Summer 2023 Transfer Rumours

Where was Bobby operating Saturday??? Appreciate different types of players but only so many places on the bench as well.

I dont see East getting a squad place when everyone fit. Ala McDonald and Chapman. And if Wright or Banks return thats another place in the 18 gone.

Like you say he is probably 6th choice at CM.
He is 25. He needs football and I dont see him getting it. He is tidy but he is the odd man out.

 

Add to that 1 year left on his contract, if he doesn't get game time, or break through, I'd be looking to cash in before he goes for free, especially at 25 years old. I wouldn't leave it until the end of the season and him leave on a free.

 

Odd one with East. With McDonalds injury and general fitness record even before his illness, there will be a need for another starting CM. I also think one of the problems with Smallwood was that he rarely sat out a game last season. There was a run up to around Nov/Dec time when he was just noticeably sloppy, slower and looked more irritable on the field. We had that weather break around the world cup and he came back and played much better throughout the second half of the season. Can easily see a world where we've frequently used a combo of 4 CMs by the Jan window through rotation.

Hughes seemed to not want to alter the midfield until Clayton came in. Don't know if he didn't trust East or not, but this year I think rotating a few of the older legs the odd game or two in 8 or 9 might work wonders rather than just sticking the same spine of the side out there if fit. Probably one of those when January roles around and he might well ask for a move for minutes if things don't change, can see Osadebe in that boat too.

 

Hughes ain't bringing MacDonald in to sit on the bench. Neither will he 'rest' his skipper and he favours using Gilliead. With Pattison also coming in with a good reputation East looks like the forgotten man. He might look like a kid but he's starting to tick the seasons off with little game time being played.

 

Agree , that’s his problem….. I like him too. I wonder, as he was given a start on Saturday, if he was deliberately put in the “shop window”. It did cross my mind, in all honesty.

 

We probably need East as cover, Its a long season and some of our midfield are injury prone so although limited game time it would make sense to keep him

 

Pretty quiet weekend on the transfers front across the division. I remember Parkinson said that there's always a spot in the window where everyone slows down to asses what they've brought in combined with what was left over and see if there are any more spots, which then ramps up around the first week of the season. Looks like we are in the middle of that.

Accrington added two teenage defenders on loan, one from Norwich the other from Birmingham. Jason Demetriou has left Newport after 300 appearances for the club to sign for Crewe. Newport have then brought in central defender Ryan Delaney who was released by Morecambe at the end of last season. Also Walsall have signed a young defender from non-league, so nothing too glamourous.

Jesse Debrah is turning into a fairly interesting story. Last week the former Halifax defender had his medical at Barnsley after watching their first few pre season games and spending time around the club. It was looking to be a done deal but Debrah hasn't signed his deal, after receiving late interest from Northampton and Notts County. It's thought that he has turned down Barnsley in favour of one of the two offers, both believed to have been a similar money offer from Barnsley.

Finally, it looks like Wrexham may well be bringing in their first American to the squad. They are on a pre-season tour at the moment and Parkinson has confirmed the club are in talks with an American based player. This has only been made possible by a very recent change introduced by the FA. The Football Association confirmed just last month that it had come up with a new “football solution” to come into effect this transfer window and combat new work permit regulations since the United Kingdom left the European Union. The regulations in place since the UK left the EU has meant that fewer foreign players can obtain work permits for clubs lower down the English pyramid.

As a result, clubs in League Two such as Wrexham are able to sign up to two overseas players per season who do not meet the regular Governing Body Endorsement (GBE) criteria approved by the Home Office.

 

Funny how they have “ modified” the rules, let’s be honest here, to suit who? Hang on the Government immigration criteria can’t be overruled at a whim by the EFL surely? Sovrrrrrrrinty rules…lol!

 

Walker another to consider for a possible AM/CM role....

 

Smallwood, McDonald, Pattison, Gilliead, Osadebe are surely enough - I can possibly see Walker dropping back into a CM role with a 3-5-2...........we have just given a highly rated youngster Freddy Jeffreys a new contract. He could be our cover and 6th man.

