Summer '24 transfer window

Luke is a very much improved player in the last year or so......and fits the experienced tag. When he came to us we saw him as a midfielder,but,it soon became obvious that he's a player who is more comfortable with the play in front of him. I think he could be a good defensive midfielder now....he's mobile,he sees the game and he is a surprisingly good passer. As long as he's sitting deep,allowing Neil and whoever to get forward,it might not be a bad shout. Without any new signing,it would depend on Seelt's fitness to drop in alongside Ballard,or,whether Nectar is up to it. Another option at cdm might be Hume,with Pembele/Huggins(as and when)coming in at full back. He has lots of experience in this league now,as well as being away with NI.

 

It was the longest of long shots but has never felt as long as it does right now

 

We are one of Europes biggest clubs

 

Yeah, but experience often comes with age. If you want someone with 250+ games at championship level it’s not going to come from a 21 year old is it?

 

Nah. Amad's time here is done. He'll either break into Man Utd's team or he'll be sold for a good chunk of money.

 

I had the slightest, very very very slightest, bit of hope we'd sell a couple of players and be that team he moves to.

 

No but I think 23-26 might just be that

 

Experience comes with age,of course. But,someone like Dan Neil must have played nigh on 100 games for us at this level now and still only 22. He's got loads of experience of playing in front of a big crowd,with high expectation,he's seen a number of coaches come and go with all the tactical adjustments to be made,he's been around big play off games. He's probably got more experience relevant to us than someone who's played 250 games for someone else,even though he's played less than half the number of games.

 

Fairs but why does it matter if we sign someone who’s 26 or 30? Barring the resale value it doesn’t really have much importance we should just sign whoever’s going to bring the most to the team regardless of whether they’re a few years older. City are arguably the best team in the world and their best Xl has like 3 players under the age of 27. Madrid have Kroos, Rudiger, Carvajal, Nacho, Courtios all over the age of 30 in theirs.

I’m fully behind the idea that we’re past the days of signing journeymen but a squad filled with young lads which most of whom have at best 2 seasons of football behind them at a half decent level needs some older, experienced heads in there and age shouldn’t be an issue. It’s not like we’re filling the team with older boys we’re looking to bring in 1 or 2. If people think someone like Dan Neil is experienced because he’s got 90 odd games at this level then what are we calling players like Norwood with over 400? That’s invaluable for me if he plays 35+ games in the season.

edit - this wasn’t aimed at you @Brainy Dose lol posted at the exact same moment!

 

I'm with you marra.....but the harsh realities of life rule out any such wonderful dreams!

 

I don't think we should be spending fees on players who are 30+ but have zero qualms about using the free agent market to sign them.

Just my opinion but Cork would be a better signing for our squad than Norwood. Cork has his coaching badges as well.

 

No worries mate. I suppose the point I'm trying to make is that experience is not something that can be measured simply in the number of matches played.

 

I think a lot of opinions on his time in CM were formed from a time that he didn't have a competent partner, so suffered from being dragged about trying to do the work of two, and the team as a whole was ****e and struggling badly.

 

Oh I agree to an extent. A 25 year old with 5 full championship seasons I’d say is experienced and wouldn’t be someone I’d turn my nose up at all. But Bellingham has only played 17 less games than Neil in the championship so if Neil is experienced are we saying Bellingham is too? I think some players, especially ones who play in the middle of the pitch, gain a lot of know-how over time from playing the game too though.

 

Neil has played 3000 more minutes than Jobe in the championship. Along side over 2500 minutes in League One and around 1000 in various cup competitions. Neil is vastly more experienced than Jobe, simply using the number of games featured in isn't a great indicator of time on the pitch.

 

3k more minutes than an 18 year old isn’t THAT much more though mate. By the end of this season Jobe will have surpassed how much Neil has currently played at this level and I still wouldn’t be saying he’s experienced. This is the point I’m trying to make. Just because you have a few seasons under your belt I’m not sure that qualifies you as being experienced or not in my opinion anyway because if the span of a career is for arguments sake 16 years and you’re classed as experienced after 2 or 3 then what are you classed as after 10? League one is meh, I don’t really rate that much the standard of football was shocking compared to where we’re at now but the minutes help of course.

 

What makes you think he’d be better than Norwood mate?
35-year-old who only had four appearances last season does not sound like what we need.

 

About 7k more pro minutes than Jobe.

Experience isn't a thing you can measure in terms of minutes on the pitch though, it's the leadership personality trait that we need. I've seen young players come here and be leaders and i've seen older players come here and be anything but a leader.

If a player is 23 but is a leader on the pitch i'd rather that than a Dack type who's played a load of games.

 

100 percent agree with that, we need experience but they have to have the right character aswell.