January 2022 - Transfer Window Rumours and Discussion

[sedgwick__7]

Our wage bill will be quite a few million lower after players are released and loanees leave. Perhaps payments to ex managers will have come to an end too?
If we bring in quite a few players in number less than the number who leave, we should be able to pay a decent whack to the newcomers

We can only speculate but I would assume McAvoy is no longer on the payroll having just accepted a job with Hearts. Alex Neil is presumably still on it for this season though.

I would personally offer no further contract extensions and there has to be a concerted effort, as Lowe has alluded to, to offload players who rarely play. Even if they have a year left on their contracts.

That will then free up the neccessary room for us to make several signings. Like others I was disappointed at the lack of wing back arrivals but ultimately I can understand why the owners didn't want to put in extra over what is already budgeted for when we've already got too many players on the books. In future we need to prevent ourselves from being boxed in in January with little wriggle room due to over-filling the squad in the summer (by signing players who don't play).

 

[Warton PNE]

FFS. It's his job !!!!!!!!!!
He is making an almighty bollocks of it.
Jesus wept we need to praise him for it as well !!!!

It well may be. But I think the engagement with the fan base has vastly improved over the last couple of months and PR deserves some sort of credit for it.

 

[JJ_PNE]

With us reportedly having no money to spend, i suspect we will be in for that Northampton wingback - Ali Koiki.

Lowe wanted a “quick one” plus hes out of contract in the summer.

 

[Pennyhome]

It’s ok we will be selling Riis for 20 mill next Jan

 

[Mr Meeseeks]

Been speaking to quite a well known journalist today about North End.

Sounds like we could be in a bit of trouble in regards to money put into the club come the summer. We were actively looking for wingbacks in January, but from what it sounds like, we couldn’t even afford the cheaper end of the scale.

See how it pans out but his info is always pretty spot on.

Not doubting your conversation for one minute but it does seem odd that we’ve no funds for players but actively paid compo for our manager and managed to lure him away from a promotion chasing L1 side.

How did we afford compo for him but not new players? And how did we persuade him to abandon his successful project at Plymouth without the promise of funds?

I just find it hard to believe that he’d jump ship and come to us in these circumstances. And then recruitment wise in January, I found the story that Ridsdale fancied Iredale but Lowe didn’t, hence the move not happening quite believable and refreshing. I honestly doubt very much we couldn’t even afford a player OOC in the summer from Cambridge United.

Same with Tom Pearce. For me we clearly didn’t fancy him or we’d have made a move. In the end we didn’t and he took the offer at Wigan. Granted Wigan are a different ballgame to Cambridge United but still, if we wanted him, we’d have got him.

I don’t think anyone thought Craig was suddenly going to splash the cash come summer but at the very least there’d be some smart, shrewd recruitment lead by Lowe and assisted by Beet, no involvement from Ridsdale apart from negotiation.

If there is no money for players then we’re in big trouble. Players OOC, loan players returning to parent clubs and then the rest just not being up to task. It would be some shift in mentality to go from youth players barely getting a sniff to being depended on. Would Lowe have abandoned his great working relationship with the chairman at Plymouth for that?

Since Craig has taken charge we’ve appointed an exciting, young manager with a big future in the game, improved communication dramatically between the club and fans, improved the match day experience and brought in an exciting loan player in the transfer window, one we are no doubt contributing massively to wage wise and managed to fend off other club’s interest.

Personally, I just can’t see summer being doom and gloom.

 

[OB1]

Not doubting your conversation for one minute but it does seem odd that we’ve no funds for players but actively paid compo for our manager and managed to lure him away from a promotion chasing L1 side.

How did we afford compo for him but not new players? And how did we persuade him to abandon his successful project at Plymouth without the promise of funds?

I just find it hard to believe that he’d jump ship and come to us in these circumstances. And then recruitment wise in January, I found the story that Ridsdale fancied Iredale but Lowe didn’t, hence the move not happening quite believable and refreshing. I honestly doubt very much we couldn’t even afford a player OOC in the summer from Cambridge United.

