Thursday deadline.

[K-Hod]

By popular demand, here's a new thread to discuss potential incomings and outgoings this summer.

Play nicely!

[Admiral Nelsen]

With loan players not necessarily coming back, we're short of support for Graham for next season. 

What's Luca Toni up to these days?

[Fraserkirky]

Need a list of out of contract players from championship

Edited April 25, 2018 by Fraserkirky

[rog of the rovers]

Outs

Antonsson - loan return

I've liked Payne, and maybe I'd sign him if available on a free, but can return to Huddersfield on loan

Chapman - Prove fitness before any deal

Caddis

Gladwin

Ward

 

Ins

Central midfielder - Joe Aribo from Charlton please

Striker - Target man type - Rudy Gestede esque

Centre back 

Right back

Armstrong back on loan (until Xmas, maybe League One is his level at the moment?)

[ChrisPriceBaldSpot]

3 minutes ago, Fraserkirky said:

Need a list of out of contract players from championship

https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/championship/endendevertraege/wettbewerb/GB2

[ChrisPriceBaldSpot]

Chris Samba? 

Sol Bamba? 

[K-Hod]

I feel like there are a few areas we need to strengthen tbh. In particular- out wide and up front.

I don't think I'd bother bringing any of the loanees back apart from Armstrong (though he has blown cold a lot recently since his initial purple patch) and Chapman- I think I'd like him to prove his fitness for a prolonged period first.

Payne I had high hopes for but he's not as much of a threat as Dack in goals or assists so he'd only be a backup in reality IMO.

Fundamentally, I'd like to see us ending our reliance on square pegs in round holes positionally (Soz Biz, I know you hate that phrase).

 

[Dreams of 1995]

Just now, K-Hod said:

I feel like there are a few areas we need to strengthen tbh. In particular- out wide and up front.

I don't think I'd bother bringing any of the loanees back apart from Armstrong (though he has blown cold a lot recently since his initial purple patch) and Chapman- I think I'd like him to prove his fitness for a prolonged period first.

Payne I had high hopes for but he's not as much of a threat as Dack in goals or assists so he'd only be a backup in reality IMO.

Fundamentally, I'd like to see us ending our reliance on square pegs in round holes positionally (Soz Biz, I know you hate that phrase).

 

Payne is good back up though and you'd much rather have him than, say, Gladwin. I'd be looking at signing Payne as he can play out wide, the 10 role and central midfield if we really need him. Every successful sides have back ups of the quality of Payne!

Bare minimum requirement, in my mind: centre back, central midfield x2, 2x wingers and striker

[CambridgeRover]

Would love to sign Josh Morris to replace Conway on the left hand side. 

Although he might not be keen to return to the club.

[Joar]

27 minutes ago, ChrisPriceBaldSpot said:

https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/championship/endendevertraege/wettbewerb/GB2

According to that page Erhun Oztumer is out of contract at the end of the season.

[ChrisPriceBaldSpot]

Yeah, I reckon he may be on a shortlist. Has he got more quality than Payne? Not sure on that one. But I can't imagine his wage demands would be too high though. Might be worth a 2 year deal. 

Just now, Joar said:

According to that page Erhun Oztumer is out of contract at the end of the season.

 

[davulsukur]

Just now, Joar said:

According to that page Erhun Oztumer is out of contract at the end of the season.

We were linked with this guy in the summer weren't we?

[ChrisPriceBaldSpot]

Gunnarsson from Cardiff would be my first choice. Tough as nails midfielder, cracking shot and a missile of a long throw. 

[ChrisPriceBaldSpot]

Just now, davulsukur said:

We were linked with this guy in the summer weren't we?

Yeah and in January. He has gone off the boil of late, hence Walsall now in a real dog fight at the bottom of the table. 

[tomphil]

Priorities - Striker preferably target man type capable of 15+ goals to spearhead the attack, Graham to be back up late sub man. Samuel won't provide the answer to either question.

Pace on the wings to provide outlets and actually provide something for the front men. We suffered for a complete lack of it last time in the Championship and you simply will not get away with playing strikers out there a division above. Got to have at least one wide man starting with genuine speed about him.

If we are only able to sign two or three quality players this is where i'd start, yes ideally most other areas might need strengthening but if push comes to shove we might get by with what's available if TM hits on the right system and tactics but a good striker and pace are absolute musts imo.

Edited April 25, 2018 by tomphil

[Admiral Nelsen]

1 minute ago, Joar said:

According to that page Erhun Oztumer is out of contract at the end of the season.

Think he'll be playing Championship football next season, be it with us or someone else. 

Links with him suggests that Mowbray rates him, but probably only as a number 10, and with Dack & maybe Payne in front of him, think he'll probably go elsewhere. 

[Admiral Nelsen]

Just now, tomphil said:

Priorities - Striker preferably target man type capable of 15+ goals to spearhead the attack, Graham to be back up late sub man. Samuel won't provide the answer to either question.

Pace on the wings to provide outlets and actually provide something for the front men. We suffered for a complete lack of it last time in the Championship and you simply will not get away with playing strikers out there a division above. Got to have at least one wide man starting with genuine speed about him.

If we are only able to sign two or three quality players this is where i'd start, yes ideally most other areas might need strengthening but if push comes to shove we might get by with what's available if TM hits on the right system and tactics but a good striker and pace are absolute musts imo.

