Summer Transfer Window 2025/26

[hypochondriac]

Just now, S-Clarke said:

I'd like us to go all in to get Tom Fellows too, he's the sort of player we need.

Azaz, Fellows, that winger from Germany - keep everything else we have, and that will be it.

If we lose Smallbone then we'll get a CM too.

That is what I would call an impressive signing and in truth a little above our station. I think the club really need something like that to get the fans excited and distract from losing our stars. 

[CB Fry]

13 minutes ago, saintant said:

At the time of Bazunu's achilles injury we could have signed Johansson in Apr 2024 for £900k and low wages. How much did we pay for Ramsdale and what was his annual wage? Do you think not signing Johansson when we had the opportunity then panic buying Ramsdale was good business sense by SR?

If you think this forum/the fanbase would have accepted signing the Rotherham goalkeeper for a million quid as our Bazunu cover and front line Premier League goalkeeper then you are out of your fucking mind.

[Gloucester Saint]

1 minute ago, hypochondriac said:

That is what I would call an impressive signing and in truth a little above our station. I think the club really need something like that to get the fans excited and distract from losing our stars. 

Give us something to want to watch as well. Wingers make game so much more energetic and lively. Hopefully the end of the Pep era. 

[saintant]

1 minute ago, hypochondriac said:

That is what I would call an impressive signing and in truth a little above our station. I think the club really need something like that to get the fans excited and distract from losing our stars. 

This is what three and a half years of SR has done to us.

[hypochondriac]

Just now, CB Fry said:

If you think this forum/the fanbase would have accepted signing the Rotherham goalkeeper for a million quid as our Bazunu cover and front line Premier League goalkeeper then you are out of your fucking mind.

Personally I'd have much preferred dumping McCarthy after promotion and getting him in then alongside Ramsdale. 

[SW11_Saint]

13 minutes ago, Farmer Saint said:

Aribo, Suga, Edozie, ABK will also be off. Fernandes won't currently. We want two wingers and an attacking mid.

I’d be delighted if Matty F stays, but fear a bid will come in that will be close enough to their valuation. 
 

That aside, I’d be happy with Azaz and the wingers. Assume Tom Fellows is too much to ask for? 

[hypochondriac]

6 minutes ago, saintant said:

This is what three and a half years of SR has done to us.

I'd put money on him being a success in the prem any day of the week so yes he's a bit above what we should be attracting. Doesn't mean we can't try for him though and I think we need a star signing like that personally.

I agree with the person earlier that says the club's PR can be quite brain dead. They should be aware of the mood music at present surrounding this window and it's only going to inflame things to sign a backup third keeper when the club knows the doubts surrounding Bazunu amongst the wider fan base, the fact we lost on Saturday and particularly on the same day that we lose one of our most promising players with no replacement currently in the building. 

Edited 6 hours ago by hypochondriac

[saintant]

9 minutes ago, CB Fry said:

If you think this forum/the fanbase would have accepted signing the Rotherham goalkeeper for a million quid as our Bazunu cover and front line Premier League goalkeeper then you are out of your fucking mind.

We were in the Championship when Bazunu did his achilles. Happened in warm up before the game. Ok we won promotion and would have been signing Johansson for Premier league - some fans may have kicked off but it would have proved to be a shrewd signing.

Edited 6 hours ago by saintant

[Sir Ralph]

What I find worrying about the SR approach is that they have sold players and have now sold Dibling and will probably sell Fernandes. They now have one week to get the replacement players in, particularly attacking players, but clubs know we will be getting desperate and have money with little time. Extra money we negotiated over the past couple of weeks through the dibling and any Fernandes deal could well be spent getting mugged off by the clubs we want to buy off. If the deals for new players start to go south we will be getting even more desperate. It’s not a good place to be. I thought the saying was that good clubs get their business done early.

Edited 6 hours ago by Sir Ralph

[Appy]

15 minutes ago, S-Clarke said:

I'd like us to go all in to get Tom Fellows too, he's the sort of player we need.

Azaz, Fellows, that winger from Germany - keep everything else we have, and that will be it.

If we lose Smallbone then we'll get a CM too.

Should be signing a CM regardless, woefully short in there. 

[S-Clarke]

Just now, Appy said:

Should be signing a CM regardless, woefully short in there. 

I don't disagree with that at all, but numbers wise I think we need to lose one or two first (Aribo/Smallbone/Matsuki).

