Yeah. He was signed on loan with Vale but we decided to keep Simons around and send Vale back. Simons barely played apart from the odd appearance but Rosenior and the club must’ve rated him because they signed him permanently on the back of his loan spell with us. Then he was loaned out to League One the same summer he signed permanently for us. I really don’t know what his future is with us. He’s contracted to 2026. Suppose it’s whether the new coach rates him. He’s the only natural defensive mid in the squad right now. In fact, he was the only natural defensive mid when we loaned him out. If it is Walter, which is looking likely, then I think we’ll see a physical ball-winning midfielder at the base of a 4-3-3. I actually think Seri won’t get much game time under the new coach and his system. He’s not physical enough to play as the holding mid in Walter’s style of football and he hasn’t got the legs to be one of the number 8s.
I don’t know how true that is but I don’t see how he fits into Walter’s style of football. He’s one of our highest-paid players, if not the highest, is 33 in July and his contract is up next summer. I wouldn’t be renewing his contract anyway next summer, if it was up to me. If he doesn’t go this summer, I’d imagine he’d go to Saudi next summer.
Simons had potential Not sure how hes been with a year at fleetwood and his bad injury that kept him out for 4 months Hes cheap though so if it doesnt work out its not too much a loss
Yeah, it’s not a loss for the club, I just find the whole situation regarding him as not ideal. I also feel a bit sorry for him. Young lad leaving London to join a club up north on loan, then permanently, just to be loaned out again to a struggling League One club also up north. He could’ve just as easily stayed put at Chelsea and spent this season on loan at a League One club down south. He seems like a half-decent player with a high ceiling to develop but whether it’s with us or another club, I don’t know. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s loaned out again to a southern League One team with an option to buy.
There’s something to be said about how poor some of the loan spells our players have had away from the club. Fleming’s loan at Shrewsbury was that bad Rosenior made a dig at Shrewsbury and their gaffer for not looking after Fleming properly. Simons was injured for a while at Fleetwood which was unfortunate. Don’t know how he got on when he played but they got relegated. Andy Smith hasn’t had a great spell at Cheltenham (also relegated). Vaughan’s struggled at Bristol Rovers (I think he’s mile off the physicality of men’s football in general, even when he played for us). Callum Jones I don’t know about but also relegated with Forest Green. You look at our players on loan and the only ones that have done well are Jarvis and Lo-Tutala. Longman and Woods seem happy at Millwall and Exeter but we ideally want them gone for good.
