January 2024 transfer window thread.

[WolfLing]

Absolutely needs to be the right deal as there is a bit of risk involved with this IMO.

There is, but taking those risks is what helps you move forward. We took a big risk on Cunha last January and it's really paid off this season. Similarly in the past, we've taken risks on other players that haven't worked out well for us longer-term.

Danny Ings being sent back to West Ham after an average loan spell isn't going to help for next season.

But a fully fit Broja leading the line for us next season might push us on.

The deal has to be right for both parties. As others said previously, the later in the window it's done, the more chance we have of swinging the terms of the deal in our favour.

 

[lets all have a disco]

Cant say I'm keen on Ings ......seems like he's one of those 'Hair today , gone tomorrow ' type

Yes ..I'm just refuting he is O'Neil main option...he wouldn't have said nothing of the sort to anybody, especially in the media...

 

[WickedWolfie]

We should "be all over this" if Forest are in for him.

If we were "all over" everyone Trees are "in for" we'd have a squad of about 90.....

 

[Adrian_Monk]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1750150928269824456

Could they not have got to the bottom of the riddle in one hit?!

"Hi Todd, Matt again. Just a quick one - obligation or option?"

"Hi Todd, Matt again. Sorry to seem like I'm pestering, was it €23m or £23m?"

"Sorry Todd, just trying to clarify a few things. Was it the 4th or 5th July you needed a decision by?"

"Hi Todd, sorry to give the impression of a stalker, just checking to see whether we can pay with TransferWise?"

 

[North West Wanderer]

Has Hugo to EF been completed as of yet?

 

[Woburn Wolf]

Some great players in that list. Cameron, Rae and Frank Munro were top class.

So were McCalliog and Gray.

 

[dnf14]

Has Hugo to EF been completed as of yet?

PSG want €30m, Eintracht want to pay €18m-ish and they've never broken the €20m mark in their history.
It'll likely go to deadline day because Frankfurt have a history of being too stubborn to blink first.

 

[lobodelsur]

Some great players in that list. Cameron, Rae and Frank Munro were top class.

Yes, but Christophe Berra should be nowhere near that list...

 

[WickedWolfie]

Yes, but Christophe Berra should be nowhere near that list...

He was an adequate Chump/lower PL player. Always had an eye-catching ricket in him which detracted from the mostly solid good work..... The apparent eight arms didn't help either....

 

[Mancwolf56]

What have the Scottish ever done for us?
Frank Munro
What? Okay Frank Munro
Willie Carr
Oh yes, Willie Carr
Alex Rae
Agreed
Colin Cameron
Alright, Colin Cameron
Kenny Miller
Jim McCalliog
Andy Gray
Christophe Berra
Kevin McDonald...

I would add Leigh Griffiths purely for his impersonation of Lee Hughes when we he scored at Port Vale

 

[Rabid Wolf]

He was an adequate Chump/lower PL player. Always had an eye-catching ricket in him which detracted from the solid good work.....

He seemed to like hugging the opposition player at every corner IIRC.

 

[WickedWolfie]

He seemed to like hugging the opposition player at every corner IIRC.

See the amend l was working on, lol....

 

[theweave]

Absolutely needs to be the right deal as there is a bit of risk involved with this IMO.

Yeah if an obligation then the fee would need to be heavily performance based

 

[Rabid Wolf]

See the amend l was working on, lol....

I wonder how many penalties he gave away cause of it.

 

[Wagstaffe Was Magic]

Hughie Curran should be there to !!!!

 

[Mile End Wanderer]

It's not necessarily about fancy names from European clubs. Big clubs want professional, athletic, technically gifted players.

Very few English players with the right mix of technical and mental attributes slip through the net nowadays. A lot of the time, the reason players are playing in the lower leagues is because one or more aspects of their game wasn't deemed good enough to already be at the academy of a Premier League club.

Clubs like us tend to look up rather than down when recruiting talent. Players who didn't make the grade at a bigger club for a variety of reasons. Joe Hodge is a good example. Very highly rated as a youngster, with 2 years of back issues leading to his release by Man City.

Even if you look at a lot of players that do make the grade coming up from the Championship or lower, they have been through an elite academy at some stage of their youth career, before making their name playing regularly for a lower league side.

A big thing was made in the summer of Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu playing for Luton from Conference all the way through to the Premier League, but he'd been at West Ham for 3 years before signing permanently for Luton.

Let’s see what happens. If we have no money we have a small net that’s why we are talking about this type of player

 

[brianm]

But a fully fit Broja leading the line for us next season might push us on.

Could also be the team's undoing. That lad doesn't look right. Don't like his vibes. Don't really think his talent looks like anything special post injury. Didn't think he looked any more than kind of interesting at Saints.

Why take a big swing on that project right now? The club are far from desperate and Chelsea are totally ****ed (not because of transfers, though that didn't help, but even with CL money their ownership is ****ed unless they find a way to explode revenue, and tv money isn't getting richer...they overpaid for that club by billions imo).

No thanks. I don't think he's worth 20m.

