Snog, Marry, Avoid: Summer 2023 Transfer Window

[Bertie Wooster]

Rumours that it's Sykes. Very unsure about that! Seems like a decent player, but we don't need another centre back!

Suspect that's 2+2=5 given previous links to him + Belgium.

Pru - Yes it looks like he's the rumoured player, as you say he's a CB and we don't need another unless one is leaving ?

[Prufrock]

That or we've decided Geth is going to be that second RWB as there's nothing else we like there so want to go big on quality with the CBs.

Idk, wouldn't be thrilled!

[GhostoftheBok]

It was interesting to hear Evatt say that we have started Ashworth at LCB because it's an easier role in our team than LWB, but we will build him into the LWB role for us.

If that's the case another centre half would make sense, if these ongoing rumours around John are correct.

On the left you'd then have Evatt's preferred mix of "one more defensive and one almost a winger" and it'd be a case of finding the "almost a winger" player on the right.

[The_Gun]

By ‘ongoing rumours’ do you mean forum speculation, or something more solid?

[GhostoftheBok]

By ‘ongoing rumours’ do you mean forum speculation, or something more solid?

Stuff knocking around the press up in Scotland that is persistent, but not verified so you can't print it.

Same goes for our interest in Ryan Strain.

It's the sort of thing that could be dead wrong, but where if it happens people will say, "Oh, I've known about that for ages."

As with stuff around a couple of Belgian players, which I assumed would crop up once people started posting Belgian flags; but that apparently relates to Sykes.

I thought it was going to be something totally different, but not enough for me to say "This may be this" and if I had I'd apparently have been totally off base anyway. I thought we were done at centre back now, but maybe not.

This stuff rarely comes out of nowhere, but at the same time it's often out-of-date or just minor interest that never actually comes to anything.

Like I said earlier, without knowing anyone at the club even the most "This is concrete" stuff from people actually involved in the process can be wrong. Equally, stuff that comes out of the club can also be wrong.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

[GhostoftheBok]

Looks like it was just clearances Evatt was referring to, so Gomes is now our player for three years. Great stuff. We needed a fast, dribbly, goal-scorer who could play that 10 role and we've landed one. He's 24 and as proven as it gets at that age, so it's a huge signing.

[jmjhb]

CMG PSG

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Looks like it was just clearances Evatt was referring to

Nah, they'd accidentally shot him in the third kit so they had to wait for that to be released
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Welcome abord Carlos!

[boltonboris]

Looks like it was just clearances Evatt was referring to, so Gomes is now our player for three years. Great stuff. We needed a fast, dribbly, goal-scorer who could play that 10 role and we've landed one. He's 24 and as proven as it gets at that age, so it's a huge signing.

I don't know much about him, but 24 goals in 120 games doesn't scream goalscorer to me. I hope he's an upgrade on what we have, otherwise it's another WTF signing and maybe shows he's acknowledged a mistake in the signing of Adeboyejo

We have more strikers than midfielders now and we do seem a bit imbalanced

[Bertie Wooster]

Decent signing this, CMG will definitely improve us in regards to creativity & flair going forward and I imagine will be a starter.

[sonicthewhite]

A good versatile signing with experience of this league.

[GhostoftheBok]

I don't know much about him, but 24 goals in 120 games doesn't scream goalscorer to me. I hope he's an upgrade on what we have, otherwise it's another WTF signing and maybe shows he's acknowledged a mistake in the signing of Adeboyejo

We have more strikers than midfielders now and we do seem a bit imbalanced

CMG may play as a forward sometimes for tactical reasons, but he's not a striker.

[jmjhb]

Looks like it was just clearances Evatt was referring to, so Gomes is now our player for three years. Great stuff. We needed a fast, dribbly, goal-scorer who could play that 10 role and we've landed one. He's 24 and as proven as it gets at that age, so it's a huge signing.

I don't know much about him, but 24 goals in 120 games doesn't scream goalscorer to me. I hope he's an upgrade on what we have, otherwise it's another WTF signing and maybe shows he's acknowledged a mistake in the signing of Adeboyejo

We have more strikers than midfielders now and we do seem a bit imbalanced

More of a winger/10 than a striker? 10 goals this season will do me

[GhostoftheBok]

Decent signing this, CMG will definitely improve us in regards to creativity & flair going forward and I imagine will be a starter.

You'd hope so. You'd also hope he'd be joined by another creative player and then that proper midfielder we need.

