Snog, Marry, Avoid: Summer 2023 Transfer Window

[boltonboris]

I do get the feeling that our summer work may be done and we'll re-assess for January. Hope not

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Annoyingly busy today, so I can't search for suggestions, but I do wonder what sort of player we might be considering.

We've probably moved past the "free transfer" era - not so much as a club but as a summer (there can't be many decent players left unemployed now, or if they are they're asking too much). What we're looking for now is Champo (or even, although less likely, Prem) fringe players who might suit the situation and fancy hitching their wagon to us.

Think, funnily enough, of MJ Williams when we took him to the fourth tier from Blackpool; or Declan John at the same time. Players who were contracted but unlikely to play, or at least be first choice. And that last bit is why I don't share Boris's worry that our summer is done.

We are, to some extent, waiting for a club above us – I dunno, for argument's sake a Sunderland or even a Luton - to sign a first-teamer that pushes someone else further towards the door... at which point we make a move. Thing is, they too are also often waiting - for a City to loan them a player, or say a Villa to sell them one.

It's annoying, and I can see why it's worrying. It's also sub-optimal in terms of bedding them in (or, if you prefer, uploading content). But I don't think we're going to be pulling signings out of a Torremolinos kebab shop. Our next signng is probably right now sweating his guts out trying to prove he's worthy of playing at a higher level than League One. If he brings that attitude with him, we might be alright.

[The_Gun]

I do get the feeling that our summer work may be done and we'll re-assess for January. Hope not

Surely not - we need about six players!

We’d be struggling for top half with the current squad.

[boltonboris]

I know. I just feel like we wanted to do it early, our targets have popped up elsewhere and the backups for those 1st choice targets aren't worth the money the clubs will want. They won't want to overspend

I'm probably just being a panicfanny

[BWFC_Insane]

I do get the feeling that our summer work may be done and we'll re-assess for January. Hope not

Surely not - we need about six players!

We’d be struggling for top half with the current squad.

I think the bare minimum to be promotion contenders is 4 very good players adding in next couple of weeks.

I’m pretty sure that nobody who has any realism would consider anything less and neither will Evatt who has the pressure of delivering this season.

It’s not going to be 6. But 4 is the minimum. 2 mids we’ve needed all summer. MJ type replacement. RWB.

So I certainly hope next week is considerably busier than this one. It needs to be.

[Worthy4England]

I think it's not unreasonable to hope that we get 4 in the next couple of weeks (as preference). I'd settle for 4 by the end of the window as alternative (not ideal, but rather have them than not).

We have no idea how busy this week has been for Evatt/Markham, only that no signings have yet occurred. Not the same thing.

[BWFC_Insane]

I think it's not unreasonable to hope that we get 4 in the next couple of weeks (as preference). I'd settle for 4 by the end of the window as alternative (not ideal, but rather have them than not).

We have no idea how busy this week has been for Evatt/Markham, only that no signings have yet occurred. Not the same thing.

I think you could defer one maybe even two till later…so long as they arrive. But all 4? I think that’s too problematic given how we play and Evatts insistence on content uploads. We need to hit the ground running and can’t be doing that as things stand nor then having a shaky start whilst spending September trying to integrate new players.

And all that is against the obvious backdrop of we can obviously only sign players when we can. But it definitely hasn’t helped whatever weirdness went on with the two we didn’t sign at a point when the line was Evatt wanted the vast majority of business wrapped up before we went to Portugal.

[Worthy4England]

I'm not suggesting (as I didn't suggest) that deferring two till later was preferred, just that it might happen. We might end up with 2 instead of 4 - we certainly don't know. I know we want to set up all next week's "this is fcuking shit" posts, before we knock off for the weekend, but what will be, will be.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

I'm not suggesting (as I didn't suggest) that deferring two till later was preferred, just that it might happen. We might end up with 2 instead of 4 - we certainly don't know. I know we want to set up all next week's "this is fcuking shit" posts, before we knock off for the weekend, but what will be, will be.

Can’t agree with this.

He never knocks off for the weekend

[GhostoftheBok]

The minimum will be 2 by the end of the window, as bad as that sounds.

It'd be that pure mid and a mid who can play in defence.

They'd keep Sads around before they'd spend more money on an unsuitable player.

[BWFC_Insane]

The minimum will be 2 by the end of the window, as bad as that sounds.

It'd be that pure mid and a mid who can play in defence.

They'd keep Sads around before they'd spend more money on an unsuitable player.

We’d not be competitive then in that scenario.

[TonyDomingos]

I like this! And I certainly want to believe it (that we'll go up; not that you think it!). But, I'm genuinely interested in your reasoning. I can't do the in-depth analysis that you and others are capable of. For me, we've recruited a pair of keepers, neither of whom are worth £19m, and a couple of other players I've never heard of. I've absolutely no idea whether that makes us better than 22 other teams in the league. Can you say in a few sentences what gives you confidence? Ta.

