Summer Transfer Window 2025/26

[spyinthesky]

33 minutes ago, Rebel said:

Damion Downs looks ok as as back-up centre forward - but I still feel we need a starting centre forward.  We can't rely on Stewart with his injury record and BBD, Adarma and Archer are all second strikers or wide/inside forwards.

 

If we do sign Downes that would be a total of five 'strikers' plus Ballard in the frame somewhere too.
So points towards Arma and BBD being waved off with our thanks and a bit of cash in the kitty.

[leesaint88]

1 minute ago, spyinthesky said:

If we do sign Downes that would be a total of five 'strikers' plus Ballard in the frame somewhere too.
So points towards Arma and BBD being waved off with our thanks and a bit of cash in the kitty.

I still think Ballard will be off too. He was gash last year in league one, he'll probably get sent out on loan to prove himself for the final time.

[SWLondon Saint]

5 hours ago, sockeye said:

That's a considerable amount of money at this level. Let's hope he kicks on relatively quickly.

By comparison, Birmingham spent over £15 million for Jay Stansfield last season after 13 goals in 37 apps in the Championship...

Edited 19 hours ago by SWLondon Saint
Typo in name

[whiteleySaint30]

54 minutes ago, spyinthesky said:

If we do sign Downes that would be a total of five 'strikers' plus Ballard in the frame somewhere too.
So points towards Arma and BBD being waved off with our thanks and a bit of cash in the kitty.

Wave off the one man we know who can get goals.in rhe championship- sounds a sensible approach.........

[hypochondriac]

1 hour ago, Saint_clark said:

It's just under 7million, even at Championship level that's not a huge amount of money. 

Particularly given how much we spent on Shea Charles last time. 

[sockeye]

Fair enough, £7 million is a lot less than it used to be. Hopeful that Downs can start well then, Bundesliga 2 is a good league to be blooded in. Also hopeful that BBD can be shipped out. Archer, don’t mind giving him a crack this season, I think he will get a decent return.

[saintant]

2 hours ago, Saint_clark said:

It's just under 7million, even at Championship level that's not a huge amount of money. 

If you look at what Championship clubs spent last summer 7 million is a very substantial sum.

[saintant]

1 hour ago, spyinthesky said:

If we do sign Downes that would be a total of five 'strikers' plus Ballard in the frame somewhere too.
So points towards Arma and BBD being waved off with our thanks and a bit of cash in the kitty.

Not sure why we would keep Ballard in the frame and sell AA.

[AlexLaw76]

Downs could do well Turkey

[Saint_lambden]

Downs seems to fit the profile of the type of player we’re looking for and that will fit Still’s system and style so you have to trust Spors and his scouting team. 
 

Of the major nations, German football is probably the closest to English football (compared to Spain and France) in terms of style so hopefully he’ll be able to settle in and get up to speed quickly with the Championship. 

[revolution saint]

1 hour ago, sockeye said:

Fair enough, £7 million is a lot less than it used to be. Hopeful that Downs can start well then, Bundesliga 2 is a good league to be blooded in. Also hopeful that BBD can be shipped out. Archer, don’t mind giving him a crack this season, I think he will get a decent return.

I agree on Archer and think he’ll do well for us. He’s a bit similar to Balogun and Will Still got the best out of him. Someone like Downs or Stewart gives us another dimension and should create space for Archer to exploit.

[chivvy]

Not saying downes is the answer.

 

But who is this proven goalscorer we are going to attract in this division? 

 it will be some injury prone premiership has been.. or a player only good enough for the championship for big money.  

[Chez]

2 hours ago, hypochondriac said:

Particularly given how much we spent on Shea Charles last time. 

He cost £10.5m rising to £15m with add ons. Not sure what add ons we will have had to pay considering he has hardly played a game for us. Promotion perhaps?

[lambtiss]

1 minute ago, Chez said:

He cost £10.5m rising to £15m with add ons. Not sure what add ons we will have had to pay considering he has hardly played a game for us. Promotion perhaps?

He played 34 matches in the Championship season

[Chez]

1 hour ago, revolution saint said:

I agree on Archer and think he’ll do well for us. He’s a bit similar to Balogun and Will Still got the best out of him. Someone like Downs or Stewart gives us another dimension and should create space for Archer to exploit.