Downes, Charles, Matsuki, Smallbone, Aribo, Fernandes in squad size is pretty well loaded, albeit not really a good mix of player. We lack some proper steel in there IMO.

If we can dump two and bring in better then we should be doing so, but it's the one area we need to lose some from before we can add.

[Lighthouse]

5 minutes ago, saintant said:

Unless Preston were in the Premier league I think you'll find we were in the Championship when Bazunu did his achilles. Happened in warm up before the game.

So when you said, "at the time of Bazunu's achilles injury," you meant we should have literally signed Johansson during the warm up against Preston?

[tdmickey3]

30 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

Azaz will sign in the next few days. We will get a winger or two on loan from the prem and maybe a Smallbone replacement and that will be it. I'd be pretty disappointed with that, especially when Fernandes goes by the end of the week. 

Glad you are starting to see sense

[trousers]

16 minutes ago, CB Fry said:

If you think this forum/the fanbase would have accepted signing the Rotherham goalkeeper for a million quid as our Bazunu cover and front line Premier League goalkeeper then you are out of your fucking mind.

Probably right, although there were plenty of us who commented on how good he was after the Rotherham game... I even remember myself saying that he had a bit of a Jordan Pickford vibe about him (I was at the game that day, in the Northam just behind the goal, so got to see him close up). I'm not usually one for hyperbole but I remember flagging this fella as someone who looked a bit special. But, yep, there'd have been plenty who would've been unhappy if we'd signed him for the PL.

Edited 6 hours ago by trousers

[egg]

Just now, Lighthouse said:

So when you said, "at the time of Bazunu's achilles injury," you meant we should have literally signed Johansson during the warm up against Preston?

I think he means when Johansson became available, and then in anticipation of getting relegated, not actually signing Ramsdale. Or something. 

[AlexLaw76]

I would have had Johannson over that other keeper we nearly signed. But Ramsdale was premier league ready.

[Smirking_Saint]

Azaz and a decent winger or two and Id be happy tbh, not really sure what anyone was expecting

Spertsyan seemed a bit above us, we pushed but it never really happened, not sure who exactly people are expecting a Championship club to sign who would be better than Rudoni or Azaz ?

Edit - Obviously Id like us to sign a decent striker, Downs doesn’t fill me with confidence but Ill give him the benefit of the doubt.. there’s just no real options… 25m for Josh Sargeant ? No fucking thanks

Edited 6 hours ago by Smirking_Saint

[Gloucester Saint]

10 minutes ago, S-Clarke said:

I don't disagree with that at all, but numbers wise I think we need to lose one or two first (Aribo/Smallbone/Matsuki).

Downes, Charles, Matsuki, Smallbone, Aribo, Fernandes in squad size is pretty well loaded, albeit not really a good mix of player. We lack some proper steel in there IMO.

If we can dump two and bring in better then we should be doing so, but it's the one area we need to lose some from before we can add.

Smallbone to Wrexham looks like a rare Alan Nixon scoop, it’s been everywhere and Alfie tweeted that the club were happy for him to go. Wouldn’t have done that without a wink it was on.

Aribo - who knows. His agent seems to think he’s marketing peak Yaya Toure but we know the reality. He’s ok, but not a Still player and hasn’t been happy for ages. Price could be the issue, if Wrexham can pay £7.5m for Will, then can’t see the club taking less for a Nigerian international.

Wages are very different of course. Personally I’d take a lower fee and get the wages gone, giving Still a more energetic engine room, but not the SR way.

@Smirking_Saint I never took the Armenian thing seriously and much rather have two quick direct high quality wide players myself. Ironically after Martin pissed Alcaraz about, it’s exactly that type of central player who breaks the lines, carries the ball and has a bit of edge/risk to him that we sorely need. 

Edited 6 hours ago by Gloucester Saint

[hypochondriac]

3 minutes ago, Smirking_Saint said:

Azaz and a decent winger or two and Id be happy tbh, not really sure what anyone was expecting

Spertsyan seemed a bit above us, we pushed but it never really happened, not sure who exactly people are expecting a Championship club to sign who would be better than Rudoni or Azaz ?

Edit - Obviously Id like us to sign a decent striker, Downs doesn’t fill me with confidence but Ill give him the benefit of the doubt.. there’s just no real options… 25m for Josh Sargeant ? No fucking thanks

I was expecting us to go all out to try to win the league. 

[Smirking_Saint]

2 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

I was expecting us to go all out to try to win the league. 

Who would you suggest we buy better than Azaz for example ? 

Which striker is available ?

