Winter 25-26 Transfer Window - hopes, speculation, rumours etc.

[Dave]

We can't afford to. Literally everything that has happened off the pitch since the Man U game has screamed "the rules won't let us spend any money".

There's nothing stopping us from selecting him on the bench ahead of youth team players.

[Stinkin_Thinkin]

Ferguson from Brighton via rome seems to have lost his way a bit so would be cheap. strong, knows where the net is, technically better than the likes of strand-laursen

[Somniloquism]

Knowing where the net is doesn't mean he can ever find it, as evidenced by his record since 22/23. He is already on loan as well so not sure why Brighton would want to loan him elsewhere, especially with our record of playing loanees under the age of 25.

[cdbearsfan]

We can't afford to. Literally everything that has happened off the pitch since the Man U game has screamed "the rules won't let us spend any money".

There's nothing stopping us from selecting him on the bench ahead of youth team players.

What's the point of putting someone on the bench that you don't want to select?

[Dave]

Ferguson from Brighton via rome seems to have lost his way a bit so would be cheap. strong, knows where the net is, technically better than the likes of strand-laursen

Not sure he'd be as cheap as all that. Roma's option to buy him is apparently €40m. Which is a lot for someone who's scored two goals across the last season and a half.

[Sexual Ealing]

No. Because he can't play for anyone other than Villa or Liverpool this season.

What about Fiorentina, could he play for them?

[Matt C]

Maybe we’ll recall Bailey.

[cdbearsfan]

No. Because he can't play for anyone other than Villa or Liverpool this season.

What about Fiorentina, could he play for them?

The rules don't specifically mention Fiorentina so it must be fine, I imagine.

[Somniloquism]

We can't afford to. Literally everything that has happened off the pitch since the Man U game has screamed "the rules won't let us spend any money".

There's nothing stopping us from selecting him on the bench ahead of youth team players.

Well apart from we had multiple players who would play in the positions Elliot might play already on the bench but no player in a position to come on in a more of a DM role. But if Emery picks Jimoh-Aloba on the bench ahead of him tonight then we are not ever having him.

[Dave]

We can't afford to. Literally everything that has happened off the pitch since the Man U game has screamed "the rules won't let us spend any money".

There's nothing stopping us from selecting him on the bench ahead of youth team players.

What's the point of putting someone on the bench that you don't want to select?

This is feeling a little bit circular now. We can "afford" to select him in another four matches, regardless of what happens in January or beyond.

So if we think he's going to be more use than Hemmings, or Barkley or Sancho, there is no reason he shouldn't be on the bench to give us the option of using him. Regardless of whether we then call it there so we don't hit the ten matches that triggers the automatic purchase. 

If we "don't want to select" him because we don't think he's good enough to be in our team, there's no reason to think he'll be in our team in the second half of the season ahead of Buendia, or Tielemans, or McGinn or Rogers either, even if Liverpool agree to take the clause out.

[paul_e]

We can't afford to. Literally everything that has happened off the pitch since the Man U game has screamed "the rules won't let us spend any money".

There's nothing stopping us from selecting him on the bench ahead of youth team players.

Well apart from we had multiple players who would play in the positions Elliot might play already on the bench but no player in a position to come on in a more of a DM role. But if Emery picks Jimoh-Aloba on the bench ahead of him tonight then we are not ever having him.

Yep, saved me having to type it out again.

[cdbearsfan]

We can't afford to. Literally everything that has happened off the pitch since the Man U game has screamed "the rules won't let us spend any money".

There's nothing stopping us from selecting him on the bench ahead of youth team players.

What's the point of putting someone on the bench that you don't want to select?

This is feeling a little bit circular now. We can "afford" to select him in another four matches, regardless of what happens in January or beyond.

So if we think he's going to be more use than Hemmings, or Barkley or Sancho, there is no reason he shouldn't be on the bench to give us the option of using him. Regardless of whether we then call it there so we don't hit the ten matches that triggers the automatic purchase. 

If we "don't want to select" him because we don't think he's good enough to be in our team, there's no reason to think he'll be in our team in the second half of the season ahead of Buendia, or Tielemans, or McGinn or Rogers either, even if Liverpool agree to take the clause out.

Even so, might as well save the four in case we get an injury crisis and have no choice later in the season, rather than bringing him on with ten minutes to go and wasting one of his eligible appearances.

Also possible we are trying to prove some sort of point to Liverpool in the hope of forcing their hand to drop the clause.

[Dave]

We can't afford to. Literally everything that has happened off the pitch since the Man U game has screamed "the rules won't let us spend any money".

There's nothing stopping us from selecting him on the bench ahead of youth team players.

Well apart from we had multiple players who would play in the positions Elliot might play already on the bench but no player in a position to come on in a more of a DM role. But if Emery picks Jimoh-Aloba on the bench ahead of him tonight then we are not ever having him.

"No player in a position to come on in a more of a DM role", except Bogarde and Barkley* who were both on the bench alongside Hemmings against Leeds.

*who, while playing further forward this season has spent most of the last two seasons playing a DM role, so it's seems a stretch that in an injury to Kamara or Tielemans he's left on the bench while Hemmings comes on.

[brontebilly]

Ferguson from Brighton via rome seems to have lost his way a bit so would be cheap. strong, knows where the net is, technically better than the likes of strand-laursen

Lost his way would be an understatement. Can't or won't run seems to be his biggest issue.

[paul_e]

We can't afford to. Literally everything that has happened off the pitch since the Man U game has screamed "the rules won't let us spend any money".

There's nothing stopping us from selecting him on the bench ahead of youth team players.

Well apart from we had multiple players who would play in the positions Elliot might play already on the bench but no player in a position to come on in a more of a DM role. But if Emery picks Jimoh-Aloba on the bench ahead of him tonight then we are not ever having him.

"No player in a position to come on in a more of a DM role", except Bogarde and Barkley* who were both on the bench alongside Hemmings against Leeds.

*who, while playing further forward this season has spent most of the last two seasons playing a DM role, so it's seems a stretch that in an injury to Kamara or Tielemans he's left on the bench while Hemmings comes on.

Bottom line is irrelevant really, Barkley is being used as a 10 currently and that's what he was covering on the bench. Bogarde is correct but he'd just been sent back from international duty with an injury. Aside from that if we'd put Elliott on the bench we'd have had 5 subs covering 4 people, which is just weird.