17 Jul 2021 08:29:05
Underwhelmed with transfer window thus far, think Firpo be a great addition and needed that LB player.
I understand (before people say) that only first 6 weeks of open window, but only 4 weeks till KO and would've been good to have incomings in earlier.
I know that euros just finished but surely Orta looking at players throughout season and not just starting now.
Seems like under 23's more important but surely not, get a move on.
Think to be a top quality squad in premiership that u need to outlay every season as well as out goings. Think we could get away with 50 mil on 3-4 ins, especially if send out a few, alioski, cassila and costa
Reading now that they feel we don't need that creative player as have Rodrigo and Roberts, god help us.
Should sell costa and Roberts, IMO a swap + cash to baggies for Pareria but looks unlikely, think if can get him for around 10-15, it's a no brainer.
No sign of a out and out striker, hope they not thinking just having bamford enough.

1.) 17 Jul 2021
17 Jul 2021 11:37:20
Of course Orta and his staff watch players throughout the year and, as we know sometimes track specific players over a period of seasons. As per earlier comment below, have been planning this window since the end of January, starting with drawing up their long-lists. You can only get down to serious transfer negotiations when the other parties potentially involved are prepared to do so, and the various factors covered in previous threads have further delayed that preparedness to do so this year. It may well have been easier to get other clubs to talk about u23 players than senior players, and had we put off u23 recruitment until our senior incomings were completed, we may well have missed out on the youngsters we wanted, or been forced to pay significantly more due to changed contractual status.

Sometimes over the last few years, seeing some of the dismissive or even derogatory comments on this site about u23 recruitment, I haven’t known whether to laugh or cry. Some seem to think Orta is recruiting to the u23s as a private menagerie - a distraction of time and funds from first team. Academy players who transition into the first team will save us tens of millions of pounds in the longer term, and those who don’t quite make the grade will still provide a profit when sold on. This has become increasingly the case since Brexit, which made recruitment from lesser European leagues very difficult or sometimes impossible, forcing clubs in this country to focus on a far smaller and more expensive market, and increasingly on ‘homegrown’ talent. Far better to get the latter when they’re young, feeding into the u23s and u18s, and if you can get them before they sign a pro contract, all the better.

For all the above reasons, I will applaud Orta and his staff for bringing in the likes of Sean McGurk, Amari Miller, Darryl Ombang, Luca Thomas and Cuba Cline, and wait patiently for further senior additions.

2.) 17 Jul 2021
17 Jul 2021 11:46:27
Not quite time to panic just yet Mel (but not far off) Looks like same old same old. Ideal targets slipping through out hands as "big boys" circle. I agree that if selling Roberts and Costa give us more clout then let's do it asap. Our ideal target may be impossible to find, a box to box Creative, Tackling midfielder. Oh and contributes 20 goals a season. I can dream can't I? I wasn't too convinced on Nandez but right now even he is slipping away. As per, at the last minute Victor will pull out all the stops and unviel Johnny nobody from Nowhere United, we will all go scrambling to Google him then light a candle to hope he comes good.
This season my prayers are with Rodrigo, that he shines and shows us all just how good he can be. Linking with Raphina and tearing the opposition to shreds.

3.) 17 Jul 2021
17 Jul 2021 12:54:19
Hope your right Leo, need Rodrigo to improve and he looked better last few games, still not convinced though. He not a 20 goal man and still unsure if he that creative linking player that runs at defenses and makes things happen.
I feel we need that player, a st max or Eze type
Was hoping toon would’ve gone down and then tried for maximan, he has had a few injuries but he is class. Would still now go to them with Roberts and 20mil.
I hear what clueless is saying but those under 23’s that we all thought were well thought of ( gerhart etc) didn’t even get a chance. Should have tried them in last 6 games, they could save us millions but had to see them.

4.) 17 Jul 2021
17 Jul 2021 13:16:19
Leo - who exactly are these ideal targets who are slipping through our hands? - do you have some specific players in mind?

At least one of the European ‘big boys’ were in for Firpo, but he chose to come to us.

Not sure where you’re coming from in your comment re Victor coming up with last minute signings. Surely you weren’t unhappy with last season’s late signings, Llorente and Raphinha?

5.) 17 Jul 2021
17 Jul 2021 14:21:25
Mel - St-Maximin is a left winger, so he will have been considered when Orta and his team were drawing up the long-list for that position. Who knows whether he made that initial list of 20, but if he’s not in the 3 player shortlist, Orta and Bielsa will have their reasons.

Why the impatience to see Geldhart etc in the last 6 games. Those games were not free hits, where we finished in the table affected not only the money received, which helps fund transfers, and that position and the way in which we finished the season directly impacts the way we are seen by prospective new players. It also created a positive momentum for the squad. Teams that tail off at the end of a season can carry that baggage into the next one - it certainly didn’t help the Blunts.

Bielsa will already have a view as to what role Geldhart and others will play this season. It’s not like Orta is rushing out to splash cash in the positions Joe or Sam Greenwood can play anyway, and likewise for Cody Drameh and Charlie Cresswell.

On the one hand you’re saying we should have given Geldhart a go, ‘cos he could have saved us money, and on the other you’re suggesting we really need to recruit new players to the positions in which he plays. You can’t have it both ways.

6.) 18 Jul 2021
18 Jul 2021 00:51:51
St max can play through the middle as well, just saying he is that type of player that change games.
As for giving young players a go, didn’t have to make massive changes to team, but I feel a couple of them should’ve had some game time.
We have history of bringing in a lot young players but not many have made the next step ( Edmonton, polish lad) .
We insisted on playing alioski, who IMO is crap as either LB or winger, why not try Davis, think he now gone on loan
Guess we see things differently, my initial point is lack of urgency for first team incomings.
Only Firpo bought, signed Harrison but only been here 3,seasons, not even had bielsa signed.
Most of us on here feel we need 4-5 players, GK, LB, creative MF, striker.

7.) 18 Jul 2021
18 Jul 2021 08:46:42
Mel - there will have been no lack of urgency. It’s not like they’ll start work on one position in first team or u23s then move onto the next when it’s done. They will be pushing work forward on all fronts concurrently, then when one of the targets falls into place get the deal done ASAP, so someone else doesn’t step in and at worst snatch the player from our grasp or at the least raise the price and wages we need to pay in order to secure him. They have three, ranked specific targets is mind for each senior position, which will have been cleared with Bielsa, and will be working on getting the best one possible as soon as possible.

What do you want Orta to do, target sub-optimal players just so he can get some bodies through the door?

The decisions on which u23s get some game time, or fully step up to the first team squad will be made by Bielsa. He sees them in training or will be monitoring them if they are on loan. Clearly he judges that Edmondson and Bogusz did not show enough on loan last year to suggest they are ready for the Prem, and the same goes for McCalmont, and hence they’ve all gone on loan again. If we’d still been in the Championship, Davis would almost certainly have played extensively last season, but again clearly Bielsa doesn’t feel he’s quite ready for the Prem yet, hence the loan. With these players, it has been judged that it is better for their development to get significant senior game time elsewhere rather than play u23 matches and the occasional first team minutes.

I repeat that on the one hand you’re wanting Geldhart to get a chance and on the other you’re saying we need new signings in two of the positions he plays, which would further reduce his prospects of game time.

8.) 18 Jul 2021
18 Jul 2021 12:10:18
No I’m saying gelhart should have played some of final games and then may not need to buy a striker, he may and I hope he is class, but only ever seen in under 23’s.