Summer Silly Season Transfer Thread 2025

[Twig]

Come on 168!

[Deeping_white]

https://twitter.com/jacobsben/status/1949059250715496694

[Tabby]

Doubt we are paying more than £30 million for him.

[FFC1987]

I get the rate of return argument on these players, but I don't really appreciate why signing 26 year olds is a bad thing. These players will be playing at, or going into their prime years. Used to be 29 but new findings suggest 30-31 is now the prime but I appreciate we won't get the potential coffers for them but if it brings European football to the cottage, that's what really matters. Time will tell.

I'd be more worried if all the players we were looking at were 30+ and we were continuing to see our brightest youth talent leave for peanuts, but it does seem like we've turned a corner there.

You completely skipped over the wage issue. If we sign a promising younger player they will likely accept a lower wage than an already established senior player, especially if we sign them from Premier League teams. We have a fairly settled squad so I thought this could be the season that they push out the boat a little and take some chances, but it doesn't seem that way.

Put it this way, would you have preferred to sign Andersen for £18 million on a far lower wage at the age of 24 or £30 million at age 28 like last season? Has Andersen become a far better player in the intervening years? I think Bassey was better than Andersen last season, but I'd wager Andersen has roughly twice the wages of Bassey.

Erm if asked I'd admit if you're buying established and often CL certified or EPL established players you're likely paying a premium in both transfer fees and wages/contracts but if the end goal is Europe I think that's not a poor route to go.

Signing 21-24 year olds is such a gamble when, more often than not, they simply won't perform at the same levels of maturity compared to older players I. The 26-28 bracket. So as I mentioned the only issue being raised really, is how healthy the balance sheet looks which, looking at ours....has been healthy for the last few years.

As for the Andersen example, with the context that had we not had a completely inept manager, we'd of likely got that better deal you referenced.  Clearly the club see him as a natural Ream leader replacement so I guess we'll see how that turns out.

Does sometimes feel like the club can do no right though.

[General]

Stories suggesting two leading targets atm and priorities are KDH and Nelson... both around 25-26, which is focusing more on younger players

Not really. Young in football terms is 18-21, 22-23 if you're being generous. KDH is about to turn 27, even Nelson is closer to 26. Irrespective of other merits of these signings we should be mindful that they're established, mature players, who'll command sizeable wages, have likely already peaked in their development, have declining resale value within a season or two, and won't lower our average age.

I appreciate what you're saying, and you're 100% right. But I said younger.. not necessarily young.

E.g. if we went for KDH and Nelson.. they're younger than Willian and also Sterling.. who are both 30 and older..

So younger in that sense.

[Angus Telford]

Does sometimes feel like the club can do no right though.

I think all the big things the club is being criticised for on this thread (slow business, old players on high wages, perhaps an unambitious net spend) are things on which (a) we're an outlier vs other clubs, (b) football fans in general would agree are objectively poor, and (c) the more "positive" posters on here were saying a few months ago that we'd do differently this time around. Certainly plenty were saying we'd have more money to spend this summer, and a platform to focus on youth/rejuvenation.

[iansthailand]

What are people so worried about, 2 signings today. Steve Jaye is well pleased. Sorry Keith pipped at the post. Taome Oliver from Oxford Utd and Molly Holder from Stoke.

[FFC1987]

Does sometimes feel like the club can do no right though.

I think all the big things the club is being criticised for on this thread (slow business, old players on high wages, perhaps an unambitious net spend) are things on which (a) we're an outlier vs other clubs, (b) football fans in general would agree are objectively poor, and (c) the more "positive" posters on here were saying a few months ago that we'd do differently this time around. Certainly plenty were saying we'd have more money to spend this summer, and a platform to focus on youth/rejuvenation.

Agree to some extent but some of that is happening already. Particularly youth when we have new contracts for some amazing talent tied down.

But I can't disagree with rest but do think it's a tad early to suggest we aren't being ambitious. (In spending and players we want)Let's give it till the windows closed on that front.

[Hoppus]

Good signing by Everton:

https://x.com/fabrizioromano/status/1949091227976036369?s=46

[Lighthouse]

What are people so worried about, 2 signings today. Steve Jaye is well pleased. Sorry Keith pipped at the post. Taome Oliver from Oxford Utd and Molly Holder from Stoke.

