Summer Transfer Window 2023

[Fan The Flames]

1 hour ago, InvictaSaint said:

Or Papa John.

Or a floater in the john

[verlaine1979]

9 minutes ago, Chez said:

if we sign Wood, then I feel the club have spent what was needed. Not sure winger has been a priority, but we've bright Fraser in on sizeable wages, so I think they done their duty there. I'm with you on the striker if they don't spend should Che depart.

New CB and new striker (if Che goes) both need to be in the 10m bracket, considering the money we've brought in and our stated aim of being serious promotion contenders. Likewise, if Sulemana leaves I'd expect us to be spending at least 10m on his replacement. Not unreasonable to bank half, spend half on these key like-for-like replacements now.

[hypochondriac]

1 minute ago, verlaine1979 said:

New CB and new striker (if Che goes) both need to be in the 10m bracket, considering the money we've brought in and our stated aim of being serious promotion contenders. Likewise, if Sulemana leaves I'd expect us to be spending at least 10m on his replacement. Not unreasonable to bank half, spend half on these key like-for-like replacements now.

Yep. A total spend of 50 million is entirely reasonable. 

[The Juice]

 

1 hour ago, legod66 said:

Will the last player to leave St. Marys please turn off the lights!!  As far as i can see just about anyone that represented quality has been sold off, the owners are sitting on a fortune, and we are bringing in 2nd rate dross.   When folks are getting excited over Adam Armstrong as being the Messiah my heart sinks.

Leave it out. 

When we were relegated, we were always going to lose top players (I say that, these were players who could not muster any real effort to stay in the premier league).

Fraser, Holgate, Downes and Wood (if it happens) are very good signings for where we are at. Smallbone, Alcarez and Stewie A would walk into most if not all midfields in this division. Edozie and Sam AA are potential top talents and KWP is playing below his level.  

We're a championship club. Like it or lump it, we're not making glamour signings any time soon.

Give me this any day over £20million signings who throw their toys out of the pram and think they are too good for the team. Or JWP our so called captain who bailed as soon as we went down so he could maybe play the odd England friendly or Europa league qualifier. 

People pissed and moaned about this team all last season, and rightly so; same people who are now moaning that we are selling all our 'top talent'

take a trip to St. Mary's - place is rocking. Team is playing better football and we're winning games. 

Not sure what people want really. I'm sure we will be in the premier league again soon. Signing 50k per week internationals and getting beatings by the billionaire boys club week in week out. 

 

Edited 28 August, 2023 by The Juice

[Chez]

7 minutes ago, verlaine1979 said:

New CB and new striker (if Che goes) both need to be in the 10m bracket, considering the money we've brought in and our stated aim of being serious promotion contenders. Likewise, if Sulemana leaves I'd expect us to be spending at least 10m on his replacement. Not unreasonable to bank half, spend half on these key like-for-like replacements now.

Personally I don't `expect' us to sign a new winger to replace Sulemana, but we may well do that.

Wood is in the £10m bracket and I would imagine we'll spend similar of a striker should Che go. 

Pretty sure these kind of amounts are what I suggested we might spend should `everyone depart', which is still a possibility (admittedly I thought £10m of it would have been on signing Downes).

[verlaine1979]

2 minutes ago, Chez said:

Personally I don't `expect' us to sign a new winger to replace Sulemana, but we may well do that.

Wood is in the £10m bracket and I would imagine we'll spend similar of a striker should Che go. 

Pretty sure these kind of amounts are what I suggested we might spend should `everyone depart', which is still a possibility (admittedly I thought £10m of it would have been on signing Downes).

Replacing Sulemana is definitely less pressing - much less likely to be make or break for promotion than either CB or striker. But saying that, with Tella gone it would leave us with Fraser as the only wide attacking option that isn't a kid or Djenepo, so pretty light in a position that appears to be more effective in the championship than in the PL.

[egg]

30 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

Martin has already said we are getting a Tella replacement. If that's the case then we should be spending to make it happen. 

Why the obsession with spending? Surely the objective is the right player?  We can do with that without necessarily having to buy someone or spending loads of money - Fraser is a case in point. 

