Transfer Window - COMPLETE. Where’s Gregg?

[Upside Down]

Bit disappointed we didn't make it to a thousand pages by the close of the window but it was a solid effort nonetheless. 

[SoldierMo]

What the jdt and co have done is brought in players to go into the first team and million mille difference from same old mowbray filling the squad up if windows continue like this im sure our team will get stronger

[rebelmswar]

My main take away this transfer window is that the owners may not be using the club as a cash cow. Could have easily sold Diaz and done a runner. Maybe they are after more than moolah.

[Ghost7]

Overall with a few good signings, some very talented youngsters and this manager I'm happy. A solid first window from Broughton and Tomasson, plus a big statement from the club keeping hold of Brereton. I think the manager will be pleased!

[roverandout]

11 minutes ago, jim mk2 said:

Pleased that Brereton is staying - evidently interested clubs found it just as difficult dealing with our owners as Rovers fans do. The Chelsea lad is interesting too, and with the emergence of A Wharton gives us more options in midfield - they're very young players though and might struggle as the season progresses. Their presence should encourage Buckley to pull his socks up

Still think we're a few players light on having a squad capable of challenging for promotion. Would like to have seen a battle hardened midfielder come in, we're still likely to struggle to score goals and we don't have a natural winger. Shame the Bowler rumours came to nothing

Mola? Hes at stuttgart.  Began his career at Chelsea.

[Nuttall is lost]

Good to see BBD staying at least for another 4 months. Cant see him staying beyond that.

[joey_big_nose]

6 minutes ago, rebelmswar said:

My main take away this transfer window is that the owners may not be using the club as a cash cow. Could have easily sold Diaz and done a runner. Maybe they are after more than moolah.

They've always been like this though. Don't seem overly worried about losing money, but not really willing to invest significant amounts above the operating cost of the club (which is still a £20m loss to them every year, so we can hardly complain) and a modest transfer budget either. 

I don't really get it, but I wouldn't say keeping Diaz is out of line with their general approach for the last 5 years or so.

[Vilesinner]

1 hour ago, roverandout said:

Didn't realise hirst was 6'3. Hopefully he's a better header of the ball than Gallagher 

He's excellent in the air. Most of his goals are headers. 

[roverandout]

If we are  challenging for promotion then I can see Brereton holding off till the summer before definitely deciding. He refers to us as rovers. So he clearly loves the club.  I don't think he particularly wants to go. I wouldn’t rule out him signing a new contract.  He has too much respect for the club to leave us without some kind of profit

[SBlue]

21 minutes ago, Upside Down said:

Bit disappointed we didn't make it to a thousand pages by the close of the window but it was a solid effort nonetheless. 

Free agents?

[bluebruce]

30 minutes ago, SoldierMo said:

Callum wright? Anyone remember him? Was a hot prospect…ran off to leicester now they have sold him to Blackpool…why do these youngsters do it? All for the money

Yeh, I was gonna mention this. Didn't turn out how he, or Connor Mahoney expected eh? Can still eke out a Championship career though, as Mahoney is doing for now, but honestly they waste crucial years of their development with these moves. I can only hope Ash Phillips is wiser and signs that new deal soon.

[windymiller7]

2 hours ago, glen9mullan said:

Whichever way I look at it, one of our best windows under Venkys.

Retained our key players who are under contract.

Stuck to their guns in BBD, who at no point asked to leave or indicated he'd like to. They own the club, they pay our debts, they fund the lack of income through gates/sponsorship and despite willing to let him walk away for free, have backed the new manager in this window.

Signed 6 players with 3 perm, 2 loans with option to buy and 1 loan from Liverpool in Morton who has exceptional potential.

There are lots and lots of things we can hit the club with a big stick over, but how we have gone about our business this summer, and what we have ended up with going into the next few months is far more than i expected.

There are clubs out there right now who have outsold season tickets etc etc whose fans will be very disappointed with their own business.

