The Winter Transfer Thread (And Summer Free Transfers)

[Kenny]

We need someone to take Doherty's place, not as cover.

Long term yes, but I would be happy with cover to get us from Feb - May. We can worry about replacing him in June

 

[The Bear]

We badly need cover. We all saw the effects of playing every game without a break on Saturday.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Where though?

Goalkeeper - no
Centre backs - no
Fullbacks - one for Doherty
Centre mid - no
Wide forwards - no
Striker - no

 

[The Bear]

Sorry, I was on about Doc.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Ah - my apologies for the crossed wires then. I personally do not like the idea of buying "cover" per se, especially in our current financial situation. Buy an upgrade, and Doherty becomes the cover.

 

[pedro]

First time poster but over 30 years as a fan and long time season ticket holder.

I've read this thread with interest, in particular the views on what we do and don't need. I agree with everyone that another RWB is a must. I also think that having gotten ourselves into such an amazing position, it would be a big mistake not to buy or loan another striker of broadly similar style to Leo. Money isn't really any object and it would be crazy to run the risk of Leo getting injured on 1 Feb and us having to go the rest of the season with Rafa as the main striker. He will hopefully be a great talent, but on what I've seen he isn't ready to lead the line permanently yet. We've also tried the Costa-Jota-Cav front three and it doesn't seem to work.

Personally i would take Chris Martin, although i'd happily take someone better if Nuno knows them and thinks they will work in the system. When Derby were playing free flowing football under McClaren he performed a similar role to Leo, being the link man who enabled the wide forwards to break through the defence. He isn't young, and we won't make much, if any, profit when we sell him, but with no loan option after 1 Feb it is too big a risk to run without any senior back up to Leo. He is well down the Derby pecking order due to not suiting their style, but that should mean we could get him at a better price.

 

[Siggy]

I wonder if we will recall Iorfa back from Ipswich if we can't get anyone in and/or German Phil is pronounced dead by the medical team

I would be happy with that I still think Iorfa has a lot to offer, I also think he could potentially challenge Bennett eventually. Depends where his heads at.

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[Metal_Warrior]

Ah - my apologies for the crossed wires then. I personally do not like the idea of buying "cover" per se, especially in our current financial situation. Buy an upgrade, and Doherty becomes the cover.

Nailed it. We should improve the squad, not dilute it.

 

[MARKakaJIM]

I would be happy with that I still think Iorfa has a lot to offer, I also think he could potentially challenge Bennett eventually. Depends where his heads at.

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Nowhere near the ball usually.

Think Iorfa needs to be forgotten personally, he's little more than a less erratic Zubar, he's quick and he'll stand in sort of the right place but his defending isn't great and he doesn't really offer a great deal on the ball either, pretty much everything of use that he offers is down to his pace alone.

 

[Siggy]

Nowhere near the ball usually.

Think Iorfa needs to be forgotten personally, he's little more than a less erratic Zubar, he's quick and he'll stand in sort of the right place but his defending isn't great and he doesn't really offer a great deal on the ball either, pretty much everything of use that he offers is down to his pace alone.

If you look at the improvement of Doc I just wonder what Nuno and his team of magicians could do with Iorfa. At the start of this season I would have much rather shipped out Doc in favour of keeping Iorfa but things have changed.

He certainly isn't the finished article that's for sure and I'm still not sure if he is better suited to CB (despite some very questionable performances in that position)

In a 3 it could work well and at RWB he has the engine to get up and down, his passing would have to improve but he's still a young lad let's not forget that.

We need cover either way and would much rather have Iorfa at RWB than Bennett.

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[MARKakaJIM]

If you look at the improvement of Doc I just wonder what Nuno and his team of magicians could do with Iorfa. At the start of this season I would have much rather shipped out Doc in favour of keeping Iorfa but things have changed.

He certainly isn't the finished article that's for sure and I'm still not sure if he is better suited to CB (despite some very questionable performances in that position)

In a 3 it could work well and at RWB he has the engine to get up and down, his passing would have to improve but he's still a young lad let's not forget that.

We need cover either way and would much rather have Iorfa at RWB than Bennett.

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It doesn't matter how good a coach is, he can only get from a player what they're capable of, he can't magically get blood from a stone as it were.

Doherty, for all his faults, has always at least looked capable with the ball at his feet, his problems seemed more to be with attitude/laziness which appear to have been rectified this year, though he still can't defend despite all the work from those magicians, he now just plays a role where he doesn't have to do so much of that stuff where he's shown up.

My biggest gripe with Iorfa defensively is how he defends, or doesn't, the back post. That problem is only going to be emphasised rather than hidden if you move him inside, opponents would have a field day throwing stuff towards in the box and watching his half arsed attempts to shield the ball out of play whilst a forward just steams onto the loose ball and scores. His defensive strength was people running at him one on one, because he's so quick and surprisingly nimble for someone so gangly it's incredibly difficult to beat him that way, it's not really a situation that develops so often in this system though where the shape of the team defends more as a block and less individual battles such as those tend to occur.

