Summer 2021 Transfer Thread.

[boltonboris]

Interestingly, perhaps, an ex-Wanderer picked up 12 yellows in this division last season (only three players received more). And not a name I'd have suggested...

Find it hard to see Josh coming back, DSB - but not impossible.

Aye, he wouldn't be my first target, even though he is out of contract in summer. Shrews turned down £300k from Blackpool in summer.

That's the amount Shrewsbury told them to beat but B'pool didn't make a bid in the end - He would've gone there without hesitation had they done

I don't think he would come back here, unless the offer was too good for him to refuse, which it won't be. He still lives locally and commutes each day, but don't think it would happen.

Struggled with a niggling knee injury this season too

[TANGODANCER]

Whilst I agree we need a harder tackling type available, Paul Ince and Roy Keane wouldn't be on the pitch very long in today's game IMO. Not trying to be too picky, mate - but do you have a current comparison we could work with?

Interestingly, perhaps, an ex-Wanderer picked up 12 yellows in this division last season (only three players received more). And not a name I'd have suggested...

Shades of Andy Todd..

[Worthy4England]

Kalvin Phillips, Worthy?

The linked lad, Hartigan at the Wombles, is more of a Rice sort.

I'd just be surprised if someone who tackled like Keane, Viera, Ince actually exist in the current football-sphere (I'm not sure they do, because the rules don't allow people to tackle like they did...). If that's the case, I fear some fans would always be disappointed with whoever we signed in that role - I'm trying to get to what "benchmark" would make them happy in today's currency...

I think people accept MJ can tackle - but he's nothing like Keane or Ince generally...I'd say a lot more laid back and a lot more precise apart from the odd one that goes astray because he's a L1 player, rather than "up and under the opposite number"...So are they really looking for a Keane/Ince - if so, who do they see as nearest to that...

I dunno whether they have Phillips or Rice in mind...but given some comments on the WC thread, I suspect maybe not So who is it that currently plays like Ince and Keane (because I'm a bit short on names )

It's not quite the answer to your question, but suspect what some people want is another Karl Henry, who did do a much-needed job of adding steel in midfield. However, and further to your point, he therefore racked up 13 yellows in 33 games...

Well - maybe that too, but I'm still not sure whether Insano would envisage the same person as Ghost or yourself

[The_Gun]

Kalvin Phillips, Worthy?

The linked lad, Hartigan at the Wombles, is more of a Rice sort.

I'd just be surprised if someone who tackled like Keane, Viera, Ince actually exist in the current football-sphere (I'm not sure they do, because the rules don't allow people to tackle like they did...). If that's the case, I fear some fans would always be disappointed with whoever we signed in that role - I'm trying to get to what "benchmark" would make them happy in today's currency...

I think people accept MJ can tackle - but he's nothing like Keane or Ince generally...I'd say a lot more laid back and a lot more precise apart from the odd one that goes astray because he's a L1 player, rather than "up and under the opposite number"...So are they really looking for a Keane/Ince - if so, who do they see as nearest to that...

I dunno whether they have Phillips or Rice in mind...but given some comments on the WC thread, I suspect maybe not So who is it that currently plays like Ince and Keane (because I'm a bit short on names )

It's not quite the answer to your question, but suspect what some people want is another Karl Henry, who did do a much-needed job of adding steel in midfield. However, and further to your point, he therefore racked up 13 yellows in 33 games...

Well - maybe that too, but I'm still not sure whether Insano would envisage the same person as Ghost or yourself

Pretty sure Insano won't be satisfied unless we sign Vinnie Jones.

[GhostoftheBok]

I fear some fans would always be disappointed with whoever we signed in that role

Yeah, some people want us to play like it's the 80s or 90s again; but they just have to deal with the reality.

