UpweySaint

It’s a fair point though the three you have named all have new contracts and have signed for us full well knowing relegation is a real possibility. You would hope wages would also have sizeable percentage drops too should we go down. I guess the difference is if we have to sell we are hopefully better placed to do so on our terms without contractual or financial pressures forcing our hand. If we take THB for example if he proves himself in the prem he becomes a £35-40mil player IMO. Minus a city cut we would still see some profit on him and being able to reinvent- the big trick is doing that well which is where we have gone awry for several years. I have posted similar before but my overarching view is we are doing sensible business in the window so far. There is more we would like/may do but it’s hard to argue with the likes of Yuki, Woods and Edwards for less than £15 million all in. If any of those three develops into a premier league level player (I think Woods is the least likely) then they are easily worth more than the £15 million alone. If we went down with a bit of fight I would feel more confident then when we came down at the end of 22/23 and I anticipate many would feel similar.

I’m curious what strengths you feel Mara has or is that more about potential? We signed him off the back on a decent-ish breakthrough in France and a good tournament (IIRC) and on the face of it wasn’t a bad signing but I’ve struggled to see what he’s about as a player. To me his finishing hasn’t stood out, I’m surprised how easily he seems to get muscled off the ball (he isn’t tiny) and he doesn’t have pace to write home about. The less said about the pen the better! Do take your broader point about players/systems and I think Charlie is a stellar example of that. I could see him flourishing and have a real soft spot for him but he doesn’t seem a good fit in our current system. He might have scope to develop his game to fit better but given our financial restrictions a good fee to put towards more ‘ready-made’ players might suit us in the here and now.

Just found £60million for Pedro Neto too. Their accountants must be bloody marvellous. Sure they’ll just sell some of their own assets to themselves again or something equally as dodgy. Watch this space for Chelsea FC selling lunar real estate to the totally unrelated Chalsee CF … Bugger me they’re an unlikely club! Hoping it all goes horribly wrong with Maresca and the yanks asset values plummet through the floor.

Certainly an upgrade though arguably a different profile of player to Smallbone. He’s got a fair amount of pedigree for a 23 year old and looks the sort who could kick on playing week in week out. I would be happy with us signing him on loan, loan with an option to buy or permanent if the budget is there.

Fair point. If we’re being pedantic Bazunu is injured and Larios’ development has been hampered by long term injury which we couldn’t foresee. Edozie may start. Mara had a good youth tournament and l can see why we punted on him but he clearly isn’t meeting expectations (and I don’t think he will!) The broad point that we’ve spent our money poorly is fair though. Sulemana was money spaffed up the wall in an attempt to secure the next Mane. I still think Edozie may come good and Alcarez is a talented player but not suited to our system. Bazunu I get the stick he gets but still think he is one worth persevering with though preferably as a no2 with an experienced and capable no1 to learn from and push. Ultimately it’s about balance. Gambling on potential isn’t a bad idea for a club of our size but when the foundations of the club/squad are so shaky it falls apart. Our most successful periods have seen young talent bedded in to settled teams with experience and quality through the side. Time will tell but it feels like Sports Republic have learnt this lesson even if we’re still struggling with the legacy of previous poor decisions.

Agreed on the loans. Chelsea have 200 players, Ramsdale, Carvalho may end up as loans or loan to buy type deals should either happen, City have some real quality - Lewis and McAtee for example, Morton at Liverpool was previously linked (possible loan or loan with an option perhaps), Doaks and Clarke have also had a mention though I can’t say I’m too fussed about either of them …

Fair enough. I can see the draw of Bournemouth especially if they give him a reasonable sense of confidence he will be there no1 - if not we may be in with a shout. O’Riley and Carvalho may not happen but both seem like the right sort of players to target. Hopefully we have a longer list, I’m sure there is value to had in Europe - the Dutch market seems to be undervalued at times and the money issues in France should create some opportunities (it looks like we tried for the Metz player). It is a bit gutting that Bournemouth and Brighton are in such better places than us but a few good windows and a bit of luck and we can find ourselves in their shoes to my mind.

Do you have a source? I would be surprised as Neto has been pretty solid for them.

They can look at selling them for whatever they like but doesn’t mean anybody is paying what they want. £15mil with add ons has been rejected but it’s not unreasonable as a starting bid. Fwiw I like Carvalho and think he could do well for us.

We spent about £35 mil and Downes and THB for starters. We’re not exactly scraping the barrel but there will be limits. It sounds like we’re still trying for others too and that’s without any confirmed outgoings of any note.

I get the point but that sort of ignores how plenty of teams throw money around in a desperate attempt to escape the championship. Ipswich are pretty exceptional. I would say the relative success of Brentford and the more obvious success of Brighton show what can be done if you get the recruitment right. If we’re sensible with contracts and the profile of players we recruit relegation may not be terminal. We may be able to keep the bulk of the squad together and hold out for good money for any players who are cherry picked.

Staying up would be great. If we go down it’s probably about what would be expected of us but I fancy we’ll be less insipid then our last relegation season. I was surprised we came up last season so as far as I’m concerned we’re ahead of schedule. We all know the team needed a major overhaul and you can see that work happening - young talent with a British core and arguably less players who come across like dickheads. There is a good team spirit, evidence of a coach with a clear plan and some bright sparks with the likes of Dibling, Edwards and Sam Amo looking promising. A good season for me will be one where I can see a plan, find some positives and watch some goals! 17th and up is a bonus!

