Saint Matty 76

Super disappointing sale. Selling Dibling should’ve led us to be able to hold firm on £50m. Sounds like it’s a very similar deal to Dibling at £35m with add-ons taking to just over £40m.

Can’t say I know too much about him but his numbers are really impressive. I think we have a good striker in Archer who is permanently starved of service so hopefully he can help us there. Still need a wide-player or two to take some pressure away from Robinson. Robinson - Azaz - Fernandes behind whichever striker is currently the hot hand?

Azaz, Guilavogui, a young loan wide-player and a loan central midfielder. I would guess that is how our incomings will go for the remainder of the window.

Sky Sports. £12m+£3m.

Bazunu Roerslev - THB - Stephens - Manning Charles - Downes Fraser - Fernandes - Robinson Archer Edit: Realised this is very harsh on Wood, who I do ultimately see starting in a back 5 with Manning dropping out.

Matsuki #10 and Fraser RW no more signings needed SR.

Player of the (incredibly brief!) season so far. Didn’t see that coming.

Roerslev, Fraser and Archer the pick of the bunch.

Proper finish that. Definitely our best striker.

This is actually quite funny

How come Rudoni and Spertsyan aren’t playing v Norwich tonight?

Anyway that’s enough whinging about the lineup. Let’s hope that Stewart and Archer get firing, need at least one of these strikers to bag a goal or two. Thought Archer was a given to be the starter based on preseason.

Would’ve been nice to see us try the system he’s suggested we’ll filter into, but I suppose it’s challenging without a proper 10 in the squad and the need for wing-backs to create the width due to our lack of wingers. Extremely dull team though. Nine changes from Norwich as well.

McCarthy Roerslev - Edwards - Quarshie - Manning Downes - Charles Fraser - Matsuki - Archer Downs That's my guess, other than maybe Fernandes in for Matsuki.

Think we end up with Azaz and 2/3 loans to end the window. I do think we keep Fernandes now though. Hopefully some good wide options come available late on. Esse, Roberts, Benson and perhaps Nelson (wages...) are the few that come to mind who might fit.

Nah looks like Sky are actually saying £36m with £6m in easily achievable add-ons, alongside the 20% sell-on. Seems most parties are aligned with a £42m total package.

Sky apparently saying £42m+6m on SSN.

£42m and a 20% sell-on is a really good fee for a player who basically disappeared for half a season. I do doubt he kicks on to be that £100m player at Everton however.

Reading like £42m and 20% sell-on.

Haven’t seen that since Danny Ings to Villa!

Also, every deal runs this way but we just clearly have a very active agent feeding stuff through this Armenian channel. People suggesting we should just walk away because it’s not immediate are hilarious. We are a Championship club and not a desirable option. I’m not sure why anyone thinks we have some huge leverage here and people with pedigree are dying to join us. As long as we have alternatives lined up in case of failure, we should absolutely pursue these bigger deals. I don’t personally believe it’ll go through, but SR criticism based on us going for higher-end targets is very bizarre.

The club are in no rush but a decision will be made tonight is a spectacular update.

Looks like he had a good season last year playing RW in the Bundesliga. If we kept the 3-4-3 you'd have (with our current squad minus known departures) Robinson, Fernandes, Dibling, Guilavogui and Brereton-Diaz competing for the two slots behind the striker. Perhaps 3 of the above if we move to the 4-2-3-1 but then Fraser is added to the options away from the wing-back role he's doing well in. Armstrong, Archer, Downs, Stewart all competing for one striker spot.

Hell of a strike...

Very quickly gone from hilariously optimistic posts of "both" to suddenly... neither?