Summer Silly Season Transfer Thread 2025

[KentFulham]

Chukwueze from Milan makes no sense after Marco's AFCON comments yesterday.

It's as though those negotiating transfers are deliberately going against the managers wishes.

Brace ourselves for King being sold for a big fee next summer for a rebuild under a new manager. In the meantime try to enjoy what we have & more youth being given opportunities or at least sat on the bench.

That's why King needs to play this season so that we can get a top £80m+ for a rising star, that's how clubs like us need to build ourselves up on

[Pavel Dempsey]

With the squad cost rules next year I wonder whether the days of ridiculous salaries for players is coming to an end

What squad cost rules next year are you referring to?

Our wages and amortisation costs need to be below 80%. They are currently around 117%, massive issue for next season.  Buying players on expensive contracts and wages likely to make that worse, need to sell to bye.

So middling and smaller clubs need to sell the best players to buy, wheel and deal and change the team every summer while big clubs can just buy whatever they want? What a bullpoo of a rule.

[ElRay]

In Conclusion:
The Kahn's have always struck me as being two steps forward one step back operators (this is not a criticism, we all have to learn) but this year there has been no squad progress and that's not penny pinching that speaks more of a hidden agenda. Perhaps we are now adopting an Ajax model in providing a pathway for our youth to the first team and thereby differentiating ourselves from our competitors in attracting more top quality youth to our club but the Premiership is a very different beast to the Dutch Eredivisie. Anyway, 10 days to go, so anything can still happen, like the odd player coming through the door..., maybe.

The youth option is not designed with Marco, as Head Coach, in mind. Perhaps the plan is to oust Marco (without a pay-off) and bring in a replacement who is youth orientated. Danny Rohl ex Wednesday was mentioned a few months ago, is he open to promoting youth?

I think the club hierarchy do prefer younger talent coming through because it means there is potential to make big sales, but I don't think there is any kind of strategy the club are trying to adopt. If they pushed a younger player agenda I don't think Marco would reject the idea as long as players who are good enough to make a difference were put forward to him.

Marco has said there was a plan in May and it wasn't actioned, when it comes to transfer strategy the hierarchy has stuck to the same one for nearly 10 years.  Which is play the waiting game, which I don't even think has been that successful recently. If you actually look at our squad for Brighton the only  deadline signings were Iwobi, Reed(originally signed on loan) & Lukic. The "bang for your buck" statement Khan made and the club abide by doesn't even stand up

[SerbianLad]

Ivan Ilic anyone? Just seen West Ham are interested, maybe we can hijack the deal. Still pretty young (24) and he has the potential to be a superb midfielder. Torino actually bought him when we bought Lukic, as his replacement.

 https://twitter.com/DataMB_/status/1888607802442104968

My favourite game of his vs Norway, when him and Lukic bossed the midfield of Berge and Odegaard:
https://twitter.com/SerbFootyScout/status/1575072867024535552

[KentFulham]

With the squad cost rules next year I wonder whether the days of ridiculous salaries for players is coming to an end

What squad cost rules next year are you referring to?

Our wages and amortisation costs need to be below 80%. They are currently around 117%, massive issue for next season.  Buying players on expensive contracts and wages likely to make that worse, need to sell to bye.

So middling and smaller clubs need to sell the best players to buy, wheel and deal and change the team every summer while big clubs can just buy whatever they want? What a bullpoo of a rule.

In summary yes, but remember the big clubs have significant revenues outside of PL and buy/sell, any clubs in the league can buy and sell, but having a global presence that brings in monies more likely to come from being successful etc

[Deeping_white]

https://twitter.com/peterrutzler/status/1959160728604098590

https://twitter.com/peterrutzler/status/1959160730550161458

[hovewhite]

Chukwueze from Milan makes no sense after Marco's AFCON comments yesterday.

It's as though those negotiating transfers are deliberately going against the managers wishes.

Brace ourselves for King being sold for a big fee next summer for a rebuild under a new manager. In the meantime try to enjoy what we have & more youth being given opportunities or at least sat on the bench.

