In, Out, Shake It All About: January 2025 Transfer Window

[GhostoftheBok]

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Contract renewal? Or more likely some social media bullshit like he’s teaming with a crypto firm or launching a clothing range.

I genuinely have no idea.

If it was a contract renewal you'd think the manager would have a clue.

You'd think he'd then say to Marc "Randell is going nowhere", rather than just saying there's no deal currently being worked on.

Like I say, it's odd. I'd be surprised if we renewed Randell's deal. He misses a lot of football, he's reasonably well paid and we have Conway coming through on the left to push Schon.

I'm not sure you want Randell and Tutu as options on the right. There's a good chance they'd both miss half a season.

Theory: Randell asked about a contract renewal, was told it wouldn’t happen, therefore is leaving soon (but not necessarily this month).

Ties in with Evatt’s quote.

[GhostoftheBok]

Theory: Randell asked about a contract renewal, was told it wouldn’t happen, therefore is leaving soon (but not necessarily this month).

Ties in with Evatt’s quote.

As reasonable as anything I can come up with.

If he's sulking over no new deal then we should help him find a loan for 6 months and use the market.

Unless Ian can get him in "shop window mode" for 6 months it might be best for him just to go. That's doubly true given our only route up is the play-offs.

[Bertie Wooster]

Are all these players out of contract (Santos, Baxter, Williams, Cogley, Jones) part of the problem i.e. regular starters not playing at 100% due to the contract situations. They won't want to get any long term injuries will they.

[TonyDomingos]

Are all these players out of contract (Santos, Baxter, Williams, Cogley, Jones) part of the problem i.e. regular starters not playing at 100% due to the contract situations. They won't want to get any long term injuries will they.

Our inconsistent form has been going on since the start of the season. At that point, getting promoted with us was the best chance most of them had of playing at a higher level.

[Prufrock]

Contract renewal? Or more likely some social media bullshit like he’s teaming with a crypto firm or launching a clothing range.

I genuinely have no idea.

If it was a contract renewal you'd think the manager would have a clue.

You'd think he'd then say to Marc "Randell is going nowhere", rather than just saying there's no deal currently being worked on.

Like I say, it's odd. I'd be surprised if we renewed Randell's deal. He misses a lot of football, he's reasonably well paid and we have Conway coming through on the left to push Schon.

I'm not sure you want Randell and Tutu as options on the right. There's a good chance they'd both miss half a season.

Theory: Randell asked about a contract renewal, was told it wouldn’t happen, therefore is leaving soon (but not necessarily this month).

Ties in with Evatt’s quote.

They're not allowed to yet, and therefore definitely, obviously, clearly wouldn't.

But we were back at Exeter recently...

[officer_dibble]

Prime Didier Drogba incoming on loan!!

[brommers95]

Prime Didier Drogba incoming on loan!!

“We are pretty close to a player we identified in the summer but wasn’t available and has been heavily involved with his Premier League team this season,”

Players under the age of 21 would not count towards the EFL squad cap and Evatt added that one of the main options being considered would be a player in their first loan away from his parent club.

https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/2 ... p-january/

First name I thought of was Divin Mubama. Came up through the West Ham academy but signed with Man City last summer. Hasn’t made a PL appearance for City yet, but has been on the bench a few times recently and played the full 90 against Salford in the FA Cup last weekend.

He’s only 20 so wouldn’t count towards the squad cap and has never been out on loan anywhere before so he fits the clues Iles dropped in the article.

[BWFC_Insane]

Let this sink in. This clown is manager of our great club.

“It does give us some flexibility and a chance to bring in a different type of player and we are working very hard behind the scenes to make sure we can get that type.

“But the one thing I'd say is there's a lot of competition for that and the type that I'm describing is prime Didier Drogba, so we have to understand what's important to us at this time, what option or plan B scenario do we want and then tick those boxes accordingly and recruit accordingly.”

It’s Freedman territory now. Absolutely bizarre.

I guess it’s an upgrade from ‘next Ivan Toney’.

[officer_dibble]

If he describes Saturday as Brazil 1970 we’ve got a full house on clown bingo surely?

[The_Gun]

Prime Didier Drogba incoming on loan!!

“We are pretty close to a player we identified in the summer but wasn’t available and has been heavily involved with his Premier League team this season,”

Players under the age of 21 would not count towards the EFL squad cap and Evatt added that one of the main options being considered would be a player in their first loan away from his parent club.

https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/2 ... p-january/

First name I thought of was Divin Mubama. Came up through the West Ham academy but signed with Man City last summer. Hasn’t made a PL appearance for City yet, but has been on the bench a few times recently and played the full 90 against Salford in the FA Cup last weekend.

