Summer Transfer Window 2024

[VectisSaint]

12 hours ago, The Kraken said:

Yeah totally, that was part of my point. You can sign “experience” but if they’re not a player who is good enough to displace what you’ve already got, it’s meaningless.  Id love us to get a spine of decent PL proven players but if they’re not rightfully going to start every game above what we’ve got then don’t bother.

Lallana seems, at best, to be a nice-to-have rather than a need-to-have. And for the pedantic point, he may have a champions league medal but he didn’t play in the final and featured in only 3 CL games all season. He also started 5 league games for them that season. Its not like he was a mainstay, he made up the numbers. Good player, but all this “he’s won medals” from certain posters is nonsense.

Wasn't so long ago that we had 3 Champions League winners in the first team squad (Romeu, Bertrand and Hojbjerg I think), none of them had actually played a major part in the Final but they all had winners medals)

[West end Saints]

1 hour ago, Farmer Saint said:

I don't want to give too much away, as we all know LLSS, but we do not have much money to spend this season due to FFP - capital outlay has been huge over the last 2 seasons with a huge downturn in revenue. This is why teams like Norwich, Burnley and WBA have never been able to break the yoyo cycle (in a positive way). There is some money, just not loads, unless we recoup from sales. 

Please bear in mind the £20m odd for Taylor Bellis, and there is money for Downes, but outside of that it is likely to be free's/low transfer fees. 

Difference is we are not a yo-yo club. 

Those teams have all had half the time we have had in the premier league.

25 out of 33 seasons, and even more established pre premier league days.

Of course good players make a big difference, and quality costs, but we have shown numerous times that our best players are not the expensive ones.

The key this season will be mixing strong character and good experience (Lallana, Fraser ) with talented young players (THB, Smallbone, Charles etc).

[Paulwantsapint81]

Could Ghoddos become the new Paul Telfer, uninspiring signing who becomes a vital cog in the machine?

[for_heaven's_Saint]

Brentford play a completely different style of football to us so it’s not really that useful comparing how he played for them. They play quick counter attacking football. Perhaps he’s a good technical player more suited to possession?

[Dusic]

35 minutes ago, VectisSaint said:

Wasn't so long ago that we had 3 Champions League winners in the first team squad (Romeu, Bertrand and Hojbjerg I think), none of them had actually played a major part in the Final but they all had winners medals)

Yeah the point being that even if they weren't key players they have seen what it looks like being part of an elite environment.

In our current squad there is nobody that comes anywhere close to Lallana from that perspective. THB obviously was at times probably on the fringes of it with City and has some good experience at youth Intl level but otherwise the most success the majority of our players have is probably from this season.

Whether or not people feel it makes a difference is fair enough, but clearly at Brighton and within the Eng U21s they have valued his inputs on that side of things.

Its easy to google the endorsements from Klopp, Potter and De Zerbi relating to what he brings off the field.

[david in sweden]

Swedish fans know a bit about Ghodoos.     He was born in Sweden (of Iranian parents) and played for several top clubs including Östersund

at the same time that Graham Potter was manager and helped get them into the Champions League a.t.m., and was a key player for GP's side. 

He even got a few outings for the Swedish national side, but was approached by Iran to play for them, and currently has over 50 Iranian caps.

 

The fact that he's played for Brentford in the Prem. must mean that he wasn't unknown to the ownership of Sport Republic at the time.?.  

Experience like that - on a free transfer - sounds like a good deal to me and at 30,  I'm sure he won't be offered a 5 year contract either. 

[gio1saints]

11 minutes ago, david in sweden said:

Swedish fans know a bit about Ghodoos.     He was born in Sweden (of Iranian parents) and played for several top clubs including Östersund

at the same time that Graham Potter was manager and helped get them into the Champions League a.t.m., and was a key player for GP's side. 

He even got a few outings for the Swedish national side, but was approached by Iran to play for them, and currently has over 50 Iranian caps.

 

The fact that he's played for Brentford in the Prem. must mean that he wasn't unknown to the ownership of Sport Republic at the time.?.  

Experience like that - on a free transfer - sounds like a good deal to me and at 30,  I'm sure he won't be offered a 5 year contract either. 

