January 26 transfer rumours

Now I'm doing my annual deep dive into the careers of the other Germans we signed:

Joel Grodowskli. Signed for 350k from Munster to Arminia Bielefeld in the B1 league last season. Played 18. Scored 8. 2 assists.
Lukas Raeder. Goalkeeper. Retired at the age of 30 in 2024.
Rouven Sattelmier. Goalkeeper. Pllayed 18 times for us. Left to join Darmstadt in 2018. Didn't play a game and retired at the end of the season aged 30.

Grodowski the pick of the bunch. I thought he looked decent, but had some weird back problem from what I can remember.

 

Fair point on Reading, I was going off what I’d previously read and heard rather than digging into the latest ownership details, so happy to hold my hands up on that!

That said, saying all the top L1 clubs turned down the gamble assumes they all had the same needs, timing, budgets and appetite for January risk.

Ward was never the point. He was an example of clubs being prepared to pay significant January fees to push on.

My point is simply that promotion sides usually show ambition when they’re well placed. Rupp has said the funds are there and I’d like to see that reflected in our approach, whoever the player happens to be.

 

Squad as stands

GK - Walker, Hilton
RWB - Neufville, Ashby
RCB - Baldwin, Pennington
CB - Wright
LCB - Tilt, Kelly
LWB - Touray, Wright

CM - Power, Metcalfe, Leigh, White
RAM - Sarcevic, Lapslie
LAM - Pointon, Sibley

ST - Humphrys, Swan, Kavannagh

Ins - Sibley, White, Ashby
Outs - Pattison, Cook, Haliday, Richards, Mcyntire, Byrne

we look light all over the park. Not enough options available to change to a plan B if things aren't going our way. Considering Lapslie is probably on his way out, a solid 10 is needed, a striker which goes without saying, a CB and ideally someone with a bit of pace that can stretch teams on the wing

I don't see us making that many signings this late into the window tbh. We've well and truly ballsed it up

 

Let go 100%

 

Yet we were told Rupp is fully comited so with extra income from the above mentioned areas £500,000 to buy potential should not be beyond our means, when I say potencial thats all Ward is at the moment but Alexander was prepared to take that risk and back his judgment of a player. As with everything time will tell, but if we are going to strengthen our attacking options for a recognised striker well be looking at that type of fee I would think.

 

Last time we paid a substantial fee for anyone was Shay McCartan in 2017 for a mighty £230k
And Jake reeves in same year for £170k

Our financial restrictions are there to see from that point as all free, loans from that point

Being on the reach of championship but still no real investment just shows the owners intention
We all know this and isn’t a secret he’s keeping

Unless an extraordinary last day surprise I doubt the trend of city’s transfers won’t change

 

European legend!

 

At some stage the £300k+ fees of the world are going to have to become a normal scenario for us. Look at Bolton and Lincoln earlier this window, both bought potential in guys from LOI, the Lincoln lad was 500k (euros) for a wing back, and he doesn't to have look to have made his debut yet. Bolton paid a "substantial six figure fee" for a 21 year old CB, another who hasn't made a squad yet. Teams looking for potential at this level rarely get it on the cheap anymore.

Feels like we have that "little club that could" kind of energy around us in the market to me. If we spent £500k on a wing back, we'd be expecting him in the side and delivering from the off. Reading brought in an experienced defender on loan to play their LCB role last week, it seems like they've spent £500k on Ward for him to be the understudy for 6 months, play the odd game and then that role is his gig from next season.

 

Deals done - Manchester United set to announce double transfer

 

I do fully understand alll of the above
Just can not remember us actually picking up any of these players other than Josh Cullen coming back on loan, it all feels like short term planning and most of the loans don’t reach the required standard in my opinion
For every good, there are at least 3 poor

 

Wow 9 years
About the length of Rupps involvement

 

Stockport have signed the St mirren striker Sidibe

 

He was at St Johnstone

 

That's part of football especially in the lower leagues with young loans, if they do well they will quickly go up the levels but it means you get a player that is above your level for a short period. When you bring in young loans there's always a risk that they don't perform how you would hope but that happens at every club. Whilst the player might not be part of the long term establishing the club as a good place for loan players to develop is a long term plan and these loan players can help us with moving up like even if they are only at the club for 4 or 5 months like Khela and Adaramola last season

 

Scottish football
I knew it was one of the Saints

 

It would just be nice to actually sign one of these lads permanently or even better develop our own
1 every 10 years is a joke Mcburnie who we never really saw to Bobby is really poor

 

If you are referring to Wheatley, he isnt going to league 2

 

We need players in now not in the summer when the chance has passed us by ................honestly if nobody else come in to help us then sadly Rupp has done it again

 

Something definitely smells off so far with this window, but we've just got to trust the guys who've got us to where we are now know what they are doing.

All starts with a big win tonight!