The January 2025 Transfer Thread

[Tony Towner]

6ft 2in defensive midfielder. 19 apps with 4 goals and 2 assists. Can play as a CM as well as a DM by the looks of it.

Clearly getting him in so we can get rid of Lemina. I'm assuming that the Ukrainian DM has fallen through then if we're making this signing.

I don't think it'll happen, but the manager said he wanted 2 if Lemina went. Although that was before Bellegarde was 'like a new signing'

 

[The Bear]

Passing a bit of a weakness but those comparison stats are decent enough given that it's the Big 5 Leagues rather than the Other 12.

 

[Alan]

Beat me to the fbref snip.

Bizarre profile of midfielder. Not necessarily in a bad way.

 

[The Bear]

Sounds like he likes to get forward with timed runs into the box, and has often played as a #10 too.

Marshall Munetsi Scout Report​

Marshall Munetsi, a 27-year-old central midfielder for Reims demonstrates both compelling strengths and noteworthy areas for development in the Ligue 1 season of 2023-2024. Munetsi's scout report clearly identifies his tenacious quality in ball recovery, ranking him in the top ten percent amongst his peers, making him a formidable presence on the pitch. This is counterbalanced by his remarkable goal threat, placing him in the top three percent. It's unusual to find such ruthless efficiency in front of goal and a tireless work rate in midfield combined in one player but Munetsi seems to offer this unique blend. However, this Zimbabwean talent needs to be used strategically given his surprisingly low ball retention and progressive carrying percentile, both are in the bottom two percent. His influence on the game may be limited by the few opportunities he gets to touch the ball, indicated by his almost negligible one percent percentile in touch frequency. Here lies an interesting dichotomy - Munetsi may not be the most efficient passer or a player who frequently possesses the ball, but give him a sight on goal and his performance spikes considerably. His skillset suggests he thrives in being direct in attack. Despite this, Munetsi's style of play showcases unmistakable strengths in attack and defending, but dips significantly when in possession and distributing the ball. More specifically, his substandard progressive passing and interception leads to overall room for improvement. His high foul committed rate flags a cause for concern, highlighting potential disciplinary issues. Overall, Munetsi performs at his best when in combative situations and showing goal prowess, but to evolve his game, developing possession-based skills should be a priority. This would elevate his performances and enhance his contribution to Reims in the coming seasons.

 

[MARKakaJIM]

Bottom percentile for passes attempted?! Considering he doesn't seem to do much better in terms of carries or take ons then can only assume he does pretty much fuck all in terms of build up play. Those stats make it look like a last ditch defender who some how bombs forward and plays up top at the same time.

 

[PuntsWolf]

Is this a Soucek MKII?

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Sounds like he's been put in a time machine and arrived from 1983.

 

[Tredman]

Finally a Geoff Thomas replacement

 

[Lycan]

Ah good, full on panic signing mode then. Excellent.

 

[AndyWolves]

Eminem

 

[Templeton Peck]

Scores goals and stops them. It's the Donck.

 

[Jinky]

Sorry to say this but Marshall looks some way below the quality required. Appreciate I might be missing something, but he’s the kind of player that literally just sits and gets a toe in/breaks up play. Wouldn’t bother the starting 11 but may be useful to throw on when our backs are against the wall to win a few headers and to break up play. Way, way below the required level with the ball at his feet.

It appears we may have reached the bottom few names on our list.

 

[Tony Towner]

You can put up fancy graphs and make sweeping statements, but the bottom line is until 10pm last night nobody on here had either heard of him or knowingly seen him play, so you just don't know.

 

[Wilf Wolf]

You can put up fancy graphs and make sweeping statements, but the bottom line is until 10pm last night nobody on here and either heard of him or knowingly seen him play, so you just don't know.

You don’t know but I’m inclined to agree with Jinky’s view on him. Not much point in winning the ball if you give it away immediately after. I’d add that if he makes a lot of fouls in the French league he’ll be a card magnet over here as the pace of the game is much faster.

 

[prawnking]

until 10pm last night nobody on here had either heard of him or knowingly seen him play

Same goes for Hobbs probably!

 

[thisisgil]

James Ward Prowse has gone back to West Ham. If he's only played for one team, he'd be a useful emergency signing.

 

[Tony Towner]

Tommy Doyle with a free kick and he's played for West Ham and Forest this season

 

[Jinky]

You can put up fancy graphs and make sweeping statements, but the bottom line is until 10pm last night nobody on here had either heard of him or knowingly seen him play, so you just don't know.

Oh absolutely. I should have included a disclaimer that I’ve formed an opinion from 30 minutes extensive research while necking a coffee this morning. I did have a laugh at his YouTube highlights though. About 20 clips in a row of people passing the ball in to him.

We might have found an absolute gem & he may be unbelievable, but a relatively unknown 28 year old with a few caps for Zimbabwe, you’ll have to forgive my cynicism.

My personal opinion is we’ve missed out on all our key targets (surprise surprise) and are now getting a few bodies in through the door to appease Vitor & the fans.

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

You can put up fancy graphs and make sweeping statements, but the bottom line is until 10pm last night nobody on here had either heard of him or knowingly seen him play, so you just don't know.

That works both ways.

 

[Jinky]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1886200422374813972

Well he seems like a decent human, if this is true - so there’s that.