Transfer Rumours Summer 2025 Transfer Thread…

[Summerof69]

Looks a bit like everyone getting carried away by some speculative ‘journalism’ again?

 

[bradymk2]

Also, I don’t remember him being that good when he played, at least not as good as people make out. I understand he was playing under Walter but he didn’t really stand out in that midfield. He did okay. He looked tidy on the ball. He scored a decent goal. Simons managed to do all that under Walter too. I’m not suggesting Simons is as good as Zambrano but Simons often started ahead of him. Zambrano was like a 6.5/10 in nearly every game for us.

The point is, if we do sign him, we should not be expecting him to be one of the best players in the league when he returns.

But a random podcast 18 months ago said he could be as good chelseas caicedo

 

[willyfog]

We paid 50k for Slater. After everything I've seen of both players, I'm not seeing what exactly the extra cost would bring in that would demand £5m be spent on O'Brien.

Half that, sure, that's fair enough, but there's no way in hell we should be paying a hundred times more for Lewis O'Brien than we did for Regan Slater.

It might be half of that with the other half tied up in appearances/promotion.

 

[Mckechnie Orange]

So what, didn’t we make something like net 5m on Philogene after one season? Not saying Baz is at that level yet, obviously not, but the general concept has been established.

Did I say it was a bad thing? In fact it just might give us an advantage.

 

[Kalman II]

But a random podcast 18 months ago said he could be as good chelseas caicedo

He may well be but he was average in a poor City team before being banned. I would probably sign him if we can afford it but I would also be targeting a quality defensive midfielder this summer to come in and be a starter, not shoehorning a number 8 into defensive midfield until Zambrano returns.

If we can’t afford a quality defensive midfielder this summer and Zambrano then I wouldn’t sign Zambrano.

 

[WYT]

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[Ric Glasgow]

But Ric.... if the club is for sale and starts do half ok... any buyer will look at the assets and future value of those assets...

At what point do we start establishing ourselves as a creditable contender to produce a bit of decent football and fight our way out of this toughest of divisions? This 'buy to sell on' model has seen us in a downward spiral for 3 years.

Isn't he(the owner) prepared to invest in a settled squad,isn't that what the youngster of Today(Tomorrow's seasoned supporter) deserves?Isn't that what he promised?

 

[NewcastleTiger]

We paid 50k for Slater. After everything I've seen of both players, I'm not seeing what exactly the extra cost would bring in that would demand £5m be spent on O'Brien.

Half that, sure, that's fair enough, but there's no way in hell we should be paying a hundred times more for Lewis O'Brien than we did for Regan Slater.

It’s just a ridiculous comparison though. Because we paid £50k for Slater when he had 6 months left on his deal and 1 championship appearance to his name. Versus O’Brien who’s always been at the top end of the champ playing regularly and 3 years ago went for £10m as a result

 

[PLT]

Also, I don’t remember him being that good when he played, at least not as good as people make out. I understand he was playing under Walter but he didn’t really stand out in that midfield. He did okay. He looked tidy on the ball. He scored a decent goal. Simons managed to do all that under Walter too. I’m not suggesting Simons is as good as Zambrano but Simons often started ahead of him. Zambrano was like a 6.5/10 in nearly every game for us.

The point is, if we do sign him, we should not be expecting him to be one of the best players in the league when he returns.

I think this is right on Zambrano. He was sold to us as a very exciting talent and I think people's perception of his performances for us was affected by that. He might be brilliant, and he's very young, but he wasn't some standout performer in those games for us. He was decent, but couldn't hold down a spot really. If he'd played all of last season in that crap side he'd have ended up getting stick just like everyone else. Bit like Ömür who just over a year ago was untouchable on here after a good start to his City career, but then was totally written off a few months later when it became a struggle.

 

[Kempton tiger]

I think this is right on Zambrano. He was sold to us as a very exciting talent and I think people's perception of his performances for us was affected by that. He might be brilliant, and he's very young, but he wasn't some standout performer in those games for us. He was decent, but couldn't hold down a spot really. If he'd played all of last season in that crap side he'd have ended up getting stick just like everyone else. Bit like Ömür who just over a year ago was untouchable on here after a good start to his City career, but then was totally written off a few months later when it became a struggle.

I think Zambrano was starting to show improvement but didn't stand out. However, I cant believe, after everything, that we won't sign him, unless the fee is stupidly high.

 

[Ajbtiger]

Yes, Zambrano showed a lot of potential and I'll be really pleased to bring him in and see him develop. But it will need patience, he's nowhere near the finished article and was not even up to speed with the championship by the time he was banned.