Will we play two up front then? I keep seeing posts on here about Still playing `proper' wingers (hence Armstrong not fitting). Can't be both. Or perhaps it can if he changes it week to week.

[Saint_clark]

44 minutes ago, chivvy said:

Not saying downes is the answer.

 

But who is this proven goalscorer we are going to attract in this division? 

 it will be some injury prone premiership has been.. or a player only good enough for the championship for big money.  

How would you feel about a tall striker who is good in the air and links up well, who is experienced and has 92 goals in 177 games in his career?

[hypochondriac]

8 minutes ago, Chez said:

He cost £10.5m rising to £15m with add ons. Not sure what add ons we will have had to pay considering he has hardly played a game for us. Promotion perhaps?

So more than double what we've paid here then. 

[S-Clarke]

8 hours ago, sockeye said:

That's a considerable amount of money at this level. Let's hope he kicks on relatively quickly.

In the old days, maybe, but £6m is relatively loose change in the modern world of football. I think you have to be able to spend those levels to even be competitive in the Championship nowadays.

We're in a time where Birmingham City put down £18m for Jay Stansfield as a League 1 club.

[Saint_lambden]

3 minutes ago, Chez said:

Will we play two up front then? I keep seeing posts on here about Still playing `proper' wingers (hence Armstrong not fitting). Can't be both. Or perhaps it can if he changes it week to week.

It will probably change through the season but going by the way Lens set up for the final match of the season:

————————New GK———————-

——Quashie——THB—-New CB/Stephens—

————————Charles————————-—

—Sugawara—Downes—Fernandes-Manning-

————AA/Archer/Stewart—Downs———

 

[Danbert]

2 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

So more than double what we've paid here then. 

No

[Dusic]

If Downs had longer on his contract we would be paying a lot more, and we have sold countless players with one year left for considerably less than their true value for the same reason.

Paying a higher fee doesn't always equate to signing a better player. If we have him as our top target then to bring him in is great, and without breaking the bank is a bonus rather than an issue!

[revolution saint]

8 minutes ago, Chez said:

Will we play two up front then? I keep seeing posts on here about Still playing `proper' wingers (hence Armstrong not fitting). Can't be both. Or perhaps it can if he changes it week to week.

Difficult to say, formations tend to vary although he does like wingers and his teams generally get more crosses in than most teams. I’m not expecting a dogmatic attachment to any particular formation.

[hypochondriac]

1 minute ago, Dusic said:

If Downs had longer on his contract we would be paying a lot more, and we have sold countless players with one year left for considerably less than their true value for the same reason.

Paying a higher fee doesn't always equate to signing a better player. If we have him as our top target then to bring him in is great, and without breaking the bank is a bonus rather than an issue!

Of course it's not a bad thing. I was only challenging the notion that it was big money for this league. It's really not. 

[Farmer Saint]

8 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

Of course it's not a bad thing. I was only challenging the notion that it was big money for this league. It's really not. 

Agree, there is not a huge amount of risk in this one - it's not big money.

[hypochondriac]

Just now, Farmer Saint said:

Agree, there is not a huge amount of risk in this one - it's not big money.

The only risk attached is the importance of him hitting the ground running and not taking toopng to find his feet. With Stewart being uncertain and Archer and Armstrong not necessarily staying, we really need him to perform if we want to go back up. 

[chivvy]

25 minutes ago, Saint_clark said:

 

Edited 16 hours ago by chivvy

[chivvy]

Just now, chivvy said:

24 minutes ago, Saint_clark said:

How would you feel about a tall striker who is good in the air and links up well, who is experienced and has 92 goals in 177 games in his career?

Who is it.. 

[Midfield_General]

6 minutes ago, Farmer Saint said:

Agree, there is not a huge amount of risk in this one - it's not big money.

The risk at the moment though is that even with Downs arriving you don't look at any of our striking options and think 'yeah he's going to be the main man to score the goals to get us promotion'. Every one of them still feels a bit 'might be alright off the bench for the last twenty minutes'.

It's only the beginning of July though, so let's see where we are at the end of the window. 

Edited 16 hours ago by Midfield_General

[Chez]

15 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

So more than double what we've paid here then. 

You seem really keen to drum the £15m figure home on here, even though it was reported as £10.5m, which I literally just posted, but whatever makes you happy hypo.