At the moment it seems like a waste of money. If we didn’t go up last season it would have felt worse as it’s money that could have been spent elsewhere. At the time I thought it seemed like good value for a player with good physicality (don’t laugh!) who has scored all sorts of goals in the Championship and League one. If he gets/stays fit I’m genuinely excited to see what he can bring to the team. If he hits double figures in the prem (or fires us back up if we go down) I think he’ll represent value. If not hopefully his wages aren’t too mega and we get something out of him. We’ve certainly spent more on arguably worse/less suited strikers for sure!

Fair shout. Ideal world we would have other options so could ease him back and not rely on him. At some point our budget may run out though so I’m not sure I see us doing another permanent deal for a potential starting striker. I could be wrong though!!

BBD is good business. As others have said he stood out in a poor Sheff Utd side and seems to tick a lot of the boxes, the YouTube goals clips show clever off the ball movement, good physicality and quality finishes. Character also seems to be a positive too. I am still on the fence on if we will stay up or not but it’s hard to argue with the business we have done in the window so far. Just all very sensible, it almost feels like we’re being run by grown ups! Add in a no1 on loan, O’Riley and Camara and I think the general consensus will be a job well done. An extra striker seems to depend on Stewart and/or how we plan to line up. Hopefully we can start to clear the likes of ABK and tall Paul!

Agreed. PSR and our horror January trolley dash have hampered us. Unless somebody has an aneurysm and throws money at us for Kamaldeen, ABK etc I can’t see us having lots to throw around. The Delap miss suggests we may also have readies for a striker as well as O’Riley (price contingent). If we’re being wildly optimistic we shift the fringe players, get BBD on loan to buy (if we stay up maybe) and Ramsdale on loan and still have enough for O’Riley and Clarke. KWP sale (or not) could have an influence. I would be sad to see him go but if we have a decent offer we can’t let him go on a free.

Any idea how many years Jack Clarke has on his contract? He’ll fancy a go at the prem and unless Sunderland improve rapidly they don’t look like they’re getting there any time soon so you would imagine he is unlikely to sign a new deal without a buy out clause. I think he could do well for us bur don’t think we can justify the asking price as is especially given the other areas of the squad that need attention.

Probably a ridiculous one but if we’re clutching at straws …. 1) He may want to play in the Premier League, he’s played in La Liga and (despite some impressive European performances from Italian teams) there is consensus they are the two best leagues in the world. 2. We pay Premier League wages. It’s no Saudi pay day but my guess is we pay more than Betis. 3. Barca are still Barca but they are a mess. Maybe the prospect of signing for a club who may end up not actually registering you to play has scuppered the move leaving him open to something else. 4. Game time. He’s likely to be one of the first names on our team sheet. 5. Okay now this is a stretch - a chance to experience a new culture living in the UK. 6. Any deal could come with a low release clause and/or relegation clause. One good season with us then off to one of the top six/eight (ish) clubs. 7. These are getting less tenuous but a possible bond with Alcarez. We’ve seen a South American buddy system before! All that being said not a chance it will happen but fun to pretend! I’m very willing to accept sleep deprivation (twin boys who have decided sleep is for chumps) may be making me come out with utter drivel 😅

I hope so. I don’t like Armstrong as a 9, Mara needs a loan or to be sold, Stewart is an unknown quantity. I also like the option of two up up which has suited Che in the past. I guess a lot depends on who we can shift and how much budget we need for elsewhere.

I agree for the most part. I’m happy with Che staying on the proviso it’s him plus one - I’m keen to see what Stewart can do when fit too but it’s a risk to rely on him too heavily. I don’t mind Bazunu but get the opposing views. Macca is okay but a loan with an option would be good to see if we can get a genuine no1 for this season as a minimum. Delap I like. The price is high considering his goal return and he is raw but £15mil seems to be the going rate for potential these days. Ings? I don’t know about attitude (some have really slated this) but he knows where the goal is and I could see him doing well in our system - his movement, link up and finishing are assets and we don’t really rely on pace which he lacks. I quite like a lot of our recruitment so far. We’re being sensible and pragmatic. I honestly don’t know if it will be enough but you can see the logic whether we beat the drop or not. KWP or a top class replacement feels essential to both systems we have used. I’m not wholly convinced Aarons is the answer but he has the right profile and arguably hasn’t yet met his potential.

Hate to say it but Ipswich are doing (on paper) some good business - the four players they have signed/are hoping to wrap up are all players I would have been happy for us to sign though as others have said our previous mistakes are haunting us. if Ornstein is right that we had a bid accepted for Delap then hopefully it shows we have a few quid tucked down the sofa for a striker. Hutchinson, Delap, Philogene and Greaves for somewhere around £75mil is a big outlay without any transfer fees in but fair play to them - they are well backed and have PSR room. On a side note their no1 from last season has turned down a new deal so I expect they may also need to spend a few quid to get a proper replacement in. We are still a well coached side and it’s early in the window so we’ll see but at the moment I’m struggling to see three teams I am confident we can finish ahead of. Ideal world we can shift the likes of ABK, Sulemana and Onuachu for a few quid and add a bit more quality in the squad in key positions. I like Charly but if he doesn’t fit our set up and we could see a good return from him I can see him being moved on.

Twins finally in bed and sleeping and I've missed us going one up! Any decent streams appreciated please, talksport alone is anxiety inducing.

After some advice please. Coming up to the game from Dorset and expect to be in not long before kick off (first antenatal class in the morning). Any sensible parking suggestions where I'm likely to get a space and be able to get over to the stadium in under 20 mins? Getting away afterwards isn't a major concern.

Well balanced post. Yesterday was a fiasco but the wider context is important and the short termism of some, while not surprising, is disappointing.

Plenty of suggestion that we actively tried to do so with Roberts and the Villa lad strongly linked. Either way our wide options should arguably be plenty good enough for us to challenge at this level.