There is one report that Fulham are one of the clubs interested but seems like agent talk to me. They have Tete at RB and want to bring in Neco Williams who was on loan too. Both better than Fredricks.
I also read somewhere that that twitter guy called ex whu employee or something like that said that he's going to Fulham. Either way I'm not really sure he's the answer. Rapid player, but that's about it in my opinion.
I wish we had 9 players out of contract. Actually more like 20. Saddled with ageing unsellable dross for another year at least.
West Brom announce that Sam Johnstone, Romaine Sawyers and Andy Carroll will be released from the club.
He was linked with Spurs but they are signing foster from saints so where could he be going? Saints as the number 1? West Ham as back up? Not sure who else needs a GK…
There had been strong rumours a couple of months or so ago that he'd go back to Man Utd as backup if they sold Henderson (with Newcastle believed to be strongly interested in Henderson). Maybe they put it on ice until their manager situation was sorted and they had his opinion, but it might still be on the cards.
I’d guess West Ham. But not as back-up. Fabianski is old and almost certain they are look at succession for him now. Areola likes to go back to PSG you’d imagine too.
I read some reports somewhere that West Ham are hoping to sign Areola permanently and have him take over from Fabianski next season.
A lot of names on here from @Markoa$ and others - cheap and available EFL talent in many of the positions were seeking. But there don’t appear to be many decent options for a new striker, which given analysis of Edwards’ style of play should be a target man who gets goals and brings others into play. The strikers who fit that profile in the EFL appear to be either too expensive (Brereton-Diaz or even Michael Obafemi, Ross Stewart and Viktor Gyokeres) or too uninspiring (Jonson Clark-Harris). Lucas Joao another but I wonder if he’s too injury prone/inconsistent. Below are some foreign names who I think could be available for loan/cheap permanent deals. Many of them have had hot seasons in lesser leagues and I think would be either in the £2-5m range or the £5-10m. Some have been out on loan and could be loans with an option to buy. Interested to get thoughts. Andrea Petagna: big backup striker at Napoli. Gets goals when he plays but that isn’t often. Still young. Could be loan with a fairly expensive option/promotion obligation. Cyriel Dessers: mentioned here by me previously. Top scorer in the Conference League at PSV on loan from Belgium. 27. PSV’s option is €4m but I don’t know if they have the funds. Sam Lammers - big man at Eintracht on loan from Atalanta who wins everything in the air but not too many goals in recent years. Not too many minutes this year. Really needs to find a home but I think when he does he’ll get lots and lots of goals like he did when very young in the Eredivise. Thomas Henry. At relegated Venezia. Good goal record in Belgium and 9 goals for relegated Venezia this season. But at 28 unlikely to offer any resale value. Reckon he’d be available for £4m or so, around how much they paid for him a year ago. Haji Wright - Was on loan in Turkey. Concern is that this is just one hot run of form. Parent club (@reids club in Denmark, I believe - any thoughts) relegated so should be available for fairly cheap. Just breaking through to the USMNT setup too. Michael Olunga - no idea of this guy’s wages or how much he’d cost as he plays in the Qatari league but he is huge and has scored a ridiculous amount of goals everywhere he’s been in his career. Adam Buksa - probably the top striker in the MLS right now. Might already be too expensive. Scored 5 in 7 for Poland too. Some media reports linking him with a $5m departure in Jan but I reckon he’s gone up in value a fair amount since then. Vedat Muriqi at Lazio is another but it looks like Mallorca are taking up their option on him and he would have been too expensive anyway at around £10m Two others I like but not really for this profile of striker are Danny Loader (former Reading youth player at Porto B and out of contract) and Ryan Mmaee the Ferencvaros and Morocco striker who is a bit more in the poacher mould.
I do like the look of Piroe at Swansea. He just seems to strike the ball so sweetly. Definitely out of our price range I'd imagine but Gino might have to splash out, not over Duxberry this time but on some decent forwards who can deliver.
Jorgen Strand Larsen could be a good option as the target man. Probably out of our price range anyway, but fits the Edwards model. Signing players from the Dutch league is always a risk, but for the right price, he would be worth it.
Don’t know anything about him apart from all the stats I’ve just looked at, but Zian Flemming has had a very good season at Fortuna Sittard. Can’t imagine him costing more than £2-3mil. At 23 yrs old, and purely based on what I’ve read, could be a risk worth taking.
Didn't really see much of him as he was already out the door when I joined, but he scored a few in Denmark then thought he was big time and forced a move away. We were livid at him.
