The only question would be how long did the club know about the transfer fee ban before it became public? They didn’t find out when the rest of us did, they’d have known for days and quite possibly weeks before. In which case did they bring the two players in knowing about the ban and hoping the EFL would let them off? Not saying that is the case, but it’s an angle I haven’t seen discussed so far.
According to the EFL website clubs are informed about an embargo 2 days before the notice is posted on thier website. I don't know if there is prior communication prior to the embargo being placed.
So basically the transfer fee embargo isn’t the punishment that’s hurting us, it’s the extra punishment that isn’t documented anywhere of imposing an overall wages cap. Likely outcome, we will sell Kamara and then find out Koumas has gone elsewhere,
Selling Kamara would be to enable us to bring in Hadziahmetovic we would still have Akintola and Belloumi to cover that position, Koumas is just another player he would like to get. Not sure if Puerta going back to Leverkusen as one in one out counts since we was covering his wage or if they basing it on Squad numbers as he was not registered with us.
It seems unlikely we've got much chance with Koumas anyway, several Championship clubs want him, including Birmingham and Wrexham who are both apparently willing to make permanent offers (which is Liverpool's preferred option).
In terms of central defensive cover, I’d completely forgotten about McCarthy. Probably due to the fact that in the preseason games I watched, he was brought on higher up the pitch, but he looks a player.
I think we have more interest in McConnell than Koumas even though Jakirovic said we are looking at Koumas but the initial target was McConnell even though WBA are interested. Maybe he decided on WBA but not seen anything to suggest he agreed to go there.
The below is an AI response but surely this level of ambiguity should have been clarified by the EFL when they imposed the fee restriction…. Reda Laalaoui’s transfer to Hull City is in limbo due to the EFL’s three-window transfer fee restriction, reduced to two windows after appeal, with the third suspended unless further violations occur before July 1, 2026. Hull agreed to a £400,000 fee with FUS Rabat and Laalaoui signed a four-year contract, but the EFL has not registered the transfer due to the restriction, meaning he is not officially a Hull City player. The club explored a loan deal with FUS Rabat to keep Laalaoui until the ban lifts, but this cannot be formalized in writing due to the restriction. Laalaoui remains at Hull, though injured and not training. If the transfer cannot be registered, the deal may collapse, potentially requiring him to return to FUS Rabat, despite his signed contract.
For what its worth. I rated Puerta, but recognised his wandering off occasionally cast a doubt on his longevity, plus I could never get a handle on spelling his name correctly.
That's surely absolute nonsense. If our wage cap only includes registered players, we could just bring in a ream of coaches on a million quid a year?