Know it is an overused term but he sounds like a classic moneyball player. I hope he has  got some fire in his belly still ! 

Im sure SR data analytics had him down early days as a possible - but ONLY if on a free  and low wages - because his age would normally otherwise preclude him ( and the likes of AL & RF ). 

Expect more of this kind of signing. 

[S-Clarke]

2 hours ago, Golac's Cunning Stunts said:

I did and it seemed the consensus was he is a great guy full of positivity. But most of the Bees fans say he was good in the champs and not fast or mobile enough for the PL?

The forums I looked at had him as one of their best players at the start of last season, through to Christmas. Some comments suggesting they should have kept him on for this year. 

Depends where you read I guess, there will always be a mixture - even if it was a somewhat star player. 

My feeling is that he's an experienced player, a good egg and will be a genuine positive addition to the club and the playing squad. We needed to fill the hole left by Stu and Rothwell and we've done it on a free. More money for the other first 11 positions.

[Turkish]

14 minutes ago, S-Clarke said:

The forums I looked at had him as one of their best players at the start of last season, through to Christmas. Some comments suggesting they should have kept him on for this year. 

Depends where you read I guess, there will always be a mixture - even if it was a somewhat star player. 

My feeling is that he's an experienced player, a good egg and will be a genuine positive addition to the club and the playing squad. We needed to fill the hole left by Stu and Rothwell and we've done it on a free. More money for the other first 11 positions.

Agree. Decent squad player, premier league experience and on a free. Plus at 30 still got another 2-3 good years in him. Decent bit of low risk business 

[suewhistle]

From a brief look at their forum it appears some had doubts how he fitted into their style, but there was no doubt the appreciation, and that he seemed to be a positive character which, as we have seen from the sulky types Saints have had, is probably an important consideration.

[Farmer Saint]

5 hours ago, Charlie Wayman said:

… and a quick return to the EFL Championship.

Speculate to accumulate and deal with politics later.

 It it's not politics, it's rules. 

[Toussaint]

2 hours ago, gio1saints said:

Know it is an overused term but he sounds like a classic moneyball player. I hope he has  got some fire in his belly still ! 

Im sure SR data analytics had him down early days as a possible - but ONLY if on a free  and low wages - because his age would normally otherwise preclude him ( and the likes of AL & RF ). 

Expect more of this kind of signing. 

I’d have thought he was the exact opposite of money-ball player, he’s 30 therefore probably his last elite gig. Sillysue, BallsofKetchup, Alcarez and Charles are better examples i would suggest. 

Edited June 16 by Toussaint

[Convict Colony]

For those that remember the great striker hunt window when we ended up with tall paul, the target before his was vitinha who went from braga to marseille for 32m.

They've just agreed a deal to sell him to genoa for 15m, seems they made a worse decision than us.

[Farmer Saint]

5 hours ago, West end Saints said:

Difference is we are not a yo-yo club. 

Those teams have all had half the time we have had in the premier league.

25 out of 33 seasons, and even more established pre premier league days.

Of course good players make a big difference, and quality costs, but we have shown numerous times that our best players are not the expensive ones.

The key this season will be mixing strong character and good experience (Lallana, Fraser ) with talented young players (THB, Smallbone, Charles etc).

The point is financially we are the same now, because we spent too much Jan 23 and got relegated - essentially it puts our profit/loss at a point similar to being in the Championship 2022/2023. FFP and that transfer window has scuppered our ability to spend this season, hence it's the equivalent of being a yoyo club. 

Edited June 16 by Farmer Saint

[East Kent Saint]

Will tippy tappy football be the end of exciting games as we knew them ?

 

[Verbal]

5 minutes ago, Farmer Saint said:

The point is financially we are the same now, because we spent too much Jan 23 and got relegated. FFP and that transfer window has scuppered our ability to spend this season, hence it's the equivalent of being a yoyo club. 

So which year's balance sheet do the sales of JWP and Lavia appear?

[Farmer Saint]

1 minute ago, Verbal said:

So which year's balance sheet do the sales of JWP and Lavia appear?

2023/2024? But the point is all teams tend to sell when they go down (and not many spend the money we did in January 23).