 

[Pengwern]

Let’s see what happens. If we have no money we have a small net that’s why we are talking about this type of player

Hughie, Hughie Curran, Hughie Curran in the Air!

 

[Skrilla]

There is, but taking those risks is what helps you move forward. We took a big risk on Cunha last January and it's really paid off this season. Similarly in the past, we've taken risks on other players that haven't worked out well for us longer-term.

Danny Ings being sent back to West Ham after an average loan spell isn't going to help for next season.

But a fully fit Broja leading the line for us next season might push us on.

The deal has to be right for both parties. As others said previously, the later in the window it's done, the more chance we have of swinging the terms of the deal in our favour.

I think Broja is a talent, but the ACL is obviously a major question mark. We lost an entire season with Sasa to a repeat occurrence of an ACL injury.

Spending what could be the majority of our summer budget (if it was an obligation) with that level of risk would be concerning to me.

 

[Mile End Wanderer]

I think Broja is a talent, but the ACL is obviously a major question mark. We lost an entire season with Sasa to a repeat occurrence of an ACL injury.

Spending what could be the majority of our summer budget (if it was an obligation) with that level of risk would be concerning to me.

Same for me. He’s not exactly prolific for Chelsea if we can get the fee down to €20m I’d probably say maybe worth a risk

 

[WolfLing]

I think Broja is a talent, but the ACL is obviously a major question mark. We lost an entire season with Sasa to a repeat occurrence of an ACL injury.

Spending what could be the majority of our summer budget (if it was an obligation) with that level of risk would be concerning to me.

I agree, it's a risk. But he's the sort of player where if he were fully fit and firing he'd probably be out of reach for us. So we almost have to take a risk in order to get a player of that level.

How many people would have considered selling Neto if we'd have been offered £30m last summer? He'd shown very little in terms of pre-injury form. But after half a productive season, he's now he's back to being worth £60m+.

I'd imagine discussions are happening behind the scenes regarding how to push this team on to the next level and what sort of player realistically helps to do that.

The defence and midfield are functional. I don't think taking out any central defender or midfielder for a slight upgrade makes much of a difference to our fortunes. . Wing-back wise, again, Semedo and Ait-Nouri are working. A big upgrade on what we have probably means £30m+ in any of these areas.

The only real type of player we don't have, or could upgrade is centre forward.

All of our players are on long(ish) contracts, with renewals for the few that aren't probably in the pipe. Everyone seems happy and the squad is balanced with good competition for places.

If we spent all of our budget on a proper number 9, I don't necessarily see that as a bad thing.

 

[GoldenHorseshoe]

What have the Scottish ever done for us?
Frank Munro
What? Okay Frank Munro
Willie Carr
Oh yes, Willie Carr
Alex Rae
Agreed
Colin Cameron
Alright, Colin Cameron
Kenny Miller
Jim McCalliog
Andy Gray
Christophe Berra
Kevin McDonald...

You spoiled that by including Christophe Bearhug

 

[WolfLing]

Same for me. He’s not exactly prolific for Chelsea if we can get the fee down to €20m I’d probably say maybe worth a risk

This one just has the feeling of one of those that might get away.

 

[SteveBullsKnee]

You spoiled that by including Christophe Bearhug

My favourite memory of Berra is a non footballing one. I attended the end of season dinner the year we stayed up under mick last game of the season v Blackburn. I’d had a corporate invite and sat next to Jamie Ohara (who was actually really nice and not as I’d expect at all). My wife dropped me off and we were running late and she screeched onto the car park and nearly ran Berra over as he got out of his car (an Aston Martin) I apologised through the window and he said “no worries pal”, later in the evening he came over to Ohara and spotted me “Jamie, don’t talk to this fella his Mrs nearly killed me on the car park” laughed and shook my hand.

 

[Northampton_wolf]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1750174113799266603

 

[Edinburgh Wolf]

Yes, but Christophe Berra should be nowhere near that list...

Every time I watched us around that time, I always thought Berra, and whoever else was playing centre defence in that team, were made to look worse than they were as they were covering for the out of position Zubar and Elokobi half the time.

Granted, he was no world beater, but I saw him on Princes Street in Edinburgh back in his Wolves days, and he had lovely hair and he was a handsome *******, so I'll not hear a bad word against him!

 

[lobodelsur]

Every time I watched us around that time, I always thought Berra, and whoever else was playing centre defence in that team, were made to look worse than they were as they were covering for the out of position Zubar and Elokobi half the time.

Granted, he was no world beater, but I saw him on Princes Street in Edinburgh back in his Wolves days, and he had lovely hair and he was a handsome *******, so I'll not hear a bad word against him!

My main recollection was him making a disastrous error at home to (I think) the Vile and then compounding it by doing almost exactly the same thing away at Newcastle the following week. And I had such high hopes for him...

 

[Mark Rankines Lovechild]

I have to say the outgoings suggested we had a plan...Ings (if he signs) suggests to me that plan hasn't come to fruition.

He may do a job but he may not. The evidence of the last two teams he has played for suggest he wont score goals but if thats all that left then so be it.

 

[tonto]

I have to say the outgoings suggested we had a plan...Ings (if he signs) suggests to me that plan hasn't come to fruition.

