Summer Transfer Window 2026

[Chez]

Just now, AlexLaw76 said:

They were first team players and contributed in big games and in big situations.

We are weaker today without them.

hard to argue with that.
Losing Stewart still concerns me. I guess Mubama scoring some goals early doors might put that to rest. 

[tdmickey3]

1 minute ago, Midfield_General said:

If true, that's at least £5m less than I thought we'd hold out for.

I'm guessing that THB has made it very clear he wants to go, and this late in the window there's not enough time left to play hardball. Only hope would be a competitor coming in and offering more, but that seems unlikely given the speed this is moving.

But a base fee of ~£21/22m + add-ons really does seem low for a 24 year-old who has played for England and still has two years left. 

 

Maybe not but Villa will be eager too

[sockeye]

A bit worrying to lose THB but this time last year we hadn't signed Azaz, Jander, Fellows and Scienza, who only joined in the last days of the window, so a replacement could come in quickly. It's still a big loss not to have him against Stoke though

[hypochondriac]

Just now, Chez said:

hard to argue with that.
Losing Stewart still concerns me. I guess Mubama scoring some goals early doors might put that to rest. 

He talks a good game but that could go wrong rather quickly. Trying to look on the bright side, if the worst happens and we lose the remaining top players we will still have: 

Peretz 

Bree Stephens - Manning 

Fellows/Matsuki Downes - Dobbin

Azaz/Mubama

Which is still probably a mid table Championship team. Replace Scienza, THB, Jander and Charles with some quality and I'd still be confident of the playoffs. 

[Chez]

21 minutes ago, trousers said:

 

 

I didn't think he looked good enough in the preseason games last summer, so a loan move makes sense. I thought perhaps he should have gone out on loan last season, but maybe there were no good offers. 

[for_heaven's_Saint]

I think the biggest thing we will miss about THB is his passing out from the back. Hard to get anyone as good as him at that at this level. 

[hypochondriac]

Just now, for_heaven's_Saint said:

I think the biggest thing we will miss about THB is his passing out from the back. Hard to get anyone as good as him at that at this level. 

And his goal contributions. 

[Chez]

1 minute ago, hypochondriac said:

He talks a good game but that could go wrong rather quickly. Trying to look on the bright side, if the worst happens and we lose the remaining top players we will still have: 

Peretz 

Bree Stephens - Manning 

Fellows/Matsuki Downes - Dobbin

Azaz/Mubama

Which is still probably a mid table Championship team. Replace Scienza, THB, Jander and Charles with some quality and I'd still be confident of the playoffs. 

and Larin.

I cant see Jander going. We are going to be asking too much money. Scienza, I'm less sure. Very hard to find players like him and what he did last year wont have gone unnoticed. Is someone paying £35m+ for him though? 

[Badger]

18 minutes ago, Ken Tone said:

Should be £25 mill PLUS add-ons IMO.  "Up to 25 mill" is cheap .

Appalling negotiation if true.

That’s effectively exchanging THB for what we’ve paid (been fleeced on) for Archer and Dobbin. How many would be happy with that ? 

[lambtiss]

3 minutes ago, for_heaven's_Saint said:

I think the biggest thing we will miss about THB is his passing out from the back. Hard to get anyone as good as him at that at this level. 

And his goal threat from set pieces (what have the romans ever done for us) 

[Chez]

3 minutes ago, for_heaven's_Saint said:

I think the biggest thing we will miss about THB is his passing out from the back. Hard to get anyone as good as him at that at this level. 

...and very hard for championship sides to sign CBs with that kind of ability on the ball. Maybe impossible.

[hypochondriac]

2 minutes ago, Chez said:

and Larin.

I cant see Jander going. We are going to be asking too much money. Scienza, I'm less sure. Very hard to find players like him and what he did last year wont have gone unnoticed. Is someone paying £35m+ for him though? 

IMO Scienza isn't worth that much given his age and he was a bit inconsistent. Excellent player no doubt but that seems high to me.

[Badger]

The loan CB we might have gone for was Alleyne. But gone to Burnley.

Burnley ffs…. 

[tdmickey3]

1 minute ago, for_heaven's_Saint said:

I think the biggest thing we will miss about THB is his passing out from the back. Hard to get anyone as good as him at that at this level. 

But we`ve got Stephens.........................Oh 

[tdmickey3]

5 minutes ago, Badger said:

Appalling negotiation if true.

That’s effectively exchanging THB for what we’ve paid (been fleeced on) for Archer and Dobbin. How many would be happy with that ? 

SFC it would seem

[hypochondriac]

3 minutes ago, Badger said:

Appalling negotiation if true.

That’s effectively exchanging THB for what we’ve paid (been fleeced on) for Archer and Dobbin. How many would be happy with that ? 

