Schu me the way to Amarillo - Summer 2025 Transfer Thread

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

I wonder how set in stone the plans are for left back. As in, has Schuey decided that he definitely wants a new starter there, or will Conway be given a chance over the next couple of weeks to show he can take that role?

The word was that he would get preseason to judge his level - starter or rotation option?

After losing a month on Jacob, it’s possible Conway could stake his claim to deprioritise. With wingers in the building it’s possible Tutu will revert to being a full-back and JDC can cover on the left. Also not beyond reason that Schon could cover. But that would be an attacking set of options, nothing particularly “solid” in an “Andy Taylor rather than Antonee Robinson” way.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

I don't think age is the only determinant for a captain - nor necessarily the best determinant. Nobby was 24, replacing a 31 year old JJ. We did comparatively well under both. I think who it is, is more important than how old they are. That said, out of last year's crop, I've no idea whether any of them are Captain material and not seen this year's intake on the field yet.

All fair but the manager specifically cited the age range as being out of kilter.

[Worthy4England]

I don't think age is the only determinant for a captain - nor necessarily the best determinant. Nobby was 24, replacing a 31 year old JJ. We did comparatively well under both. I think who it is, is more important than how old they are. That said, out of last year's crop, I've no idea whether any of them are Captain material and not seen this year's intake on the field yet.

All fair but the manager specifically cited the age range as being out of kilter.

Did he say we need a 30 year plus captain? If he did, I missed it. I think we need more higher level experience across the side. For me we need some calm head in both MF and defence. By calm head, I don't mean never takes the players to task. So yeah some older bodies in the mix fine...

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

He didn’t specifically link the two, but then he never specifically said we need captain material. He just said we needed the squad to find balance with some older players, and as yet we haven’t.

[Armchair Wanderer]

With an apparently captain-less squad last season, and all the incomings being young-ish, he probably needs someone a bit older (26+ say) preferably who he's already worked with for captain. I like the idea of it being a defender or defensive midfielder, someone flexible who can play in any of the formation variations and isn't necessarily sprinting box to box all the time. I'd be flicking through the Rolodex, I think.

[Worthy4England]

He didn’t specifically link the two, but then he never specifically said we need captain material. He just said we needed the squad to find balance with some older players, and as yet we haven’t.

Agree, mate, but was talking about Captain rather than players aged over 30, per se. Guess where I'm at, is that we have a pretty limited list from last season, irrespective of age. But we've see nothing from the new signings yet and it is possible to be Captain material whilst being under 30. That is all.

[Hoboh]

He didn’t specifically link the two, but then he never specifically said we need captain material. He just said we needed the squad to find balance with some older players, and as yet we haven’t.

Agree, mate, but was talking about Captain rather than players aged over 30, per se. Guess where I'm at, is that we have a pretty limited list from last season, irrespective of age. But we've see nothing from the new signings yet and it is possible to be Captain material whilst being under 30. That is all.

Captains who will tear someone a new one for below par performance these days are hard to find, it's all about nicely nice these days and it ain't just us with that problem.

[The_Gun]

Yer man Ceesay isn’t in the Norrköping squad again today.

[Bertie Wooster]

Yer man Ceesay isn’t in the Norrköping squad again today.

As I said yesterday I've heard its almost done, its just the EU paperwork & registration that's taking time - apparently the same happened with the Gale transfer.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Looking around for any remaining freebie left-backs, and not many holler for attention.

Morgan Fox was expected to leave QPR and have Millwall, Blackburn and Hull haggling for him. But he's more of a centre-back anyway.

There's Dominic (or Dom) Thompson. The Arsenal graduate left Blackpool for Motherwell in January on a six-month contract and promptly saw the manager who signed him resign; the new gaffer played him often, but Thompson ended the season keeping his options open. Six-footer but likes to get forward (and has played a fair amount at left midfield), turns 25 this month, 50 games in League One plus 34 Champo among his 150 or so senior career appearances.

It's definitely an interesting one to balance with Max Conway. He's now no longer a youth player - he'd count towards the squad total - so we have to see whether he's up to the job. As Ilesy noted, if we'd signed Crewe's player of the year we'd be excited or at least intrigued. So if we signed a must-play-every-game blockbuster of a player, I for one would be a bit disappointed that the "pathway" talk wasn't being walked.

Could also ask whether Schumacher's double-winger splurge suggests he sees Tutu as a full-back, in which case we have a cover option there - and not forgetting Cogz has played on the left, too. I'm not sure I'd be entirely happy going into the season with 'just' Conway, Cogz and Tutu as the full-back options; I guess we could ask Schon or Thomason or Johnston to play LB if desperate, but in that case I'd rather like us to try before we don't buy, if you see what I mean.

Certainly the clear interest in Matty Jacob suggests that Schuey went into summer wanting another LB. Maaaaybe Conway can persuade him in Marbella that it's not a first-team problem, but if it's also to be wiped off the to-do list for squad depth, it would require someone else to prove themselves reliably adaptable.

[The_Gun]

I think it's very unlikely that we don't bring in another left back, but maybe the profile of the new arrival could still be determined by what happens over the next few weeks of pre-season.