Sure. Though a caveat off the bat. I'm assuming we've done out due diligence around injuries.

Traf and Bradley were very good, but I don't think we're worse off right now than we were last season.

Baxter looks like he will hugely improve our build-up play and possession-based defending model. He's not been tested in goal yet, but he's always been one of the best shot-stoppers outside the Premier League. He's a style of goalkeeper that I think suits us more.

Cogley may be much closer to Bradley's level than I anticipated, despite already thinking it a good signing.

Losing Johnston is a pig, but without that I think we might actually be better than last season right now, before we've made our big signings. Williams looks a lot sharper down the left and having Iredale back will, I suspect, make up for losing Johnston as he's so good going forward from that centre back position.

The league is slightly weaker and we only need to add a couple of players to be a better side.

We absolutely have got to do this pending business and I don't think we're going up as we are right now, but I think once we make some more signings we'll be right up there.

Marvellous. Thank you.

[GhostoftheBok]

We’d not be competitive then in that scenario.

We would, but we'd be really reliant upon injuries being kind to us and the two we go in would have to be top level.

[BWFC_Insane]

We’d not be competitive then in that scenario.

We would, but we'd be really reliant upon injuries being kind to us and the two we go in would have to be top level.

Well yeah that.

[The_Gun]

How many are we down on from last season?

We’ve lost Lee, Kachunga, Shoretire, Trafford, Dixon, Bradley, Isgrove, MJ, Mbete and now Johnston.

We’ve brought in Coleman, Baxter, Forrester and Dacres-Cogley.

So six fewer than the end of last season.

[Worthy4England]

How many are we down on from last season?

We’ve lost Lee, Kachunga, Shoretire, Trafford, Dixon, Bradley, Isgrove, MJ, Mbete and now Johnston.

We’ve brought in Coleman, Baxter, Forrester and Dacres-Cogley.

So six fewer than the end of last season.

From last season, you'd need to add Aimson, Dapo, Baka. Sadlier, John - dunno whether you count them "in" or "out" - genuinely. But then you'd have to add back in the Jan signings of Dan/Vic/Jerome/Williams

Dunno where we count people like Beck and Senior who didn't actually do much, but were part of the "roster"

[TANGODANCER]

Football supporters (Read Bolton) are not particularly known for their tolerance and patience. Many a dusty corner of a garage probably conceals a pitchfork and bedsheet just waiting for the word...Imagine not having signed a superstar and losing the first couple of games.....oh dear..

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Evatt:

There’s no update to speak about right now but we are working very hard behind the scenes and we’re about four or five light, being honest. We all know the positions that we are light in. But we have to be patient and target the right ones. We can’t panic. We have to be sure with what we are doing and mitigate the risk as much as we possibly can. That is what we have done so far, been as diligent as we possibly can be, and because of that a couple of things haven’t happened but we are doing right by this football club. That is what we have always said we are going to do.

https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/2 ... -signings/

Take what you want from that. If you were panicking we might only think we need two, he says we're four or five light. But then again if you were panicking that someone's done a Billy Bailey and left a bag of £4.5m cash on a counter somewhere, you could easily run away with "we are doing right by this football club" and take it to mean we're skint.

Me? I'll take it to mean that players we've been talking to have asked for more than they're worth.

[BWFC_Insane]

Evatt:

There’s no update to speak about right now but we are working very hard behind the scenes and we’re about four or five light, being honest. We all know the positions that we are light in. But we have to be patient and target the right ones. We can’t panic. We have to be sure with what we are doing and mitigate the risk as much as we possibly can. That is what we have done so far, been as diligent as we possibly can be, and because of that a couple of things haven’t happened but we are doing right by this football club. That is what we have always said we are going to do.

https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/2 ... -signings/

Take what you want from that. If you were panicking we might only think we need two, he says we're four or five light. But then again if you were panicking that someone's done a Billy Bailey and left a bag of £4.5m cash on a counter somewhere, you could easily run away with "we are doing right by this football club" and take it to mean we're skint.

Me? I'll take it to mean that players we've been talking to have asked for more than they're worth.

You could also confidently say there is no way on earth Evatt wants to be ‘4 or 5 light’ at this stage.

As with most real life scenarios it’s probably a combination of more than one thing. I think it’s fair to say whatever the reason it’s very much not gone to plan.

[GhostoftheBok]

I'm glad to hear him confirm we are 4-5 light, as it means the current plan remains to get that done before the window closes. I think we need to keep some funds back to go again in January, in case we need to make adjustments; but if we don't get 4 done we're asking the gods to be kind and they rarely are.