Transfer News 2024 January Window Preview

[unification]

Signing Bennett is a no brainer in my opinion, a left sided defender of that quality. Contract until the end of the season at least.

At most.

He’s 33 now and would be 34 going into next season.

Let’s not get bogged down with a load of 30+ players again like we did last year.

A deal to the end of the season and consider where we are and where he wants to be.

 

[Tomox]

Having been thinking about it today, I'm not convinced we need a huge amount. Certainly not the 5 or 6 some are saying.

I would say 3.

Striker. Not a forward player who can play anywhere across the front line, not a punt, not a winger/attacker, a proper, experienced striker. Go all out for JCH, Marriott, Eisa, Langstaff. We create enough for any of these to thrive.

Winger. A must. You see what someone like Edwards brought to the team in terms of creating space, running at people and putting in chances. We need another experienced good one.

A strong midfielder - this is a nice to have, something we have needed for ages. That player who can stop others playing. A Digby at Cambridge.

Having Leigh back is massive, it's mad what a huge difference he made, and I feel he will create chances and add height and pace.

We need Des to get a grip on tactics else we could have Haaland up front and we wouldn't score, but I honestly feel the above keeps us in a decent position.

Do we? Our problem is we’ve been outperforming our xg and most of our goals have been quality strikes from outside the area or Greg Leigh/Brown headers…

The striker has to be the right profile, a couple of the strikers you mentioned I think need to play off another striker and I’d have doubts about their ability to play the lone striker role.

We need different options to be able to manage different game states, if a team is playing deep and forcing us out wide, then we need a physical presence to hit with crosses. If a team is pushed up then we need someone who can run in behind. Problem is we know our current striker can only do the second role, so most teams we’ve struggled against (Reading, Cheltenham and Northampton) have sat deep and backed their defenders to deal with our crosses into the box.

 

[Swaby39]

Based on what Jerome Sale said yesterday (can't remember his exact words) he said we are looking to bring in two strikers and earlier in the window rather than later. He is normally pretty well informed, although of course things don't always go to plan! (If we take that at face value, you would have to imagine that Perkins in going back and GoD is out on loan.) If we then have an effective striker, is there any mileage in using Harris out wide or even as a number 10?

I agree with others - if Edwards is likely to be out for anything longer than another three or four weeks then we have to send him back (much as I'd like him to be fit and playing for us). Whether we need a/some new winger(s) depends on how injured all of the existing ones are!

Gorrin is getting no game time even in situations where we are trying to be more solid, so if his contract is only until the end of January you cannot imagine that being extended. But we do need a 'Gorrinish' stopper in midfield. I think one new central midfielder in that mould would be enough - you've then got McEachran to back him up.

So I would say (at a bare minimum)
2 strikers
1 midfielder
1 winger (depending on injuries and if we can use Harris there)

A holding midfielder certainly needs to come back on the agenda. Manning seemingly didn’t need them, preferring more to retain maximum control of things by team shape and having more of the ball. Des seems to approach things slightly more ‘normally’, accepting a bit of chaos in certain areas in the hope it creates opportunities. It’s therefore critical you have someone who can anticipate a loose ball or shut down a counter when it just gets away from us. As I said in the summer, I was shocked that Manning didn’t address this as all high possession sides have them.

Strikers are a must and wide players have been decimated. Edwards will be here costing us an arm and a leg, I suggest sending him back to ipswich to get fit and see what his situation is in the summer when out of contract.

 

[Hook]

Suspect it’s just a case of not giving too much information to the opposition.

None the less, relying on Murphy and Browne to contribute consistent minutes is a fools game. Imagine they’re swallowing a decent bit of the budget for limited play time.

Best ability is availability, and all that.

Depending on the severity of his injury, I wouldn't be against a cut price 18 month deal for Edwards on a perm. Frees up a space for a loan and he may not get many options at the top end of L1 with his injury record. This is of course dependant on the injury. He could be another Browne though. Match winner on his day but his days are few and far between.

 

[oufcreport]

My main shortlist/targets for January would be:
Strikers: Jack Marriott, Callum Marshall, Freddie Ladapo, Max Dean, Ben Wilson and Jonson Clarke-Harris
Midfielders: Conor Coventry, Odin Bailey, Davis Keillor-Dunn, Kamil Conteh and Will Patching
Wingers: Idris Kanu, Tyreik Wright, Daniel Chesters and Glenn Middleton
From those that I can think of anyway.

 

[Malc]

Having been thinking about it today, I'm not convinced we need a huge amount. Certainly not the 5 or 6 some are saying.

I would say 3.

Striker. Not a forward player who can play anywhere across the front line, not a punt, not a winger/attacker, a proper, experienced striker. Go all out for JCH, Marriott, Eisa, Langstaff. We create enough for any of these to thrive.

Winger. A must. You see what someone like Edwards brought to the team in terms of creating space, running at people and putting in chances. We need another experienced good old have Haaland up front and we wouldn't score, but I honestly feel the above keeps us in a decent position.