The way I see it, there are three likely scenarios when it comes to Conway and the left back position:

1. Max performs exceptionally well in training and in the Orlando Pirates game, which, coupled with his good body of work at Crewe, is enough to convince Schuey that he can be first choice for us this coming season. In this case, a cheaper LB is brought in to provide back-up to Conway - perhaps someone with a lot of experience who could also pass on some wisdom to the young buck.

2. Max does reasonably well in pre-season and is deemed good enough to be a rotation option, but not a guaranteed starter. This would probably mean that we do go after a starting-quality specialist, and given the pursuit of Matty Jacob, perhaps is the most likely outcome.

3. Max doesn't do enough in pre-season to convince the gaffer that he's ready for League One football. We then shop him around and sell to the highest bidder.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

∆ Agreed, Gun. Fair summation.

Meanwhile:
https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/bolto ... arrington/
"Bolton Wanderers, Cardiff City, Preston North End and Wigan Athletic are in a four-club transfer race to secure the services of Fleetwood Town goalkeeper David Harrington, sources have exclusively revealed to Football League World."

Probably an agent plant but let's see.

[BWFC_Insane]

Again I ask - if Conway is not able to play first team games at league one level this season then when? And what’s the point of keeping players having had a year long loan the level below that is a roaring success you then say ‘sorry we need to sign better than you’?

I say give him a chance. Not like a signing is guaranteed to do the job anyway.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Again I ask - if Conway is not able to play first team games at league one level this season then when? And what’s the point of keeping players having had a year long loan the level below that is a roaring success you then say ‘sorry we need to sign better than you’?

I say give him a chance. Not like a signing is guaranteed to do the job anyway.

I fully agree with the idea.

See, I know I said I want a more experienced back-up keeper than Hutch, but this is a very different situation. For one, it's very unusual to 'rotate' goalkeepers, barring cup games (which largely run out in late autumn). Changing a goalkeeper is a big call for a manager: it risks demotivating the removed player, confusing the defence, and perhaps planting the idea that "you don't know what you're doing".

Outfielders, though, are different: the physical demands of the modern game give managers carte-blanche to "rest" players even if they're really dropping a liability.

And Conway is IMO in no way comparable to Hutch, developmentally. Barring that one-game emergency call from Crawley, the keeper hasn't had a loan spell above the regional leagues (sixth tier). Conway was Player of the Year for a team in the division below us, and not a rubbish team either - they were in the play-off race until the last three games or so.

Conway was no small part of this - he didn't win that gong for occasionally scoring wondergoals off the bench. He played in all 46 league games, starting the last 44 of them, and racked up 3,749 league minutes - that's 500 more league minutes than any Wanderer put in. He also played at both full-back and wing-back as Crewe switched formations during the season. Genuinely, we couldn't have designed a much more impressive loan spell. As you say, BWFCi, if not now then when?

Against all that, youth development is a brutal funnel, all players have ceilings and if the coaching crew think we need better, then I'll have to respect that and get behind the replacement. But I can't say I wouldn't be sad - and I can't imagine it would send out a great sign to the Bs and youngsters if he doesn't get a chance. He couldn't have knocked on the door any more loudly if he'd been Jack Nicholson in The Shining. Heeeeere's Conny....

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Meanwhile:
https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/bolto ... arrington/
"Bolton Wanderers, Cardiff City, Preston North End and Wigan Athletic are in a four-club transfer race to secure the services of Fleetwood Town goalkeeper David Harrington, sources have exclusively revealed to Football League World."

Probably an agent plant but let's see.

Worth noting that Owain Fôn Williams was Harrington's goalkeeper coach for the last 2.5yrs. But then, maybe that's part of the 2+2=5.

[Prufrock]

I really hope Conway gets a chance and he has done about as well as he can. But there's also no way we're going into the season with our only specialist a still unproven if promising kid.

We basically want Jack Iredale. Primarily a LB but versatile. Good egg. Can push Max but not smother him.

[The_Gun]

The jump from a middling League Two team to a side looking to get promoted out of League One is quite significant - it's very possible that Conway is not good enough to make that jump. From everything Schumacher has said thus far, I'm certain that Max will be given a fair crack of the whip, but at the same time, if the lad isn't up to scratch, then he's not going to be carried along because it would be nice for us to develop players.

I don't think I watched a single League Two game last season, so whilst I would really like Conway to come good for us, I have very little idea of whether that's likely to happen.

[Frank Drebin]

A couple of friends, who are both season ticket holders at Crewe, were impressed by Conway as I’ve previously mentioned on here. On more than one occasion they have said to me, “you must have a very good left back at Bolton”
He deserves a chance.

[Bertie Wooster]

I agree, unless we are going to get a new quality left back (either championship level experience or captain material etc.) then I can't see why we wouldn't use Conway as the starting left back, surely he deserves a chance.

Use the money to get another CF in.

[BWFC_Insane]

I really hope Conway gets a chance and he has done about as well as he can. But there's also no way we're going into the season with our only specialist a still unproven if promising kid.

We basically want Jack Iredale. Primarily a LB but versatile. Good egg. Can push Max but not smother him.

Unproven until given a chance. Now look if Schumacher thinks he’s not up to it then fine. But in which case we should have released him in the summer.

For me if he’s here he should get first go at left back. Otherwise basically you have no pathway as a younger player here. He’s done the loan the level below and excelled. What more can he do?

As for Iredale yep a player like that is ideal. We again never replaced him and he’s a better player I think than we have had since.