He’s only 20 so wouldn’t count towards the squad cap and has never been out on loan anywhere before so he fits the clues Iles dropped in the article.

Mubama would be quite the coup, but I’d be surprised if City weren’t looking for a Championship loan.

Lankshear at Spurs another name mentioned, and perhaps more likely. I also thought of Wheatley at United, but he’s not really been involved with their first team.

[Armchair Wanderer]

Let this sink in. This clown is manager of our great club.

“It does give us some flexibility and a chance to bring in a different type of player and we are working very hard behind the scenes to make sure we can get that type.

“But the one thing I'd say is there's a lot of competition for that and the type that I'm describing is prime Didier Drogba, so we have to understand what's important to us at this time, what option or plan B scenario do we want and then tick those boxes accordingly and recruit accordingly.”

It’s Freedman territory now. Absolutely bizarre.

I guess it’s an upgrade from ‘next Ivan Toney’.

Plan B???

It's interesting to me that it often seems like managers dig in and appear stubborn before getting sacked. I'm not sure why that is. In this case, maybe they've all had a heart to heart and he's feeling safe enough to do a U-turn!? Interesting. Bit slow but interesting.

[nicholaldo]

He's just referring to an easily recognisable type to describe the kind of player he's looking to bring in.

He's not claiming the player is a prime or even a future Drogba.

[The_Gun]

If we’re competing with multiple clubs for this kid then I’m sure saying nice things about him in public won’t harm our chances.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

He's just referring to an easily recognisable type to describe the kind of player he's looking to bring in.

He's not claiming the player is a prime or even a future Drogba.

He's not, but he really should know by now that such things get quoted, in and out of context, and shaped into sticks to beat him with.

[boltonboris]

If we’re competing with multiple clubs for this kid then I’m sure saying nice things about him in public won’t harm our chances.

Aye, nothing wrong with blowing smoke up his arse if it helps us get a signing over the line

[GhostoftheBok]

He's just referring to an easily recognisable type to describe the kind of player he's looking to bring in.

He's not claiming the player is a prime or even a future Drogba.

He's not, but he really should know by now that such things get quoted, in and out of context, and shaped into sticks to beat him with.

Yes, he should; but he was trying to impress upon Marc how difficult the type of player it to get at League One level and Ian being Ian he got a bit excited.

[GhostoftheBok]

If we can get a big, strong, fast lad up top then praise the lord. At the very least it's a type that might change a game off the bench and if it works out then it might be very important.

Replacing Charles with a young loanee is obviously a risk. It's guaranteed goals, in some quantity, for "a type"...we'll see how it goes.

[Worthy4England]

Let this sink in. This clown is manager of our great club.

“It does give us some flexibility and a chance to bring in a different type of player and we are working very hard behind the scenes to make sure we can get that type.

“But the one thing I'd say is there's a lot of competition for that and the type that I'm describing is prime Didier Drogba, so we have to understand what's important to us at this time, what option or plan B scenario do we want and then tick those boxes accordingly and recruit accordingly.”

It’s Freedman territory now. Absolutely bizarre.

I guess it’s an upgrade from ‘next Ivan Toney’.

I thought the "new style of football" didn't use plan B? Better plan A was the thing.

Oh and while we're about it, if number 2 "star signing" is an attacker - maybe not unreasonable with Dion exiting - what the juddering fcuk are we doing defensively? Just rely on coaching?

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Plan B???

It's interesting to me that it often seems like managers dig in and appear stubborn before getting sacked. I'm not sure why that is. In this case, maybe they've all had a heart to heart and he's feeling safe enough to do a U-turn!? Interesting. Bit slow but interesting.

I've said before - Evatt is not nearly as stuck in his ways as his (frequently correct) critics can claim. And while I completely understand the anger at "sideways and backwards", what makes me personally madder is when we – sometimes subsequently, having drawn the oppo out; but also frequently merely speculatively - gormlessly hoof the ball forward to laughing oppo defenders easily outmuscling our forwards.

It's a couple of seasons since Evatt realised that we were being too ponderous. Sadly Opta don't seem to report it any more (at least for free) but we in our first post-promotion season we had one of having the division's lowest "direct speed" metrics - the time it takes to get the ball up the pitch - to well in the top third the following season. All well and good, but you need someone to receive the thing up there, and since cutting Bod and Jerome we've had no target to hit. Nor have we even got a nippy speedster to knock it over the top to.

He's used target men before, from Quigley to Bodvarsson. The weird thing is that he's using that tactic without anyone to fulfil it.