Should be an interesting summer. Completely new coaching setup and DoF. One assumes that given in reality I suspect Schumacher has known we weren’t going anywhere for a good month maybe longer plenty of planning has taken place.

Hoping for a summer of solid and quiet work not a bunch of big splashes. Needs a lot of careful thought I think. And shrewd operators - maybe with some wildcard picks that they can get more out of than others have done.

You'd hope so, and given this summer is possibly a more significant shape change and the like, would be great to get some through the door early, in pre-season (I know we're not in control of this)...

[BWFC_Insane]

Should be an interesting summer. Completely new coaching setup and DoF. One assumes that given in reality I suspect Schumacher has known we weren’t going anywhere for a good month maybe longer plenty of planning has taken place.

Hoping for a summer of solid and quiet work not a bunch of big splashes. Needs a lot of careful thought I think. And shrewd operators - maybe with some wildcard picks that they can get more out of than others have done.

You'd hope so, and given this summer is possibly a more significant shape change and the like, would be great to get some through the door early, in pre-season (I know we're not in control of this)...

Good to do it early for those reasons but most important thing is we wait for the right player if that is what we need to do.

Anecdotally to me it’s felt a bit too easy the last few years we’ve done deals for players quite readily which maybe suggests nobody else was in for them or in for them at the level we were.

I think a good sign would be if it’s tough. If landing the players we want isn’t a battle and hard - then we might ask why.

[Worthy4England]

Should be an interesting summer. Completely new coaching setup and DoF. One assumes that given in reality I suspect Schumacher has known we weren’t going anywhere for a good month maybe longer plenty of planning has taken place.

Hoping for a summer of solid and quiet work not a bunch of big splashes. Needs a lot of careful thought I think. And shrewd operators - maybe with some wildcard picks that they can get more out of than others have done.

You'd hope so, and given this summer is possibly a more significant shape change and the like, would be great to get some through the door early, in pre-season (I know we're not in control of this)...

Good to do it early for those reasons but most important thing is we wait for the right player if that is what we need to do.

Anecdotally to me it’s felt a bit too easy the last few years we’ve done deals for players quite readily which maybe suggests nobody else was in for them or in for them at the level we were.

I think a good sign would be if it’s tough. If landing the players we want isn’t a battle and hard - then we might ask why.

Yes, right player, but then if they rock up on 31 Aug (or whenever is the summer cut off), you're already a few games in, and if they're in that spine, that might take a few weeks to bed in.

[TonyDomingos]

Should be an interesting summer. Completely new coaching setup and DoF. One assumes that given in reality I suspect Schumacher has known we weren’t going anywhere for a good month maybe longer plenty of planning has taken place.

Hoping for a summer of solid and quiet work not a bunch of big splashes. Needs a lot of careful thought I think. And shrewd operators - maybe with some wildcard picks that they can get more out of than others have done.

You'd hope so, and given this summer is possibly a more significant shape change and the like, would be great to get some through the door early, in pre-season (I know we're not in control of this)...

Good to do it early for those reasons but most important thing is we wait for the right player if that is what we need to do.

Anecdotally to me it’s felt a bit too easy the last few years we’ve done deals for players quite readily which maybe suggests nobody else was in for them or in for them at the level we were.

I think a good sign would be if it’s tough. If landing the players we want isn’t a battle and hard - then we might ask why.

Yes, right player, but then if they rock up on 31 Aug (or whenever is the summer cut off), you're already a few games in, and if they're in that spine, that might take a few weeks to bed in.

As far as I can tell, the dates have yet to be confirmed for the EFL window, but they're expected to align with the Prem window of 16 June to 1 September. Only four months until Deadline Day!

[Worthy4England]

I think my window just moved a little. Cheers TD.

[TonyDomingos]

I think my window just moved a little. Cheers TD.

Subsidence?

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Lapsing third-tier goalkeepers (not young loanees):

Marko Marosi (32 in October): 6ft4 Slovak whose 14 clean sheets in 34 League One games helped Coventry to promotion in 2020. Coming to the end of a six-month deal with Cambridge, much of which he missed with a hamstring injury. Add in his games for Donny and Shrewsbury and he’s played 222 third-tier games (61 clean sheets) and 20 second-tier (4). Seems to be rated more as a shot stopper than a box dominator.

Christy Pym (30): Promoted from this division with Posh in 2020, then had a huge bust-up with Fergie, so that’s good. Currently at Mansfield, where he also tasted promotion last year. But he’s only 6ft tall. 113 League One games (37 clean sheets), 7 Champo (0).

Franco Ravizzoli (28 in July): Wycombe’s 6ft2 Argentine keeper has seen off two rivals in two seasons - Max Stryjek and Sunderland loanee (and former Bolton target) Nathan Bishop. 17 clean sheets in 52 League One games so you’d expect them to offer terms once they know what division they’re in.

