The January 2025 Transfer Thread

[sycophantia]

So why is he so currently fixated on a 2 man midfield?

He could have just as easily played 3-5-2 with a 3 man CM and Cunha/Larsen (disregarding latest injury) up front.

It seems all managers feel the need to decide on a system and play it regardless. It's madness, play a system that suits the players you have. If you can coach different systems, maybe top flight coaching isn't for you

 

[prawnking]

If he has a footballing philosophy he's hit upon over his career maybe he wants to try and see that through here, and not just jettison it so he can crowbar Tommy Doyle into the team.

The club should be backing him by getting him at least a couple of tools during this window to make a fair fist of how he wants to play football

 

[sycophantia]

If he has a footballing philosophy he's hit upon over his career maybe he wants to try and see that through here, and not just jettison it so he can crowbar Tommy Doyle into the team.

The club should be backing him by getting him at least a couple of tools during this window to make a fair fist of how he wants to play football

That's fair enough but he admits we don't currently have the players to play that way. Surely he can come up with a system that makes us better than we are now with the players available until such time he does have the right players?

 

[prawnking]

When is he gonna have those 'right players' if not this month? Fucking June?

Surely the club who employed him can come up with some more players that make us better than we are now.

There's your answer

 

[Stan Hullis]

Back the team or sell the club, as voiced by the south bank today.

 

[Kenny]

In good news....Doyle will be staying according to the man from the Sun and will be handy for the move to a 3 man midfield or something,, probably.

Wonder if Tommy D is up for another E&S interview...

 

[AndyWolves]

It's worrying that we've rejected at least one offer for cundle

 

[Kenny]

It's worrying that we've rejected at least one offer for cundle

Depends what the offer is i guess. If the offer was a bit like the Saudi one for Lemina then fair enough but if we are holding out for a ridiculous number above £1m then yeah, that's stupid.

 

[GLASGOWOLF]

No issue with the second part, not a lot else he can say. The first I do think we'll sign the CM and CH, I think they'll be Bellegarde levels of recruitment through panic as clearly who we may have wanted isn't coming

The signing we have already made, is far above Bellegarde standard.
Agbadoo looks a great signing, we can only hope that they have more like him lined up

 

[Wilf Wolf]

In good news....Doyle will be staying according to the man the Sun and will be handy for the move to a 3 man midfield or something,, probably.

Wonder if Tommy D is up for another E&S interview...

So who drops out for this 3 man midfield? 4 at the back or a Nuno 532 with just two forwards? I’m guessing the latter as VP seems wedded to three CHs. Shame we haven’t got Jota and Raul.

Depends what the offer is i guess. If the offer was a bit like the Saudi one for Lemina then fair enough but if we are holding out for a ridiculous number above £1m then yeah, that's stupid.

I read the “worrying” as meaning they might think they’ll keep him as an option to play. #likeanewsigning

 

[Kenny]

If Cundle was seen as an option he would have been involved by now. Especially as Vitor is not sold on his midfield options

 

[Tony Towner]

The signing we have already made, is far above Bellegarde standard.
Agbadoo looks a great signing, we can only hope that they have more like him lined up

He was scouted, wanted and signed at the start of the window. They were all got last minute, 2 forced on us by City. At the same time we were trying to sign Harrison Reed.

 

[Mel Evo]

If Cundle was seen as an option he would have been involved by now. Especially as Vitor is not sold on his midfield options

I’m reading ‘worrying’ in terms of planning for relegation. ‘Sobering’ might be a better word.

 

[Alan]

Now, y'all know me, Agbadou is the exact profile of player I tend to fall in love with, but let's not get over our skis after one good performance (in a losing effort, no less).

He looks to have some very strong strengths but equally some very concerning weaknesses.

 

[Wilf Wolf]

Now, y'all know me, Agbadou is the exact profile of player I tend to fall in love with, but let's not get over our skis after one good performance (in a losing effort, no less).

He looks to have some very strong strengths but equally some very concerning weaknesses.

The main weakness is his left foot is solely for standing on. Get him on the right and he’ll be fine.

 

[Mel Evo]

Now, y'all know me, Agbadou is the exact profile of player I tend to fall in love with, but let's not get over our skis after one good performance (in a losing effort, no less).

He looks to have some very strong strengths but equally some very concerning weaknesses.

Away with such reason! I’m all in. Yesterday he wiped someone out just by standing still and he’s exactly the kind of brick shthouse I’ve been hoping for. I need another alleged ball playing centre back like Bolivia need a navy.

 

[Alan]

The main weakness is his left foot is solely for standing on. Get him on the right and he’ll be fine.

Maybe, but equally being a good individual defender isn't enough, he also has to work well with the other defenders around him, and thus far he and Bueno look completely disjointed.

Disclaimer: I'm not nearly as low on Bueno as many here currently are.

 

[Wilf Wolf]

Maybe, but equally being a good individual defender isn't enough, he also has to work well with the other defenders around him, and thus far he and Bueno look completely disjointed.

Disclaimer: I'm not nearly as low on Bueno as many here currently are.

Agbadou has the necessary tools to be a good PL CH. Most importantly he’s big and strong and can jump, Bueno fails on all of these. His passing is clearly being impacted by playing on the left and being reluctant to use his left foot for more than very short passes. On the right his passing will improve, how much remains to be seen. Bueno is tall but weak and can’t jump - nothing is going to change that in the short term and anyone playing alongside him is going to have to do some heavy lifting. Hopefully Toti will be fit soon and allow Agbadou to move across and even more hopefully we’ll sign another CH so Bueno can be benched.

 

[Alan]

I'm not saying that Agbadou doesn't look better than Bueno, he does, so if it's Bueno who is dropped there can't be many complaints.

My point is more that Agbadou's introduction has made us worse defensively as a unit; that may be down to lining up next to Bueno specifically, but it may also indicate that Agbadou doesn't know how to play in a cohesive back line. Time will tell; obviously I want Agbadou to be a success, if for no other reason than that he gives Tall Elokobi.

 

[Wilf Wolf]

I'm not saying that Agbadou doesn't look better than Bueno, he does, so if it's Bueno who is dropped there can't be many complaints.

My point is more that Agbadou's introduction has made us worse defensively as a unit; that may be down to lining up next to Bueno specifically, but it may also indicate that Agbadou doesn't know how to play in a cohesive back line. Time will tell; obviously I want Agbadou to be a success, if for no other reason than that he gives Tall Elokobi.

Or it might be that we’ve been playing better teams?