[Albion] January Transfer Window

[Silverhatch]

I’d be surprised if anyone on here has watched Tzimas play 90 minutes of football.
Some seem to be jumping the gun already remember Ferguson was once valued at £100m by NSC’s transfer specialists.
A year later he’s weak lazy and crap

Surprised if ANY one has watched 90 minutes of ANY Brighton signing.

 

[The Wookiee]

Millwall now have four former Albion players on their books.

Connolly, Sturge, Baker-Boaitey and who is the other one ??

 

[Da Man Clay]

It’s pretty evident based on it that we’ve given up on this season. Don’t really have a problem with that as without extensive recruitment we really weren’t in with a shot for top 8. Ferguson and Encisco get regular football and hopefully come back next season with a bit more confidence and rhythm.

It does mean the summer transfer window is massive now as we have a number of deficiencies which need addressing immediately.

 

[ROSM]

It certainly feels like a change of strategy- which may mean writing off this season and maybe next too

We seem to have lost the path from youth team/dev squad to 1st team ( mcconville, baker-boatey, peupion). We've lost a couple of, lauded at the time as 'one for the future' signings (barco , moder) and loaned out 3 players who last year would have been thought unlikely (enciso, buononotte, ferguson). We also almost loaned out adingra (again would never have been thought of doing that after last season)

In coming we've bought a championship centre back and a striker we've loaned back

It does feel a bit like the team in so much as, I hope there is a strategy but it's just not visible to me.

 

[Silverhatch]

It certainly feels like a change of strategy- which may mean writing off this season and maybe next too

We seem to have lost the path from youth team/dev squad to 1st team ( mcconville, baker-boatey, peupion). We've lost a couple of, lauded at the time as 'one for the future' signings (barco , moder) and loaned out 3 players who last year would have been thought unlikely (enciso, buononotte, ferguson). We also almost loaned out adingra (again would never have been thought of doing that after last season)

In coming we've bought a championship centre back and a striker we've loaned back

It does feel a bit like the team in so much as, I hope there is a strategy but it's just not visible to me.

Development is the club’s strategy. Player trading is a necessity. Pathway for young players is a key strategy which includes loans to other Premier League clubs (however mad that is for anyone of Goldstone/Priestfield vintage). Nothing has changed.

 

[Hamilton]

It might not sit well with our fans, but to compete where we’re competing amoung the richest clubs in the world, things have to be done a bit differently.

We might not like that the focus isn’t the here and now, but perhaps that’s what financial sustainability looks like for this size of club in the PL.

We will be going into our 8th consecutive top flight season likely disappointed with a campaign largely fought in mid table.

Progress is never linear.

I kind of buy that Bold, but we are among the richest clubs in the world now. Okay, we’re not City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Bayern, Real etc, but we are in amongst the richest. But you’re right. It means we can’t just go an buy any player.

That said, I think we were all a tad more excited following the splash of cash in the summer and have been surprised to see some players let go. I knew little about Rutter, Minteh etc in the summer (other than one was Championship and the other couldn’t break into the Newcastle team.) Whether they will cut it at this level remains to be seen.

I think RDZ was right to say, “raise your expectations”. Stop thinking like “little old Brighton.” And Tony wants top 6. With that in mind, I just don’t get the recruitment strategy. It feels like a club that’s happy with mid-table (and hey, given history, mid-table in the top flight is amazing.)

You’re right though. I think the message is clear. We write off this year and go again next season. Right now we just need to get the winning mentality and confidence back into the team we have.

 

[dazzer6666]

It certainly feels like a change of strategy- which may mean writing off this season and maybe next too

We seem to have lost the path from youth team/dev squad to 1st team ( mcconville, baker-boatey, peupion). We've lost a couple of, lauded at the time as 'one for the future' signings (barco , moder) and loaned out 3 players who last year would have been thought unlikely (enciso, buononotte, ferguson). We also almost loaned out adingra (again would never have been thought of doing that after last season)

In coming we've bought a championship centre back and a striker we've loaned back

It does feel a bit like the team in so much as, I hope there is a strategy but it's just not visible to me.