If we spend £10-15m on a player who's good enough to help get us up, but not good enough when we get there, people will then whine that we've signed players who aren't good enough for the PL. How's that better than a loan? 

Edited 28 August, 2023 by egg

[hypochondriac]

1 minute ago, egg said:

Why the obsession with spending? Surely the objective is the right player?  We can do with that without necessarily having to buy someone or spending loads of money - Fraser is a case in point. 

If we spend £10-15m on a player who's good enough to help get us up, but not good enough when we get there, people will then whine that we've signed players who aren't good enough for the PL. How's that better than a loan? 

I think you missed my earlier post about a loan. In general though, if you want the best championship talent you need to combine loans with a decent amount of money spent. There's no obsession with spending, just that in general, the teams who spend the most tend to be the most successful. 

[Winchester Red]

Just now, hypochondriac said:

I think you missed my earlier post about a loan. In general though, if you want the best championship talent you need to combine loans with a decent amount of money spent. There's no obsession with spending, just that in general, the teams who spend the most tend to be the most successful. 

That's certainly the case in the Premier, but in the Championship Luton proves it can be done without.

[Holmes_and_Watson]

2 hours ago, Toadhall Saint said:

So 4 days to go what do we think will be the definite comings and goings?

for me incoming 

1xCB

1xWide (right) sided player

1xCF

outgoing

1xCF

Even after the sales we’ve made, our squad could lose a few more players to free up resources (and for the benefit of all concerned). That said, some players would need to be directly replaced.

The likes of McCarthy, Bree, Perraud (nearly gone), Lyanco, Djenepo and Ounachu aren’t likely to feature. Aribo isn’t likely to get too many starts either.  

The only one we’d have to replace is Ounachu, or rather his departure would free up wages to bring someone else in.

Of the players who have left/about to go, Salisu (downed tools), Perraud (vocal in wanting away), Lavia, Ward Prowse and Elyounoussi were the only ones who started more than 20 league games for us last season. Of those, only Lavia and Ward Prowse are particular misses. We’ve already brought replacements in for these positions.

As per earlier in the window, pretty much anyone could go. Not all of them would need a direct replacement. Not all will go, so we should end up not looking light in any area.

- KWP and Adams would need first team replacements, and would be the biggest misses.
- AA and Stu (in his last year) would also need replaced. They are really versatile and add a lot to our squad/ first team.
- ABK and Sulemana would need replaced. While talented, they have been injured, and we’d need the numbers in those positions.
- There was a hint that Fraser wasn’t a Tella replacement, so there may be someone else coming in there.
- We’ve bid twice for Wood, even though Lyanco and ABK are still here, and Holgate has come in.
- Central midfield looks light again, following Smallbone’s injury. He was the more attacking part of it, so our formation means we can possibly fill in from elsewhere. But would be really good to have someone in.
- In an ideal world, I’d like us to bring in a striker, even if we keep Adams. AA is proving really effective elsewhere and would also be an option, while it allows us to have competition for Adams, or play both if needed. It means Ounachu would be left in no doubt about a move, and hopefully even a loan could be arranged.

[hypochondriac]

Just now, Winchester Red said:

That's certainly the case in the Premier, but in the Championship Luton proves it can be done without.

Where did I say its impossible to do it without? Of course it can be done, it's just much less likely. 

[Holmes_and_Watson]

2 minutes ago, Winchester Red said:

That's certainly the case in the Premier, but in the Championship Luton proves it can be done without.

Cue flashbacks of looking to Luton's experience, with the bestest manager in Europe to implement it.

[Nolan]

Given its been reported.

1. We've bid for Wood.

2. We've triggered Johan Hove's release clause.

Then it can be assumed that there is intention to spend money.

[Convict Colony]

What this forum needs some way to see how many dislikes v likes you get on your profile so you know who the trolls are @stevegrant if thats possible on here ?