And again, where does Pointon fit into a 3-5-2???? Nothing against East but he is way down the pecking order. If he makes the match day squad at Crawley I will be very very surprised.

 

What the Government immigration plan classes as OK and what the FA classes as a qualified foreign player are probably worlds apart, to be fair.

The WP rules in place since Brexit aren't really a problem for PL clubs, it's in the champ when things get tricky, L1 its very tough, L2 its nearly impossible to sign a footballer from outside the UK. It all depends on the standard the player is coming from, as well as if they are an international and how many games in the last two years they have played for their country. Then they cross that against that players national teams ranking at Fifa. There's also their offered salary that plays a part in obtaining a WP too.

All criteria that goes against lower league clubs. I dont think it will make a great deal of difference, because the amount of foreign players willing to move to play 4th tier football is probably very small anyway, as well as there being more than enough British talent already in the market.

 

I'm starting to see Hughes' comments about using the youth in the same light as his "we will train and use different formations" line..... just appeasing words to get through the summer. My gut says Pointon, Youmbi, Rowe etc all end up in the NLN on loan at some stage in September. At least until Jan. Then in the Jan window if your Easts, Osadebes, Olivers of the squad leave, you can replace but also pad out the squad with youth who have been playing for 3 months.

Rather than have the kids stick around, getting the odd slot on the bench or playing a PJT game, which doesn't help many in the long run.

 

Just having a look at L2 transfer business - nobody really stands out in the wow factor.

Doncaster, Gillingham, Notts County, Salford, Stockport picked up a few decent players. Think all will be up there challenging.

Surprise package could be Wimbledon. They seem to have signed 1 or 2 who could make a difference but losing Chislett to Port Vale weakens them. Crawley look doomed.

 

Rowe and Youmbi yes. I see Pointon getting game time throughout August though. He may well not be up to it yet and then go out on loan but he is the one everyone is talking about this pre season and the fact he didnt play against BPA says to me he is firmly in Hughes plans for Crawley.

 

Hope you're right ....

 

He is 19 now with a pro deal. Not like he is a 'kid' - if ya good enough ya old enough and I see no reason why he shouldn't be in our match day 18.

 

Pointon may well be kept around as a spare attacker, looks like he wants that left forward slot given we don't use wingers anymore. Other than that I don't see where he comfortably operates in a 352, just based on what we've seen so far which is admittedly very little. I know we are after a loan attacker to cover whilst Oliver is out, I still think we will get one but if Pointon impresses there might not be much need? Especially if the loanee is just going to sit around behind Cook, Smith and Derbyshire, might as well use our own.

But then you've got a kid who might get a game a month on your books, could he be better served playing once or twice a week lower down? Tough one to call.

 

Pretty sure he can move to NL football at any point so if he isnt playing then may well do. We arent confined to the transfer window on that call.

How long is Oliver out for????

 

They said a few months. Probably late Sept/early Oct at a guess? But he had no pre-season, and didn't play the end of last season. Probably have a month in training, few behind closed doors games before he makes the team. Wouldn't expect to see him before November.

Then you have Smith and Cook as your main, a 37 year old Derbyshire backing up. Worth nothing Smith hasn't had a long run in a starting 11, ever really at EFL level with his best run being 4 starts in a row for Bristol Rovers in 2019, also had two runs of 4 starts at Swindon the year after. He's not had a run of playing games in mens football since he was in non-league with Barrow in 2018 as a teenager. At the minute, we are banking on him coming good but having not experienced frequent football at all as a pro, he may well need some time to rest up or sit the odd game. So we will need another option for me, if Pointon continues to look good I don't see why it shouldn't be him but my head says we do probably find one loanee.

 

100% agree. It would probably kill home grown talent overnight . My point is how can EFL overcome national immigration law.

Are we suggesting 2 Mongolian ( an example ) could be recruited to VP , given a five year contract on 600 a week , and live freely in the UK without incurring any immigration issues whatsoever ?
I know I’m being over simplistic, but the point still stands.