Summer 2021 Transfer Thread.

[Bruce Rioja]

George Miller’s mum works at our place. I’ll have a word. Though there is a framed Bury shirt of his hanging in the corridor, which I can’t pass without thinking ‘tin pot’. Which I guess they are now, more than ever.

Tin potless, shirley?

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Looking at Champo strikers who may be loaned out and Barnsley may let George Miller go.

It’s a good shout this. I suspect we will have our sights higher but those premiership loans are difficult nowadays. These deals often go down to the last minute inspite of IE wanting business done this weekend it’s often players running out of options and needing to go somewhere to play.

Exactly that, mate. It’s always like that but this time especially there has been logjam. I did a shift yesterday which partly covered a few Champo clubs and they’re all knocking on the big boys’ doors.

We would love an Elanga or whatever but I think we are more likely to get offered an absolutely wet-eared 18-year-old or something, through sheer weight of other options for Big Clubs to send Next Big Things.

Therefore I think we might have more chance asking Champo clubs for their almost-there players - think Kioso, but also the two wingers whose double-figure goal tallies helped fire Lincoln and Oxford into the top six.

That’s what got me thinking about Barnsley (new manager, etc) and thus Miller. Might be nothing in it. But I would hope we wouldn’t be so stubborn as to say “it’s an Elanga or nothing.” Not suggesting a supermarket sweep but we need a borrowed body or two on board.

[LeverEnd]

It's a bit of a lottery with these youngsters on loan, just have hope we get a Dapo rather than a Charsley.

[The_Gun]

I’ve got a feeling we’re looking at loans until the end of the season with Bolton subsidising a portion of wages for Crawford and Comley. It’s been clear for a while they’re not part of Evatt’s plans, so the fact they’re still here suggests clubs haven’t exactly been banging on our door for them.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

It's a bit of a lottery with these youngsters on loan, just have hope we get a Dapo rather than a Charsley.

I was at Charsley’s only game (at Brentford) and he was fine, far from our worst performer that day. Just not Parky’s type, I guess.

But your point is fair - it is a bit of a lottery - and if you don’t get a ticket….

(Now Jon Otsemobor…)

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Not really transfer news but Sheehan has been called up by Wales from the standby list and thus misses the Burton game.

[LeverEnd]

It's a bit of a lottery with these youngsters on loan, just have hope we get a Dapo rather than a Charsley.

I was at Charsley’s only game (at Brentford) and he was fine, far from our worst performer that day. Just not Parky’s type, I guess.

But your point is fair - it is a bit of a lottery - and if you don’t get a ticket….

(Now Jon Otsemobor…)

Yes, I never saw Charsley, more of a point about impact made than quality of player.

[The_Gun]

Not really transfer news but Sheehan has been called up by Wales from the standby list and thus misses the Burton game.

Good on the lad - I don’t think he’d look out of place at that level. A minor blow for us, so let’s hope Lee is fit by next Monday.

[Bruce Rioja]

Is there only me who wouldn't be all that upset if we didn't offload Crawford? I just struggle to believe that the lad's a lost cause.

[BWFC_Insane]

Is there only me who wouldn't be all that upset if we didn't offload Crawford? I just struggle to believe that the lad's a lost cause.

The trouble is whatever the situation with Crawford it’s clear Evatt doesn’t believe in him. I’d guess thus far we have to say Evatts judgement has been more right than wrong.

I wouldn’t mind him staying if the manager believed he could contribute. But if he was just here collecting a wage and splinters then better we save some money.

[Bruce Rioja]

And which utter bellend, by the way, decided to schedule a bunch of tinpot trophy games for the last day of the transfer window?

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Few more ideas.

JOSH HARROP - Preston attacking midfielder/second striker, 25. United academy grad, scored in Prem for them, joined PNE in 2017, has since played 83 Champo games for them. Wears 10, can play left and right too. Loaned to Ipswich in Jan (played 15), hasn’t played a minute this season, and this week PNE manager said “If he is not going to be involved and not getting much game time here, if something can be done for him to go somewhere else, then that might be an option.” It’s believed at least one League One club have asked about a loan.

LUKE BOLTON - Man City right-winger, 21 (born 21/10/99 so overage). Has already been loaned for last 2.5 seasons: to Wycombe (third-tier, 10 games), then Luton (second tier, 24 games) then Dundee United (Scots Prem, 24 games). Interestingly, Luton used him almost exclusively at right-back and he would have played more often but for a couple of injuries and a quarantine. Dundee Utd also occasionally played him at right-back and left midfield too.
Contract’s up next summer so player and club need to know what’s next. Shares an agent with Ronan Darcy.

DANNY GRANT - 21 (DOB 23/12/99 so overage). Can play left, right or centre. Signed for Huddersfield in January from Irish side Bohemians, where he’d totalled 14 goals and 11 assists in 60 games. Of which 20 were as sub. Pace and close control but also positional discipline and intelligence, which might please Evatt, and well-respected off-pitch. Had Covid over summer and hasn’t been in a match day squad yet, so they might want him to go out and get experience/minutes.