 

Edited 28 August, 2023 by Convict Colony

[Dusic]

Of course its partly down to the reduction in media coverage but the club have done quite well at keeping a few of our incomings pretty quiet until shortly before they happened. All of Manning, Fraser and Holgate were on the day stories when news broke and Shea Charles was confirmed by The Athletic after just a passing mention a couple of weeks before.

 

[CampionSaint]

47 minutes ago, Winchester Red said:

That's certainly the case in the Premier, but in the Championship Luton proves it can be done without.

Not sure it's completely the case in the prem.  Brighton for instance have sold a load of players without spending masses and still done well.  Conversely Chelsea have doent madly and done no better.  Man U still struggle to get a good team together despite massive spending.   Brentford, Fulham and Wolves have done well without going mad.  Agree the likes of Man City and Newcastle have spent a lot but there acquisitions have by and large been successful.

Edited 28 August, 2023 by CampionSaint

[hypochondriac]

8 minutes ago, CampionSaint said:

Not sure it's completely the case in the prem.  Brighton for instance have sold a load of players without spending masses and still done well.  Conversely Chelsea have doent madly and done no better.  Man U still struggle to get a good team together despite massive spending.   Brentford, Fulham and Wolves have done well without going mad.  Agree the likes of Man City and Newcastle have spent a lot but there acquisitions have by and large been successful.

It's almost always the case that those who spend the most are near the top of the table. There is the odd exception from time to time, but it's not very common. 

[kristian]

Just a loan for Lyanco, sadly. 

 

[hypochondriac]

Just now, kristian said:

Just a loan for Lyanco, sadly. 

 

Boo. 

[Toussaint]

I guess I’m in a very small minority, on here at least, that has no problem with Lyanco whatsoever? 

[SNSUN]

2 minutes ago, Toussaint said:

I guess I’m in a very small minority, on here at least, that has no problem with Lyanco whatsoever? 

Good attitude, just not the best defender. 

[Atlanta Saint]

4 hours ago, Winchester Red said:

Why are people so keen to write off / ditch Sulemana? 

He's could be brilliant at this level, and he certainly doesn't have less end product than Sam (one goal doesn't make a summer, although hopeful for many more)

Time will tell on him and if he gets a run in the side, he was unplayable v Liverpool so we know there is a hell of a player in there. The gaffer must see something that stopping him at the moment.

[Toussaint]

Just now, Atlanta Saint said:

Time will tell on him and if he gets a run in the side, he was unplayable v Liverpool so we know there is a hell of a player in there. The gaffer must see something that stopping him at the moment.

I’d speculate the “thing” is possibly Sulemana committing himself to fight the good fight, which hopefully he does.

[Atlanta Saint]

Just now, Toussaint said:

I’d speculate the “thing” is possibly Sulemana committing himself to fight the good fight, which hopefully he does.

Yep agree 100%, there is something why he's not making the match day squad. In RM we trust! I'm loving Saints football at the moment to be winning games and unbeaten is a great feeling even if it's in the Championship. I feel for those poor bastard Luton, Everton and Sheff Utd fans, we know what they are just starting to go through. COYS!

[sadoldgit]

The constant worry about spend is baffling. The bottom line always has been and always will be…it isn’t how much you spend, it is who you spend it on. As has been pointed out several times, some of our most effective players have been picked up for buttons and a number of our least effective players have cost us a shed load of cash.

I don’t give a stuff how much SR spend this summer as long as we end up with a competitive squad that can deliver the football that RM wants.

[hypochondriac]

I'd like us to have the best chance possible of going up. That means smart and possibly cheap or free signings, smart loans and investing some cash in the right quality. Statistically that will give us the best shot and luckily I think that is the route we are looking to go down. 

[SaintsFan86]

Lyanco loan deal is probably all wages covered and a decent loan fee if he's gone to Qatar.

[Turkish]

Just now, SaintsFan86 said:

Lyanco loan deal is probably all wages covered and a decent loan fee if he's gone to Qatar.

even they aren't mad enough to buy him though

[saintant]

1 hour ago, Winchester Red said:

That's certainly the case in the Premier, but in the Championship Luton proves it can be done without.