 

[NewcastleTiger]

I think this is right on Zambrano. He was sold to us as a very exciting talent and I think people's perception of his performances for us was affected by that. He might be brilliant, and he's very young, but he wasn't some standout performer in those games for us. He was decent, but couldn't hold down a spot really. If he'd played all of last season in that crap side he'd have ended up getting stick just like everyone else. Bit like Ömür who just over a year ago was untouchable on here after a good start to his City career, but then was totally written off a few months later when it became a struggle.

To be fair I think he’d have probably held down a spot had he not been getting banned. Walter rightly prepared for life without him

 

[Donatella Anybody]

£5m bid for O’Brien? Surely not

Forest paid 10 million for him and Toffolo, Toffolo still getting game time at Forest, Obrien failed miserably, premiership was beyond his capabilities but a good championship player. Not worth 5 mill though IMO.

 

[Drew]

At what point do we start establishing ourselves as a creditable contender to produce a bit of decent football and fight our way out of this toughest of divisions? This 'buy to sell on' model has seen us in a downward spiral for 3 years.

Isn't he(the owner) prepared to invest in a settled squad,isn't that what the youngster of Today(Tomorrow's seasoned supporter) deserves?Isn't that what he promised?

We haven’t done the ‘buy to sell on’ properly though.

We’ve half arsed it and then when the owner got bored changed tactics again.

 

[Summerof69]

I think everyone is forgetting that when Zambrano played it was when Walter was insisting that we bypass midfield. I can remember several occasions when he was in space and calling for the ball and being ignored.
How was he supposed to impress fully in that situation?

 

[Steven Toast]

It’s just a ridiculous comparison though. Because we paid £50k for Slater when he had 6 months left on his deal and 1 championship appearance to his name. Versus O’Brien who’s always been at the top end of the champ playing regularly and 3 years ago went for £10m as a result

It's not if you're comparing the ability of both players and the impact they'll have. Value isn't solely determined by experience or club, it mainly rides on ability and if you put both players side by side, their strengths and playing styles aren't that much different. Yes LOB is the better player, I'm not disputing that, but we could pay half that and get a player of equal quality. John Buckley at Blackburn has 137 league appearances in the Championship and is better than Slater but I'd wager we'd get him for less than £5m. We were linked with Lewis Travis last season; the price quoted was £3m and I'd say our midfield needs a player like him more than O'Brien.

We can't be chucking that kind of money at a position we're already well covered in when there are other areas that need addressing. If the price was half that, sure, get him in or get him in on loan with a view to a permanent deal (one that isn't ridiculously overpriced).

 

[Kempton tiger]

It’s just a ridiculous comparison though. Because we paid £50k for Slater when he had 6 months left on his deal and 1 championship appearance to his name. Versus O’Brien who’s always been at the top end of the champ playing regularly and 3 years ago went for £10m as a result

Let's hope the fee isn't anywhere near 5m, but it wouldn't surprise me if we pay over the odds. It's supply and demand and there are clubs like Birmingham who are going for it and linked to everyone. I am just happy we are after players like O'Brien and McBurnie, players who have been there and done it. Fed up with years of signing 5ft 8, 11 stone players who look like boys in a men's league.

 

[PLT]

We haven’t done the ‘buy to sell on’ properly though.

We’ve half arsed it and then when the owner got bored changed tactics again.

Yep, exactly. That model is fine if you sell the players for a profit because they've been successful. You get a lot of money and invest it in further replacements. You grow as a club and ultimately have success somewhere down the line.

Greaves was a good example of that model for us. We benefitted from his performances, made big money and then got Hughes with part of the profit. Win, win, win. If we could replicate that success across the squad rather than constantly selling players at a loss or loaning them out because we've given up on them then we'd be in a very good position.

 

[bradymk2]

its not about zambrano being good or not

he's ****ing signed back in september 2024 and still not available

i think its ****e and sums up acuns ownership personally

but he might sell for 5m in a season or two.. its like doing the 'brentford' model but infinitely worse

 

[Steven Toast]

I think this is right on Zambrano. He was sold to us as a very exciting talent and I think people's perception of his performances for us was affected by that. He might be brilliant, and he's very young, but he wasn't some standout performer in those games for us. He was decent, but couldn't hold down a spot really. If he'd played all of last season in that crap side he'd have ended up getting stick just like everyone else. Bit like Ömür who just over a year ago was untouchable on here after a good start to his City career, but then was totally written off a few months later when it became a struggle.

I agree with this, but I think also Zambrano had come across from the Ecuadorian league at the age of 20, so he was always going to find it difficult to hit the ground running. For his age, he looks a decent player, but he's one that needs slowly introducing across a season.

Omur I think had problems that lay outside of football, his spell here almost made him retire. I don't think that's purely down to ability or form; he wasn't rated by Walter, rightly or wrongly, which I guess he would have found confusing given how well he played under Rosie.