What wingers would you buy ?

No… thats not my job bullshit, im genuinely curious 

Edited 6 hours ago by Smirking_Saint

[AlexLaw76]

Just now, Smirking_Saint said:

Who would you suggest we buy better than Azaz for example ? 

Which striker is available ?

What wingers would you buy ?

isn't that why we spend Millions of ££ on a DoF, scouts and a recruitment team...?

[James]

Just now, AlexLaw76 said:

isn't that why we spend Millions of ££ on a DoF, scouts and a recruitment team...?

Exactly. Successful teams don’t just sign players we’ve all heard of from other teams in the same league. Brighton, Bournemouth and Brentford are all excellent examples of that. 

[Smirking_Saint]

4 minutes ago, Gloucester Saint said:

Smallbone to Wrexham looks like a rare Alan Nixon scoop, it’s been everywhere and Alfie tweeted that the club were happy for him to go. Wouldn’t have done that without a wink it was on.

Aribo - who knows. His agent seems to think he’s marketing peak Yaya Toure but we know the reality. He’s ok, but not a Still player and hasn’t been happy for ages. Price could be the issue, if Wrexham can pay £7.5m for Will, then can’t see the club taking less for a Nigerian international.

Wages are very different of course. Personally I’d take a lower fee and get the wages gone, giving Still a more energetic engine room, but not the SR way.

@Smirking_Saint I never took the Armenian thing seriously and much rather have two quick direct high quality wide players myself. Ironically after Martin pissed Alcaraz about, it’s exactly that type of central player who breaks the lines, carries the ball and has a bit of edge/risk to him that we sorely need. 

Maybe you’re right regarding Alcaraz but he just wasn’t good enough here, at the time and we brought in Fernandes as his replacement, and before anyone pipes up, he was a replacement we wouldn’t of had both

The Armenian thing, I agree, after a week of the back and forth it seemed dead, but its evidence we are trying for targets, unfortunately we’re a Champ team and turning into a yo yo one at that.. maybe if SR hadn’t royally fucked two Prem campaigns we could be choosers not beggars 

[AlexLaw76]

1 minute ago, James said:

Exactly. Successful teams don’t just sign players we’ve all heard of from other teams in the same league. Brighton, Bournemouth and Brentford are all excellent examples of that. 

Im sure last season, when Ramsdale was touted as a potential keeper on here, it was deemed incredibly unrealistic.

[Gloucester Saint]

1 minute ago, Smirking_Saint said:

Who would you suggest we buy better than Azaz for example ? 

Which striker is available ?

What wingers would you buy ?

Azaz is more a #10 but if we got Fellows to go with him, Robinson carries on progressing and another winger in on loan - that would be a good refresh. Archer could be a beneficiary as he might actually get some early ball off the defenders’ shoulder. 

Agree with @Appy on a CM that carries the ball and has some edge though. Wouldn’t half help Still get more out of Charles/Downes who struggled with his workload Saturday. Or failing that, an actual DM and push either Charles or Downes further up so the defence is screened. And with new RB, go 4 at the back too. 

[Smirking_Saint]

3 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

isn't that why we spend Millions of ££ on a DoF, scouts and a recruitment team...?

But this is just a lazy resposte… you can’t slam names like Azaz or the St Pauli guy, or even Downs without actually offering alternative targets

[AlexLaw76]

Just now, Smirking_Saint said:

But this is just a lazy resposte… you can’t slam names like Azaz or the St Pauli guy, or even Downs without actually offering alternative targets

Ok, Gus Hamer

[hypochondriac]

Just now, AlexLaw76 said:

isn't that why we spend Millions of ££ on a DoF, scouts and a recruitment team...?

Exactly. We get this same bullshit every window. It's for the club to find the best players possible. We aren't signing Rudoni are we. We possibly aren't signing fellows. We aren't signing a better striker than Downs. Quarshie looks like one for the future rather than an improvement on Bednarek. We've lost our keeper and are content to use Bazunu with his ability to recover form after messing up at best a question mark. Or Bazunu getting injured and then being forced to use McCarthy long term. 

[Smirking_Saint]

Just now, AlexLaw76 said:

Ok, Gus Hamer

Gus Hamer I’d take, but I imagine he’s in the Rudoni camp, waiting for a prem call

Id actually take a punt on him, but ironically not a player Id see moving to another Champ side until the end of the window if at all

[AlexLaw76]

Just now, Smirking_Saint said:

Gus Hamer I’d take, but I imagine he’s in the Rudoni camp, waiting for a prem call

Id actually take a punt on him, but ironically not a player Id see moving to another Champ side until the end of the window if at all

See, and I am not a football scout, or a DoF. Found one.