Same with Tom Pearce. For me we clearly didn’t fancy him or we’d have made a move. In the end we didn’t and he took the offer at Wigan. Granted Wigan are a different ballgame to Cambridge United but still, if we wanted him, we’d have got him.

I don’t think anyone thought Craig was suddenly going to splash the cash come summer but at the very least there’d be some smart, shrewd recruitment lead by Lowe and assisted by Beet, no involvement from Ridsdale apart from negotiation.

If there is no money for players then we’re in big trouble. Players OOC, loan players returning to parent clubs and then the rest just not being up to task. It would be some shift in mentality to go from youth players barely getting a sniff to being depended on. Would Lowe have abandoned his great working relationship with the chairman at Plymouth for that?

Since Craig has taken charge we’ve appointed an exciting, young manager with a big future in the game, improved communication dramatically between the club and fans, improved the match day experience and brought in an exciting loan player in the transfer window, one we are no doubt contributing massively to wage wise and managed to fend off other club’s interest.

Personally, I just can’t see summer being doom and gloom.

Money spent on a quality manager who can get average players playing well is better spent than money on players who may or may not cope with this league

 

[Thracia]

It’s ok we will be selling Riis for 20 mill next Jan

More like this summer.

To help with funding new signings, Ridsdale is supposed to sign players who can later raise a profit when we sell them on.

He has consistently failed to do this for years now, either signing players who are worthless long before the end of their contracts, or players he then fails to negotiate renewed deals with at crucial times, allowing them to leave for next-to-nothing.

Looking down the squad list, there's not much there that can be sold to raise money to fund signings this summer.

But Riis is one of them.

 

[Warton PNE]

Not doubting your conversation for one minute but it does seem odd that we’ve no funds for players but actively paid compo for our manager and managed to lure him away from a promotion chasing L1 side.

How did we afford compo for him but not new players? And how did we persuade him to abandon his successful project at Plymouth without the promise of funds?

I just find it hard to believe that he’d jump ship and come to us in these circumstances. And then recruitment wise in January, I found the story that Ridsdale fancied Iredale but Lowe didn’t, hence the move not happening quite believable and refreshing. I honestly doubt very much we couldn’t even afford a player OOC in the summer from Cambridge United.

Same with Tom Pearce. For me we clearly didn’t fancy him or we’d have made a move. In the end we didn’t and he took the offer at Wigan. Granted Wigan are a different ballgame to Cambridge United but still, if we wanted him, we’d have got him.

I don’t think anyone thought Craig was suddenly going to splash the cash come summer but at the very least there’d be some smart, shrewd recruitment lead by Lowe and assisted by Beet, no involvement from Ridsdale apart from negotiation.

If there is no money for players then we’re in big trouble. Players OOC, loan players returning to parent clubs and then the rest just not being up to task. It would be some shift in mentality to go from youth players barely getting a sniff to being depended on. Would Lowe have abandoned his great working relationship with the chairman at Plymouth for that?

Since Craig has taken charge we’ve appointed an exciting, young manager with a big future in the game, improved communication dramatically between the club and fans, improved the match day experience and brought in an exciting loan player in the transfer window, one we are no doubt contributing massively to wage wise and managed to fend off other club’s interest.

Personally, I just can’t see summer being doom and gloom.

I take all your points on board, but I am only repeating what I have been told.

I spoke to him via Twitter DM's as I was talking to him about something completely different originally before I asked about North End. Maybe it is difficult to gauge the magnitude of our financial position. But to me, it very much sounded like Trevor was putting in a decent amount of money to get targets; Craig took a much more reserved approach.

You may be right in the fact that we are just waiting in the summer. But it sounds like Lowe was promised we'd get atleast 1 wing back in (he wanted 2) in January and that didn't materialise.