STEPHEN WALKER - 20 (DOB 11/10/00) England U17/U18/U19 striker/attacking midfielder - therefore presumably known to Chris Markham – who hasn’t been given a squad number at Middlesbrough this season. Local lad, has been loaned to MK Dons twice and Crewe twice; 18 third-tier appearances

Coventry also have a couple of unwanted wingers about whom Evatt could ask Bakayoko. French/Martinique either-siderer Wesley Novello (27) was signed to help them get out of this division and played 10 games before knee-knack; six-foot German att-mid/either-siderer Marcel Hilssner signed last summer but was loaned out to Oldham, an I don’t think either have been given a squad number this season.

[BWFC_Insane]

Sounds like Crawford joining St Johnstone on 6 month loan.

[Harry Genshaw]

Good news re Crawford.

I like a few of those suggestions DSB. Harrop has some good experience, local and probably hungry for game time.

[Whitesince63]

I think unless we can bring in an exiting, potential young goal scorer, we should stick with what we’ve got and work on better service to the front players and better finishing by the players we do have. At least we’re getting into the right positions and creating chances, it’s just that we’re not as clinical as we could be. Shooting practise for Dapo, Sarce and Sheehan might just pay off as could a fitter, sharper Doyler. Hopefully once we get Baka and Ameche back and fit it will also make a big positive difference. So a striker tomorrow would be great but I do agree with IE that unless they’re appreciably better than what we have we should just stick with what we have.

[BWFC_Insane]

Happy transfer deadline day campers!

Thus far it seems that...

Crawford is off to St Johnstone on loan till January but they have an option.

Bolton are seeking one signing it seems - but not a striker.

[Whitesince63]

Not a striker?

One question then.

If Doyler gets injured who takes his place?

[Bruce Rioja]

Bolton are seeking one signing it seems - but not a striker.

So, we have one striker, who it remains to be seen can operate adequately at this level for us, no competition for his place and no back up if he gets injured? Really?

Now I'm no expert etc...……

[BWFC_Insane]

Bolton are seeking one signing it seems - but not a striker.

So, we have one striker, who it remains to be seen can operate adequately at this level for us, no competition for his place and no back up if he gets injured? Really?

Now I'm no expert etc...……

Just to be clear - that's the word from Marc Iles - I'm just reporting it here!

I think Kachunga and Bakayoko are seen as the backup to Doyle and I guess Delfouneso. All of them can also play out wide but I'd guess any would and could be considered Doyle's backup. Kacha has played up front more than any other position and I guess on arrival everyone saw Bakayoko as backup - and he's injured now but hopefully not for too long.

I would like a striker personally but I can see perhaps that the reality of what we'd actually get would be another squad option who'd sit behind the options we have when fit and maybe isn't what IE perceives to be a good use of resources. I suspect we might sign a 'forward' who like our other options can operate across the line. But who knows?

We have weak points in the squad as outlined - up front, DM, RB, GK where I'd say I'm unconvinced by either our options generally or our backup just isn't really adequate. I think that in reality we're not fixing all that this season so its just a question of where IE can find another body of suitable quality.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Bolton are seeking one signing it seems - but not a striker.

So, we have one striker, who it remains to be seen can operate adequately at this level for us, no competition for his place and no back up if he gets injured? Really?

Now I'm no expert etc...……

To be fair to my old mate BWFCi – and to my own disappointment– the idea we don't need another striker comes straight from the manager. Asked about the idea we need a new striker, he was typically forthright:

It is nonsense. Absolute nonsense. It’s not about having a striker. We go from scoring three in the first two games and conceding three and needing a centre half to then when we don’t score one game, we need a striker. You can’t be emotional like that about football and you can’t make rash decisions based on one-off games. We’re creating more than enough chances. I’m seeing we’re at the top of the division in most of the forward stats, so from my perspective, it’s not about that.

It’s about how we get to those critical opportunities and critical chances and Saturday, we didn’t create enough of them for the amount of possession we had. But in those types of games, the first goal is always vital. We conceded a really poor one and then gave them something to hang on to. We had opportunities to score. We had one big opportunity second half to score through Dapo and if that goes in, the game’s very, very different. But when teams camp in like that, you don’t create chance after chance after chance. But the critical ones you do create, you need to take them and we didn’t.

We need to be better in the final third. We have to unlock doors better, have more quality, more movement, more desire. We didn’t show that enough on Saturday and it isn’t just the forward players. It is the midfield players, the full-backs’ crossing positions and the crosses they were putting in weren’t good enough on Saturday, so we have to be better, simple as that.

https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/1 ... -nonsense/

A lot of people are noting that we have the division's high shot-to-goal ratio, ie we're the most clinical with chances. That's lovely, but I worry about reversion to the mean, ie we're overperforming now but our luck won't hold (ask Cambridge).

Similarly, we've been allowing our opponents far more attempts on goal than we've been laying on theirs - before Saturday it was 65 to 82 across the season, with a hefty slice of ours coming on the opening day (we had 17 efforts to MK's 10). In terms of attempts on target, we've now achieved 20 to our opponents' 33. Again, kudos to Dixon for keeping them out, but can that last?