The three you use to say we’ve ‘lost the pathway‘ never really looked like making the grade (certainly BBB and Peupion anyway, haven’t seen enough of McConville but he clearly wanted to move and his contract was coming up in the summer), ALL new signings are either lauded (or written off) immediately and several don’t make it - Barco never settled and Moder was very unlucky with his long term injury and the three we’ve loaned out are desperate for game time they’re not going to get here and have all gone to PL clubs. Two signings in January is at least about par for us and both make sense.

I don’t see any change in strategy at all

 

[Springal]

I kind of buy that Bold, but we are among the richest clubs in the world now. Okay, we’re not City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Bayern, Real etc, but we are in amongst the richest. But you’re right. It means we can’t just go an buy any player.

That said, I think we were all a tad more excited following the splash of cash in the summer and have been surprised to see some players let go. I knew little about Rutter, Minteh etc in the summer (other than one was Championship and the other couldn’t break into the Newcastle team.) Whether they will cut it at this level remains to be seen.

I think RDZ was right to say, “raise your expectations”. Stop thinking like “little old Brighton.” And Tony wants top 6. With that in mind, I just don’t get the recruitment strategy. It feels like a club that’s happy with mid-table (and hey, given history, mid-table in the top flight is amazing.)

You’re right though. I think the message is clear. We write off this year and go again next season. Right now we just need to get the winning mentality and confidence back into the team we have.

I think the problem is hitting top 6 and staying there is really hard , as Villa & Newcastle have also seen. Villa have spent significant amounts and are currently 3 points ahead of us, Newcastle with a nation state funding them missed out entirely on European football last season, like us.

Unless Bloom is prepared to go down that route we have to try other things - but it looks like the outcome currently is ‘roughly’ the same

 

[ROSM]

Development is the club’s strategy. Player trading is a necessity. Pathway for young players is a key strategy which includes loans to other Premier League clubs (however mad that is for anyone of Goldstone/Priestfield vintage). Nothing has changed.

Call me old fashioned but this does feel a very different strategy. Mcconville got 20 mins in a cup tie. Loaning out or selling players when the 1st team are deficient in that area without getting a replacement in, whilst laudable from balance sheet perspective, doesn't seem to help the other key performance indicator, that being success on the pitch. And yes i know that sounds entitled when we are 10th having only finished higher twice in our history but I'm pretty sure that Tony Bloom, when sanctioning a quarter of a billion expenditure, hoped for something a little higher (including perhaps a shot on target against a poor Brentford side owned by his rival, or not to roll over timidly against our rivals etc). He will want improvements in both those games in the second half for his outlay

 

[ROSM]

The three you use to say we’ve ‘lost the pathway‘ never really looked like making the grade (certainly BBB and Peupion anyway, haven’t seen enough of McConville but he clearly wanted to move and his contract was coming up in the summer), ALL new signings are either lauded (or written off) immediately and several don’t make it - Barco never settled and Moder was very unlucky with his long term injury and the three we’ve loaned out are desperate for game time they’re not going to get here and have all gone to PL clubs. Two signings in January is at least about par for us and both make sense.

I don’t see any change in strategy at all

I'm as fickle as the next bloke, if we beat chelsea twice and wallop Southampton then I will have amnesia that I ever doubted the 'process'

 

[southstandandy]

Tzimas should be good for the future and seems a decent signing. Hopefully will be in contention in a couple of years time after a loan or two I suspect.

Cashin was needed but I do worry about his lack of pace, but if he's another Duffy type (head it and boot it) then he should be good back up.

Gomez - seems a decent addition but not sure about his best position.

Now that Fergusson has got fit, I'd prefer to have him playing for us for the last 14 games of the season rather than West Ham but I do wonder if FH just doesn't fancy him.

My biggest issue is no new Full Backs. Other than that very so so.

 

[nevergoagain]

Fairly disappointed. Wasn't expecting much in terms of incomings but loaning out Fergie and Enciso given our horrendous injury situation seems crazy. We are only 3 points off a possible euro place even with the crap current form but feels like we've almost written the season off already. Sad to see so many youngsters depart permanently but trust the club on these

 

[Hamilton]

I think the problem is hitting top 6 and staying there is really hard , as Villa & Newcastle have also seen. Villa have spent significant amounts and are currently 3 points ahead of us, Newcastle with a nation state funding them missed out entirely on European football last season, like us.

