Schu me the way to Amarillo - Summer 2025 Transfer Thread

[Worthy4England]

Four-year deal caught my eye

Yeah, he better be good…

A four year deal for a lad who's 25 and relatively unproven is actually quite a massive risk. I get that we've probably beaten out competiton from the divison above due to giving him a longer deal, but I really hope we don't get burned again here.

It certainly has the Dan factor about it, if we're not careful...

I thought of Dan too with the long contract but the similarities end there. Our Sam has a track record to speak of and in terms of a transfer fee, cost us nowt.

Big Dan on the other hand...

Dan - has a good ring about it, too. Shame. I'm not too worried, tbf, in part because I think he might be given a less "finicky" role as I hope most of our team do. Our previous football generally struck me as overly complex.

[The_Gun]

Is Dan still injured?

Regardless, I think he has next to no chance of playing regularly for us next season. Hopefully we can find a club willing to take him on loan and cover his wages again, but I strongly suspect we might have to do some subsidising this time round.

[BWFC_Insane]

Four-year deal caught my eye

Yeah, he better be good…

A four year deal for a lad who's 25 and relatively unproven is actually quite a massive risk. I get that we've probably beaten out competiton from the divison above due to giving him a longer deal, but I really hope we don't get burned again here.

It certainly has the Dan factor about it, if we're not careful...

I thought of Dan too with the long contract but the similarities end there. Our Sam has a track record to speak of and in terms of a transfer fee, cost us nowt.

Big Dan on the other hand...

Yeah I mean I saw Nlundulu coming a mile off. 24 and had been in academies most of the time. It was a disaster waiting to happen. Dalby has played football. Maybe not enough and maybe not always successfully enough but he has played, and has just had a good season in the Scottish top flight. That’s a long long way from where Dan was. Doesn’t mean it will work - let’s see. But target men tend to mature a bit later - but they need to have played men’s football for a while.

[Worthy4England]

Not sure the expectations on signing him in terms of immediate first team impact will have been the same, I always felt that Dan was maybe somewhere between 4th and 5th on the list. Sam is going to have to do heavier lifting than that, even though we paid nowt for him.

[TonyDomingos]

The BN is linking us with some lad called Xavier Simons. A Hull midfielder who was on loan to Wycombe for a few months last season.

[sonicthewhite]

The BN is linking us with some lad called Xavier Simons. A Hull midfielder who was on loan to Wycombe for a few months last season.

Is he the Gandalf "Thou shall not pass" type of midfielder we've been lamenting?

[TonyDomingos]

The BN is linking us with some lad called Xavier Simons. A Hull midfielder who was on loan to Wycombe for a few months last season.

Is he the Gandalf "Thou shall not pass" type of midfielder we've been lamenting?

The Hull website describes him as a defensive mf who can also play at centre half and right back. Three players for the price of once.

[The_Gun]

The BN is linking us with some lad called Xavier Simons. A Hull midfielder who was on loan to Wycombe for a few months last season.

Is he the Gandalf "Thou shall not pass" type of midfielder we've been lamenting?

The Hull website describes him as a defensive mf who can also play at centre half and right back. Three players for the price of once.

Sounds like the type we need, but is presumably going to command a reasonable fee. Surely that would mean one of Sheehan, Morley or Thomason would need selling?

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

I mentioned Simons in this thread's January predecessor, before he was lent to Wycombe to replace Morley. If memory serves, he's a six-footer but also Chelsea-bred so he should be able to pass the thing too.

This feels a bit like one of those where we get mentioned as "one of a host of clubs being touted by the agent". I'd be confident that Plymouth will also be mentioned (despite having signed Ibrahim), probably Huddersfield, maybe Barnsley, probably Blackpool; almost certainly Wigan and maybe "some foreign clubs" too...

[TonyDomingos]

I mentioned Simons in this thread's January predecessor, before he was lent to Wycombe to replace Morley. If memory serves, he's a six-footer but also Chelsea-bred so he should be able to pass the thing too.

This feels a bit like one of those where we get mentioned as "one of a host of clubs being touted by the agent". I'd be confident that Plymouth will also be mentioned (despite having signed Ibrahim), probably Huddersfield, maybe Barnsley, probably Blackpool; almost certainly Wigan and maybe "some foreign clubs" too...

Yes, all of those. Hibs are the foreign club.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Huddersfield sign Roughan. #bwfc hashtag melts down.

PNE site links us and Wigan with Will Keane.

[The_Gun]

Huddersfield sign Roughan. #bwfc hashtag melts down.

PNE site links us and Wigan with Will Keane.

Shame regarding Roughan, he sounded a better option than Jacob.

Surely we now don’t need Will Keane?

[BWFC_Insane]

Huddersfield sign Roughan. #bwfc hashtag melts down.

PNE site links us and Wigan with Will Keane.

Shame regarding Roughan, he sounded a better option than Jacob.

Surely we now don’t need Will Keane?

Jacob has an option in Switzerland so is looking tough. The amount of interest in him suggests we aren’t the only ones who think he’s worth a look.

Roughan who we don’t know there was ever any real interest in - Iles seems to suggest it was maybe overblown - played an entire season at left centre back last year so again if we are playing a back four I don’t see how he made or makes sense - we need a bona fide left back. We already have Johnstone who is an in between type.

[Worthy4England]

I mentioned Simons in this thread's January predecessor, before he was lent to Wycombe to replace Morley. If memory serves, he's a six-footer but also Chelsea-bred so he should be able to pass the thing too.

This feels a bit like one of those where we get mentioned as "one of a host of clubs being touted by the agent". I'd be confident that Plymouth will also be mentioned (despite having signed Ibrahim), probably Huddersfield, maybe Barnsley, probably Blackpool; almost certainly Wigan and maybe "some foreign clubs" too...