And would you want us to be promoted with a squad like their's? I think a balance needs to be struck. Yes, loans are a great idea but, on their own, they are not enough. They should be mixed with players permanently signed by us who have been scouted for their current ability and potential to play at a higher level and who can develop an extra level of loyalty and affinity to the club which may be missing in loan players. We can't expect to have a squad stuffed with loan players and then get promoted and bin them all off and start again, it has to be more structured than that. I get that hopefully it may be possible to get permanent deals for selective players on loan. We are making great strides and, for once, have made a strong start but you can't put all your eggs in the loan basket. We won't get where we want to be without spending a wedge of money, it's not possible. Yes, Dragan will rightly want to recoup some of his losses from last season's poor signings but surely not at the expense of missing out on good players we could sign now without breaking the bank to build a team that evolves and grows over the season. I'm hoping JW and RM are smart enough to steer us through the Championship and back into the Premier league with the basis of a squad that will be able to first survive then establish a firm foothold to give us more chance of avoiding being perennial strugglers. Maybe that's too much to ask and a lot of wishful thinking.

Edited 28 August, 2023 by saintant

[egg]

4 minutes ago, SaintsFan86 said:

Lyanco loan deal is probably all wages covered and a decent loan fee if he's gone to Qatar.

He'll only have a year left when his loan has finished so not much chance of a decent transfer fee then unfortunately. He cost us €7.5m according to transfermarkt, so getting a decent chunk of that back would be nice. 

[Chez]

Just now, egg said:

He'll only have a year left when his loan has finished so not much chance of a decent transfer fee then unfortunately. He cost us €7.5m according to transfermarkt, so getting a decent chunk of that back would be nice. 

let's hope he impresses, scores a few goals perhaps and they look to turn the loan into the permanent move. 

[egg]

32 minutes ago, Toussaint said:

I guess I’m in a very small minority, on here at least, that has no problem with Lyanco whatsoever? 

I thought he'd have been ok at this level. Slightly surprised we've loaned him out, especially with Stephens out. 

[egg]

1 minute ago, Chez said:

let's hope he impresses, scores a few goals perhaps and they look to turn the loan into the permanent move. 

Yep 🤞🙏🤞🙏🤞

[Lighthouse]

2 minutes ago, egg said:

I thought he'd have been ok at this level. Slightly surprised we've loaned him out, especially with Stephens out. 

The reason we have four players for two positions is to cover injuries, so I can’t see the JS situation changing much. It’ll be him, JB, MH and one more by the end of the window I reckon.

[S-Clarke]

I thought I'd do a quick summary of where we're at, as expected this has been a major summer of change - the squad turnover has been unprecedented really.

We have lost:

JWP - £30m

Lavia - £58m

Salisu - £15m

Tino - £34m

Lyanco - Loan

Perraud - Loan

DCC - Loan

Tella - £18m

Orsic - £2m

Elyounoussi - Free

Diallo – Free?

Theo - Free

Willy Cabalerro - Free

 

We have added:

Flynn Downes – Loan

Shea Charles - £12m

Ryan Manning – Free Transfer

Joe Lumley – Free Transfer

Mason Holgate – Loan

Ryan Fraser - Loan

 

Futures undecided:

Moussa Djenepo

Kamaldeen Sulemana

Joe Aribo

Che Adams

Kyle Walker-Peters

Armel Bella-Kotchap

Paul Onuachu

Alex McCarthy

There’s a hell of a lot that could happen between now and Friday, and a hell of a lot has already happened to this squad. I think we will add to the wide areas, CB and CM before we lose anyone. I don’t believe we’d replace Moussa or Aribo if they leave, but we’d almost certainly replace KWP and Che if they left.

The only close season which has similarities with this one was Koemans first (in terms of key players we lost, and total managerial/coaching overhauls), but we replaced astutely and got stronger from it. Let’s hope we can do the same here - but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous, as a lot has to happen in a very, very short space of time.

Edited 28 August, 2023 by S-Clarke

[LaptopSaint]

13 minutes ago, Lighthouse said:

The reason we have four players for two positions is to cover injuries, so I can’t see the JS situation changing much. It’ll be him, JB, MH and one more by the end of the window I reckon.

