Transfer Rumours Summer 2025 1 - 10 June, 16 June - 1 September

We are clearly sticking to our guns with prices on players, including ones like ABK who it’s obvious we don’t see having a future here. Be interesting to see if we budge on these types of player or if teams just match what we asking for.

We definitely need some to leave before making any signings though.

 

Why? He's not ever really shown he's good enough for our level.

 

ABK is worth budging on tbh, just to get the twat out.

I do wonder if we should budge a bit with Tyler. £40m pure profit would do us the world of good. I'd far rather lose him than Matty.

 

With all of them it depends on what’s going on behind the scenes. I’m very much in the “if they don’t want to be here let them go” camp. Based on us rejecting what aren’t unreasonable bids for Dibling I’m assuming that he isn’t kicking off behind the scenes currently, he also played a part in Sunday which wouldn’t happen if he was really kicking off (see players like Hutchinson for examples).

If Dibling wants the move, but is happy enough with not getting it unless someone matches the asking price then I’m fine with us sticking to our guns with him.

Agree about more fringe players like ABK, Taylor, Smallbone, Edozie that we should just be looking to get what we can to create squad space.

 

Also worth adding in that I’ve seen an argument that Dibling is never going to be worth more to us than now as there is no chance he signs a new deal (think it was mentioned on TSP). I disagree to an extent with this. I think if he doesn’t get the move and we start winning most weeks then there is a reasonable chance he signs a new deal in say November with a non promotion/relegation release clause, just to get a payrise/some security if he gets injured or nobody wants him anymore.

He might see KWP and prefer taking that option if we get promoted of playing week in week out for us in the PL then leaving on a free, but that is another two years of him earning absolutely **** all in terms of his value and footballer salaries.

 

We don't know that we can't just keep them both. People are assuming we need to sell because of relegation but we will be raising between £40m-£50m in sales excluding Dibling & Fernandes and are much better off financially now than last time we went down.

 

Shame. Never really given a chance, considering the dross we've had over the last couple of seasons I would've been happy with him in the squad.

 

Had plenty of chances lower down the EFL ladder and done little to nothing with them, in fairness

 

Yeah, the Ballard presumptions are weird for me. Has been great in reserve football....and that's about it.

 

This has been my thinking since the very start too. We have £100mill parachute payments plus if we sell the following we’d raise a total of £98million… I don’t think we need to sell either Dibling or Fernandes at all

• Bella Kotchap - £5mill
• Aribo - £5mill
• Brereton-Diaz - £6mill
• Smallbone - £8mill
• Taylor - £5mill
• Onuachu - £6mill
• Bednarek - £6mill
• Edozie - £8mill
• Sulemana - £18mill
• Amo-Ameyaw - £7mill
• Ramsdale - £4mill + £20mill (if signs permanently)

£98 million total

 

Hard to get a rhythm when you keep picking up niggling injuries after his big one, or being played out of position and in a way not suited his strengths though ... in fact, in both loans he had last season, the managers who signed him were both sacked a week or so later and their styles of play drastically changed, which didn't suit Ballard at all. He had bloody Steve Bruce at Blackpool in the end, and thats a manager who certainly wasn't playing to his strengths.

 

His big injury was the killer, for sure. But he's almost 21, has played about 50 times in the EFL and has scored what, six goals? It's not great is it... every loan spell has been at a worse club than the one before too, and he's not increased his output in parallel with that drop

Unfortunately, it's rare to see a small poacher/finisher type striker come to anything in men's football if they don't have pace/strength or supremely good anticipation. He seems to just be one of those lads who is good when he's playing against other kids but doesn't have any of the traits that get you through at men's level

 

Those first 5 you have adding up to £29m. We would be lucky to get half of that for all of them. Very lucky. I’m not sure we get anything at all for Aribo. And is someone really going to pay 8m for Smallbone

 

At this stage I think we'll have to pay someone 6mill to take BBD off our hands TBH.

 

Birmingham after Mitrovic

 

Yeah, no way do we get £98m in sales without one of Dibling or Fenrnades, but the point that we may not need that sort of sale revenue still stands.

We should end up with about £50m in sales regardless and both Dibling and Fernandes will be able to be sold next summer anyway, Dibling probably for about £10m/£15m less.

 

You've completely ignored my point about him signing for clubs to play a certain way, and then said clubs changing managers, and then not playing to his strengths, or giving him limited minutes. Saying 50 times and scoring 6 goals is a very basic stat that doesn't take into account the wider picture and circumstances. How many of those were as a late sub, for example? Or how many of those was he shoved out on the wing?

He's been unlucky with his choice of loans and circumstances that followed, and I do stand by the fact that we will regret letting him go. If he gets himself a good club who play to his strengths, I can easily see him rising back up the leagues.

 

That's part and parcel of football. Good players still find a way to deliver and contribute. Why anyone thinks somebody who couldn't adapt to managerial changes at clubs like Blackpool or Cambridge is going to be suitable for the circus that is Saints is beyond me. Personally, I think his career maxes out at L1 level if he gets a fair wind and lands in the right spot. I don't think we will ever regret letting him go

 

Have we signed anybody yet?

 

They know its a long shot, but still, I can't see this. Mitrovic's past reputation was that of prolific in the Champ, no-so-much in Prem. He impressively finally get beyond that by becoming a top striker in the Prem (sorry It those damned Ruskie puns!). I doubt he'll want to re-establish champ bully thing at this point.