[Verbal]

2 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

The only risk attached is the importance of him hitting the ground running and not taking toopng to find his feet. With Stewart being uncertain and Archer and Armstrong not necessarily staying, we really need him to perform if we want to go back up. 

Soz but I find the expression 'find their feet' reads funny when applied to actual footballers. I mean, I have. a pretty good idea where to look.

[Chez]

7 minutes ago, Farmer Saint said:

Agree, there is not a huge amount of risk in this one - it's not big money.

Certainly not at the top end of championship fees of all time. If it's €10m, it would have been the 7th biggest fee last summer with 5 transfer of about €11m and one at €18m. Most championship clubs biggest signing is approx. under €5m.  There's not a lot of money floating around.

[hypochondriac]

4 minutes ago, Verbal said:

Soz but I find the expression 'find their feet' reads funny when applied to actual footballers. I mean, I have. a pretty good idea where to look.

You'd be forgiven for wondering if some of the players had difficulty last season. 

[Chez]

13 minutes ago, Midfield_General said:

The risk at the moment though is that even with Downs arriving you don't look at any of our striking options and think 'yeah he's going to be the main man to score the goals to get us promotion'. 

It's only July though, so let's see where we are at the end of the window. 

I didn't think Armstrong would recover his confidence and goalscoring after his first season in the PL, but he did. I am hopeful him or Archer or whoever get the supply and extra time and space they need to score goals. I think the supply is key though. We created fuck all in the PL. Personally I think adding some new creative players is essential. I am not confident Edozie and Dibling will tear up this league. Hope they do, but really not certain.

[Chez]

51 minutes ago, Saint_lambden said:

It will probably change through the season but going by the way Lens set up for the final match of the season:

————————New GK———————-

——Quashie——THB—-New CB/Stephens—

————————Charles————————-—

—Sugawara—Downes—Fernandes-Manning-

————AA/Archer/Stewart—Downs———

 

Did he play 5 at the back all season? Saw enough of that shit last season

Edited 15 hours ago by Chez

[Midfield_General]

27 minutes ago, Chez said:

I didn't think Armstrong would recover his confidence and goalscoring after his first season in the PL, but he did. I am hopeful him or Archer or whoever get the supply and extra time and space they need to score goals. I think the supply is key though. We created fuck all in the PL. Personally I think adding some new creative players is essential. I am not confident Edozie and Dibling will tear up this league. Hope they do, but really not certain.

Yeah Armstrong's the one who, if we play him in his best position coming in off the right, gives me the most confidence will get goals out of who we've currently got. I personally wouldn't read too much into his WBA loan spell because by all accounts they were playing him down the middle which anyone who's watched him enough knows he can't do. I'd definitely keep him. 

Stewart looks to have a bit of quality but you just feel he could break down at any time. With Archer, the jury is still totally out for me and it would be an enormous risk to rely on him to lead the line, and BBD I just think is an embarrassment and he'd be the first out of the door, regardless of whether or not he's scored a few at this level before. He's abysmal. 

I'd still like to think we're going to spend some proper money on an established, obvious first-choice striker. Going in with that person, Stewart, Armstrong and Downs, and getting rid of Archer and BBD would feel to me more like the behaviour of a team expecting to challenge for the league. And I agree with you about the supply being critical.

Until we see how Still wants to play, who stays, who goes etc it's almost impossible to predict what the team will look like at the start of the season, but it definitely feels like there's a lot of work to be done. 

Edited 15 hours ago by Midfield_General

[SuperSAINT]

I’m certain at least 2 will go, but Stewart / Armstrong / BBD / Archer (purely on championship paper) is a bit of an Avengers level group of forwards at this level. 

Edited 15 hours ago by SuperSAINT

[qwertyell]

3 minutes ago, SuperSAINT said:

I’m certain at least 2 will go, but Stewart / Armstrong / BBD / Archer (purely on championship paper) is a bit of an Avengers level group of forwards at this level. 

Which one's Emma Peel?

[HarvSFC]

Solak said we could sign three players before we sold anyone. The first being Quarshie and the second being Downs. Two players that we could get in early, as weren't too difficult to sign.

Then, when we start making some sales, hopefully we can then start moving for the more established/marquee signings that are a bit more complicated to sign. But, with the wage budget being reduced and transfer budget being increased by the sales we should have enough financial muscle and pull in the Championship to attract those to us later in the window.