Especially as Shea Charles looks more than decent covering CB as well as CM

[Saint Scott]

40 minutes ago, Atlanta Saint said:

Yep agree 100%, there is something why he's not making the match day squad. In RM we trust! I'm loving Saints football at the moment to be winning games and unbeaten is a great feeling even if it's in the Championship. I feel for those poor bastard Luton, Everton and Sheff Utd fans, we know what they are just starting to go through. COYS!

I though he had just come back from injury and isn't fit enough yet?

It may prove to be a blessing as if he was tearing up the league now somebody would have already snapped him up.

That being said I still think he'll leave, most likely on loan on Deadline Day

[SNSUN]

Just now, Saint Scott said:

I though he had just come back from injury and isn't fit enough yet?

It may prove to be a blessing as if he was tearing up the league now somebody would have already snapped him up.

That being said I still think he'll leave, most likely on loan on Deadline Day

I said this when ABK got his bad injury towards the tail end of last season. I wondered if it would keep him out long enough that he'd still be here come September. Time is ticking...

[manji]

1 hour ago, Convict Colony said:

What this forum needs some way to see how many dislikes v likes you get on your profile so you know who the trolls are @stevegrant if thats possible on here ?

 

Yes let’s purge the feckers ✊🏼

[Saint Scott]

3 minutes ago, SNSUN said:

I said this when ABK got his bad injury towards the tail end of last season. I wondered if it would keep him out long enough that he'd still be here come September. Time is ticking...

If we can keep them both and put ourselves in a good position come January i imagine they'll both be off. Replacing them may be an issue though to see the job through

Edited 28 August, 2023 by Saint Scott

[manji]

1 hour ago, Dusic said:

Of course its partly down to the reduction in media coverage but the club have done quite well at keeping a few of our incomings pretty quiet until shortly before they happened. All of Manning, Fraser and Holgate were on the day stories when news broke and Shea Charles was confirmed by The Athletic after just a passing mention a couple of weeks before.

 

The Athletic just another clickbait site.

[Greenridge]

13 minutes ago, LaptopSaint said:

Especially as Shea Charles looks more than decent covering CB as well as CM

I’ve only seen him in that position in the pre-season against Bournemouth and he was well out of this depth. Was that a one-off? 

[Saint86]

39 minutes ago, saintant said:

And would you want us to be promoted with a squad like their's? I think a balance needs to be struck. Yes, loans are a great idea but, on their own, they are not enough. They should be mixed with players permanently signed by us who have been scouted for their current ability and potential to play at a higher level and who can develop an extra level of loyalty and affinity to the club which may be missing in loan players. We can't expect to have a squad stuffed with loan players and then get promoted and bin them all off and start again, it has to be more structured than that. I get that hopefully it may be possible to get permanent deals for selective players on loan. We are making great strides and, for once, have made a strong start but you can't put all your eggs in the loan basket. We won't get where we want to be without spending a wedge of money, it's not possible. Yes, Dragan will rightly want to recoup some of his losses from last season's poor signings but surely not at the expense of missing out on good players we could sign now without breaking the bank to build a team that evolves and grows over the season. I'm hoping JW and RM are smart enough to steer us through the Championship and back into the Premier league with the basis of a squad that will be able to first survive then establish a firm foothold to give us more chance of avoiding being perennial strugglers. Maybe that's too much to ask and a lot of wishful thinking.

This was exactly my thoughts. Luton play a very limited style of football that will not be effective in the premier league long term. Saints will have the legacy of the £160M on our FFP balance sheet as well, so the team and style we get promoted with will need to be competitive for the premier league as well.

[CamSaint]

20 minutes ago, S-Clarke said:

We have added:

Flynn Downes – Loan

Shea Charles - £12m

Ryan Manning – Free Transfer

Joe Lumley – Free Transfer

Mason Holgate – Loan

Ryan Fraser - Loan

Don't forget we have also effectively added Stephens & Smallbone as they returned from loans along with Tella at the beginning of the season, and SA-A seems to have been fully promoted to the first team squad.