Joel Pereira (29 in June): Swiss-born Portugeezer who came through Man U’s youth team and has since played in Portugal, Holland, Belgium, Scotland and Rochdale. Now at Reading, who exercised an extension option last summer. 54 League One games, 17 clean sheets, 6ft2.

Dillon Phillips (30 in June): Rotherham, ex Charlton and Cardiff. 6ft 2. As with just about everyone else, forum denizens say “good shot stopper, can’t command his area.” 67 League One games (20 clean sheets), 81 Champo (19).

Jamal Blackman (31): 6ft6 Chelsea graduate coming out of his Shrewsbury contract; has also played at this level for Exeter, Burton and Bristol Rovers, and Champo for Sheffield United, Rotherham and Huddersfield. 15 clean sheets in 78 L1 games, 15 in 58 Champo.

[jimbo]

* Tommy Simkin (20) of Stoke, whose 13 clean sheets in 39 league two games have helped his hometown club Walsall’s automatic promotion push.

Just an aside, but Walsall's collapse in the second half of the season has been astounding: won 3 in 21 and gone from 12 points clear at the top to 4th.

Simkin played against us last year in the Solihull FA Cup game. I was really impressed with him. Was surprised how young he was.

[TANGODANCER]

Have to keep "Absolutely loves it here" Baxter. Above all else he pulled off some very decent saves and is a must for me. Clincher, he's a good keeper. No use wishing for the moon when there are plenty stars in the sky. "Proof of the pudding" etc.

[jimbo]

Have to keep "Absolutely loves it here" Baxter. Above all else he pulled off some very decent saves and is a must for me. Clincher, he's a good keeper. No use wishing for the moon when there are plenty stars in the sky. "Proof of the pudding" etc.

The Baxter of last year, and the Baxter of this season are very different players. Last year he was a great replacement for Trafford and there was a case to be made for him being the best in tbe league. This year though he’s had some really really poor games. I’d have lat year’s Baxter as our number 1 for next season in a heartbeat. It’s whether we gamble on him coming good again, or whether we try elsewhere.

[Prufrock]

The other week is the only poor game I can remember Baxter having in his whole two years.

For me I doubt we're getting a better keeper next year, it's whether we're getting a better keeper per pound, given the other things we need and unknown finances. None of us know the numbers to put into that calculation..

[Harry Genshaw]

Baxter's been awful on crosses this season, rarely coming out to catch the simplest of high balls into the box ("Lift yer arms man!") or opting to slap it out instead. He's looked significantly uncomfortable in so many circumstances this season but the defensive carnage in front won't have helped.

I'd not be averse to a 1 year deal on the same terms, in the hope the old Baxter came back.

[Spartan2]

I'll give him his due, last season he was a good shot stopper but this... his stats are terrible, he doesn't come for crosses, he's not commanding or aggressive at all. If we want to start rooting out the weak mentality look no further. Goalkeepers should be insanely aggressive, vocal, and no nonsense. We need some personality in there.

[BWFC_Insane]

I'll give him his due, last season he was a good shot stopper but this... his stats are terrible, he doesn't come for crosses, he's not commanding or aggressive at all. If we want to start rooting out the weak mentality look no further. Goalkeepers should be insanely aggressive, vocal, and no nonsense. We need some personality in there.

I dunno - best keep we’ve ever had and maybe for a while the best in the world wasn’t insanely aggressive and vocal. So whilst I’d like someone who comes for crosses more and is a bit more commanding I’m not sure those characteristics are that necessary in a goalkeeper.

[TANGODANCER]

My wish is a very basic one. It's simply that we get players fit, injury free and prepared to give it all every game, win, lose or draw. Names and reputations mean little as long as the same player turns up weekly and isn't shatter prone. Weetabix are actually just puff and wind even if you eat a full packet of them. The rest is just coins down the wishing well. "Best laid plans of mice and men" ,,,etc

[Spartan2]

I'll give him his due, last season he was a good shot stopper but this... his stats are terrible, he doesn't come for crosses, he's not commanding or aggressive at all. If we want to start rooting out the weak mentality look no further. Goalkeepers should be insanely aggressive, vocal, and no nonsense. We need some personality in there.

I dunno - best keep we’ve ever had and maybe for a while the best in the world wasn’t insanely aggressive and vocal. So whilst I’d like someone who comes for crosses more and is a bit more commanding I’m not sure those characteristics are that necessary in a goalkeeper.

As I typed that out I knew Jussi would come up, he's my favourite goalkeeper and one of my favourite players of all time. Your right about him of course but... The difference is he was truly world class and Allardyce knew how to minimise players weaknesses and maximise their strengths. Jussi always had two giant no nonsense, head everything center backs in front of him, as well as leaders all over the pitch, so it wasn't an issue. Our current defense is a shambles, it's not being helped by a wallflower goalkeeper.