That was my first thought as for the new financials it seems that it only works for C.L teams and all our progress and teams around mid table are unimportant.

[Angus Telford]

Perhaps we are now adopting an Ajax model in providing a pathway for our youth to the first team and thereby differentiating ourselves from our competitors in attracting more top quality youth to our club

The academy for all its success produces around one PL quality player every couple of years, and a good portion of those will always be poached around the time they break into the first team. Currently we've two decent academy players in the first team (King and Sessegnon). Had Carvalho and Elliot come through when we were in the PL maybe it could be 3-4. It's never going to be enough. If we want to focus on youth we need to be supplementing the academy with signings of 17-21 year olds from smaller clubs and abroad - which isn't rocket science, everyone else is doing it. But we haven't done that for years now.

These are the players we've signed below age 22 under the Khans by my calculations:

2021 - Muniz
2014 - Eisfeld, Casasola, Taggart

[Pavel Dempsey]

With the squad cost rules next year I wonder whether the days of ridiculous salaries for players is coming to an end

What squad cost rules next year are you referring to?

Our wages and amortisation costs need to be below 80%. They are currently around 117%, massive issue for next season.  Buying players on expensive contracts and wages likely to make that worse, need to sell to bye.

So middling and smaller clubs need to sell the best players to buy, wheel and deal and change the team every summer while big clubs can just buy whatever they want? What a bullpoo of a rule.

In summary yes, but remember the big clubs have significant revenues outside of PL and buy/sell, any clubs in the league can buy and sell, but having a global presence that brings in monies more likely to come from being successful etc

I know right but thats not fair at all. How can smaller clubs improve their global presence if they have one hand tied in form how much they can spend? Big will be big, small will be small always by this rules.

[hopper]

Really disappointed we seem to have gone quiet on Kevin. Perhaps that was only an option if Rodrigo was sold.

[jayffc]

Really disappointed we seem to have gone quiet on Kevin. Perhaps that was only an option if Rodrigo was sold.

"Insiders" in a few forums saying his team are apparently fuming that shaktar aren't budging on price as player wants the move. Fwiw. Already a club record fee so understand there's only so far we can go. Perhaps AP/Elliot/godo money pushes us over the edge there who knows

I think we'll negotiate deals for chuck and nelson/otele/whoever and then try one last time end of the window with kevin with those in place in case they refuse to move on it. If not, we go with the loan deals with options

[Arthur]

Really disappointed we seem to have gone quiet on Kevin. Perhaps that was only an option if Rodrigo was sold.

I reckon it's gone quiet because we put in our maximum bid and it hasn't been accepted.

[hopper]

Could well be right on it just a matter of us putting in maximum bid then walking way. Situation like Andre last season.

Chukwueze is a decent player, but not my preference simply due to AFCON. We'd be two wingers and a CB down during the tournament.

[Tabby]

Marco has said there was a plan in May and it wasn't actioned, when it comes to transfer strategy the hierarchy has stuck to the same one for nearly 10 years.  Which is play the waiting game, which I don't even think has been that successful recently. If you actually look at our squad for Brighton the only  deadline signings were Iwobi, Reed(originally signed on loan) & Lukic. The "bang for your buck" statement Khan made and the club abide by doesn't even stand up

If we define late signing as after the first matchweek or last week of the January window instead of just deadline day then that fits Lukic, Berge, Andersen, Tete and Iwobi.

I don't think we have been that lopsided towards late transfers (using the same definition as above), if we look at signings since promotion we have signed 14 early and 15 late. This also bears out on the squad. If we exclude King it was half the starters and if we include the bench it was 14 early and 15 late with King to make it 30.