Another, Sorba Thomas

[hypochondriac]

4 minutes ago, Smirking_Saint said:

But this is just a lazy resposte… you can’t slam names like Azaz or the St Pauli guy, or even Downs without actually offering alternative targets

Who has slammed the Azaz signing? 

[Smirking_Saint]

1 minute ago, hypochondriac said:

Exactly. We get this same bullshit every window. It's for the club to find the best players possible. We aren't signing Rudoni are we. We possibly aren't signing fellows. We aren't signing a better striker than Downs. Quarshie looks like one for the future rather than an improvement on Bednarek. We've lost our keeper and are content to use Bazunu with his ability to recover form after messing up at best a question mark. Or Bazunu getting injured and then being forced to use McCarthy long term. 

Again… so you’re slamming the recruitment team for going for players without actually pointing at any viabe alternatives

”we can do better than him”

”ok name him then”

”Well I can’t, but it not up to me”

Just lazy bollocks really, SR have been awful, and I slammed them last year, Fraser, Lallana, BBD, Archer… I literally said we’re building for the championship not prem. But now ? I can’t for the life of me see how looking at Azaz is ‘boring’ or run of the mill

Its just moaning for moaning sake 

[AlexLaw76]

Alfie Doughty

This is fairly straight forward it seems. 

[Osvaldorama]

5 minutes ago, Smirking_Saint said:

But this is just a lazy resposte… you can’t slam names like Azaz or the St Pauli guy, or even Downs without actually offering alternative targets

Of course he can. 
 

We have had over 6 months to prepare, we pay scouts and a recruitment team thousands of pounds for this exact job. 
Most clubs can find players and improve their squad in some way. It should easily be possible for a club with our reputation of improving players and selling them to champions league clubs. 

Yet we are the only club that gets worse every single window. We are the only team, that when we went up to the PL, the team actually got fucking worse than the championship promotion season. 
 

 

[AlexLaw76]

Scott Twine

[lambtiss]

11 minutes ago, Smirking_Saint said:

Who would you suggest we buy better than Azaz for example ? 

Which striker is available ?

What wingers would you buy ?

No… thats not my job bullshit, im genuinely curious 

Striker wise, Josh Sargent is better than anything we've got and the type of target man we've lacked since Adams left.

[trousers]

50 minutes ago, Willo of Whiteley said:

 

Still waiting…

It seems MLG hasn’t replied to a few who have asked this or similar. 🤣

Feels more like a club plant every day. 😂

Whilst I generally like @Matthew Le God, he does do a disappearing act fairly often when asked a question to which he can't quickly respond with one of his pre-prepared "gotcha"s. A quick "yeah, ok, fair point" would suffice but I'm not sure backing down like that is quite his thing...

#trousers:amateurpsychologistextraordinaire

Edited 6 hours ago by trousers

[Smirking_Saint]

1 minute ago, AlexLaw76 said:

See, and I am not a football scout, or a DoF. Found one.

Another, Sorba Thomas

You think we’d of realistically signed the Champ POTS from a promotion rival that has had Prem interest before the last week of the window ?

Sorba Thomas ? Yeah not for me, you’ve picked him off the back of one game, he’s quick, but was average at Nantesannd average for Huddersfield previously 

[Smirking_Saint]

1 minute ago, lambtiss said:

Striker wise, Josh Sargent is better than anything we've got and the type of target man we've lacked since Adams left.

They want 25m for him, which is mental for a Championship striker

[AlexLaw76]

Just now, Smirking_Saint said:

You think we’d of realistically signed the Champ POTS from a promotion rival that has had Prem interest before the last week of the window ?

Sorba Thomas ? Yeah not for me, you’ve picked him off the back of one game, he’s quick, but was average at Nantesannd average for Huddersfield previously 

You asked me to name realistic signings, I am and I am not remotely close to being a professional scout or such like.

Could we sign Hamer right now? you bet

[Gloucester Saint]

Just now, lambtiss said:

Striker wise, Josh Sargent is better than anything we've got and the type of target man we've lacked since Adams left.

Where did WBA get Issac Price from?

Looked it up - Standard Liege. So there are direct, tricky players out there for a reasonable fees if we look beyond the Ankerson Transfer Tavern nonsense and watch properly. 

