January transfer window is just around the corner
I think the last window in the summer was hampered in two ways. One (with the most honest of assessments) I very much doubt if we had 100% invested in being a championship club and were that well scouted. Two by the time the Premiership clubs started shipping out their precious youngsters to the lower leagues we were the whipping boys and looked so far out of our depth there was no way they were going to loan us a fragile talent to get hammered every game. Leicester aside - thank you.
So with January just around the corner I am a bit more hopeful on the loan front than I was before. Yes some of the talents will already be committed to clubs til the summer but there will be incoming players at the top of their squads that will bump players out the bottom. I know we are not challenging for the top of the league but Premiership teams will see that we are fighting, we are playing hearty stuff and we are getting there and thereabouts. So maybe Jermaine Defoe jr is still there for us, and maybe there's a more developed scouting list that that has that gem just waiting to come in. We still have a great history of signing a 'who the hell is that?' and them turning good.
Still p1ssed about yesterday so wanted to share a positive note to lift MY mood
Comments
The Ainsworth Dobson effect. As long as we’re in touch in January then it can be deployed at full strength.
On the face of it 2 Prem loans: Knight an Adeniran, 2 Captures from SPL : Horgan and Uche , and Taf, Jase and McCleary with some championship experience and a set of youngsters to add to our tight-knit squad doesn't sound too bad. It might be key this time to look at injury records and natural fitness, no point signing people who look good on paper but don't make the pitch. If we have just been unlucky with injuries then that changing could be the single biggest factor that determines our final position.
Someone with a record of scoring goals at this level would be great but may not be realistic.
Is it correct to assume that it has to be a one in one out process in January or can we add any squad depth without shipping anyone out?
There was a bit of a debate about how this is regulated, not sure if we have to register 25 like the Prem teams or be shown to have a certain amount at any time that are senioy. Either way we aren't probably going to want to be paying and keeping players around who aren't involved.
We'll probably make some available for a move and hope clubs with more resources do the same for us.
If someone goes out on loan then they're not registered as our player, are they? We won't get a fee for anyone and I'm sure we'd rather not terminate contracts, so I guess we'll have to loan out to bring in. I'm sure Phillips will go out on loan again - hopefully to a League Two club this time - so that's one space freed up, and then Pattison and Parker as well? Unsure on how many loanees you can have in the matchday squad with nine subs, but it was five with seven subs.
I'd expect us to loan in a few, but we're not going to be paying any fees.
I think with the best first 11 we have now we do have a real chance to stay up (for me 442, Allsop, Grimmer, Knight, Stewart, JJ, McCleary, Thompson, Gape/Adeniran, Horgan, Uche, Kashket) but it seems to be almost impossible given the injuries and fixture list. The back up players we have are understandably not quite good enough just now. I think it’s vital to try to stay up, but sustainably and while really potentially planning for League 1 as well (which is what we’re doing I think).
Striker wise, I’m very much waiting on Uche. If we can get him fit consistently he will add a lot to the squad and I feel we’ll have enough up front to get goals (if we address central midfield squad depth-see below). He isn’t the second coming, he isn’t massively pacy from what I’ve seen, but he is capable of being the focal point we need, and allows Bayo to be the impact player he has proven he can be at this level, without running him into the ground. I’d be surprised if he’d get more than 5-8 goals himself, but that is all we need. With the pace of Kashket and Fred, and bits and pieces of Samuel as well we’re ok. And looking good with that with the possibility of League 1 next year.
Horgan and McCleary are the classiest players we have had for some time and should be on the wings most games if possible, and Wheeler is a quality player in so many positions and gives the squad options. Horgan and McCleary for me are good players at this level, and Wheeler is at least solid player (which makes him an excellent footballer). Central midfield is where we’re sorely lacking. I’m sure it’s been mentioned before, but I would do everything in my power to get Luke O’Nien and/or Josh Scowen back to the club, and loan out Freeman and Pattison (and ensure Bloomfield’s minutes are limited to concentrate on coaching, although he did well yesterday to be fair). Playing 442 (please!) or 433 with a choice of Gape, Thompson, Adeniran, O’Nien, would give is good options at this level, and be first class in League 1.
Defensively I think we look ok generally (if not for the injuries). Grimmer is a very solid player at this level and Knight and Stewart both look very assured. Keeping Knight for the season needs to be a priority, and I would really look to sign him permanently if we could. We haven’t seen much of Tafazoli but he has experience at this level. JJ has surprisingly to me anyway done ok at this level, can look like he’s struggling when exposed but who wouldn’t be. I think all the above, as well as the utility man Jason McCarthy, would be excellent at League 1 level if we were to go down. A long term JJ replacement needs to be a priority defensively in the medium term, although who knows about Clarke at this stage.
