CSA96

RM pointing out in the presser that 'it's still quite a quiet group, but they're finding their voices' - talks about importance of adding grit and people who have experience under their belt. Thinks likes of Fraser and Holgate will help with this too.

Guessing the press conference has been moved a day earlier as Friday will be a travel day, as well as being deadline day. So their final full training sessions will presumably be on Thursday.

Kamaldeen asks out, Saints refusing to accept less than £30m release clause. https://x.com/j_tanswell/status/1696851136404238662?s=46&t=f0hgNyKSvvOD5qjGLJhsXQ

Fulham are in for Iwobi now and Gray is potentially off to Saudi, so maybe they can get there...

With all due respect, what else can we do? If he’s been our manager’s ‘top target’ all summer (as reported) are we going to turn round and just tell the manager he’s not getting the striker he wants and needs to make his system work? There’ll be a risk assessment, an evaluation and a medical process before anyone is signed. The board will have also had to weigh this up and get comfortable with it before sanctioning any bids. I think Martin has earned the trust with this one - especially in such a crucial role - and if it fails, then it’ll be him who loses his job anyway. I’d sooner back him and him have no excuses than to not back the manager properly or give him a player he doesn’t actually want and then end up having to listen to how RM wasn’t backed by the board and that’s why we failed.

If this is who Martin wants, then go and get him. The medical staff would have been getting references and doing their own checks anyway before the board signed any eventual deal off. Tony Mowbray said he'd be back for selection from third week of September, in which case he'll miss the Leicester and (probably) Ipswich games and then be in the mix for Boro away on Sept 22.

Daily Record report opening offer of north of £5m for Ross Stewart rejected by Sunderland - anticipating second bid in £8m range to follow quickly. https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-transfer-news/ross-stewart-sunderland-transfer-resolve-30819890

Tyler Dibling - and yes. Martin gave him some minutes in the first game or two of preseason before he went back to the U21 setup. Wow, did not realise Mitchell couldn't even get a club now. Remember when we picked him up from Birmingham City ahead of a pack of other clubs.

Real shame, he was getting on/near the bench and had a pretty low squad number for an academy lad in the mid 2010s (shirt number in the 30s, I think) Suffered the misfortune of three ACLs, I believe and had to have a load of different knee surgeries. Edit: Just seen chiknsmack's post above confirms the three ACLs, brutal.

Oh, I can

He didn't say that he'd have a stronger squad than the PL squad. He said he felt we would be in a stronger position than we were with 12 days or so of the window to go. How he qualifies that, I don't know as he wasn't pressed on it, but we will certainly have more clarity and more confirmed and committed depth rather than 'does that guy want to play for us this season?' hanging about.

That's Everton out of the running.

Everton get their striker

Led to this memorable tweet, too...

He has definitely been angling to go for a while behind the scenes. His agent was already trying to line up moves (to Bundesliga/Ligue 1) before our season had ended. She also represents Djenepo, so let's hope she's got him something in the pipeline too...

Sunderland in a bit of an injury crisis? I saw they had 10 or 11 players out for the Rotherham game and their main men going forward, Patrick Roberts and Ross Stewart, are both sidelined for this one too.

Palace seem the obvious ones currently, with Bournemouth lurking too. Wolves (if Nunes goes) and Forest (if Johnson goes to Spurs) will also have money burning a hole in their pockets. And then there's Fulham with the Mitrovic cash. He's probably not #1 option for anyone, but he will be on a few shortlists this week.

Medical with Nice in the morning - loan deal with a purchase option.