Edited June 16 by Farmer Saint

[Convict Colony]

5 minutes ago, Farmer Saint said:

2023/2024? But the point is all teams tend to sell when they go down (and not many spend the money we did in January 23).

We need a 50m sponsor deal with dragan's companies for the training ground

[Matthew Le God]

1 hour ago, Toussaint said:

I’d have thought he was the exact opposite of money-ball player, he’s 30 therefore probably his last elite gig. Sillysue, BallsofKetchup, Alcarez and Charles are better examples i would suggest. 

The essence of Moneyball lies in finding undervalued assets, often overlooked by traditional scouting methods. It is not solely signing high potential youngsters and selling them on.

[hypochondriac]

25 minutes ago, Farmer Saint said:

2023/2024? But the point is all teams tend to sell when they go down (and not many spend the money we did in January 23).

Not many (any?) get 60 million for one player sale in the championship... 

[Toussaint]

11 minutes ago, Matthew Le God said:

The essence of Moneyball lies in finding undervalued assets, often overlooked by traditional scouting methods. It is not solely signing high potential youngsters and selling them on.

Same applies, passed his optimum 

[ChrisPY]

4 minutes ago, Toussaint said:

Same applies, passed his optimum 

It doesn’t. It’s essentially looking for maximum value for the outlay. 
If we’re spending millions on a youngster, we want maximum in the sell on.

If we’re signing older players on a free, the value will be that experience and knowledge that can be passed onto the younger players in the group.

[Chez]

1 hour ago, Toussaint said:

I’d have thought he was the exact opposite of money-ball player, he’s 30 therefore probably his last elite gig. Sillysue, BallsofKetchup, Alcarez and Charles are better examples i would suggest. 

isn't Moneyball all about spotting value (perhaps characteristics that can work well in your team structure/style) that others don't, rather than just buying cheap, selling expensive?

[Chez]

20 hours ago, Saint NL said:

Broja showing why we shouldn't be looking to bring him back

I thought he look sharp, held the ball up well, kept possession and brought others into play. He had absolutely no service at all (which ringed a bell) because Albania were pretty poor.  Not sure what you were expecting to see him do. Dribble past 8 payers and hit in into top bins?

I think the injury he had was nasty, but it doesn't seem to have effected his pace. Still looks a talent to me. If we sign a better striker than him I'll be happy. Though Scamacca looked OK too. West Ham should have given him far more opportunities IMO.

Edited June 16 by Chez

[Saint NL]

4 minutes ago, Chez said:

thought he look sharp, held the ball up well, kept possession and brought others into play. He had absolutely no service at all (which ringed a bell) because Albania were pretty poor.  Not sure what you were expecting to see him do.

He looked uninterested, unfit and sulky. His mouth moved more than his legs 😂

[Midfield_General]

22 minutes ago, Chez said:

isn't Moneyball all about spotting value (perhaps characteristics that can work well in your team structure/style) that others don't, rather than just buying cheap, selling expensive?

Yes, it is. 

[Chez]

29 minutes ago, Saint NL said:

He looked uninterested, unfit and sulky. His mouth moved more than his legs 😂

Excellent, we have been in desperate need of a body language expert on this forum to help us understand the inner thoughts of players and staff. 

[LuckyNumber7]

44 minutes ago, Saint NL said:

He looked uninterested, unfit and sulky. His mouth moved more than his legs 😂

You watched a different game to me. I thought he did alright considering the complete lack of service.

[Toussaint]

21 minutes ago, Chez said:

isn't Moneyball all about spotting value (perhaps characteristics that can work well in your team structure/style) that others don't, rather than just buying cheap, selling expensive?

You’re probably right, but my association is with Saints doing the second bit. 

[Chez]

47 minutes ago, LuckyNumber7 said:

You watched a different game to me. I thought he did alright considering the complete lack of service.

ah, but you didn't watch the game through the eyes of a body language expert.  I mean it was perhaps the biggest game of his career to date, but unless you know what you are looking for, you'd wouldn't have seen that he was `totally disinterested'. 

[david in sweden]

6 hours ago, gio1saints said:

Know it is an overused term but he sounds like a classic moneyball player. I hope he has  got some fire in his belly still ! 

