Snog, Marry, Avoid: Summer 2023 Transfer Window

[BWFC_Insane]

Evatt: “I would think we’ll hopefully have one more in by the end of next week which will, in my opinion, improve the squad. It will improve the options we will have in certain areas of the pitch.”

Interestingly timid praise by Evatt's standards. No "special player" or "top play" stuff. "Improve the squad" and "improve the options."

I've actually no issue with that. He could be keeping expectations low to then announce something special, but regardless what he needs are options - players who let him do different things from those already in his squad. It's not just "get a better Thomason" or "get a better Charles", he needs to be able to offer opponents different problems and find alternate solutions to threats.

Forrester improves the squad and improves the options. He allows us to play a different way compared to Toal, but they're both very good players.

Hopefully this new guy offers us a new look in midfield.

Would Evatt ever say of a prospective unnamed signing they were ‘special’ or whatever? I can see him saying it when the player is named. But not in this context. Not 2023 Evatt. 2021 Evatt maybe….

[GhostoftheBok]

Would Evatt ever say of a prospective unnamed signing they were ‘special’ or whatever? I can see him saying it when the player is named. But not in this context. Not 2023 Evatt. 2021 Evatt maybe….

2023 Evatt has tended not to talk at all about the level coming in until the name leaks, so the fact he has said something this time is interesting - to me at least.

He could have just said, "We're hoping to make a signing next week, but we don't have anything concrete to say yet."

Thus far, from memory, when Evatt has spoken about players improving options and improving the squad it's typically been about younger, project players. If it's not this time I'll adjust my expectations.

If it's a CMG-level signing or bigger I'll be very happy, but I'm tempering my expectations.

[Bertie Wooster]

Evatt: “I would think we’ll hopefully have one more in by the end of next week which will, in my opinion, improve the squad. It will improve the options we will have in certain areas of the pitch.”

Interestingly timid praise by Evatt's standards. No "special player" or "top play" stuff. "Improve the squad" and "improve the options."

I've actually no issue with that. He could be keeping expectations low to then announce something special, but regardless what he needs are options - players who let him do different things from those already in his squad. It's not just "get a better Thomason" or "get a better Charles", he needs to be able to offer opponents different problems and find alternate solutions to threats.

Forrester improves the squad and improves the options. He allows us to play a different way compared to Toal, but they're both very good players.

Hopefully this new guy offers us a new look in midfield.

How do you know that its a midfielder & not a RWB ?

[GhostoftheBok]

How do you know that its a midfielder & not a RWB ?

I have absolutely no clue who it is. I would just rather add a midfielder at this point.

I think we need both, but I feel better about the situation on the right than in the middle as things stand - so if we can only have one next week I'm hoping it's a mid who can dominate one-on-one.

[Worthy4England]

Would Evatt ever say of a prospective unnamed signing they were ‘special’ or whatever? I can see him saying it when the player is named. But not in this context. Not 2023 Evatt. 2021 Evatt maybe….

2023 Evatt has tended not to talk at all about the level coming in until the name leaks, so the fact he has said something this time is interesting - to me at least.

He could have just said, "We're hoping to make a signing next week, but we don't have anything concrete to say yet."

Thus far, from memory, when Evatt has spoken about players improving options and improving the squad it's typically been about younger, project players. If it's not this time I'll adjust my expectations.

If it's a CMG-level signing or bigger I'll be very happy, but I'm tempering my expectations.

I thought I recalled him being quite gushy about Shoretire before we knew it was Shortire...and that's where my head was at too, that it might be a relatively "who" type, rather than a 27 yo proven champo mf general...I guess if it is then I'm going to be maybe delighted...

[GhostoftheBok]

I thought I recalled him being quite gushy about Shoretire before we knew it was Shortire...and that's where my head was at too, that it might be a relatively "who" type, rather than a 27 yo proven champo mf general...I guess if it is then I'm going to be maybe delighted...

Yeah, he was all over Shoretire; but I assumed Insane was referring to this summer when he said "2023 Evatt" as that was such an obvious counter example.

[Harry Genshaw]

Nixon (I know) in response to a fans Q has said we're linked with another MU youngster in a loan deal

[BWFC_Insane]

Nixon (I know) in response to a fans Q has said we're linked with another MU youngster in a loan deal

The fan suggested we were linked and Nixon merely said ‘could be right’. In other words he doesn’t know! The player in question is a centre back. Which makes absolutely zero sense. Other than Evatt seems hell bent on collecting them.

[GhostoftheBok]

Nixon (I know) in response to a fans Q has said we're linked with another MU youngster in a loan deal

Would imagine that might be Maxi Oyedele, who would fit our needs stylistically. I think that would cause issues for a lot of fans, though, as he's 18 and has only had 6 months of men's football.