That's a good list there - kudos. The standout for me out of those in terms of quality and potential obtainability is Adam Buksa. He seems to have everything for a CF and should suit Edwards well. He was also only linked with a move to Serie B side Pisa in January which suggests he might not be out of reach. The main question mark as you say would be the potential fee, but if he's available then he seems someone worth pushing the boat out a bit for. Quick fyi - 4 of his goals for Poland were against San Marino, but he also scored an excellent header in a start vs Albania. Thomas Henry also seems impressive, a very good finisher with some physicality. Reminds me a bit of Mitrovic in the clips I've seen. They paid £4.5mil to sign him last summer, and with them being relegated may accept their money back. Main negative is that at 27 and a couple years older than Buksa there's less chance of resale value, but with his potential fee and availability still seems worth considering. Haji Wright also seems promising and sharp in front of goal. One would guess he'd probably be the cheapest and easiest to obtain, though being slightly less proven at a top level as Henry or even perhaps Buksa (with Poland) he'd come with a tad more risk. He could even still be worth bringing in though alongside someone else as there's still room to improve and some upside potential there.
Thanks! I have to say I like @Markoa$ Suggestion of Jorgen Strand Larsen too. He too would appear to fit the bill. Not sure whether Wright has the right mentality given @reids account earlier so more due diligence would be required for that one. Just seen Thomas Henry linked to Wolves presumably as a backup striker (they were linked with Kieffer Moore too in Jan) so I suspect there may be a fair amount of competition and a higher price tag if so. Agreed that Buksa is the standout but if the hot run of form he’s on continues he may price us out.
Funnily enough I worked at Groningen where Strand Larsen plays as well. A few scouts I know reckon he's one that could adapt to a higher level league easily enough (as the Eredivisie attackers often struggle to make it in other leagues). Groningen don't sell their youngsters cheap though!
I see that Cedric Kipre (CB played 14 times) is being linked with Norwich for a few million. Who scored however say one of his weakness is concentration.
Jorgen Strand Larsen has definitely improved since leaving Sarpsborg. Good touch for a big fella but he's not the greatest in the air, again has improved though. In Norway they believe he's destined for greater things and want to see his capabilities in the national team more. But from what I remember he was a very good team player by bringing others into play. I still believe he needs to strengthen up a little though.
The list of names here seems far more impressive than the list of fees received. You’d have to think in the £3-6m range (which is of course probably too much for us though I think the sort of range we will need to get to get a decent number 9).
I'd be surprised if he didn't hold out for a newly promoted side, but getting a 20 goal Championship striker would obviously be a cracking piece of business.
This appears to have just been from one bloke in the comments of a Voices of the Vic tweet. Not a very substantive link. https://twitter.com/tristan25/status/1529421104430960641?s=21&t=E63SlPS0tRWNOTcoQ9XGBA Would obviously have him if he’s willing to come here though I don’t think he’s the profile of striker we need, unless Cucho is off. If Cucho does leave, Erik Botheim (former Bodo/Glimt striker who joined and has now left Krasnodar) available on a free would be a cracking option though I am not sure he’d get a work permit.
Really wouldn’t surprise me to see Andy Carroll rock up on a one-year deal. Quite like the look of Sam Smith from Cambridge United. Dane Scarlett is expected to be loaned out next season as well.
On a free it's a no brainer if he can get a permit. He's not the fastest but would be an excellent addition. A real hardworking team player.
Would be one for exceptions panel. And a fun one for the lawyers as I believe he would have enough points if he’d been able to play for Krasnodar/were it not for Russia’s invasion. I do suspect though that seeing his age and that’s he’s available for free, we won’t be at the front of the queue.
Haji Wright has only ended up at a mid-table Turkish club though, so might still be motivated to come to us. I have to say I agree for the time being - he seems to lack a bit of mobility and physicality still. It may come, but he'd be a bit too much of a risk for now for the kind of fee they'd want. Perhaps it's a lazy comparison given his position, club and nationality, but he gives off slight Sorloth vibes. Might do well abroad, but be a lump that makes little impact in England (at least at this stage in his career anyway).
Yeah they don’t, what do you think they would want for him? My guess as I stated, that he will probably be out of out price range. However we would be a good option for his next step up.
Armstrong would be fantastic on loan. I don't think it's a surprise that Southampton would be willing to loan him out, and maybe they just don't want to send him to another potential relegation rival in the PL? The thing is - Edwards seems to prefer 2 up top (3412), in which case Armstrong alonside a targetman (who we'd still need to sign) would actually be an ideal profile as one of the two strikers. Stick say JP or Zinc behind Armstrong and a more physical presence like Buksa or Thomas and it would be goals galore.