[The_Gun]

Good player, and in a sense gives us something we’ve been lacking, but I’m slightly concerned that he’s another Dapo/Sadlier that doesn’t fit any of the positions in Evatt’s favoured formation.

[Bertie Wooster]

Decent signing this, CMG will definitely improve us in regards to creativity & flair going forward and I imagine will be a starter.

You'd hope so. You'd also hope he'd be joined by another creative player and then that proper midfielder we need.

Yes I'll be surprised if we get another creative player, but we definitely need that 'proper' leader type 'ball winning' midfielder ( a bit of steel etc.), still this is the 1st signing that will excite the fans.

[jmjhb]

Wouldn't be surprised if we went back in for Shoretire as backup following this signing

[sonicthewhite]

Wouldn't be surprised if we went back in for Shoretire as backup following this signing

I think we'll be less reliant on loan signings this season but I reckon a couple will still turn and Shoretire could be a good shout.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Wouldn't be surprised if we went back in for Shoretire as backup following this signing

I think we'll be less reliant on loan signings this season but I reckon a couple will still turn and Shoretire could be a good shout.

Been busy at work but over the past fortnight I've been chipping away at a list of Big Club Not Babies we might (might) loan. Not ITK or whispers; just players a bit older than we've had previously, with decent experience or expectations.

Here's the lads from the first/nearest four big clubs. Almost all in their 20s rather than their teens. Some of them may have been superseded by recent incomings; some may never fit anyway. But there's names out there.

MAN CITY
• Lewis Fiorini - central midfielder (DOB 17.5.02) lent to 2nd-tier Blackpool last season after previous loans at NAC Breda and Lincoln. 39 L1 games, 13 Champo. Has been linked this summer with Bristol City, Swansea, Hibs and Reading.
• Slobodan Tedic - striker (13.04.00) lent to Barnsley last season after loans in Serbia and Holland. Barnsley want him back.
• Josh Wilson-Esbrand (26.12.02) lent to Coventry last January, played LWB 14 times.

LIVERPOOL
• Tyler Morton (31.10.02) - defensive midfielder who played 40 times for Blackburn last season. Isn't on Liverpool's pre-season tour as he's recovering from a broken foot.
• Jarell Quansah (29.1.03) - stylish right-footed centre-back (6ft3) who likes to bring the ball forward. Lent to Bristol Rovers in January and made 16 appearances, then went to U20 World Cup with England.
• Luke Chambers (24.06.04) – left-back loaned to Scots top-fighters Kilmarnock in January, played 14 times. Linked with Bayer Leverkusen, Watford and Sheff Weds.
• Billy Koumetio (14.11.02) - 6ft5 centre-back (who used to be a winger), French-born of Cameroonian descent, at Liverpool for last five years, loaned to Austria Vienna last year.
• Adam Lewis (8.11.99) – left-back who was on loan at Newport last season; before that, Livingston and Plymouth. Was expected to leave permanently this summer but I haven't seen confirmation

MAN UTD
• Di'Shon Bernard (14.10.00) – centre-back, now free agent, was at Pompey last season and Salford and Hull before that. Slightly surprised he's not already signed for Pompey, who were interested. Was in Chelsea's academy to age of 16, then moved up north. Jamaican international. Who's he waiting for? Champo clubs?
• Will Fish (17.02.03) – centre-back, was at Hibs last season and Stockport the season before.
• Charlie McNeill (9.9.03) – centre-forward who was on United's books to age 11, switched to City and apparently scored 600 (!) goals for their youth teams, then United bought him back for £750,000 at age 17. Was loaned to Newport last season and wants to go higher up this time.

EVERTON
• Tyler Onyango (4.10.03) Hands up who wants a strong-running six-foot midfielder with Premier experience? Like Zac Ashworth, this fella went to Burton last season, but they only overlapped by a day or so as Onyango was recalled and sent to FGR as a favour for Big Dunc. It didn't work - he quickly did his hammy and was sent back – but the lanky Lutonian had been building a reputation at Burton as being combative, winning possession with odds stacked against him and getting forward well. Sort we need, you'd think.
• Lewis Warrington (10.10.02) Another six-foot midfielder who was loaned to Tranmere in 21/22 and Fleetwood in 22/23. Plymouth are said to be interested.
• Ryan Astley (4.10.01) Ball-playing centre-back who learnt the other side of defending from David Unsworth and then, on loan last season, Accrington Stanley ("I'm learning the dark arts and loving it!"). Offered extension to his lapsing contract last month.