[BWFC_Insane]

Nixon (I know) in response to a fans Q has said we're linked with another MU youngster in a loan deal

Would imagine that might be Maxi Oyedele, who would fit our needs stylistically. I think that would cause issues for a lot of fans, though, as he's 18 and has only had 6 months of men's football.

It’s not. The player the fan suggested was Mengi.

[GhostoftheBok]

It’s not. The player the fan suggested was Mengi.

Interesting.

I wonder if they've reached the point where they'll help him find a new club, or if they'd exercise his option before loaning him out.

Would be another of our rebuilding projects, but he's a talented kid.

[BWFC_Insane]

It’s not. The player the fan suggested was Mengi.

Interesting.

I wonder if they've reached the point where they'll help him find a new club, or if they'd exercise his option before loaning him out.

Would be another of our rebuilding projects, but he's a talented kid.

We will be able to field a team of ‘talented but not quite’ centre halves at this rate.

We need other positions - signing another centre half would be utter madness.

[GhostoftheBok]

We will be able to field a team of ‘talented but not quite’ centre halves at this rate.

We need other positions - signing another centre half would be utter madness.

A tad dramatic.

If John is offski and Ashworth is destined for the left then we do actually need another centre back.

However, signing Mengi wouldn't be as simple as just adding another centre back. You wanted an MJ Williams replacement and Mengi offers that. He can operate anywhere across the back line and in central midfield.

Definitely a project player after his injuries, but if not for them he'd never have ended up in League One.

I've heard nothing about this one, so I'm a bit (a lot) sceptical at this stage; but if we could get him to come here that could represent a coup. Everyone I've ever spoken to about him in the past has had him down as a Premier League player in the making,

He's also one of the fastest defenders I've ever seen in real life. Nedum Onuoha level speed. Would be interesting to see what impact his recent injury has had there.

[GhostoftheBok]

Junior Tchamadeu is apparently off to Stoke.

One off the "would be nice" list.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Evatt: “I would think we’ll hopefully have one more in by the end of next week which will, in my opinion, improve the squad. It will improve the options we will have in certain areas of the pitch.”

Interestingly timid praise by Evatt's standards. No "special player" or "top play" stuff. "Improve the squad" and "improve the options."

I've actually no issue with that. He could be keeping expectations low to then announce something special, but regardless what he needs are options - players who let him do different things from those already in his squad. It's not just "get a better Thomason" or "get a better Charles", he needs to be able to offer opponents different problems and find alternate solutions to threats.

Forrester improves the squad and improves the options. He allows us to play a different way compared to Toal, but they're both very good players.

Hopefully this new guy offers us a new look in midfield.

Anyone else thinking that the carefully-phrased parameters of that Evatt quote would suit Shoretire?

[GhostoftheBok]

Anyone else thinking that the carefully-phrased parameters of that Evatt quote would suit Shoretire?

Certainly occurred to me.

[Worthy4England]

Anyone else thinking that the carefully-phrased parameters of that Evatt quote would suit Shoretire?

Certainly occurred to me.

Me too, but given we just signed CMG, maybe a little less sure than at the start of the window. I'd maybe be a little less surprised at a DM version of Shortire. Might be reading too much in, but the statement read like "I'm doing this because I think I'm right" rather than we're doing this because they'll have you popping in the ESL"

[GhostoftheBok]

Me too, but given we just signed CMG, maybe a little less sure than at the start of the window. I'd maybe be a little less surprised at a DM version of Shortire. Might be reading too much in, but the statement read like "I'm doing this because I think I'm right" rather than we're doing this because they'll have you popping in the ESL"

We'll find out fairly quickly.

We are two signings into Evatt's "4 or 5 more."

Assuming we still want Baccus and Wilson alternatives that leaves "or 1" left.

If John and Sads are offski then the gap in the squad is at centre back. With the emphasis being on that "versatile MJ type" and hopefully some pace.

I don't love the mix of players we have upfront and I really don't love that we've not added a new face to that part of the pitch, but if we hit 10 signings and I'm asking for more that's just greed.

Assuming all goes well this season I'd see January or next summer as the time to add a genuinely rapid young striker and a Shola-type technical attacker to the mix - with (first) Jerome and (later) Bodvarsson moving out to make room.

[sonicthewhite]

Won't Jerome be gone anyway end of this season?

[GhostoftheBok]

Won't Jerome be gone anyway end of this season?

As a first team player almost certainly. No idea if he will be around the club in some capacity.

5 options in attack looks like the Evatt ideal, but you'd hope at some stage that 5th player would come from the B Team.

I think the ideal looks like phasing Jerome out to take us to 4 under contract past next summer - Charles, Adeboyejo, Nlundulu and the new one. Then either Bod stays as 5th or we find another option in the summer, either in the market or B team. It also lets us operate in Markham's beloved January market. Or it could be that someone like Carty comes into the first team squad and gets a chance to impress.

That's just me speculating, but it's what healthy squad progression looks like in an ideal world.