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

[PaulWinch again]

Pete the Canadian fella, mentioned on his Youtube show yesterday that Morgan Rogers and his family are "shopping around for a new agent in time for the summer".

If that is true* then he can fuck right off (Morgan)

You were a nobody until we got hold of you and now the first chance to go your looking to get away - cnut


*and i do know it is only speculatation at this time

Blimey. Nothing like going early.

[Sexual Ealing]

Mings has changed agents since he's been here, and I don't think that makes him a cnut. And if it's true Rogers is looking for a new one it could just as easily be in response to the club telling him we need to sell him, so he'd better make sure he has one that's up to the task of getting him into a megaclub or Man Utd.

[brontebilly]

If you also look alot of these players are still smith and gerrards. Thats what disappoints me the most its still not really emerys team

Well, to say it's not Emery's team is a bit rich. Some of the personnel have been with us for a few years, but Emery has transformed many of the players he inherited.

Anyway, it's not an important point. The real question is where we need to improve.
Keeper: Martinez is probably going, so we will need a replacement. I'm not convinced by Trafford but he's young and will get better, I'm sure.
Defence: we seem to struggle with Unaiball when Torres is out, so a younger version of Pau seems to be a need. We will need to get a better / younger back-up to Konsa, but not a priority this year. I wonder whether we see Feeney, TJ Carroll and Routh as emerging back-up. Hope so.
Midfield is fine when all are fit; which is an unrealistic state of affairs. At least one new midfielder is necessary (a medium-term McGinn replacement?). Also, will Tommi O'Reilly, Borland and Hemmings make it?!
Wide / upfront: we have to move away from any reliance on Bailey, Buendia, Sancho; I'd maybe keep Buendia as an impact sub but the other two need to go. We have to find out whether Jimoh, Burrowes, Broggio, KY and Richmond can 'cut it' in the Premier League. And, we need another out-and-out striker. Personally, I've always liked Delap , and he needs to get out of Chelsea so this might be a good option.


So, the summer shopping list should have a seasoned goalkeeper, LCB (young, emerging player with some first-team experience), a JMG replacement and proven striker on it, as a minimum.

Not trying to argue just want to clarify the point i was trying to make Its factually not emerys  team when you look at who signed the players. That was my point. There is less emery signed players than signed ones in our starting 11. However Emery has coached them better without question.

We need emery to start getting his own personnel players  in. The likes of digne bailey can be moved on and hoping emery can find alternatives

One of Emery's best attributes has been to get the most out of the players at his disposal. Mixed enough record recruitment wise during his time, similar to most clubs perhaps. Not buying the Monchi v Emery signing debate.

Torres, Tielemans, Rogers, Duran, Maatsen I guess this season are the main hits. The dud list is increasing - Diaby, Malen, Onana, Guessand, Sancho, Elliot, multiple RBs - might not lose much money on them but definitely haven't improved the first X1 like they were meant to.

I find that 'duds' list a bit baffling. Diaby and Malen both did perfectly well, and we made a profit on both of them. Onana is an important player in our first team. Malen would still be here if it was up to us, but he wanted to start more regularly than Unai was willing to let him. 

Sancho and Elliot are loans not purchases (not great, either of them, obviously, but they're not purchases).  Of that list I'd probably only list Guessand as a 'dud', and even then, it's entirely likely we'll get our money back from Palace for him.

If the worst thing you can say about a dud signing is "we barely made any profit on them", then fair enough.

Personally, I think our hit rate in the transfer market since we got promoted is WAY above average.  Every team makes bad signings, but I think we make fewer than most, and we've made some excellent ones along the way.

When you think back and compare to some of the signings we made in the Lerner years, I think we're doing all the right things these days.  It doesn't always work out, of course, but I think we do more than okay, on average.

If Diaby or Malen etc did perfectly well then they would still be at the club. Onana for 10m sure, not for 50m when he makes no impact against likes of Leeds or Wolves. Loans aren't free either, amount of wages being pissed away on Sancho and Elliot is ridiculous for little or no impact. All these guys were signed to improve the first X1, not Lindelof or Barkley squad depth types who more slack should be cut.

The general point is that we are still reliant on a core of players signed back in Smiths time is accurate. That's on Emery.

[Smithy]

Pete the Canadian fella, mentioned on his Youtube show yesterday that Morgan Rogers and his family are "shopping around for a new agent in time for the summer".