[SNSUN]

8 minutes ago, Saint Scott said:

If we can keep them both and put ourselves in a good position come January i imagine they'll both be off. Replacing them may be an issue though to see the job through

It would be nice if they could contribute to us getting lots of points on the board by then. Similar to this August - I knew there would be a lot of our better players leaving late in the window, I just wanted them to stay long enough that we can get some decent points on the board come September. And we have, with JWP and Tella at least making a small contribution...

 

20 minutes ago, S-Clarke said:

I thought I'd do a quick summary of where we're at, as expected this has been a major summer of change - the squad turnover has been unprecedented really.

We have lost:

JWP - £30m

Lavia - £58m

Salisu - £15m

Tino - £34m

Lyanco - Loan

Perraud - Loan

DCC - Loan

Tella - £18m

Orsic - £2m

Elyounoussi - Free

Diallo – Free?

Theo - Free

Willy Cabalerro - Free

 

We have added:

Flynn Downes – Loan

Shea Charles - £12m

Ryan Manning – Free Transfer

Joe Lumley – Free Transfer

Mason Holgate – Loan

Ryan Fraser - Loan

 

Futures undecided:

Moussa Djenepo

Kamaldeen Sulemana

Joe Aribo

Che Adams

Kyle Walker-Peters

Armel Bella-Kotchap

Paul Onuachu

Alex McCarthy

There’s a hell of a lot that could happen between now and Friday, and a hell of a lot has already happened to this squad. I think we will add to the wide areas, CB and CM before we lose anyone. I don’t believe we’d replace Moussa or Aribo if they leave, but we’d almost certainly replace KWP and Che if they left.

The only close season which has similarities with this one was Koemans first (in terms of key players we lost, and total managerial/coaching overhauls), but we replaced astutely and got stronger from it. Let’s hope we can do the same here - but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous, as a lot has to happen in a very, very short space of time.

... which brings me to my next point - we have 10 points from 12 in the league and have lost a ton of talent, with only JWP and Tella making small contributions to that tally. Martin has done a terrific job really so far. Yes our performances have been a bit "bitty" since Wednesday but when you look at that list we have almost completely overhauled the squad. You could make a whole team of the exits:

Willy

Tino DCC Salisu Perraud

JWP Lavia

Tella Elyounoussi Orsic

Walcott

With Lyanco and Diallo on the bench

 

And I reckon our current best XI would beat them! There I said it. 

 

[Sidney Fudpucker the 3rd]

Press linking Saints with Cody Drameh, again.

Did anyone see his performance for Leeds at the weekend? Came on in the 24th minute and was substituted at half time after a shocking 21 minutes of football. We're talking Ali Dia standard. 

God help us if we end up with Drameh and Bree as our right backs. 

[S-Clarke]

1 minute ago, SNSUN said:

It would be nice if they could contribute to us getting lots of points on the board by then. Similar to this August - I knew there would be a lot of our better players leaving late in the window, I just wanted them to stay long enough that we can get some decent points on the board come September. And we have, with JWP and Tella at least making a small contribution...

 

... which brings me to my next point - we have 10 points from 12 in the league and have lost a ton of talent, with only JWP and Tella making small contributions to that tally. Martin has done a terrific job really so far. Yes our performances have been a bit "bitty" since Wednesday but when you look at that list we have almost completely overhauled the squad. You could make a whole team of the exits:

Willy

Tino DCC Salisu Perraud

JWP Lavia

Tella Elyounoussi Orsic

Walcott

With Lyanco and Diallo on the bench

 

And I reckon our current best XI would beat them! There I said it. 

 

One of my main worries in the summer was appointing an 'inexperienced' manager, who isn't used to the level of change we were about to encounter. But like you said, he's took it head on and embraced it - he's helped navigate such a difficult time, we've played two promoted sides away from home and got 6 points - whilst our squad has been in total limbo.

Like he said, we're building - the key is to make sure we still pick up points whilst we're building, and we've been doing that. It'll only get better so I think this start has so far put us in great stead. 