Unless Bloom is prepared to go down that route we have to try other things - but it looks like the outcome currently is ‘roughly’ the same

I agree.

I think establishing us as a Top 6 is nigh on impossible. As Bold intimated earlier. We need to be realistic.

Top half is realistic. Being that team that can always threaten the top 6 is what we are probably aiming to achieve next.

I get that it requires something different I.e. looking where others are not (which is what StarLizard enables) but that is becoming harder as others replicate that model.

Sometimes I think you need to do something human and signal intent. When we signed Vicente, it wasn’t because he was some emerging talent and his stats were amazing, it wasn’t a signal of intent that sends out a very human message to other players and the league.

I’m not suggesting we sign old vet players, but occasionally you need to sign a Welbeck to sit alongside your Ferguson. You need to sign a Rashford type player (and if he comes good, Villa will be laughing). And I get that puts pressure on wage structures etc which is another factor that will influence recruitment strategy. We have to operate within that too.

 

[Silverhatch]

Call me old fashioned but this does feel a very different strategy. Mcconville got 20 mins in a cup tie. Loaning out or selling players when the 1st team are deficient in that area without getting a replacement in, whilst laudable from balance sheet perspective, doesn't seem to help the other key performance indicator, that being success on the pitch. And yes i know that sounds entitled when we are 10th having only finished higher twice in our history but I'm pretty sure that Tony Bloom, when sanctioning a quarter of a billion expenditure, hoped for something a little higher (including perhaps a shot on target against a poor Brentford side owned by his rival, or not to roll over timidly against our rivals etc). He will want improvements in both those games in the second half for his outlay

Unfortunately we are ALL old-fashioned. The difference is the huge amount of data our club in particular collates and interprets. Aligned to the fact that we also do appear to care about player development, welfare and pathway. Tony is a gambler; a world class one. He’ll have an extremely good idea of the return he wants.

 

[schmunk]

Surprised if ANY one has watched 90 minutes of ANY Brighton signing.

Milner? Welbz? Llallallanna?

 

[Hotchilidog]

It was a standard January window, just middling, nothing to get too excited about one way or the other. Happy with Gomez, Cashin and Tzimas also the Korean signing has a high upside.

As for the departures, not mad about any of them. As for Ferguson going on loan, I am disappointed that we left with Welbeck as our sole pure striker. That said we have seen nothing from Fergie over the last 18 month, he’s either been a sick note or underwhelming when given an opportunity. Hopefully he can rediscover his mojo and come back to us a better player or at the very least restore his transfer value.

Sorry to see Enciso on loan, but he has not been the same since his injury. There definitelty seem to be some maturity issues which maybe a spell with McKenna at Ipswich can resolve, I really hope does well and can also return.

 

[dazzer6666]

I think the problem is hitting top 6 and staying there is really hard , as Villa & Newcastle have also seen. Villa have spent significant amounts and are currently 3 points ahead of us, Newcastle with a nation state funding them missed out entirely on European football last season, like us.

Unless Bloom is prepared to go down that route we have to try other things - but it looks like the outcome currently is ‘roughly’ the same

We aren’t ever going to hit top 6 and stay there, and that’s not the stated aim. Consistently top half with occasional European football.

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

McConville apart quite pleased.

7/10 for me.

Gomez - promising.
Tzimas - sounds exciting
Cashin - needed cover in that position

Ferguson loan could work well, but high risk if Welbeck injured but we all know that.
Enciso needs games

Edit - did the Korean signing get announced?

 

[dazzer6666]

Edit - did the Korean signing get announced?

Pre-contract according to various SM posts………so effectively yes (similar to the Gomez situation I guess)

 

[The Fits]

Our windows are often very difficult to rate because most transfers are potential. This one maybe more so because it also depends on both the loans and future outcomes of EF and JE. We will see late in the summer I guess.