Transfer Deadline Day..

Well there's our goalkeeping sorted then.

 

I don't have a clue what the club's doing with Magnusson - letting Golbourne move on, if only on loan, makes complete sense, but if Bryan gets injured, who would have filled in at left back if we were willing to let Magnusson move also?

Whilst I'm happy to have a player of Flint's quality stay with us, you wonder how vehement he was about leaving and whether he's still welcomed in the dressing room - I guess that his inclusion and subsequent performance against Watford bodes well, but being captain almost guarantee's Wright position, so there's Flint, Baker, Hegeler and Magnusson all vying for that other starting spot.

Steele seems a perfectly suitable signing - whether or not he'll replace Fielding, I'm not sure (on current form, I can't see Fielding being dropped until he has a howler or two), but it's nice to have an option.

An interesting season ahead of us and it's down to LJ to manage his resources and the players to compete for a starting spot.

PS Harry Redknapp's been true to form and signed a whole new team this window - though a surprise not to see Peter Crouch and Niko Kranjcar move to Birmingham! He can't use the whole 'I need new players' argument anymore, so now we can see if he's still got it.

 

it was "only a rumour" and very little chance anyway being on ID...

 

I'm hoping we hear something at the next press conference, along the lines of 'there was never an offer', or 'we rejected it' - if it turns out the club did accept an approach and it was only the paperwork not going through in time that kept it from happening, then that'd be highly questionable judgement in my book. Admittedly, all sorts of nonsense gets spouted by papers/websites, so could well be there was nothing in this.

 

Pretty damning - I'd just like to understand the thinking behind it. If Magnusson himself said he wanted to move as he wasn't getting game time, then it'd be hard to argue with that.

...If he winds up being a top-flight player, coveted throughout Europe in the next few years, we may well look back at this time and think 'what the hell were we playing at'; kinda, sorta like what happened with Yannick Bolasie. Expect him at Man City, moving for £60m summer 2020!

 

There's wanting a move and then there's moving to Rostock with Winter approaching as well........

 

True! He is Icelandic mind - should be used to a bit of cold!

 

Nick
With Goldbourne going on loan, Magnusson almost going and Flint staying I wonder if Johnson is contemplating a 3-5-2 scenario at some stage. Flint central with Wright and Baker either side.
I hope to see Flint back in the starting 11, in a 3 or back 4, he's great in 'their' box as well.
I wouldn't concern yourself about Flint being accepted back in the dressing room.

Ps, is Magnusson going the same way as Engvall ?

 

RP, I have wondered myself if we could pull off a 3-5-2 and I certainly think we have the personnel for it - we might even be able to play the 3-4-3 formation that was in vogue in last season's Premiership (there's a long, but interesting analysis of Chelsea using it here: http://spielverlagerung.com/2016/12/25/antonio-contes-3-4-3/). I doubt we'll see it, but it might be nice to see us try something as bold.

Agree that Flint is particularly valuable for his aerial presence at both ends of the pitch, which probably makes up for sometimes being caught a bit flat footed, though that was also the reason I wouldn't have been too sad if he had been sold.

 

You really want to know what Rostok would be like, well I've lived somewhere similar and if you like air temps of minus 46C with a wind chill of minus 75C then move to the Canadian prairies. On a warmer note I think our transfer business was better than most seasons and the only bit of business that concerns me is Diedhiou because, unlike our fresh newcomers, he has had time to impress but has fallen a bit flat in my eyes. Let's see how the bag of crisps taste now with some new flavours added, remembering it is the third window and it needs to be right without excuses.

P.S. I hope the Flint saga hasn't spoiled the dressing room.

 

From what I heard, Hordur took too long to decide. The clubs had agreed a deal reportly of 2m for the loan deal. But it failed to happen due to Hordur taking time to think about it.

 

With all the social media scrambling and other supposed truth sites I begin to wonder who, and what, you can believe these days.

 

One thing this transfer window has proved is clubs taking back some power.
Southampton with Van Dilk turning down a fortune because he signed a 5 year deal.
Arsenal with Sanchez which will no doubt be a free transfer in January. As he's then able to negotiate himself a summer move. Arsenal are a basket case IMO at the moment though.
And then little ole us. Turning down bids for Flint, holding tight for the right price which I hope and think we will get come January.

 

It seems to be the way we do things now...and why not . Put the players on a reasonably long contract , I believe 5 years in flints case, and only sell if our valuation is met. This may upset the players but that's a whole different debate.