With the emergence of some of the academy, Adam Wharton in particular, there is far more to be positive about than perhaps we sometimes give credit for.

 

I usually read through all the posts before replying, so apologies if this has been covered. Great post Glen!!

On BBD, the guy obviously doesn't want to leave. He soooo overdid the 'Rovers' in his interview last night it was ridiculous. 

Window closed, sit down with him, talk to him & his agents & sort something out which is mutually acceptable to all parties.

[bluebruce]

33 minutes ago, jim mk2 said:

The former Chelsea lad is interesting too, and with the emergence of A Wharton gives us more options in midfield - they're very young players though and might struggle as the season progresses. Their presence should encourage Buckley to pull his socks up

I dunno, Adam Wharton does pretty well with his pulled down.

[bluebruce]

22 minutes ago, Vilesinner said:

He's excellent in the air. Most of his goals are headers. 

Well, 4 out of 15. So not most, less than 1 in 3, but still a good chunk of them.

[47er]

1 hour ago, tomphil said:

He doesn't want to leave is the top and bottom of it and the owners are obviously happy not to sell unless the money was unreal.  It was never going to be and both parties knew that that's why it's all been so relaxed.

The club could use the money but now the onus is on Vs to fill that gap when he leaves for nowt in summer. Although the outside option remains to grab a bit in Jan if it makes sense.

There'll probably be a few hooters out of joint behind the scenes at Rovers and a few agents so it's worth it just for that as far as i'm concerned.  For once though it isn't a greedy head turned pissed off player he knows there'll be far wider and probably more lucrative offers soon.

Ben Brereton Diaz i salute you sir, now Rovers shape up and offer him something tempting there'll could still be a big potential return yet.

Diaz could still sign a new contract with a release clause though---say 15M or 20M? Suit us both?

[47er]

1 hour ago, tomphil said:

They still won't hit the right numbers

What about Burnley's numbers! Must be 20 players going there!!

[bluebruce]

5 minutes ago, 47er said:

Diaz could still sign a new contract with a release clause though---say 15M or 20M? Suit us both?

Thing is, if he leaves next summer his signing on fee and wages will be inflated by being a free agent. If a club pays that sort of money that goes away and they've less left to spend on his contract.

Also, clubs have shown in this window that, for some odd reason and more fool them because they can't all get him for free, they're not willing to pay 15 million for him. So unless he plays even better, he might not get the move at all with that price tag.

Overall, that idea suits us a lot better than it suits him. I highly doubt his agent would let him sign it unless Brereton himself insisted.

[47er]

7 hours ago, bigbrandjohn said:

 But I feel as if there is a plan from the owners. They are not saying ‘Sunderlandhave to win the league this year’. They want to grow this club incrementally, they don’t want to spend £100 million this summer. Put talent and quality into your club and let it grow.“

 

Now where I have heard that before?! How does he keep getting away with it?

Owners have a plan that suits Mowbray down to the ground!

[roverandout]

12 minutes ago, 47er said:

Now where I have heard that before?! How does he keep getting away with it?

Owners have a plan that suits Mowbray down to the ground!

Sunderland fans are in for a shock 

[47er]

15 minutes ago, bluebruce said:

Thing is, if he leaves next summer his signing on fee and wages will be inflated by being a free agent. If a club pays that sort of money that goes away and they've less left to spend on his contract.

Also, clubs have shown in this window that, for some odd reason and more fool them because they can't all get him for free, they're not willing to pay 15 million for him. So unless he plays even better, he might not get the move at all with that price tag.

Overall, that idea suits us a lot better than it suits him. I highly doubt his agent would let him sign it unless Brereton himself insisted.

I agree with that, I was assuming Brereton's approval. He does seem to have an affection for us.

[RevidgeBlue]

Lot of random thoughts about this particular window. I'll put them down in no particular order:

I'd say it was a decent window rather than a sensational one. Think we missed out on most of our original targets, obviously started off after the CH who went to Sheff Utd then at one stage I believe we were after the 2 Van's, Styles and a lad from South America and ended up with completely different personnel instead, but we may not be too much the worse for that.