Alternatively we are exchanging him for Larin, Peretz, Scienza, Jander and change which is excellent value!

[Chez]

12 minutes ago, Badger said:

Appalling negotiation if true.

That’s effectively exchanging THB for what we’ve paid (been fleeced on) for Archer and Dobbin. How many would be happy with that ? 

I parroted hypo.

Edited 5 hours ago by Chez

[sockeye]

We cant be selling players after a year of being contracted. That just signals we are not actually serious about competing in this league.

 

Edited 5 hours ago by sockeye

[Chez]

4 minutes ago, Badger said:

The loan CB we might have gone for was Alleyne. But gone to Burnley.

Burnley ffs…. 

Is Alleyne a good player? he was in our academy at one point, right?

[tdmickey3]

3 minutes ago, sockeye said:

We cant be selling players after a year of being contracted. That just signals we are not actually serious about competing in this league.

 

This but, it has been suggested we are a player trading club.... 

[DT]

Having Stephens as a starter instead of a departed THB is a disaster. We've not played a blinder here and it will cost us dearly unless we can pull a rabbit out of the hat. Because even playing a rabbit would be better than Stephens

[Lighthouse]

5 minutes ago, sockeye said:

We cant be selling players after a year of being contracted. That just signals we are not actually serious about competing in this league.

We can if they’re worth a lot of money, which is needed to balance the books.

[Chez]

11 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

IMO Scienza isn't worth that much given his age and he was a bit inconsistent. Excellent player no doubt but that seems high to me.

All wingers are inconsistent. they are asked to beat a man all ends up. You cant do that if you do the same things over and over. Some days when you get left and so does the defender.

I think the club will have put a £35m+ price on his head. They don't want him leaving.

Very hard to find that kind of quality in the championship. Take him out of the side and we will lack creativity. 

 

[hypochondriac]

1 minute ago, Chez said:

All wingers are inconsistent. they are asked to beat a man all ends up. You cant do that if you do the same things over and over. Some days when you get left and so does the defender.

I think the club will have put a £35m+ price on his head. They don't want him leaving.

Very hard to find that kind of quality in the championship. Take him out of the side and we will lack creativity. 

 

I don't want to lose him but interestibg to see what the club do if a Prem team bid 25 with addons. Would we force him to stay? I can't see it.

[Willo of Whiteley]

Reported by Middlesbrough fan journo Graeme Bailey.

At least wait until he’s left before getting knickers in a twist.

[Chez]

4 minutes ago, DT said:

Having Stephens as a starter instead of a departed THB is a disaster. We've not played a blinder here and it will cost us dearly unless we can pull a rabbit out of the hat. Because even playing a rabbit would be better than Stephens

Stephens wont be replacing THB. we played him alongside THB. Wood and Stephens as a partnership...hmm.

[hypochondriac]

Just now, Willo of Whiteley said:

Reported by Middlesbrough fan journo Graeme Bailey.

At least wait until he’s left before getting knickers in a twist.

I know it's difficult for you to accept but he's going.

[beatlesaint]

I’m prepared to be majorly pissed off if THB goes for less than Shea Charles !!!

I was hoping this season would finally see Stephens sink back to squad player, off the bench at most.

Now it looks like he’ll be a mainstay of the defence……great 🙁

In all the years he’s been here not one club, bar that loan for Bournemouth to boost their numbers, has ever bid for him. Tells you all you need to know, even Russell Martin didn’t want him !

[Chez]

Just now, Willo of Whiteley said:

Reported by Middlesbrough fan journo Graeme Bailey.

At least wait until he’s left before getting knickers in a twist.

as I said, how the hell does he know the price? Pure guesswork. 

[Saint Scott]

46 minutes ago, trousers said:

 

 

That fee is laughable if true. Villa have the cash we should be holding firm for £30m + add-ons. 

 

[Chez]

8 minutes ago, tdmickey3 said:

This but, it has been suggested we are a player trading club.... 

players have to be traded. Operating costs exceed income. But clearly the aim of the business right now is to get promoted.

[Chez]

1 minute ago, Saint Scott said:

That fee is laughable if true. Villa have the cash we should be holding firm for £30m + add-ons. 

 

maybe we are, although the £25m asking figure does seem to have been bandied about. Who knows if that has come from Saints

[Lighthouse]

5 minutes ago, Saint Scott said:

That fee is laughable if true. Villa have the cash we should be holding firm for £30m + add-ons. 

I think you’re going to be disappointed TBH, Championship defenders don’t tend to go for deals touching on £35m. It’s far more likely that the add ons will take us into £25m territory, maybe close to £30m at the top end, but I wouldn’t expect more.

