January 2021 Transfer Window

I'm glad. His record has a bit of "Tom Pope" about it at the moment with one decent season in 7 or so. In fact, this is the first season he's ever managed more than 10 goals according to soccerbase.

I'm not saying he's a bad player but he's going to want top money and a decent contract to match his form at the moment and I'm doubtful whether that form is sustainable.

 

There is a championship club - soon to be in L1 - who have already inquired about him. So he will get a decent offer there you’d think, even if Cambs don’t go up.

I think Cambridge go up though and he’ll stay there anyway.

His market value is several hundred grand and whoever signs him in summer is saving on that and will prob be able to dangle a three year deal instead which could be a clincher.

 

Once a player gets on the goal trail, even if it is a one season wonder, then the bids will come from higher up.Its the nature of the beast, goals are the hardest thing to come by and anyone who gets them will attract attention. Many a club have bought and then ended up with that one season wonder but thats the risk you take. The salary cap will determine what you realistically can bring in and you'll find most back up strikers in league 2 will be either young youth or loan products or an average journeyman, theres just no wiggle room in the cap for very strong squads.

 

Very true, clubs are so short sighted they only see the last season.

 

If we bring in McAleny then I'm starting to think theres been some sort of tactic in play financially and in terms of recruitment.

It feels like Rhodes has steadied the ship again financially. We recruited extremely conservatively in the summer, hoping we'd have enough to stay mid table or thereabouts, not knowing 100% what was going to happen with covid.

Okay, so we struggled perhaps more than we should but now we are in a situation where apparently 2 thirds of clubs in the league don't know how they are going to pay next month's wages, players out of contract at the end of the season and we have money to spend to tempt them. It's a risk, but if we get McAleny in I reckon its starting to pay off and we build well ahead of next season.

 

Think even Nahki has struggled to get 25+ since leaving us.

 

I think unlike other chairmen, Rupp is seriously backing the club with money for transfer fees. Added to the the conservative approach earlier in the season has left us with a good chunk of wage budget left, as well as releasing a number of players.

 

The more we do in this window the less we will have to do in the summer and the more prepared we will be

 

Very true. I suspect summer will be just a case of tying up loose ends, renewing contracts where required and replacing only those that leave.

 

One thing not to lose sight of is i believe the salary cap is at club level not individual.
So every player on £800pw there’s an extra £400 to go to another player.
That does mean if there’s some real quality targets we could still push the boat about a bit.

 

A lot will of course depend on where we finish this season.

 

Rhodes's approach left us second from bottom, the reason we've gone for it in January is because the club had left itself no choice. Had Rhodes's approach been right we'd had done very little if any transfer activity in this window.

 

Are we to take it from this we made a six-figure bid for Mullin earlier in the window but were knocked back??

 

McAleny hasn’t played a lot of career games for someone who is 28. 173 games since 2011.
Since leaving Everton the most games he’s played in one season is 29 for Fleetwood in 2017/18.

His scoring record seems to be good though - a 1 in 4 striker.

He’ll be a good signing, but perhaps not a “coup”.

 

The salary cap applies to all clubs, so Novak has a choice, he’s probably not going to league one so accept/negotiate any offer City put to him, do the same at another league two club who have the same salary cap as City or drop in to the conference where there is no cap.
Wood might get a league one deal but I don’t understand this X won’t stay because he’ll have to take a pay cut because of the salary cap nonsense. Unless they drop a division, go up a division or move to another country, all the other clubs are in the same boat.

 

https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/19036847.amp/

 

Reading between the lines, some possible question marks regarding his character?

 

I can't quite gather whether or not we're playing mind games with Oldham to try and get a good price.

 

Or injury prone, we can't afford another Zeli Ismail.

 

You say you don’t understand the argument then in your last line you’ve given the exact reasons why players may get better offers elsewhere than they may do here!