Whatever happened to the heady days of being linked alongside Everton, West Ham and Celtic?

I'll be happy if he can pass, but more impressed if he can tackle. head and recycle as well. We know that they like to coach interceptions rather than needing to tackle, might work well in Chelsea Simworld, but we're in L1 and in L1, you probably don't have the luxury of being able to do passing, without the ability to tackle maybe more often than you would do playing for Chelsea.

I had a cursory glance at his defensive stats and obviously they might be incorrect, but I didn't immediately say "tackling, heading and recycling machine." His pass accuracy, long ball % and dare I say it cross accuracy are allegedly high in comparison with "other midfielders," but you have to have the ball to be able to do any of those things.

[The_Gun]

Huddersfield sign Roughan. #bwfc hashtag melts down.

PNE site links us and Wigan with Will Keane.

Shame regarding Roughan, he sounded a better option than Jacob.

Surely we now don’t need Will Keane?

Jacob has an option in Switzerland so is looking tough. The amount of interest in him suggests we aren’t the only ones who think he’s worth a look.

Roughan who we don’t know there was ever any real interest in - Iles seems to suggest it was maybe overblown - played an entire season at left centre back last year so again if we are playing a back four I don’t see how he made or makes sense - we need a bona fide left back. We already have Johnstone who is an in between type.

Tbh, left back isn’t a position I’d be looking to spend much of our budget on. Someone solid and robust, like a left sided Dacres-Cogley. Big wages and transfer fees can be kept for other areas of the pitch.

[BWFC_Insane]

Huddersfield sign Roughan. #bwfc hashtag melts down.

PNE site links us and Wigan with Will Keane.

Shame regarding Roughan, he sounded a better option than Jacob.

Surely we now don’t need Will Keane?

Jacob has an option in Switzerland so is looking tough. The amount of interest in him suggests we aren’t the only ones who think he’s worth a look.

Roughan who we don’t know there was ever any real interest in - Iles seems to suggest it was maybe overblown - played an entire season at left centre back last year so again if we are playing a back four I don’t see how he made or makes sense - we need a bona fide left back. We already have Johnstone who is an in between type.

Tbh, left back isn’t a position I’d be looking to spend much of our budget on. Someone solid and robust, like a left sided Dacres-Cogley. Big wages and transfer fees can be kept for other areas of the pitch.

We don’t have a left back and like I say if we want a back four then we need one. I think it’s an important area and not sure JDC types grow on trees to be honest.

Roughan was and is more of a short centre back in a three so I was far from convinced with that one - if we want to play a back three then I think profile wise he was the right type but if it’s a back four then we need an out and out LB. Conway is a wing back really - maybe more a winger and I’ve seen suggestions that Schumacher does not consider Schon to be a LB at all either.

[The_Gun]

I listened to an interview Conway did with a Crewe podcast recently, and he said left back isn’t his best position.

Edit: autocorrect on my phone. Conway said that left back IS his best position.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Roughan was and is more of a short centre back in a three so I was far from convinced with that one - if we want to play a back three then I think profile wise he was the right type but if it’s a back four then we need an out and out LB. Conway is a wing back really - maybe more a winger and I’ve seen suggestions that Schumacher does not consider Schon to be a LB at all either.

I agree with all that and on the last point I would say it's much more obvious than "suggestions". I watch formations closely – some might say too closely but whatever floats your boat – and as far as I can see Schumacher, while undergoing a thorough squad audit in his 19 games, didn't play Schon as a wingback, let alone a full-back.

Conway may see himself more a a wingback, and he might be right, but he's got to prove himself in either position and he should get a chance. It's also worth noting that Schumacher may well want his full-backs to overlap - especially if he wants Collins to cut inside from the left; being an overlapping full-back isn't hugely dissimilar to a wing-back, albeit potentially with less cover (although that might depend who's in defensive midfield).

It's a tricky position. We definitely need a senior LB. It's possible - perhaps not probable, but possible - that Schumacher might consider Johnston an option there, and I'd be intrigued to see that. We are clearly interested in recruiting there.

I totally understand The Gun's objection to spending a lot of our cash there, and it feels to me like Huddersfield have outspent us for Roughan. Shades perhaps of Derby outbidding us for Barkhuizen and Kane Wilson, although the latter was also enough of an injury concern for the club to think it too big a gamble. Understandable for a club accused of buying too many crocks; damned if you do, damned if you don't.

On the flip of that, we'd love someone who turns out as reliable as Cogz – but I doubt the bunting would be out if we signed a freebie left-back with negligible experience above the fourth tier. Cogz turned out to be a very astute squad signing, but his announcement in mid-June 2023 met with an underwhelming response. Two days later, we spent hard money on Nlundulu, then Forrester and Mendes Gomes...

[The_Gun]

Sorry DSB, I noticed the error in my original post. Conway said he thinks he’s best as a left back, but is happy to play wingback.

The interview with him is actually quite a good listen. Comes across very well, other than outing himself as a Yoonited fan.

https://uk-podcasts.co.uk/podcast/the-r ... f-the-year

[irie Cee Bee]

We do need a left back, especially in a back 4. Someone who can properly defend behind the wingers who don't/can't defend after bombing forward.. like Schon .. and Collins if he plays wide in the new dispensation.

Last season we settled with playing Murphy there. He struggled because he is a CH, just like Johnston who is a CH and is not a candidate for that position in my opinion. We need a specialist there or else teams will see the weakness in that position and exploit it. We sold Iredale, so if it means we have to pay a fee for a good left footed full back, who by the way are hard to find, then so be it. A free player like Amari Bell who is out of contract would fit the bill, but his wages might be a problem as he was playing the the Premier League a couple seasons ago with Luton.