[DT]

Villa have signed Wan-Bissaka

[saintant]

59 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

I get that but tbf we don't know if Romeu had had a positive impact in the dressing room during our run last year. I totally understand it's a risk but a fully fit Jander, Downes, Bragg and an admittedly older JWP still seems like a top half set of midfield options to me.

No ball carriers or players to drive us up the pitch in those midfielders. JWP is a ball recycler and not someone we need on high wages. We need a replacement for Charles and plodding JWP isn't it.

[hypochondriac]

1 minute ago, saintant said:

No ball carriers or players to drive us up the pitch in those midfielders. JWP is a ball recycler and not someone we need on high wages. We need a replacement for Charles and plodding JWP isn't it.

I'd be up for signing another attacking player who could play in more than one position to give us some options too. I don't agree with your characterisation. JWP would be a very good option to have in the championship. 

[leesaint88]

Best raid City for another young CB then, Harrison Parker? 

[Maggie May]

Amusingly, THB would've been one of the players I'd shift if we were promoted.  We needed much, much better than he produced the last time we were there.  Our loyalty to a lot of the players from the Championship play off win is a big factor in why we went down so fast.  We need to be ruthless.

[HarvSFC]

THB will grow into a Premier League centre back, like Fonte did. He needed a stronger partner, we needed a Lovren, Alderweireld, Van Dijk like signing. Instead we brought in Wood and Edwards, who were no better than THB, Bednarek or Stephens at the time and still aren't. Adding mediocre numbers to the squad, who are mid-table Championship players, rather than proper first team players were our shortcomings.

[tdmickey3]

33 minutes ago, Lighthouse said:

I think you’re going to be disappointed TBH, Championship defenders don’t tend to go for deals touching on £35m. It’s far more likely that the add ons will take us into £25m territory, maybe close to £30m at the top end, but I wouldn’t expect more.

The price should reflect how important to the selling club but i guess we are happy with Stephens and Wood  

[SNSUN]

SPORTS REPUBLIC OUT!

(Where's that picture with the two blokes handing their season tickets back?!?)

12 days of the window to go. Keep the faith lads and lasses. 

[hypochondriac]

5 minutes ago, leesaint88 said:

Best raid City for another young CB then, Harrison Parker? 

Is Acheampong likely to get much of a look in at Chelsea this year? 

[SNSUN]

Just now, hypochondriac said:

Is Acheampong likely to get much of a look in at Chelsea this year? 

Villa have been linked with him. Ironically. 

[Chez]

8 minutes ago, HarvSFC said:

THB will grow into a Premier League centre back, like Fonte did. He needed a stronger partner, we needed a Lovren, Alderweireld, Van Dijk like signing. Instead we brought in Wood and Edwards, who were no better than THB, Bednarek or Stephens at the time and still aren't. Adding mediocre numbers to the squad, who are mid-table Championship players, rather than proper first team players were our shortcomings.

Very true. Getting promoted and adding average, squad and development players killed us.

I wonder if THB will be an Armstrong - top end championship, but not quite good enough for PL or is he better than that? I probably undervalue THB, but I have to say that the one thing Fonte was, was nails. He bullied opponents, not the other way around. With THB I don't see a CB that dominates powerful strikers in the same way. He lacks a yard of pace too. I think he is better with the ball than Fonte, but defensively I'm not sure they compare.

[Willo of Whiteley]

52 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

I know it's difficult for you to accept but he's going.

Not difficult, but wait till he leaves before you start crying.

[Chez]

6 minutes ago, tdmickey3 said:

The price should reflect how important to the selling club but i guess we are happy with Stephens and Wood  

they are happy with them. Whether they are happy with them as our first choice paring remains to be seen.

[Chez]

8 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

Is Acheampong likely to get much of a look in at Chelsea this year? 

Chelsea have rejected multiple approaches for defender Josh Acheampong.

The 20-year-old is a graduate of the academy at Stamford Bridge and as reported elsewhere has been given 'untouchable' status in terms of his future.

It puts him in the same category as players such as forwards Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer, and midfielder Moises Caicedo.

That is despite the fact the England Under-21s international only made 17 Premier League appearances last season, with nine of those as a substitute.

Arsenal, Newcastle and Crystal Palace are known to be monitoring the situation while Bournemouth also retain an interest in Acheampong from last summer.

 

[Alanh]

54 minutes ago, Saint Scott said:

That fee is laughable if true. Villa have the cash we should be holding firm for £30m + add-ons. 

 

We owe Villa for Dobbin. Perhaps they have written what we owe into the THB fee. Helps us because we pay less to Man City and don't have anything else to pay for LD. Unlikely to be reported that way though as too complicated to put in a Tweet.

[MarkSFC]

And repeat, many times Spors.....

[madge]

Well if this is the shape of things to come then sport’s republic will be losing the fan base pretty quickly.. need results to go well otherwise at Mary’s will be toxic…