I remember watching Arsenal vs Man Utd (I was a guest of a friend's family) and being told by some blokes in the crowd that Keane was a soft bastard who'd not have cut it in the men's football of the 60s and 70s, so there you go. Football has been going soft since they stopped letting people use clubs in the middle ages.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

I think there's quite a few Bolton fans who won't be happy until we sign Abdoulaye Faye again, twice, playing one of them in central midfield and one at centre-back. And to be honest, sometimes I can see their point...

Had another nose around, specifically looking for folks with a history of successful tackles (which statistically seems to be an average of more than 2 per match). Some half-ideas:

Dominic Gape - the Wycombe defensive midfielder (27) has lost his place in central midfield and is out of contract next year; unlike some players, including his fellow central midfielder Nick Freeman (granted an extension despite a serious knee injury), he hasn't yet signed a deal. Now 27, the Southampton academy graduate has played 179 times for Wycombe - 75 in this division – and helped them to two promotions. Popular, but drifting away?

Oli Cooper - Newport's Swansea loanee is averaging 3.9 tackles per 90 as well as 5 assists from 12 games (perhaps thanks to an impressive 75% passing accuracy). Probably more of an 8 or a 10 than a 6. The 21-year-old is on a season-long loan but Swans have an option to recall in January and we could, as per Kioso, suggest they try him a division higher.

[GhostoftheBok]

Gape and Cooper are both players. The trouble with Gape is that he's been a crock for about 18 months now. In and out with various injuries, including a bad one. That's got to be a red flag when you're building a targets list to deal with an injury crisis. Aside from that he ticks the Evatt boxes - Prem education, proper footballing background at Southampton and has won promotion from this league before.

[officer_dibble]

Can we sign players from non league, or can they only go the other way a la him that went to Stockport?

[GhostoftheBok]

Adam Senior has played for two clubs on loan this season now, so I assume he can't play for us this season?

[BWFC_Insane]

Adam Senior has played for two clubs on loan this season now, so I assume he can't play for us this season?

That’s league clubs isn’t it?

[GhostoftheBok]

That’s league clubs isn’t it?

I thought it was divisional registrations, but I wouldn't argue the point. If he can play we need him back, if he can even be recalled at this stage.

[officer_dibble]

He’s on a work experience loan. Same as edwards I think.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

He’s on a work experience loan. Same as edwards I think.

Surely Edwards can't be on work experience, he's about 40

[brommers95]

HUDDERSFIELD
Reece Brown - creative midfielder (at 10 or who played for England U16, U17, U18 and U20 before "manning up" with FGR, hitting double figures for goals and assists in 2018/19 and being elected to the divisional PFA Team of the Year. That summer he went to Huddersfield, freshly relegated from the top flight, on a three-year deal which lapses this summer. Unable to get in the squad, he went on a Jan-Jun loan to Peterborough, then again for the whole of last season, playing 38 times as they got promoted but cash-savvy Posh didn't want to buy him: “Reece has been brilliant for us," said Barry Fry, "but we think we can do better for the money.” Now 25, he hasn't played a minute this season; hasn't even been on the bench since August.

Mipo Odubeko - 19-year-old West Ham loanee forward, who has played in the past alongside Dapo. Was loaned to Huddersfield for the season but hasn't been playing, and rather upset Hammers fans by calling Jess Lingard the GOAT after his goal for Yernited *against* West Ham. Anyways, he came off the bench in the Terriers' first four games after the loan, but was then ignored for the next eight. After scoring a couple of bangers in a friendly during the latest international break - see below - he made it as far as the bench again yesterday but wasn't used. Possible Dapo could have a word and that the Hammers could see more benefit in him dropping a division.

I was also wondering about those two Huddersfield lads t’other day DSB.

Brown would be a great signing. A very good player at L1 level just not quite good enough for the Championship.

Odubeko not up for Championship this early in his career but could provide a good rotation option for us. Dropping down a level and linking up with his old mate Dapo could bring out the best in him. Maybe we could lean on the Nolan connection like we did with Dapo last January.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Interesting to see Huddersfield’s moves in January considering their majority shareholder has been winding up his other companies. They’re technically safe as the club is a separate legal entity, and former owner Dean Hoyle still has 25% and won’t let them pop, but it won’t be a shock if they tighten the belt and cut losses.

