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

[nigel]

Why would you have Pau on the out list? He'd be the last of our centre backs I'd move on right now, in fact the only defender I'd be more reluctant to let go across the entire back 4 is Maatsen and that's purely on age.

I'd agree that we shouldn't be trying to sell him (and more importantly, I imagine Emery's only untouchables would be Kamara, Tielemans, Rogers and him so he's obviously not going anywhere), but if you could get £40m for him and bring in Senesi on a free it feels like the sort of squad management that we still need to do a bit of, to sort out our remaining financial stuff.

Not that we will though.

I think SJM must/should be on that list given the impact he always seems to have.

[Dave]

Why would you have Pau on the out list? He'd be the last of our centre backs I'd move on right now, in fact the only defender I'd be more reluctant to let go across the entire back 4 is Maatsen and that's purely on age.

I'd agree that we shouldn't be trying to sell him (and more importantly, I imagine Emery's only untouchables would be Kamara, Tielemans, Rogers and him so he's obviously not going anywhere), but if you could get £40m for him and bring in Senesi on a free it feels like the sort of squad management that we still need to do a bit of, to sort out our remaining financial stuff.

Not that we will though.

I think SJM must/should be on that list given the impact he always seems to have.

Agreed, as I mentioned in a subsequent reply.

I guess the only difference between SJM and the others is that based on his age / profile, even though he's crucial to us I don't think he'd get that much interest (or at least not enough to mean we would consider selling - was it £18m Everton apparently had rejected in the summer?)

All the others, if we said that we entertaining moving them on, you'd be looking at a lot of big clubs chucking a lot of big money at us (probably Pau with smaller numbers than the other three), whereas McGinn probably wouldn't have that.

[Hookeysmith]

If we qualify for CL, does that give us financial headroom to make proper signings to improve our X1?

We could win it and every other trophy for the next 3 years and it would not make that much difference. The governing bodies knew exactly what they were doing by making the rules not about football status, results or gathered prize money. Instead they chose how big a club you are from a money making basis AFTER the select few had already feathered their nests making it almost impossible for any new comers to crash the party.

Its a rigged deck and we (along with anyone else with ambition) are simply not invited.

[Somniloquism]

If we qualify for CL, does that give us financial headroom to make proper signings to improve our X1? Not just former players, players out of contract, loans and PSR pawns.

It depends really. In theory last years CL earnings hit for this years wages so next years will be against Europa. And we probably still have the transfer positive needed for the squad whatever that means.

[Dave]

If we qualify for CL, does that give us financial headroom to make proper signings to improve our X1? Not just former players, players out of contract, loans and PSR pawns.

It depends really. In theory last years CL earnings hit for this years wages so next years will be against Europa. And we probably still have the transfer positive needed for the squad whatever that means.

I thought that the general reading was that as long as we got through 25/26 with that "net positive" thing done and our wrist successfully slapped, then our subsequent years' punishment was suspended and we now just need to fit into that <70% of turnover rule that everyone else has to hit?

Which as you say, based on the Europa rather than CL money might be tricky in itself, but I think we're through the other side on the "net positive" stuff.

[Somniloquism]

I think it depends on hitting whatever target we agreed to as we attempted to move from 90% to 70% over the next few seasons. If we hit the year one target, then yes it is suspended but not removed as a punishement. But I haven't read the ruling for awhile so I could be wrong on that.

[Demitri_C]

Also we spent virtually  nithjng jn the summer so surely thats looking good for our spending this summer provided the wages are in ljne witt the rules

If we sell someone  like emi thays massively  going  to help and thats even before the malen and guessand sales

[LeeB]

Also we spent virtually  nithjng jn the summer so surely thats looking good for our spending this summer provided the wages are in ljne witt the rules

If we sell someone  like emi thays massively  going  to help and thats even before the malen and guessand sales

Sometimes it looks like you post whilst leaning on a pneumatic drill.

[Demitri_C]

Also we spent virtually  nithjng jn the summer so surely thats looking good for our spending this summer provided the wages are in ljne witt the rules

If we sell someone  like emi thays massively  going  to help and thats even before the malen and guessand sales

Sometimes it looks like you post whilst leaning on a pneumatic drill.

Apologies  my phone does not have spell check 😂

[LeeB]

Also we spent virtually  nithjng jn the summer so surely thats looking good for our spending this summer provided the wages are in ljne witt the rules

If we sell someone  like emi thays massively  going  to help and thats even before the malen and guessand sales

Sometimes it looks like you post whilst leaning on a pneumatic drill.

Apologies  my phone does not have spell check 😂

No worries, I find it funny

[Somniloquism]

It probably does have spell check, but even that couldn't predict the words you actually mean so doesn't bother.

[andyh]

Someone said yesterday that a deal for Grealish to come back in the summer is virtually done.
Personally, I think it’s bollocks but…………. !!!!

[Dave]

I think it depends on hitting whatever target we agreed to as we attempted to move from 90% to 70% over the next few seasons. If we hit the year one target, then yes it is suspended but not removed as a punishement. But I haven't read the ruling for awhile so I could be wrong on that.

I can't see that what "we agreed to" would be anything other than the 70% that everyone now has to meet anyway.

So if we're at <70%, we're both fine in relation to our punishment from last year and we're within the rules moving forward. If we go >70% then our suspended punishment becomes enforced and we have to deal with the new consequences of once again being outside the permitted limits.

So we're either fine moving forward permanently, or we're told off for both historic and new naughtiness (for the next two years for the historic stuff, anyway).

[Dave]

Someone said yesterday that a deal for Grealish to come back in the summer is virtually done.
Personally, I think it’s bollocks but…………. !!!!

Given Everton have the option to sign him permanently if they want, that feels unlikely.

[eamonn]

Someone said yesterday that a deal for Grealish to come back in the summer is virtually done.
Personally, I think it’s bollocks but…………. !!!!

Was this someone of fine standing?