Im sure SR data analytics had him down early days as a possible - but ONLY if on a free  and low wages - because his age would normally otherwise preclude him ( and the likes of AL & RF ). 

Expect more of this kind of signing. 

 

Referring to that "overused term " .   YES  ...they are in it for the money.   Many  players have no other profession or education beyond senior school. 

Many of us were fortunate enough to have " lifetimes career " to survive on, but it's not the same for athletes in any sport. 

The lifespan of a pro. footballer is often limited and sometimes even shorter if the next injury is a career-threatening one....and then.... it's finished. 

In this case  when his time is over,  he'll be ....an unemployed Swedish-Iranian former footballer without prospects.   I hope for his sake he has saved a bit. 

[gio1saints]

45 minutes ago, david in sweden said:

 

Referring to that "overused term " .   YES  ...they are in it for the money.   Many  players have no other profession or education beyond senior school. 

Many of us were fortunate enough to have " lifetimes career " to survive on, but it's not the same for athletes in any sport. 

The lifespan of a pro. footballer is often limited and sometimes even shorter if the next injury is a career-threatening one....and then.... it's finished. 

In this case  when his time is over,  he'll be ....an unemployed Swedish-Iranian former footballer without prospects.   I hope for his sake he has saved a bit. 

You do know what moneyball means? It does not mean the player is chasing money. It refers to a book about uncovering value added players who are currently undervalued by the market. 

[lambtiss]

3 hours ago, East Kent Saint said:

Will tippy tappy football be the end of exciting games as we knew them ?

 

No

[Farmer Saint]

5 hours ago, hypochondriac said:

Not many (any?) get 60 million for one player sale in the championship... 

This isn't an opinion btw.

[le_tiss]

asked about Ghoddes on another Footie Forum

 

2 answers from Brentford fans

Quote

I fucking love Saman. He was very much a utility player for us; I think he might've played every outfield position when the injury crisis really bit over the winter.

An utterly thankless task but he never grumbled, just got on with it with a smile on his face. By all accounts he was a great presence in the dressing room and a thoroughly lovely guy off the pitch.

I would've liked to see him get another year with us. Don't expect goals like that very often, he only scores worldies against Burnley, for some reason. But he's a good signing, especially on a free.

Quote

Yep agree with this. Would say he best role would be as a midfielder as he can pick up a creative pass or two but in a PL squad he would have limited opportunities I suspect.

Has a great attitude and you will get an influx of Iranian fans.

 

[DT]

6 minutes ago, le_tiss said:

asked about Ghoddes on another Footie Forum

 

2 answers from Brentford fans

 

He sounds like a very shrewd 'experience' signing, but hope it's bolstered by Downes and maybe even JWP.

[Patches O Houlihan]

16 hours ago, david in sweden said:

 

Referring to that "overused term " .   YES  ...they are in it for the money.   Many  players have no other profession or education beyond senior school. 

Many of us were fortunate enough to have " lifetimes career " to survive on, but it's not the same for athletes in any sport. 

The lifespan of a pro. footballer is often limited and sometimes even shorter if the next injury is a career-threatening one....and then.... it's finished. 

In this case  when his time is over,  he'll be ....an unemployed Swedish-Iranian former footballer without prospects.   I hope for his sake he has saved a bit. 

How Brentford's Moneyball Approach Works

[Charlie Wayman]

21 hours ago, Farmer Saint said:

 It it's not politics, it's rules. 

Are you MLG? Your cover blown? If not, one is enough!

Rules are for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men. - 

[Badger]

On 16/06/2024 at 11:25, Paulwantsapint81 said:

Could Ghoddos become the new Paul Telfer, uninspiring signing who becomes a vital cog in the machine?

Reminds me of ‘ bin men, and violinists ‘ etc 

[FarehamSaintJames]

Ghoddos sounds like a good signing on the face of it, but only if that is as well as getting Downes.

JWP isn’t coming back. 😂

The CB position is an interesting one again; linked with Woods of Swansea again.

[Dusic]

Wood is a known quantity as far as RM is concerned, and we could probably get him for less than we offered last season.

He has played with THB for England and would likely be content with being mostly a squad player.