He may do a job but he may not. The evidence of the last two teams he has played for suggest he wont score goals but if thats all that left then so be it.

We have a plan no doubt but it takes time and effort to put into place, and sometimes a little luck, or onto plan B

 

[WolfLing]

I have to say the outgoings suggested we had a plan...Ings (if he signs) suggests to me that plan hasn't come to fruition.

He may do a job but he may not. The evidence of the last two teams he has played for suggest he wont score goals but if thats all that left then so be it.

I can imagine trying to line you ducks up in a January window is one of the most stressful things anyone could ever do.

Like trying to buy and sell 2 or 3 houses within a month, all of which are in complex upward and downward chains.

 

[BillyBoots]

Cant say I'm keen on Ings ......seems like he's one of those 'Hair today , gone tomorrow ' type

oiI nothing wrong with baldies speaking for a mate.

 

[lets all have a disco]

I have to say the outgoings suggested we had a plan...Ings (if he signs) suggests to me that plan hasn't come to fruition.

He may do a job but he may not. The evidence of the last two teams he has played for suggest he wont score goals but if thats all that left then so be it.

Exactly....the plan was always a loan option or obligation for a striker.....


If it's a straight loan for Ings it would suggest the plan failed....a decent enough fall back option but not part of the original intention maybe ..

 

[WinchWolf]

Roy of the Rovers fantasy stuff. It's an absolute chasm between League Two and the Premier League

History is littered with strikers who banged them in at even Championship level and then flopped in the Premier League

And besides this renewed clamour for a number 9 is just a typical reaction to a goalless game. We've been banging them in all season and Channy will be back soon

Remember Ebanks-Blake

 

[fleck1]

Starting to feel like Broja is our man and it will get done with a loan to obligation for 20/23m if it can be agreed. He's looked off the pace coming off the back of a nasty injury, but he's still young and we only have to look at Neto and the patience we needed for him coming back. I know quite a few on here were keen on him around his time at Southampton, only just 22, 6"3, seems to put himself about so fits what GON seems to want.

 

[WolfLing]

Remember Ebanks-Blake

I think that was mainly down to how we played in the PL.

He went from playing in a 2 with Keogh or Iwelumo in the Championship, with 2 wingers delivering his ammo, to playing as a lone striker in a very defensive setup, as mainly backup to Kevin Doyle.

That was always going to see his goal tally drop off. The equivalent of 10 goals and 5 assists in just under 40 full games based on the minutes he played isn't a bad return, compared to roughly 1 in 2 in the Championship.

I would have liked Mick to have gone more balls out after promotion. Back your team and the way they play. Ebanks and Doyle as a 2 could have done some damage. We might have got a few spankings, but it would have been far more entertaining.

 

[WeAreTheWolvesII]

I wouldn't want to go over £20m for Broja, even then I'd have doubts, so would need to be an option to buy to be a good deal in my opinion.

He is someone who has the tools to be a good player. The size, the physicality, can run in behind, and has shown flashes of ability, but I haven't been impressed at all this season when I've seen him, which includes at Molineux.

He even seems to get praise from his time at Southampton but it was only six goals in 32 games, and they were a decent side in terms of they tried to attack, so a striker could do well there. His record with Chelsea is appalling.

It should be said that playing as a striker for Chelsea and for Wolves is completely different for many reasons though, so wouldn't write him off.

Lots of brilliant players (Salah, KDB, Lukaku) didn't settle at Chelsea when they were younger. We may not agree, but I think a lot of people around Broja's age (22) view Chelsea as a massive club, so having come through the ranks there, there would be a lot of pressure and a spotlight on him.

Obviously, we play very differently as well, and against us there's generally more space for us to exploit, so may suit his game a bit more than coming up against defences that often sit deep.

 

[Mile End Wanderer]

Broja runs around like a headless chicken, can’t even hold the ball up properly don’t buy the hype with him myself. No chelsea fan rated him. Against boro last night can’t say he did much.

Would be another waste of money. My opinion, happy to be proven wrong. Maybe seen as long term Channy replacement if clubs are going to bid for Hwang in the summer.

 

[Middlesex Mixer]

Chris Iwelumo was another fine player for us from north of the border.

 

[Coops]

I think that first paragraph is short sighted to be honest. All clubs even Man City don’t want to spend unnecessary money. Clubs don’t sign lower league players because they know the level isn’t great. Championship to premier league is a jump too far for lots of players, but further down its even moreso. If you look at our recruitment of Joao Gomes, he came from a foreign league that isn’t much of a standard but it’s still way way above league one. The bottom two professional leagues it’s not even about players ability, it’s about how the clubs play (with off exceptions) most of them play a style not seen in 20 plus years in the premier, it’s all long ball hit and hope, those players can’t cope with how the premier league is played

Is there anywhere that shows the difference between leagues? I see a lot of people say this about the foreign leagues being below / at league 1 / 2 level but would be good to know if this was the case.

Not disputing the point just wondering if there's any factual evidence behind it.

 

[Glow69]

Loan with a 20m option I'd take.