January Transfer Speculation (or lack of) Thread

[FatSam]

McLeish is promising new signings in the summer.

Its very easy for AM to promise new signings in the summer. Cuellar, Heskey, Beye, Guzan, and Marshall will be off the wage bill, as will Keane and Jenas. I can't see any of those except the keepers being re-signed, which means the squad will be 3/5 players lighter straight away, without any enquiries from other teams for other players. The numbers just wouldn't stack up if we didn't make any signings.

[Mazrim]

Greg's right. The Man U team of 15 years ago attracted the best kids because Ferguson went round personally signing the likes of Scoles and Beckham.  We have some decent kids, but nobody that special (with the possible exception of Gardner jnr) but we've had loads of kids who have promised much as kids but not fully delivered on that promise, eg the Moores, Delfouneso, Davis, Ridgewell etc. Mostly the few youngsters who have broken through are decent mid table quality, but that's it, and I can't honestly see the likes of Albrighton, Clark or Bannan improving on that.

The only top quality players we've had come through the youth team in the last 15 years or so have been Barry, Gabby and Cahill.

We've gone around getting the best players we can find for our academy, it's no different. The suggestion was that a constant supply of talented youngsters gets you relegated with your best players leaving. Are you saying that's right?

There are no certainties. And whilst I dont agree with your appraisal of some of the youngsters we have (and I have one eye on the current U16 - U19s and the quality is improving in my opinion and yes, some may be "that special") simply producing premier league players is a fantastic achievment without which we would be looking to buy several more players and that would be disastrous for us right now.

The sales of 3 academy graduates who might be an example of those critical of the youth system - Craig Gardner, Luke Moore and Liam Ridgewell paid for Ashley Young for instance.
Alright, so we sold him (for twice what we paid) and we're making a bollocks of first team matters right now but hopefully that kind of business will be better handled in the future.

I dont recall hearing Fergie chasing Beckham for instance. He signed schoolboy terms for United at 14 or something and was on a YTS scheme.
What we are trying to do is no different to what Utd did in the early 90s. It may or may not pay off but it's the best chance we have. Get the best youngsters you can find, coach them to the best ability you can, provide the best facilities you can, bring them through to play with top players (who we keep hold of).
We're getting it mostly right. It will hopefully improve too.

I'll tell you one thing. We're getting a reputation as a club that champions youngsters. One that brings them through all the way. When we're going after the stars of tomorrow and hoping they'll choose us that will definitely help. Maybe even in favour of some bigger clubs.

[Hoppo]

No new contracts for any of them. We still got Given in on 60k aweek for 5years so you would think getting 3/4 players is possible.

[TheSandman]

Forget Rodallega. James McCarthy is the player to get from Wigan.

How much would he cost? £5/6million? We should have signed him ages ago when he was going to Wigan as a youngster going for just over a million. I was raving about him on here at the time and he was seen as probably the outstanding young player in Scotland at the time so it wasn't as if he was somebody nobody had heard of.

[TimTheVillain]

McLeish is promising new signings in the summer.

Where ??

[pauliewalnuts]

McLeish is promising new signings in the summer.

Where ??

QPR

[KevinGage]

Anyone think Given might be on the move in the summer? 

He's been outstanding this season, better than I expected in all honesty.

I always knew he was decent, but until you see a player week in week out you never know for sure.  Hope it's not Dunne syndrome - one good season and then phoning it in. But Given is a better professional, so that's unlikely.

He'd be better than Friedel and Gomes at Tottingham, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him link up with Hughes again at QPR.  They need a decent keeper and we sell our best players.

[Hoppo]

Its in the Evening Mail..

[Mazrim]

I do wonder about these takeover rumours.
I dont see what will be so different in the summer that we can spend money again, especially as we could really have done with one or two defenders this season. O.K some players will be off/out of contract and their salary will be available to new players but there just seems more to it than that.

And when he was asked about signings he said "it's not for me to say". Which I found quite odd.
Maybe clucthing at straws but there you go.

[N'ZMAV]

Get a few big earners off the wage bill this summer and it'll be a difference story.

[Concrete John]

I do wonder about these takeover rumours.
I dont see what will be so different in the summer that we can spend money again, especially as we could really have done with one or two defenders this season. O.K some players will be off/out of contract and their salary will be available to new players but there just seems more to it than that.

And when he was asked about signings he said "it's not for me to say". Which I found quite odd.
Maybe clucthing at straws but there you go.

It may be that simple.

Transfer fees are capital assets that should, if spent wisely, add to the value of the club.  Wages are just money leaking out, so don't.  I can see how Randy would be prepared to invest in good players (think of the profit on Ash, Milner & Downing) with the balance of the wages being where he wants. 

[IRISHPHIL]

victor wanya(celtic midfilder ) should be 1st signing in summer along with a centre back and left back

[SoccerHQ]

We're being linked with a few SPL players at the minute....no doubt with Rangers in trouble Steven Davis will come back on the radar I hope not. We've also been linked with Lee Wallace who's a left back for them.

At Celtic links have been floated with Emilo Izzaguirre, Ki, Bayram Kayal...could any of them step into the prem?

[TheSandman]

Wanyama was supposedly coming here but went to Celtic when that fell through. I'm not sure about him. He's athletic and versatile but not classy enough as a midfielder for me. He's had a few good games at centre half for them but I wouldn't see that as his best position.

Ki is classy, desperate for a move to England and might be very good as an attacking midfielder. But we have Stephen Ireland and I'm not sure he could handle a step up. He seems a bit light weight.

I really like Kayal. Classy on the ball and good at tackling. Would be an ideal replacement for Petrov but he's had a lot of bad luck with injuries this season.

Izaguirre is only just back from injury but is a good attacking fullback.

Problem is that they would want top dollar for all of them. Not sure who I'd take from Rangers. The best they've got is Davis.

[Toronto Villa]

We're being linked with a few SPL players at the minute....no doubt with Rangers in trouble Steven Davis will come back on the radar I hope not. We've also been linked with Lee Wallace who's a left back for them.

At Celtic links have been floated with Emilo Izzaguirre, Ki, Bayram Kayal...could any of them step into the prem?

fuck me. At least under Houllier we signed Bent and Makoun, got Walker on loan and were linked with a number of foreign players both established and up and coming. I will kill myself if once again we decide to ignore the market outside fo the UK. I do however find solace in the fact that McLeish in his time with shit did bring in Martens, Hleb, Zarate and a couple of other lads from abroad. So he might not be afraid to cast his net wider especially as there is more value than staying with vastly overpriced domestic players.