Never been a massive fan of Allsop but he’s done well for his ability level so far I’d say so fair play to him. He is ok to be going into League 1 again (if that’s where we end up) and Stockdale is a strong number 2.
We won't pay big fees but I'm not sure we're that against paying a fee at all as we were, you have to look at fees and wages together over the period of the contract really. There's a few candidates to go already but if you add players you push others down the list and they might want out , be it perm or temp. Football is very old boys club so it can come down to someone's mate or former boss needing a player in a certain position.
If there's a left-back we really like available within budget then we might spend there as it's the one position where we're really short - and JJ will need replacing in the near future. McCarthy can play there, but ideally you'd have a left-footer.
Otherwise I think we only need another midfielder in the Adeniran mould - someone who can collect from the back and then defence into attack, while having a combative side to their game as well - and possibly a target man so we're not left short if Uche gets injured again (although if we keep wasting chances I can see us looking at a finisher - you never know, we might find the next Trotta...). But the same as always will apply: if Gaz can't get who he wants, he won't get who he doesn't want.
I would have thought PL teams want their youngsters to gain experience in tbe pro game...good or bad...so the position of a club would be larhely immaterial. We would not need a striker if we had a 20 goal striker and we would not need a defender if we were cast iron at the back. I can see why they might not see a midfielder getting.much football in though!??
Absolutely no chance of signing Knight permanently, that's just dreamland. Also, I'm afraid if we do get relegated Horgan and McCleary wont be staying and I could also see Grimmer going
I wouldn't say it's beyond the realms of possibility that we sign Knight permanently if we stay up.
At least you're worried about this in the Championship and not League 1 ?
Horgan would go, but we'd get a fee. McCleary's age and injury history might give us a chance of keeping him (although he's only contracted until the end of the season). We wouldn't expect to have Championship quality players in League One though, so we shouldn't be panicking about relegation just because we might lose some of them.
Grimmer and Thompson are the only two players who were here before this season who I'd be worried about Championship clubs coming in for. Stewart's age and weak distribution mean we should keep hold of him.
Knight surely unlikely to get new Leicester contract in summer.
Very true, nice to have such problems
Oh, Thompson's a year older than I thought he was - will be almost 28 come the end of the season. We might be ok there too then.
Anyway we can save this post? I've just got very confident we'll be signing Josh Knight on a permanent contract next month.
I wonder what effect leaving the EU will have on British talent being more sought after.
Surely young players with potential like Knight will be more expensive?
In any case, if there is a deal to be done, Gareth is the man to do it. Sign Knight that is, I think his influence on Brexit is more limited!
Still think there is no chance of a permanent deal... but if it happens I am claiming full credit !
If we are not in the Champ next season, would be interesting to see which of current team got chance to stay at that level. Grimmer and Stewart maybe plus maybe loanees Knight and Adeniran. Any others?
I would be astonished if we could get Knight on a permanent deal.
He is a class apart from anyone else we have on our books.
With him being highly rated in his loan spell at Posh as well as here, I'm sure there will be no shortage of interested buyers, that's if Leicester wanted to sell.
Why?
When a club loan out a player in the final year of their contract, they're generally putting them in the shop window for a buyer.
If they don't want him they might look to sell for a fee in January which would probably put us at a disadvantage. If they are undecided they could still offer an extension at any point. If anyone watched him yesterday they'd have been interested.
Hard to get a club to pay a fee in January when the player's out of contract in the summer
Why is it dream world? He's not Eze who was clearly going to be a premier league star in the not too far distance and even with Mawson we came close to signing him as a league 2 team!
There isn’t a hope in hell we’ll sign Knight permanently.*
*This assertion is made solely on the basis of my near flawless ability to predict absolutely nothing correctly
No-one actually knows how Leicester rate him, whether he'll get a new contract there and what will even happen in Jan.
Unless Leicester have another higher championship club in their ear about poaching him for the second half of the season, keeping him on loan should at least be pretty likely.
I can’t imagine Leicester will offer him another contract. He’ll be nearly 24 at the beginning of next season and he’s currently never played for the senior team.
I think we have a great chance of signing him on a free and extending his loan
Assuming Leicester dont want him, Knights agent will presumably be touting him around Championship clubs now and Knight is likely to be loaned for the last months of his contract to the club that looks like the best long term contract option. That might be us, there may be what he sees as a better offer.