22/23
Early:
Palhinha, Pereira, Mbabu, Leno, Duffy, Solomon
Late:
Diop, Lukic, Vinicius, Willian, James, Cedric, Kurzawa

23/24
Early:
Bassey, Benda, Traore, Jimenez
Late:
Iwobi, Castagne, Broja, Ballo-Toure

24/25
Early:
Cuenca, ESR, Sess
Late:
Nelson, Andersen, Berge, Willian

25/26
Early:
Lecomte

[Tabby]

Perhaps we are now adopting an Ajax model in providing a pathway for our youth to the first team and thereby differentiating ourselves from our competitors in attracting more top quality youth to our club

The academy for all its success produces around one PL quality player every couple of years, and a good portion of those will always be poached around the time they break into the first team. Currently we've two decent academy players in the first team (King and Sessegnon). Had Carvalho and Elliot come through when we were in the PL maybe it could be 3-4. It's never going to be enough. If we want to focus on youth we need to be supplementing the academy with signings of 17-21 year olds from smaller clubs and abroad - which isn't rocket science, everyone else is doing it. But we haven't done that for years now.

These are the players we've signed below age 22 under the Khans by my calculations:

2021 - Muniz
2014 - Eisfeld, Casasola, Taggart

Forgot to include the stonking signings of Larnell Cole and Ryan Tunnicliffe.

If we include academy signings (over 17) that number will go up a fair bit though.

[Twig]

With the squad cost rules next year I wonder whether the days of ridiculous salaries for players is coming to an end

What squad cost rules next year are you referring to?

Our wages and amortisation costs need to be below 80%. They are currently around 117%, massive issue for next season.  Buying players on expensive contracts and wages likely to make that worse, need to sell to bye.

[Twig]

With the squad cost rules next year I wonder whether the days of ridiculous salaries for players is coming to an end

What squad cost rules next year are you referring to?

Our wages and amortisation costs need to be below 80%. They are currently around 117%, massive issue for next season.  Buying players on expensive contracts and wages likely to make that worse, need to sell to bye.

That presupposes that SCR in its current format will actually be introduced. There has to be a degree isn't doubt about that surely?

[WolverineFFC]

Chukwueze from Milan makes no sense after Marco's AFCON comments yesterday.

It's as though those negotiating transfers are deliberately going against the managers wishes.

Brace ourselves for King being sold for a big fee next summer for a rebuild under a new manager. In the meantime try to enjoy what we have & more youth being given opportunities or at least sat on the bench.

That's why King needs to play this season so that we can get a top £80m+ for a rising star, that's how clubs like us need to build ourselves up on

I disagree. Those one time large sales only create temporary large influxes of profit. You can't really build a long term model off of expecting that to keep happening. Smart sales like the 15 million for AP are a better way to go.

Next season it could be Diop, Lukic, or Castagne leaving the same way.

Regardless, selling AP would finance 2 or possibly 3 new signings for this season once Godo is potentially figured in. That is a wiser way to go IMO.

[FFC1987]

Oscar Bob has looked awful today. Maybe we do have a chance of signing him....

[Angus Telford]

Perhaps we are now adopting an Ajax model in providing a pathway for our youth to the first team and thereby differentiating ourselves from our competitors in attracting more top quality youth to our club

The academy for all its success produces around one PL quality player every couple of years, and a good portion of those will always be poached around the time they break into the first team. Currently we've two decent academy players in the first team (King and Sessegnon). Had Carvalho and Elliot come through when we were in the PL maybe it could be 3-4. It's never going to be enough. If we want to focus on youth we need to be supplementing the academy with signings of 17-21 year olds from smaller clubs and abroad - which isn't rocket science, everyone else is doing it. But we haven't done that for years now.

These are the players we've signed below age 22 under the Khans by my calculations:

2021 - Muniz
2014 - Eisfeld, Casasola, Taggart

Forgot to include the stonking signings of Larnell Cole and Ryan Tunnicliffe.

If we include academy signings (over 17) that number will go up a fair bit though.

Cole and Tunnicliffe signed within weeks of Khan acquiring us, think it just shows how that valve was shut off pretty much as soon the Khan's took control of transfer strategy.

Whilst I'm inclined to believe that Silva pushes for mostly older players these days, it clearly is a long-term club-level problem rather than purely attributable to him.