[SWLondon Saint]

14 minutes ago, Chez said:

Did he play 5 at the back all season? Saw enough of that shit last season

He mainly plays 4-2-3-1 or one of the variations on it according to most sources - but more importantly he's adaptable and uses whatever formation fits the players he's had. Would be nice to have a manager who's pragmatic rather than a system obsessive...

[S-Clarke]

Just now, HarvSFC said:

Solak said we could sign three players before we sold anyone. The first being Quarshie and the second being Downs. Two players that we could get in early, as weren't too difficult to sign.

Then, when we start making some sales, hopefully we can then start moving for the more established/marquee signings that are a bit more complicated to sign. But, with the wage budget being reduced and transfer budget being increased by the sales we should have enough financial muscle and pull in the Championship to attract those to us later in the window.

Marquee signings is a bit of a floated term nowadays, what does it mean in reality? 

Is it a case of just spending a massively inflated fee on a player who is in demand? There is still value to be had without spending silly money. Judging the 'coup' level of a signing shouldn't be based upon the transfer fee alone, but it feels like modern football has gone that way sadly.

[S-Clarke]

In case anyone was wondering if this fella was going to be joining us:

 

Quote

Shankland agrees terms on new Hearts deal

Latest from Sky Sports News' Anthony Joseph: 

Hearts captain Lawrence Shankland is travelling to Spain tonight to rejoin his teammates after agreeing to stay with the club.

Sky Sports News understands the striker has agreed terms on a new contract.

Shankland has been pictured at Glasgow Airport this evening as he heads out to join the squad for their pre-season training camp.

Hearts had travelled to Spain at the weekend without the Scotland international, with new boss Derek McInnes unsure of the 29-year-old’s decision.

 

[Badger]

9 minutes ago, qwertyell said:

Which one's Emma Peel?

Showing your age there Qwertyell.

But I wholeheartedly approve ! 

[Chez]

13 minutes ago, Midfield_General said:

I'd still like to think we're going to spend some proper money on an established, obvious first-choice striker.

Bit strange to be told we will sign a CB, AM and CF, without the need to wait for sales only to sign a `back up striker' with a big money striker coming later.  I know the transfer window is fluid, so anything can happen, but isn't Downs 'the guy'?

[Chez]

13 minutes ago, S-Clarke said:

Marquee signings is a bit of a floated term nowadays, what does it mean in reality? 

Is it a case of just spending a massively inflated fee on a player who is in demand? There is still value to be had without spending silly money. Judging the 'coup' level of a signing shouldn't be based upon the transfer fee alone, but it feels like modern football has gone that way sadly.

If we somehow managed to sign an out of contract PL player that most felt would find another gig at that level (or perhaps go abroad), that might be considered marquee. But you are swapping large transfer fee for huge wages.

Edited 15 hours ago by Chez

[Midfield_General]

4 minutes ago, Chez said:

Bit strange to be told we will sign a CB, AM and CF, without the need to wait for sales only to sign a `back up striker' with a big money striker coming later.  I know the transfer window is fluid, so anything can happen, but isn't Downs 'the guy'?

I personally hope not, but yes, he could well be. 

Who knows though. It's still very early days and until some of the bigger sales start happening and we start to get an idea of how Still wants us to line up, it's very hard to tell. 

[Saint86]

9 hours ago, malcolm waldron said:

Was that the away game or the home one?  Only asking as it felt like there were two Diblings last season - pre and post Christmas.  I do remember he spent a lot of time defending in the home game and showed good positional awareness.

I can't remember now, although i think it was the away game.

You only have to see this video to see it though - 1 on 1 as an 18year old, first time playing at this level, and he's just outright bullying defenders with power and skill... all in one of the worst teams to ever grace the premier league. Kids got the potential to be absolute class.

[Oldandtired]

Sort of connected to this thread but is Ramsdale doing pre season with the rest of them?

[Toussaint]

1 hour ago, chivvy said:

Who is it.. 

I heard Peaboat mentioned further back in this thread, I have a strong feeling it’s him.

[Give it to Ron]

13 minutes ago, Oldandtired said:

Sort of connected to this thread but is Ramsdale doing pre season with the rest of them?

Along with others who played internationals he has another week or so plus think on honeymoon still.

[Oldandtired]

Just now, Give it to Ron said:

Along with others who played internationals he has another week or so plus think on honeymoon still.

Cheers.