Just read about this. A step in the right direction for the ambitious Women's team.

[MarcusPage]

Does sometimes feel like the club can do no right though.

I think all the big things the club is being criticised for on this thread (slow business, old players on high wages, perhaps an unambitious net spend) are things on which (a) we're an outlier vs other clubs, (b) football fans in general would agree are objectively poor, and (c) the more "positive" posters on here were saying a few months ago that we'd do differently this time around. Certainly plenty were saying we'd have more money to spend this summer, and a platform to focus on youth/rejuvenation.

It's just you doing this.

[hopper]

Good signing by Everton:

https://x.com/fabrizioromano/status/1949091227976036369?s=46

Bloody hell! That should be us rather than going for Nelson.

Major coup for Everton. And people think you need to wait til August for good players to become available.

[ffcthereligion]

Good signing by Everton:

https://x.com/fabrizioromano/status/1949091227976036369?s=46

Bloody hell! That should be us rather than going for Nelson.

Major coup for Everton.

Absolutely, where are we in the conversation? What is the excuse?

[Tabby]

Erm if asked I'd admit if you're buying established and often CL certified or EPL established players you're likely paying a premium in both transfer fees and wages/contracts but if the end goal is Europe I think that's not a poor route to go.

If we had unlimited money, sure. We do not have unlimited money though.

Signing 21-24 year olds is such a gamble when, more often than not, they simply won't perform at the same levels of maturity compared to older players I. The 26-28 bracket. So as I mentioned the only issue being raised really, is how healthy the balance sheet looks which, looking at ours....has been healthy for the last few years.

Does it look all that good? We are usually skirting along the FFP limits with a low (comparatively) transfer investment while constantly running at a loss, in a large part due to our wages (third highest compared to our turnover in the league, only topped by Forest and Villa).

As for the Andersen example, with the context that had we not had a completely inept manager, we'd of likely got that better deal you referenced.  Clearly the club see him as a natural Ream leader replacement so I guess we'll see how that turns out.

The point wasn't that we shouldn't have signed him in a vaccuum, it is that he isn't a completely unique player. Bassey cost less both in wages and fee and most here would agree he is the better player. The point is that our targets seem very lazy. We could have signed Berge from Sheffield United for half the fee we paid Burnley if we went for it a year earlier. We are currently looking at paying Chelsea more than they paid Leicester for a squad player that is now older, on higher wages and has hardly played since joining. It just feels like the club is one step behind where it should be in many situations.

Does sometimes feel like the club can do no right though.

They can, I'm not calling for anyones heads, but the direction that we are going is concerning. I assume I'm one of the "positive posters" that Angus is referring to, but I don't have complete rose tinted glasses. If you're going to ask what the issue I see is I will give you an answer.

[hopper]

Leipzig agreed terms with Romulo too

https://xcancel.com/FulhamTransfer/status/1949097593230819759#m

[Tabby]

Leipzig agreed terms with Romulo too

https://xcancel.com/FulhamTransfer/status/1949097593230819759#m

Expected at this point. Went quiet a while ago.

[Rambler]

Good signing by Everton:

https://x.com/fabrizioromano/status/1949091227976036369?s=46

Bloody hell! That should be us rather than going for Nelson.

Major coup for Everton.

Absolutely, where are we in the conversation? What is the excuse?

What are we doing? This is a major coup from Everton and we are just as attractive as a club as they are.
This guy has massive resale value, it's a really good buy yet we are aiming for sterling with 0 resale.

Our transfer approach is so confusing. In fact it's dreadful.

[jayffc]

Good signing by Everton:

https://x.com/fabrizioromano/status/1949091227976036369?s=46

Bloody hell! That should be us rather than going for Nelson.

Major coup for Everton.

Absolutely, where are we in the conversation? What is the excuse?

textor connections?

[hopper]

textor connections?

Don't believe so, he's gone now. Lyon are actively trying to pull out of a deal Textor had agreed for Turner too.

[RAY Rock]

Good signing by Everton:

https://x.com/fabrizioromano/status/1949091227976036369?s=46

Bloody hell! That should be us rather than going for Nelson.

Major coup for Everton.

Absolutely, where are we in the conversation? What is the excuse?

textor connections?

Seriously pissed off how can we not be in the mix he is a game changer forget about Nelson and KDH get this guy in .