Transfer Window Summer 2025. The Verdict.

[Tuscans]

[eamonn]

Our low net spend is a bit of a red herring. We loaned in two top-class* players in January and have done the same today. Three of them on higher wages than most players transferred to PL clubs this summer.

*on paper

[cdbearsfan]

So, if we are in profit there's no reason why our new players can't be included in the UEFA squad.

[Toronto Villa]

Most other clubs loan players. We also loaned them in January in part because we couldn’t go and buy players.

[Toronto Villa]

So, if we are in profit there's no reason why our new players can't be included in the UEFA squad.

Oh I’m sure UEFA will find a way to make sure that’s not the case. Watch that poor fucker Malen miss out.

[LeonW]

I’m trying to be balanced but am certainly not as generous as some have been.

Clubs that finished on a high last season have had problems with recruitment: Tottenham, Palace and Newcastle. All clubs trying to improve.  So we’ve not been alone in some of the problems that we’ve been facing.

But this summer is definitely the first time we’ve been reactive rather proactive; trimming the fat and waiting on what some of our players may or may not do in terms of moving seems to be the modus operandi. I don’t think that has helped with morale at all and it also means that we’re in that position of buying, clubs know what we have because we’re selling first.

Obviously the financial rules are the main restriction but what I don’t understand is the club not drawing a line in the sand at a certain point and saying ,’if after X date a move hasn’t materialized, then you’re staying put’. Let’s not forget, the bulk of the squad is one which has got us to, and then almost got us champions league football two seasons in a row but it is an ageing, largely one paced side as well which we’ve not started to alter.

To me it seems clear that the biggest problem is that since signing Kamara, we have failed to strategically sign a player that has improved the first 11 as a defacto starter. I’m factoring Tielemans in as being Dougie’s replacement and Rodgers being a signing who’s major rise surprised everyone and that he wasn’t a strategic signing for the first 11; he just quickly emerged to become a starter. The previous missteps are coming back to haunt us now.

It’s clear that once you hit a certain point in your progress, the type of signing to take you to the next level can become difficult and that’s definitely a contributing factor. But the real problem, is that with the financial restrictions being what they are, we have been quite wasteful.

We simply cannot afford to being spending £50m on Onana and him not instantly improving our first 11. To be just an option for certain games or one for the future once he’s learnt Emery’s system, is failed recruitment for our current needs. Same with Maatsen, Malen. Sancho could well fall into that camp. Even as a loanee he is very expensive and it’s bizarre we’re doing Man Utd a favour at 80% of his wages right near the end of the window. Elliott I’ve no idea on. Lindelof is the type of signing that no matter what, we should have moved away from now and reeks of desperation. Bizot is a smart pickup and improvement on Olsen.

1/10.

[eamonn]

Sancho did apparently turn down other clubs and we were desperate for an attacking option so I can see why Yanited drove a hard bargain.

[tomd2103]

I’m trying to be balanced but am certainly not as generous as some have been.

Clubs that finished on a high last season have had problems with recruitment: Tottenham, Palace and Newcastle. All clubs trying to improve.  So we’ve not been alone in some of the problems that we’ve been facing.

But this summer is definitely the first time we’ve been reactive rather proactive; trimming the fat and waiting on what some of our players may or may not do in terms of moving seems to be the modus operandi. I don’t think that has helped with morale at all and it also means that we’re in that position of buying, clubs know what we have because we’re selling first.

Obviously the financial rules are the main restriction but what I don’t understand is the club not drawing a line in the sand at a certain point and saying ,’if after X date a move hasn’t materialized, then you’re staying put’. Let’s not forget, the bulk of the squad is one which has got us to, and then almost got us champions league football two seasons in a row but it is an ageing, largely one paced side as well which we’ve not started to alter.

To me it seems clear that the biggest problem is that since signing Kamara, we have failed to strategically sign a player that has improved the first 11 as a defacto starter. I’m factoring Tielemans in as being Dougie’s replacement and Rodgers being a signing who’s major rise surprised everyone and that he wasn’t a strategic signing for the first 11; he just quickly emerged to become a starter. The previous missteps are coming back to haunt us now.

It’s clear that once you hit a certain point in your progress, the type of signing to take you to the next level can become difficult and that’s definitely a contributing factor. But the real problem, is that with the financial restrictions being what they are, we have been quite wasteful.

We simply cannot afford to being spending £50m on Onana and him not instantly improving our first 11. To be just an option for certain games or one for the future once he’s learnt Emery’s system, is failed recruitment for our current needs. Same with Maatsen, Malen. Sancho could well fall into that camp. Even as a loanee he is very expensive and it’s bizarre we’re doing Man Utd a favour at 80% of his wages right near the end of the window. Elliott I’ve no idea on. Lindelof is the type of signing that no matter what, we should have moved away from now and reeks of desperation. Bizot is a smart pickup and improvement on Olsen.

1/10.

Agreewith a lot of this.  We all know about the tight financial situation, but that means when you spend a significant amount of money when you are in that situation, you need those players to really make an impact.  The likes of Onana and Malen just haven't done that.

[Skipper_The_Eyechild]

Chelsea with the sorcery. Impressive transfer operation, although I'm still not sure they have the defensive signings to challenge for the title.