Next month is mega though - Sunderland, Leicester, Leeds, Boro, Ipswich. Hopefully we're not short on players, we're going to need our best quality available.

[Holmes_and_Watson]

20 minutes ago, S-Clarke said:

I thought I'd do a quick summary of where we're at, as expected this has been a major summer of change - the squad turnover has been unprecedented really.

We have lost:

JWP - £30m / Lavia - £58m / Salisu - £15m / Tino - £34m / Lyanco - Loan / Perraud - Loan / DCC - Loan / Tella - £18m / Orsic - £2m / Elyounoussi - Free

Diallo – Free? / Theo - Free / Willy Cabalerro - Free

 

We have added:

Flynn Downes – Loan / Shea Charles - £12m / Ryan Manning – Free Transfer / Joe Lumley – Free Transfer / Mason Holgate – Loan / Ryan Fraser - Loan

Despite the number of outgoings, I can't say I'm overly worried about the impact their departure had, especially after the last couple of seasons.

GK - Willy was back up, and was never really preferred to Baz, even when the latter was having plenty of off days. We've brought in Lumley, probably also as a push to McCarthy.

FB - Perraud replaced by Manning; Tino was talented but we didn't see much of him due to injury. We still have KWP. Bree is a worry. Terrible move for him, and he's not in the plans at the moment. Holgate can supposedly play there, but I've no idea if he actually can or it's a AMN "he can play there".

DC - Salisu was talented, but downed tools; DCC had moments but also mistakes; Lyanco has heart, but also errors. We had a surplus of CBs (for a change) and still couldn't get  a decent partnership going. Stephens return, Holgate and 1 other incoming should be fine alongside Bednarek and ABK.

MC - This was understrength before, and has been gutted. Lavia was a talent and JWP one of our best players. Diallo is no loss, having never pinned down a role. We've brought in Charles and Downes, with Smallbone returning. We're still one short here, more so with Smallbone's injury. It's early days, but Charles and Downes have looked fine so far.

AMC - Alcaraz, Stu and possibly Aribo here and we can probably cover it from elsewhere too. So, don;t see anyone coming in unless we have departures.

AM/ Wide - Mo's job never really worked out, Orsic never started. Theo, through injury and contract issues, only popped up towards the end. He did fine, and would have been okay this season. But the club were never going to keep him. The returning Tella looks to be the big miss here, even though we've not had him when he's been at his current level. We've already got plenty here with Fraser, Sulemana, Edozie, SAA and AA dropping back. The Club have said they are are still looking to bring someone else in.

SC - Still as understrength as it was when SR had their first window. That's less of an issue in this division. Che and AA have started well. Big Paul clearly isn't in anyone's plans now that Nathan is long gone. 

I agree there have been a lot of changes. But of the departures, Lavia and JWP are misses. Tino and Tella were players we hoped we'd see the best of, rather than players who had been central to our team. We're told a replacement is coming in for Tella. But we've got options, even if this doesn't happen. Particularly with Fraser in. We've brought in 2 players to cover Lavia and JWP (more games, will determine how successful they are). KWP was always better on the right for me, and we have Manning now on the left.

Based on admitedly few games the replacements have all performed decently. 4 of the 6 are in the first team already, Lumley is the back up goalkeeper and Holgate hasn't had a chance to start yet. No duds yet, making it probably already better than last January.

SR may have some special deals lined up. I'd definitely like a central midfielder and a striker. But iwe've still plenty of strength in the squad, and certainly more than nearly any other team in the division. It should still be us against Leicester and Leeds for 2 of the 3 top spots, with our resources, as long as we can keep this strength beyond the window closing.

[saintant]

Would take Palace winger Jesurun Rak-Sayki on loan to replace Tella if we could get him. 20 years old and looks a great talent. They'd never agree to sell him so would have to be a loan.

[Nolan]

Do I remember reading someone writing recently that Tella would only agree to leave it he knew a replacement was coming.?

If so, just noticed that Paintsil and Tella (and JWP and Salisu) all have Stellar as agents.