The main plus from this window for me by a country mile was keeping hold of BBD so well done to the owners on that. It may be a bit juvenile but I absolutely love it when PL Clubs and those from abroad come in thinking they can push us about and make derisory offers and end up getting the old two fingered salute.

As a few of us said right from the start of the window (and got derided for it) there was always a decent budget available for transfers irrespective of any BBD sale. I don't think anyone can complain at £6.5 m spent on fees, 3 loans and BBD still here. (Although I'm sure Gav and roversfan 99 will!) In my opinion that was some of the money spent that was made available to Mowbray in January had he choose to utilise it.

Individually, we've hopefully made a couple of solid signings in Hyam and Brittain.

Morton looks decent enough and the lad from Chelsea is intriguing, hopefully he can do a job at LB.

Very much doubt Hirst will do enough to make it worth our while signing him but as certain people might have mentioned once or twice we won't be stuck with him if it doesn't come off.

Think we've had our pants pulled down on Szmodics but hopefully Dack is returning to form.

So overall, more good than bad, not perfect but Rome wasn't built in a day and Mowbray and Waggott left us far too much to rectify in one window.

Onwards and upwards.

[RevidgeBlue]

16 minutes ago, 47er said:

Now where I have heard that before?! How does he keep getting away with it?

Owners have a plan that suits Mowbray down to the ground!

Souness and Simon Jordan were saying much the same when discussing the departure of Alex Neil last week.

They were saying Sunderland were probably wanting to develop younger players whereas Neil probably wanted backing to have a tilt at promotion.

[chaddyrovers]

2 hours ago, JHRover said:

I'm not sure anyone can seriously put forward a strong argument that we are STRONGER now than we were last season in terms of options. Dack's return to fitness a big step and -hopefully- Adam Wharton is a major bonus for us - but we have lost quality too - Khadra and Rothwell two big ones. It remains to be seen.

 

I don't this obsession some people have compare this season to last season. Makes zero sense to me. 

2 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

Mixed window, although the Brereton situation dominates everything and it wreckless to allow him to run his contract down and it shows that lessons have not been learnt, he has a value in excess of the 3 that left last season combined. Selling and signing a direct replacement was a key objective.

He has been offered a new contract which he rejected but has kept performing for the club. 

Also would you accept Fulham 6 mil up front with 4 mil in add ons then? Or Nice 8.4 million pounds bid? Surely he is worth much more given he has just scored 20 goals and is Chilean international player and scoring goals at that level. If you accept that low offer than you are massively undervalued the player. 

2 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

Lots of reliance on loans, good that 2 have options for permanent deals. 

3 loans isn't lots of reliance for me given we got option on 2 of them. Its down to the players perform here  

[Butty]

2 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Souness and Simon Jordan were saying much the same when discussing the departure of Alex Neil last week.

They were saying Sunderland were probably wanting to develop younger players whereas Neil probably wanted backing to have a tilt at promotion.

I’m dreading that trip to the Stadium Of Light on Boxing Day, the Smug Ghost of Christmas Past ruining the festive period for us all. 

[Miller11]

I’m glad Brereton is still here, we need his goals. Obviously the prospect of losing him on a free isn’t ideal, but I’m far more gutted at losing academy products for nothing/peanuts. I’m past worrying about Venky’s pissing money away, and they’ve pissed away far more on much worse ideas. Maybe I’m just feeling vindicated that my prediction of a few years ago - that we’d never recoup our outlay on him - might actually come true! (Joking, obviously).

Dembele would have been awesome, and I think we are really light at right back, so I hope Brittain is back sooner rather than later.

Jury is obviously out on signings for the time being, but I’m pretty pleased. Mola is an intriguing one. I think my excitement around Adam Wharton also paints the window in a better light.

There’s a new era feeling about it all. That’s a definite positive.