Summer 2025 Transfer Window - hopes, speculation, rumours etc.

[Smithy]

Was at an event tonight with Alan Evans, Dennis Mortimer, Colin Gibson and Kenny Swain.

Apparently Emery is EXTREMELY interested in Adam Wharton from Palace

Along with half the premier league.  Great player, very tidy on the ball, and has huge potential, but unfortunately, would cost probably close to Declan Rice money, and we're simply not going to do that.  Palace would want more than they got for Olise, definitely, and I don't see us breaking our transfer record for him.

We need to find the next Wharton, the one Palace paid Blackburn £20m for after one season of first-team football.  They took a punt, but it's really paid off. 

[mallo]

Does a year KDB Get us in the area for the next Wharton? He’s great and regardless wish him well

[ROBBO]

Any standouts in the seconds, seems a while.

[PaulWinch again]

We have an issue with wages - I can’t see how De Bruyne is remotely viable.

[Percy McCarthy]

Any standouts in the seconds, seems a while.

I suppose in the age of the 25-man first team squad, the modern equivalent of the seconds is the ones we’ve got out on loan.

So Buendia, KKH, Enzo, Barry, Iling-Junior.

Apart from that, Wilson, Broggia? Personally,, I really like the look of Hemmings. Anyone reserves/ academy watchers want to weigh in?

[OCD]

Emery's a big fan of Jimoh-Aloba, who looks like he's got the physicality to be involved. Interesting to see what happens if he has a good pre-season. He might get a year in the championship first though.

[Percy McCarthy]

Emery's a big fan of Jimoh-Aloba, who looks like he's got the physicality to be involved. Interesting to see what happens if he has a good pre-season. He might get a year in the championship first though.

Yeah, he looks good. I was about to go back and edit my post to include him when I saw your post.

[Steve67]

Emery's a big fan of Jimoh-Aloba, who looks like he's got the physicality to be involved. Interesting to see what happens if he has a good pre-season. He might get a year in the championship first though.

Yeah, he looks good. I was about to go back and edit my post to include him when I saw your post.

He does look like a good player, it would be good to get him out on loan to a quality Championship club to have a look at his physicality and ability.  Send him to Southampton or Ipswich as part of any Dibling/Delap transfer!!

[algy]

Emery's a big fan of Jimoh-Aloba, who looks like he's got the physicality to be involved. Interesting to see what happens if he has a good pre-season. He might get a year in the championship first though.

Yeah, he looks good. I was about to go back and edit my post to include him when I saw your post.

He does look like a good player, it would be good to get him out on loan to a quality Championship club to have a look at his physicality and ability.  Send him to Southampton or Ipswich as part of any Dibling/Delap transfer!!

Can’t we send Jimoh to one, Alobo to the other and get both Dibling AND Delap?

[Smithy]

Any standouts in the seconds, seems a while.

I think the general standard of our youth products is about as good as it's ever been.  The difference is that they're now trying to get into a side that has 20+ excellent first-team pros and is fighting for Champions League places.  We're not throwing the next teenage Jacob Ramsey on as a sub like we did for his debut in the Championship.

The better we become as a side, the harder it will be for a youth player to make a first-team impact.  Which is a shame, but you know that when one does break through, they're likely to be really special.

I think that's true of a lot of teams at the top end.  They have excellent prospects in their youth/reserve set-up, but they're not replacing internationals who cost £50m+, so they get sold on, and often flourish elsewhere.  We've benefitted ourselves from that with Morgan Rogers.

It's only a matter of time until that happens to us, where a promising youth player is let go for a moderate amount because we have no room in our team, and who then goes on to develop into a brilliant £50m+ player.

But the reality is, in the current PSR environment, a promising youth product is much more likely to sold so the money can be used to strengthen the side, than be developed over time as a first-team asset.  I don't like it, but it's the financial reality given then current rules.

[Dante Lavelli]

But the reality is, in the current PSR environment, a promising youth product is much more likely to sold so the money can be used to strengthen the side, than be developed over time as a first-team asset.  I don't like it, but it's the financial reality given then current rules.

Solution:  The wages of homegrown players should not count in PSR calculations. Seems fair to me and in the spirit of the game.

[Smithy]

But the reality is, in the current PSR environment, a promising youth product is much more likely to sold so the money can be used to strengthen the side, than be developed over time as a first-team asset.  I don't like it, but it's the financial reality given then current rules.

Solution:  The wages of homegrown players should not count in PSR calculations. Seems fair to me and in the spirit of the game.

It's a good idea, but doesn't solve the problem of youth players being 100% profit, and a £10m youth sale allowing you to buy a £50m player over five years and remain PSR neutral for full year.  Or selling one just to get yourself out of a PSR whole at the end of a year.

I imagine it would also create quite the inflationary effect on homegrown players.   But it would be a step in the right direction, certainly!

[aj2k77]

Chelsea would pay their kids £500k per week and have them donate money to companies registered by other players who would then take a wage from that company.

[ChicagoLion]

But the reality is, in the current PSR environment, a promising youth product is much more likely to sold so the money can be used to strengthen the side, than be developed over time as a first-team asset.  I don't like it, but it's the financial reality given then current rules.

Solution:  The wages of homegrown players should not count in PSR calculations. Seems fair to me and in the spirit of the game.

It's a good idea, but doesn't solve the problem of youth players being 100% profit, and a £10m youth sale allowing you to buy a £50m player over five years and remain PSR neutral for full year.  Or selling one just to get yourself out of a PSR whole at the end of a year.

I imagine it would also create quite the inflationary effect on homegrown players.   But it would be a step in the right direction, certainly!

The solution is a wage cap based system.

[Smithy]

But the reality is, in the current PSR environment, a promising youth product is much more likely to sold so the money can be used to strengthen the side, than be developed over time as a first-team asset.  I don't like it, but it's the financial reality given then current rules.

Solution:  The wages of homegrown players should not count in PSR calculations. Seems fair to me and in the spirit of the game.

It's a good idea, but doesn't solve the problem of youth players being 100% profit, and a £10m youth sale allowing you to buy a £50m player over five years and remain PSR neutral for full year.  Or selling one just to get yourself out of a PSR whole at the end of a year.

I imagine it would also create quite the inflationary effect on homegrown players.   But it would be a step in the right direction, certainly!

The solution is a wage cap based system.

As much as it would reward well-run, well-coached teams that develop their own young players - it will never happen, unfortunately.  There is simply no way the bigger clubs would ever agree to it, and there are enough of them to veto any attempts to make it a reality.

And if it ever did, it would likely come with an MLS-style "designated player" carve-out that allowed the big teams to still throw stupid money at a few top players to keep them head and shoulders above everyone.