THB clearly going to be a starter and I think Bednarek has shown at times he can be good at PL level too. With ABK future to be determined too.

Would then allow greater spend where it is most needed, GK, LB and attacking areas.

[miserableoldgit]

47 minutes ago, Badger said:

Reminds me of ‘ bin men, and violinists ‘ etc 

I think that Lawrie famously said that any good team was made up of Roadsweepers and Violinists.....

[Holmes_and_Watson]

49 minutes ago, Badger said:

Reminds me of ‘ bin men, and violinists ‘ etc 

I'd not be giving SR any left field ideas, they could take literally. 🙂

[SuperSAINT]

28 minutes ago, Dusic said:

Wood is a known quantity as far as RM is concerned, and we could probably get him for less than we offered last season.

He has played with THB for England and would likely be content with being mostly a squad player.

THB clearly going to be a starter and I think Bednarek has shown at times he can be good at PL level too. With ABK future to be determined too.

Would then allow greater spend where it is most needed, GK, LB and attacking areas.

**Defensive midfield klaxon**

[Badger]

1 hour ago, miserableoldgit said:

I think that Lawrie famously said that any good team was made up of Roadsweepers and Violinists.....

Yes, think you might be right. 

I'll give myself 200 lines* tonight to remember it correctly in future.

 

*note for younger generation - nothing to do with snorting substances.

[gio1saints]

1 hour ago, Dusic said:

Wood is a known quantity as far as RM is concerned, and we could probably get him for less than we offered last season.

He has played with THB for England and would likely be content with being mostly a squad player.

THB clearly going to be a starter and I think Bednarek has shown at times he can be good at PL level too. With ABK future to be determined too.

Would then allow greater spend where it is most needed, GK, LB and attacking areas.

I’d like to think that if we play with 3 CB’s they will be THB, Jan (for his experience ) plus one new high quality younger CB that we develop ( along with THB of course). 

Wether that is BK or Wood or some other CB I don’t mind.
 

Much as I admire his known qualities my default is NOT for it to be Jack plus THB and Jan. That would not be good enough imo for the EPL. A new great expectations CB would do us the world of good especially if they can be brought along within our current set up. Nathan Wood May fit that bill as does Bella-k. 
Jack would be my back up CB for suspensions, substitutions, injuries and cup matches. 
 

Edited June 17 by gio1saints

[Jeremy Corbyn]

34 minutes ago, gio1saints said:

I’d like to think that if we play with 3 CB’s they will be THB, Jan (for his experience ) plus one new high quality younger CB that we develop ( along with THB of course). 

Wether that is BK or Wood or some other CB I don’t mind.
 

Much as I admire his known qualities my default is NOT for it to be Jack plus THB and Jan. That would not be good enough imo for the EPL. A new great expectations CB would do us the world of good especially if they can be brought along within our current set up. Nathan Wood May fit that bill as does Bella-k. 
Jack would be my back up CB for suspensions, substitutions, injuries and cup matches. 
 

We should do what we can to convince ABK to have another go - him and THB would be a superb pair (on paper) - keep KWP and we're 3/5s of the way to an excellent defence.

[John B]

On 16/06/2024 at 10:55, VectisSaint said:

Wasn't so long ago that we had 3 Champions League winners in the first team squad (Romeu, Bertrand and Hojbjerg I think), none of them had actually played a major part in the Final but they all had winners medals)

How things change we used have a team with English internationals now Crystal Palace have a few

[Turkish]

On 16/06/2024 at 10:55, VectisSaint said:

Wasn't so long ago that we had 3 Champions League winners in the first team squad (Romeu, Bertrand and Hojbjerg I think), none of them had actually played a major part in the Final but they all had winners medals)

Bertrand did. He started for Chelsea when they beat Bayern Munich in 2012. Played most of the game got subbed off towards the end of normal time. Romeu was an unused sub that day. Hojberg never won the champions league though.

[DT]

3 hours ago, FarehamSaintJames said:

Ghoddos sounds like a good signing on the face of it, but only if that is as well as getting Downes.

JWP isn’t coming back. 😂

The CB position is an interesting one again; linked with Woods of Swansea again.

File that under 'JWP isn't leaving' from last year. Such authority.