[Percy McCarthy]

I'm happier than I was a few days ago and would give a 6 out of 10. Against the backdrop of us fucking up the SCR compliance which led to the UEFA sanctions we're now under, I'd suspect the club hierarchy is reasonably happy with how its turned out as they have shifted some deadwood (Coutinho etc). I think there will probably be a debrief and some words will be had with Sawiris/Edens but hopefully that will settle down quickly.

I think the biggest issue for Monchi/Vidagnay and to an extent Emery in the immediate term is relations with the playing squad. McGinn and Mings as our longest serving and most senior players have raised a few doubts about how this has been approached and Watkins and Rogers haven't looked happy either. The forced sale of Ramsey and then Martinez being a fucking idiot has really shown some cracks in squad unity. I'm sure that can be sorted out but it needs to be quick once everyone's back from international duty, one of those clear the air team meetings where all the frustrations and annoyance can come out and be put to bed.

The squad looks ok but not as good as it did on February the 1st.

GK: Martinez, Bizot           (Bizot>Olsen)

RB: Cash, Garcia
RCB: Konsa, Lindelof          (Disasi=Lindelof)
LCB: Torres, Mings
LB: Digne, Maatsen

CM: Onana, Kamara, McGinn, Tielemans, Barkley, Bogarde

AM: Sancho, Rogers, Buendia, Elliott  (Sancho=Bailey, Elliott<Asensio, Buendia<ramsey)

ST: Watkins, Malen, Guessand           (Guessand<Rashford)

1 upgrade, 2 like for likes and 4 downgrades at this stage.

23 players for the UEFA A List, I assume we can put them all on there.

Unai, do your thing.

23 for the A List? Who are the two homegrowns?

Edit: I see Bogarde in your list now. I assume he counts as one. Who am I missing?

[Percy McCarthy]

I think if you value keeping most of the squad together, like Emery said he did at the end of last season, you have to start with the question ‘what’s the best you can do with the money from Ramsey, KKH, and a few loan fees?’

I choose optimism in life as well as Villa, and I’m not a student of other teams’ players. I didn’t like Sancho because that twat Southgate seemed to prefer him to Joe, and to me when I saw him play for England he wasn’t in the same class. But today I’ll choose to note the positive stuff Matt Law has written about him. I’ll also choose to note what Liverpool fans say about Elliot. I’ll choose to think that you don’t last eight years and make 280 appearances for one of the biggest clubs in the world like Lindelof did (no matter how bad that club has been in that time) if you’re useless. And I actually do believe off my own bat that we’ve improved on Olsen and saved money.

So given all that and the restrictions we were under, I’ll give it an 8.5.

I’d have gone for more churn personally. We could have spent shitloads if we’d have sold shitloads, like Chelsea did, but I suppose that’s a bit riskier. Ideally for me we’d have at least sold Cash and got a better RB, but who knows if there was a willing buyer?

The £87m spent on Onana and Maatsen could and should have strengthened us more but that was another window.

[ChicagoLion]

A continuation of a failed transfer strategy, as LeonW points out we are paying the price for poor investments in previous windows, under this regime we have failed to improve the first X1 and got ourselves into breaching Financial governance rules whilst doing so. That is failure.
It’s almost negligent that we will continue the season with Cash as first choice right back. Judging this window in isolation on the basis we have removed a lot of deadwood and got a few in and in view ofthe restrictions 4/10.
But overall 3/10 failed.

[Percy McCarthy]

A continuation of a failed transfer strategy, as LeonW points out we are paying the price for poor investments in previous windows, under this regime we have failed to improve the first X1 and got ourselves into breaching Financial governance rules whilst doing so. That is failure.
It’s almost negligent that we will continue the season with Cash as first choice right back. Judging this window in isolation on the basis we have removed a lot of deadwood and got a few in and in view ofthe restrictions 4/10.
But overall 3/10 failed.

A transfer strategy can only be deemed to have truly failed by results. Could it be better? Of course, we could have got better results. But not much better, if we’re being reasonable.

[Skipper_The_Eyechild]

I think if you value keeping most of the squad together, like Emery said he did at the end of last season, you have to start with the question ‘what’s the best you can do with the money from Ramsey, KKH, and a few loan fees?’

I choose optimism in life as well as Villa, and I’m not a student of other teams’ players. I didn’t like Sancho because that twat Southgate seemed to prefer him to Joe, and to me when I saw him play for England he wasn’t in the same class. But today I’ll choose to note the positive stuff Matt Law has written about him. I’ll also choose to note what Liverpool fans say about Elliot. I’ll choose to think that you don’t last eight years and make 280 appearances for one of the biggest clubs in the world like Lindelof did (no matter how bad that club has been in that time) if you’re useless. And I actually do believe off my own bat that we’ve improved on Olsen and saved money.

So given all that and the restrictions we were under, I’ll give it an 8.5.

I’d have gone for more churn personally. We could have spent shitloads if we’d have sold shitloads, like Chelsea did, but I suppose that’s a bit riskier. Ideally for me we’d have at least sold Cash and got a better RB, but who knows if there was a willing buyer?

The £87m spent on Onana and Maatsen could and should have strengthened us more but that was another window.

I admire your optimism Percy, and I know you have given caveats, but 8.5 still feels incredibly generous.

[manic-road]

I was happy that we have managed to keep the likes of Kamara, Watkins, Konsa and Tielemans as I was expecting one of our better players being sold. JJ scored one league goal last season, I expect Elliot to at least produce more than that.