[GhostoftheBok]

Did Odubeko sign a new deal? I know he rejected an offer and his reps told West Ham he'd leave on a free if they loaned him out.

He's a talented lad, but he's struck me thus far in his youth career as similar to his countryman Troy Parrott, where he's a bit betwixt and between on positions. Hasn't got real pace or "mens football" power as of yet. Nice all-round game, but not as far along as Parrott.

Obviously life is a bit different now, so I'm making all these judgements from video and not watching these kids play live, so it's hard to judge.

[brommers95]

Did Odubeko sign a new deal? I know he rejected an offer and his reps told West Ham he'd leave on a free if they loaned him out.

He's a talented lad, but he's struck me thus far in his youth career as similar to his countryman Troy Parrott, where he's a bit betwixt and between on positions. Hasn't got real pace or "mens football" power as of yet. Nice all-round game, but not as far along as Parrott.

Obviously life is a bit different now, so I'm making all these judgements from video and not watching these kids play live, so it's hard to judge.

Contracted there until 2023

7013EFF9-8409-40AC-913F-DD15B9E0B173.jpeg (203.3 KiB) Viewed 488 times

[GhostoftheBok]

Cheers, Brommers. Makes West Ham more likely to redo his loan in January if he's not getting the minutes he wanted. I assume he would want that if his situation doesn't pick up, given how adamant he was that he needs to be playing first team football now. On the converse of it, we won't guarantee him minutes.

[GhostoftheBok]

I think generally, regarding transfers, there's been a bit of skew on all the social media regarding what we should be looking for. Evatt has come out and said we need the right kind of leaders and that obviously does mean some lads who will lead you into a fight; but there are ways of doing that. We clearly do need some players who will enable us to deal with more physical games, but I can't get away from the fact that Evatt is a system-first manager. Not a pretty, tippy-tappy sort; but a manager who believes that the individual is there to make his system work better.

Given that, there are different kinds of "leader" we need for physical games - including those who are simply willing to keep playing "the right way" whilst people try and kick lumps out of them. Players who will say "give me the ball" anywhere on the pitch and use it well. I think Worthy was right when he said Evatt might not have the same idea of a "leader for physical games" as some others might.

Reece Brown, for example, isn't a leader in the standard sense; but he is a player who will just keep playing regardless of how much the opposition put on him. There was a game a few years ago against Cheltenham where he was variously elbowed, hacked at knee height and then finally kicked in the head by Danny Wright whilst he was on the ground (red card for that last one, but there could have been three or four that game). He was still taking on and beating 2-3 markers until full time. That might be a player Evatt would see as one of "the right kind of leaders" for a team that has lost its primary playmaker, even if we'd still need the more robust sorts as well.

Given that we now basically have Thomason, Tutte and Lee as first team midfielders - it's not actually the case that we're awash with fancy dan mids who can't tackle. Lee is the least combative of those three. We are going to need a proper playmaker and a midfield orchestrator in to make Evatt's system tick. Dunno is Brown would be of any interest to us, but he's certainly not a "type" we could dismiss out of hand as being not what we need right now.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Interesting Evatt quotes in the BN today:

It will still be permanent transfers. As I said before, Sharon and the board are magnificent and have never said no to anything I’ve asked for, not once.

If I go to them and ask for things, I have no doubt that they would do it – they want what’s best for me and the football club.

It’s a difficult window to sign in. We have to be strategic - we’re not just going to waste money.

It has to be the right thing for the football club and we’re doing lots and lots of work to try and get the best people we can in the building.

We’ve got targets that we think will hugely improve us, targets that were probably out of our reach last summer.

But as I said, that work is ongoing, that process is ongoing and there’s lots of conversations taking place.

More: https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/19 ... s-january/