If he's at RWB then going forward would have people begging for the return of Doherty, as much as everyone lambasts his delivery it's an area where Iorfa isn't going to offer any improvement, that kid can't cross for shit. Having the engine to get up and down it's the bare basics of that position, Dave Edwards could do that and I'm sure no-one would be excited for his return, having the ability to do something positive with the ball when you've got into a good position is what makes those runs worthwhile and Iorfa rarely makes that contribution.

 

[Tony Towner]

Iorfa can't cross a ball, therefore he can't play the RWB role. If he has a future at this club it's as the right of the back 3.

 

[Trips]

First time poster but over 30 years as a fan and long time season ticket holder.

I've read this thread with interest, in particular the views on what we do and don't need. I agree with everyone that another RWB is a must. I also think that having gotten ourselves into such an amazing position, it would be a big mistake not to buy or loan another striker of broadly similar style to Leo. Money isn't really any object and it would be crazy to run the risk of Leo getting injured on 1 Feb and us having to go the rest of the season with Rafa as the main striker. He will hopefully be a great talent, but on what I've seen he isn't ready to lead the line permanently yet. We've also tried the Costa-Jota-Cav front three and it doesn't seem to work.

Personally i would take Chris Martin, although i'd happily take someone better if Nuno knows them and thinks they will work in the system. When Derby were playing free flowing football under McClaren he performed a similar role to Leo, being the link man who enabled the wide forwards to break through the defence. He isn't young, and we won't make much, if any, profit when we sell him, but with no loan option after 1 Feb it is too big a risk to run without any senior back up to Leo. He is well down the Derby pecking order due to not suiting their style, but that should mean we could get him at a better price.

Firstly welcome!

The issue (if that's the right word) we have is that anybody we bring in needs to be on a permanent deal as we are at out loan limit. If we can get Boly, Jota or Bonatini signed up then great that fills a space, but there doesn't seem to be any news on any of those happening. So then we are looking to permanent signings. Obviously at RWB we can upgrade on Doc pretty easily at this level I'd imagine, but for a striker we to upgrade on a player who already does a great job in that role so more than likely looking higher than Chris Martin for example. Signing someone better than Leo will prove tough which is why it may not happen, and no point signing someone worse as what do we do with them in the summer?

 

[Trips]

Iorfa can't cross a ball, therefore he can't play the RWB role. If he has a future at this club it's as the right of the back 3.

Doherty can't cross a ball

 

[MARKakaJIM]

Doherty can't cross a ball

And everyone slates him for it, so why are they in favour of replacing him with someone who isn't going to offer any improvement?

 

[Trips]

And everyone slates him for it, so why are they in favour of replacing him with someone who isn't going to offer any improvement?

Don't know. Iorfa isn't the solution to the RWB problem for me

 

[Kenny]

And everyone slates him for it, so why are they in favour of replacing him with someone who isn't going to offer any improvement?

Replacing or just option to cover if we can't get anyone else in?

I know if Doc was injured I would prefer Iorfa there rather than Bennett or....well that is it unless they feel they can make Graham into an option to cover the position, Obviously would prefer us to go out and sign an improvement now but I don't think we will do that until the summer.

 

[Norman Deeley]

I am slightly baffled as to why everyone says "Iorfa can't do it" when he has never had the chance to be coached by Nuno and his team. Given the stunning improvement in Coady and Doherty, then who knows what Nuno and Co could make of Iorfa. If we don't sign someone then it is Iorfa, JG or German Phil: that's two shipped out and one who may never play for us. Iorfa's my choice from that lot

 

[Boozad]

To be fair the only real improevement in Doherty is his attitude and workrate. His game hasn’t changed, his position has. It could work for Iorfa.

 

[MARKakaJIM]

I am slightly baffled as to why everyone says "Iorfa can't do it" when he has never had the chance to be coached by Nuno and his team. Given the stunning improvement in Coady and Doherty, then who knows what Nuno and Co could make of Iorfa. If we don't sign someone then it is Iorfa, JG or German Phil: that's two shipped out and one who may never play for us. Iorfa's my choice from that lot

I don't think the improvement in Doherty and Coady is quite what is often made out, I think what Nuno has done more so than anything else is identify what the players are actually most capable of and played them in positions that highlight their strengths whilst providing cover for their weaknesses.

Doherty has always been capable with the ball, never been able to defend, both still true now but he plays a position that shifts the balance of his workload more in favour of those traits than when he was at fullback, the only aspects he seems to have truly improved on have been his fitness and attitude rather than any football specific skills. I think similar is true of Coady, he always had the raking long passes in his locker but his touch wasn't great and he was a bit of an immobile lump in the middle of the park so he rarely got chance to display that range of passing, now he's playing a lot deeper he's got more time and space to do that, though obviously he's had to get to grips with the tactical/positional aspects of moving deeper but he'd have had similar adaptation to make even if still playing central midfield such is the difference between the system now and what had gone before.

I just don't see what great abilities Iorfa has to be displayed, he doesn't defend particularly well nor does he use the ball particularly well, positionally he's pretty steady so he wouldn't be all at sea there but generally he's just a very average footballer who happens to be tall and quick, his physical ability far outshines his footballing ability.