I like that idea, Haaland up front.
Maybe we could afford him if we use the money reserved for the new stadium.

 

[holdsteady]

Do we? Our problem is we’ve been outperforming our xg and most of our goals have been quality strikes from outside the area or Greg Leigh/Brown headers…

The striker has to be the right profile, a couple of the strikers you mentioned I think need to play off another striker and I’d have doubts about their ability to play the lone striker role.

We need different options to be able to manage different game states, if a team is playing deep and forcing us out wide, then we need a physical presence to hit with crosses. If a team is pushed up then we need someone who can run in behind. Problem is we know our current striker can only do the second role, so most teams we’ve struggled against (Reading, Cheltenham and Northampton) have sat deep and backed their defenders to deal with our crosses into the box.

Shouldn’t the team be set up to create chances for a goalscoring forward though? We seem to be obsessed with a playing style that no forward seems to be able to prosper in, so perhaps we need to change that so that it’s not an impossible job to be upfront for us?

 

[Leysboy]

We need at least 5 signings in this window. Anything less than that, then it’s a long limp to the end of the season. Luckily we have plenty of points on the board.

 

[brassmonkey]

2 Strikers, 2 wingers and a CDM please.

 

[oufcreport]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1741069478983532714

Anyone on here know if this is true?

 

[sideshowrob]

No idea but it has been mentioned before.

 

[Nadi-]

My main shortlist/targets for January would be:
Strikers: Jack Marriott, Callum Marshall, Freddie Ladapo, Max Dean, Ben Wilson and Jonson Clarke-Harris
Midfielders: Conor Coventry, Odin Bailey, Davis Keillor-Dunn, Kamil Conteh and Will Patching
Wingers: Idris Kanu, Tyreik Wright, Daniel Chesters and Glenn Middleton
From those that I can think of anyway.

Theres a few in there, but where the hell did you get Glen Middleton from.

 

[Nadi-]

I like that idea, Haaland up front.
Maybe we could afford him if we use the money reserved for the new stadium.

Not getting a game at city at the moment.

 

[oufcreport]

Theres a few in there, but where the hell did you get Glen Middleton from.

Mainly listed him there because he has 12 goal contributions in 17 and there was talk of Waldron going to Scotland I believe? Part of me wonders whether we may even make somewhat of an attempt to look at/sign Shankland again, as we have done before from what I remember.

 

[Nadi-]

Will keep a few to myself, but ones I’ve already mentioned
Stevens to expensive for what you get.

Out In
Mcginty Sondergaard
Stevens Farrugia
Thorniley. Pijnaker
ODonkor loan
Perkins.
Woltman loan
Henry loan
Edwards return
Edit
Gorrin

 

[holdsteady]

Is Woltman injured? Is Perkins injured or even still here? One of them should of been on the bench yesterday.

 

[Jakehodgson51]

My main shortlist/targets for January would be:
Strikers: Jack Marriott, Callum Marshall, Freddie Ladapo, Max Dean, Ben Wilson and Jonson Clarke-Harris
Midfielders: Conor Coventry, Odin Bailey, Davis Keillor-Dunn, Kamil Conteh and Will Patching
Wingers: Idris Kanu, Tyreik Wright, Daniel Chesters and Glenn Middleton
From those that I can think of anyway.

That Tyreik wright is pony. Rather try get fosu back. Jake Young, Lorent Tolaj , Mo Eisa, Jay Matete, Brendan Wiredu, Josh Stokes. Also players of the top of my head.

 

[Bornyellow]

Is Woltman injured? Is Perkins injured or even still here? One of them should have been on the bench yesterday.

Woltman has just come back from injury, Perkins is not and can’t get a look in.

 

[oufcreport]

That Tyreik wright is pony. Rather try get fosu back. Jake Young, Lorent Tolaj , Mo Eisa, Jay Matete, Brendan Wiredu, Josh Stokes. Also players of the top of my head.

Managed to miss out everyone you named, forgot about a fair few I certainly think we need to continue to sign players who have excelled in lower divisions, such as Rodrigues, as well as those who have proved it in this league and are perfect for us, but yet they always seem to slip away. Players like Matete or Wiredu would do excellently, but it depends what we recruitment-wise believe we need to do, I can see us indirectly ignoring problem/needed positions to add in.

 

[Nadi-]

My main shortlist/targets for January would be:
Strikers: Jack Marriott, Callum Marshall, Freddie Ladapo, Max Dean, Ben Wilson and Jonson Clarke-Harris
Midfielders: Conor Coventry, Odin Bailey, Davis Keillor-Dunn, Kamil Conteh and Will Patching
Wingers: Idris Kanu, Tyreik Wright, Daniel Chesters and Glenn Middleton
From those that I can think of anyway.

You mention Patching ifrom Derry, I’d put Stephen Mallon up there
Diallo is one at Derry who maybe more of what we need.