Think that's spot on, only thing I'd disagree with is that I think Graham's well capable of starting and doing a very good job. What he can't do is that for 90 mins every game, or for three games a week, but I wouldn't mind him going in to next season as our 'main man'.

Probably splitting hairs, as he clearly needs help up there. Samuel's issue is more mental fragility than ability or laziness for me, but in any case, I agree that he's clearly not the answer. 

[DE.]

Would get rid of a fair few in the summer. Not many of the 'core' group but certainly some on the fringes. Samuel, Whittingham, Caddis, Gladwin (I just read we paid £1.5m for him, surely not true?!), Evans and Conway I'd happily move on if possible to get in a little extra money and free up a bit more on the wage budget. Think it'll be difficult to shift any of them that aren't out of contract though.

In terms of loans I'd only bring back Armstrong. Possibly Chapman too if wages were sensible. Both would be decent options from the bench. Payne and Antonsson need at least another season in L1 to develop imo, and we won't be there. 

Ideally I'd prefer Nyambe, Williams and Downing to be back up only. We also have to be mindful of Mulgrew's age & traditional injury proneness. So defence should really be quite a high priority this summer. Truth be told we need reinforcements across the park though. Central midfield has been a problem for years and it remains to be seen how Smallwood makes the step up, particularly taking into account his poor form for much of the second half of this season. We don't have any proper wide men and shunting strikers out onto the wings has seen understandably mixed results, often causing disjointed performances. We are also going to need a couple of decent options in attack to support Graham and Dack.

Better hope Venky's are feeling generous 

[JHRover]

So as things stand we have Payne, Armstrong, Chapman and Antonsson whose loans will be expiring. I think all 4 will be available on permanent terms should we want to do so. Chapman has fitness issues, but the other 3 I think could all do a job in the league above. Antonsson probably the least so. I expect Armstrong will be one of Mowbray's priorities and would think Newcastle would be willing to do a deal.

Out of contract we have Elliot Ward, Danny Graham, Craig Conway, Corry Evans. Ward can go. Graham I think we have the option of invoking an extra year and would expect us to do that. Conway and Evans less clear cut. I think I'd be happy for both to be retained as squad players. Concerns around their fitness. I think when fully fit Evans is a capable Championship player and is still a good age. I think he has been playing well recently, a shame he wasn't available all season. Conway is getting into the back end of his career and is struggling to complete more than an hour these days but strikes me as a good experienced character to have around the place and if a deal can be reached on sensible wages for another season I'd give him a try. Paul Caddis can probably go as he hasn't featured recently and appears to be behind Nyambe, Bennett and Travis in the RB stakes. Assume he only penned a 1 year deal last summer.

The key for me is to not upset the apple cart and destabilise the squad and camaraderie. Yes we need to strengthen and add in areas but I don't think we need a root and branch overhaul.

A few players under contract that I wouldn't be disappointed to see depart. Gladwin the obvious one, I wonder about Samuel's future in the Championship but again up front we aren't blessed with numbers. Whittingham may struggle to play and may seek a fresh challenge where he will get more game time.

Edited April 25, 2018 by JHRover

[JacknOry]

50 minutes ago, ChrisPriceBaldSpot said:

Chris Samba? 

Sol Bamba? 

Get em both - purely to tongue-tie the commentators.

[tomphil]

Just now, Admiral Nelsen said:

Think that's spot on, only thing I'd disagree with is that I think Graham's well capable of starting and doing a very good job. What he can't do is that for 90 mins every game, or for three games a week, but I wouldn't mind him going in to next season as our 'main man'.

Probably splitting hairs, as he clearly needs help up there. Samuel's issue is more mental fragility than ability or laziness for me, but in any case, I agree that he's clearly not the answer. 

Yes you're  right and i'm not writing off DG he's been a favourite of mine since he signed, wish I could just dig back up the posts I made defending him earlier this season when the knives came out a bit quick.

Was just thinking he needs some help next season, he'll still score chances but the workrate and physical stuff I think he'll struggle with game in game out and boy are we going to need that. Whether it's him who does the first 60 or he comes on for the last 20/30 we need another physical goal scorer to share the load. Samuel besides the other stuff has just never struck me as a decent finisher he doesn't seem to have that instinct.

[Madon]

With Chapman, Dack and Armstrong behind him I'd take Rhodes back every day of the week... not getting a sniff at Sheffield Wednesday lately. 

 

Gabbiadini has fallen well out of favour at Southampton too but I imagine he would demand high wages and a substantial fee. (Probably in dream land with that one)

[Bigdoggsteel]

Hanley, Rhodes and Gestede please. Get the band back together. 

2 wingers then as a priority. 

Armstrong and Chapman on loan again. 

[tomphil]

Dack wouldn't be able to play off Rhodes like he does Graham I don't think. Part of the reason Rhodes has flopped everywhere since Rovers is his teams haven't tailored their set up to him like Rovers mostly did. To me he needs a bit of a free role upfront to lurk between centre halves and find his little bits of movement in the box but of course as we saw it means the team lacks other things.

Still i'd rather be bringing him on to kill games off than Samuel or Antonsson

Edited April 25, 2018 by tomphil

[Bigdoggsteel]

Graham and Dack do link up very well and Grahams hold up play is a big part of that. I would like Rhodes back as another option, but a loan would probably be best initially. 

I would imagine Tony has his own plans though