[CB Fry]

17 minutes ago, Smirking_Saint said:

Who would you suggest we buy better than Azaz for example ? 

Which striker is available ?

What wingers would you buy ?

No… thats not my job bullshit, im genuinely curious 

I think that is what Spors was supposed to be working on since he started (when we knew, for sure, what division we were going to be in weeks before the other teams).

Still time of course but I genuinely thought we would have signed some gems from Germany or Scandinavia or wherever by now. Players like Damion Downs, but, you know, good.

[hypochondriac]

6 minutes ago, Smirking_Saint said:

Again… so you’re slamming the recruitment team for going for players without actually pointing at any viabe alternatives

”we can do better than him”

”ok name him then”

”Well I can’t, but it not up to me”

Just lazy bollocks really, SR have been awful, and I slammed them last year, Fraser, Lallana, BBD, Archer… I literally said we’re building for the championship not prem. But now ? I can’t for the life of me see how looking at Azaz is ‘boring’ or run of the mill

Its just moaning for moaning sake 

Absolute bullshit. Someone just named Hamer. I quite liked the like of Furehashi from Birmingham. Absolutely no one has slammed an Azaz signing, the only thing I said was that he was about the level of player I would expect us to sign in our position and that I'd also like to see someone like Fellows signed who I judged to be exciting and quite ambitious. I never described an Azaz signing as boring you've just made that up. 

Rudoni 

Fellows

Furehashi 

Hamer 

Brownhill

That's 5 signings I'd liked to have seen us sign but like I said I'm not a big football club with a scouting network and it's for them to find the best players possible. Now watch as you dismiss all those players because I've dared to give you some actual names. 

[Appy]

6 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

Alfie Doughty

This is fairly straight forward it seems. 

Won’t be signing him, he’s only been at Millwall 5 minutes

[Smirking_Saint]

1 minute ago, AlexLaw76 said:

You asked me to name realistic signings, I am and I am not remotely close to being a professional scout or such like.

Could we sign Hamer right now? you bet

Could we fuck 😂

There’s no way in hell he’s not waiting for a Prem opportunity

You named two names, ones not that great and the other every club in the division would want, currently linked to Leeds, Everton and PSV for 18mish… its not happening 

[Osvaldorama]

1 minute ago, CB Fry said:

I think that is what Spors was supposed to be working on since he started (when we knew, for sure, what division we were going to be in weeks before the other teams).

Still time of course but I genuinely thought we would have signed some gems from Germany or Scandinavia or wherever by now. Players like Damion Downs, but, you know, good.

Of course we could. 

 

Anyone saying otherwise is a fool. These wanker owners have been getting away with absolute murder since they came in. Yet still people are happy to stick up for them. Embarrassing 

[AlexLaw76]

Just now, Smirking_Saint said:

Could we fuck 😂

There’s no way in hell he’s not waiting for a Prem opportunity

You named two names, ones not that great and the other every club in the division would want, currently linked to Leeds, Everton and PSV for 18mish… its not happening 

Doughty, Twine, Thomas, Fellows, I mentioned Azaz weeks and weeks ago.

There you go

Why bother playing millions of £££ when a bit of FM and Saintsweb can sweep up

[James]

Just now, Smirking_Saint said:

Could we fuck 😂

There’s no way in hell he’s not waiting for a Prem opportunity

You named two names, ones not that great and the other every club in the division would want, currently linked to Leeds, Everton and PSV for 18mish… its not happening 

So you ask folks to name some players they want, they do it and you dismiss them all as either players you don’t fancy or players you don’t think we could sign. Pretty impossible exercise in that case.

[Matthew Le God]

10 minutes ago, trousers said:

Whilst I generally like @Matthew Le God, he does do a disappearing act fairly often when asked a question to which he can't quickly respond with one of his pre-prepared "gotcha"s. A quick "yeah, ok, fair point" would suffice but I'm not sure backing down like that is quite his thing...

#trousers:amateurpsychologistextraordinaire

Or... I'm potty training a toddler this summer, and I can't instantly reply all the time!

Signing Joachim Kayi Sanda is a benefit of the club group for Saints; using a sister club to turn a potential quick profit on Daouda Traoré is another benefit for Saints.

Edited 6 hours ago by Matthew Le God

[Miltonaggro]

34 minutes ago, Lighthouse said:

So when you said, "at the time of Bazunu's achilles injury," you meant we should have literally signed Johansson during the warm up against Preston?

To be fair that would have been brilliant. Folding table hastily assembled in the centre circle!