If that is true* then he can fuck right off (Morgan)

You were a nobody until we got hold of you and now the first chance to go your looking to get away - cnut


*and i do know it is only speculatation at this time

Blimey. Nothing like going early.

Agents do a LOT more than just transfers. Marketing, media, endorsements and so on. Him looking for new representation might mean nothing more than trying to cash in commercially on his new higher profile OFF the pitch. 

[Smithy]

I find that 'duds' list a bit baffling. Diaby and Malen both did perfectly well, and we made a profit on both of them. Onana is an important player in our first team. Malen would still be here if it was up to us, but he wanted to start more regularly than Unai was willing to let him. 

Sancho and Elliot are loans not purchases (not great, either of them, obviously, but they're not purchases).  Of that list I'd probably only list Guessand as a 'dud', and even then, it's entirely likely we'll get our money back from Palace for him.

If the worst thing you can say about a dud signing is "we barely made any profit on them", then fair enough.

Personally, I think our hit rate in the transfer market since we got promoted is WAY above average.  Every team makes bad signings, but I think we make fewer than most, and we've made some excellent ones along the way.

When you think back and compare to some of the signings we made in the Lerner years, I think we're doing all the right things these days.  It doesn't always work out, of course, but I think we do more than okay, on average.

If Diaby or Malen etc did perfectly well then they would still be at the club. Onana for 10m sure, not for 50m when he makes no impact against likes of Leeds or Wolves. Loans aren't free either, amount of wages being pissed away on Sancho and Elliot is ridiculous for little or no impact. All these guys were signed to improve the first X1, not Lindelof or Barkley squad depth types who more slack should be cut.

The general point is that we are still reliant on a core of players signed back in Smiths time is accurate. That's on Emery.

Fair enough, we'll have to agree to disagree, but if you genuinely think we'd get £10m for Onana, then I would politely suggest your ability to judge a player isn't quite as good as you think it is.

[PaulWinch again]

Diaby did do perfectly well he just didn’t settle and we needed money for PSR.

[Dave]

Agents do a LOT more than just transfers. Marketing, media, endorsements and so on. Him looking for new representation might mean nothing more than trying to cash in commercially on his new higher profile OFF the pitch. 

Going on how 2026 is going thus far for messers Foden, Bellingham and Palmer, Rogers is looking even more likely to start in a very-eye catching position for one of the tournament favourites of the most commercially lucrative sporting event in history.

If I were him, I'd be getting the best people on it now to ensure that he's being paid squillions to endorse every product out there after August.

[brontebilly]

I find that 'duds' list a bit baffling. Diaby and Malen both did perfectly well, and we made a profit on both of them. Onana is an important player in our first team. Malen would still be here if it was up to us, but he wanted to start more regularly than Unai was willing to let him. 

Sancho and Elliot are loans not purchases (not great, either of them, obviously, but they're not purchases).  Of that list I'd probably only list Guessand as a 'dud', and even then, it's entirely likely we'll get our money back from Palace for him.

If the worst thing you can say about a dud signing is "we barely made any profit on them", then fair enough.

Personally, I think our hit rate in the transfer market since we got promoted is WAY above average.  Every team makes bad signings, but I think we make fewer than most, and we've made some excellent ones along the way.

When you think back and compare to some of the signings we made in the Lerner years, I think we're doing all the right things these days.  It doesn't always work out, of course, but I think we do more than okay, on average.

If Diaby or Malen etc did perfectly well then they would still be at the club. Onana for 10m sure, not for 50m when he makes no impact against likes of Leeds or Wolves. Loans aren't free either, amount of wages being pissed away on Sancho and Elliot is ridiculous for little or no impact. All these guys were signed to improve the first X1, not Lindelof or Barkley squad depth types who more slack should be cut.

The general point is that we are still reliant on a core of players signed back in Smiths time is accurate. That's on Emery.

Fair enough, we'll have to agree to disagree, but if you genuinely think we'd get £10m for Onana, then I would politely suggest your ability to judge a player isn't quite as good as you think it is.

I didn't say that now. I think he's made the impact of a 10m player (twice Barkley's). Everyone fit and he still doesn't make the team. Without the cavalry he has made zero impact. No idea what we would sell him for in the summer, nowhere near what we paid anyway. Maybe a deal to Juve with Luiz coming the other way.

He's been the wrong signing from day one for me as he can't play on the half turn in midfield.

[Chris Smith]

If everyone is fit Emery will more often than not play Onana.

[eamonn]

If everyone is fit Emery will more often than not play Onana.

So who misses out ?