I'm just wary that we're going down the same path as we did with Neil. He was the best manager I've seen in my time watching Preston (I'm only 21 so I wasn't really around too much for the Billy Davies days) but he wasn't backed when he could have done something special with the squad he had. Lowe has got the club going again, but if the powers that be don't want to spend the money we need, then we're only going in the same direction.

 

[Ron Burgundy]

Not doubting your conversation for one minute but it does seem odd that we’ve no funds for players but actively paid compo for our manager and managed to lure him away from a promotion chasing L1 side.

How did we afford compo for him but not new players? And how did we persuade him to abandon his successful project at Plymouth without the promise of funds?

I just find it hard to believe that he’d jump ship and come to us in these circumstances. And then recruitment wise in January, I found the story that Ridsdale fancied Iredale but Lowe didn’t, hence the move not happening quite believable and refreshing. I honestly doubt very much we couldn’t even afford a player OOC in the summer from Cambridge United.

Same with Tom Pearce. For me we clearly didn’t fancy him or we’d have made a move. In the end we didn’t and he took the offer at Wigan. Granted Wigan are a different ballgame to Cambridge United but still, if we wanted him, we’d have got him.

I don’t think anyone thought Craig was suddenly going to splash the cash come summer but at the very least there’d be some smart, shrewd recruitment lead by Lowe and assisted by Beet, no involvement from Ridsdale apart from negotiation.

If there is no money for players then we’re in big trouble. Players OOC, loan players returning to parent clubs and then the rest just not being up to task. It would be some shift in mentality to go from youth players barely getting a sniff to being depended on. Would Lowe have abandoned his great working relationship with the chairman at Plymouth for that?

Since Craig has taken charge we’ve appointed an exciting, young manager with a big future in the game, improved communication dramatically between the club and fans, improved the match day experience and brought in an exciting loan player in the transfer window, one we are no doubt contributing massively to wage wise and managed to fend off other club’s interest.

Personally, I just can’t see summer being doom and gloom.

Very well said Sir.

Risdale mentioned in the other podcast to FTF whilst being respectful that they now have more freedom when it comes to decision making.

Personally I think we will see some changes at the club now Hemmings is no longer with us.

 

[Mr Meeseeks]

I take all your points on board, but I am only repeating what I have been told.

I spoke to him via Twitter DM's as I was talking to him about something completely different originally before I asked about North End. Maybe it is difficult to gauge the magnitude of our financial position. But to me, it very much sounded like Trevor was putting in a decent amount of money to get targets; Craig took a much more reserved approach.

You may be right in the fact that we are just waiting in the summer. But it sounds like Lowe was promised we'd get atleast 1 wing back in (he wanted 2) in January and that didn't materialise.

I'm just wary that we're going down the same path as we did with Neil. He was the best manager I've seen in my time watching Preston (I'm only 21 so I wasn't really around too much for the Billy Davies days) but he wasn't backed when he could have done something special with the squad he had. Lowe has got the club going again, but if the powers that be don't want to spend the money we need, then we're only going in the same direction.

I think I know who you've spoken to as I recall seeing a Nobber on Twitter reaching out to a journalist. Like I say I don't dispute the conversation or what got said, I just personally find it hard to believe, although I've said that a lot with North End over the years and I never learn.

Take your points fully re Neil and I agree. Same thing happened with Billy and so it wouldn't surprise me long term to see it happening again. But to lure Lowe away and fail him at the very first hurdle, barely a few months into the job, surely we're not that stupid. In fact surely he's not that stupid either, he knows our record with spending etc and to leave Plymouth with the relationship he had with the chairman, he must have been sold some dream.

 

[Ron6]

Summer spending.
Everyone thinks that because Craig is now at the helm that we will have millions to spend.😒
Sadly not the case. He continues to pump money into the club, to meet our ever growing wage bill. ( although trimming of the squad and loaning out players help).
Without a massive increase in revenue funds ( sale of players / sponsorship / shirts / more fans at matches). We simply do not have the ability to plough money in regardless of the money Craig may or maynot have. Due to FFP.
I would rather see us tighten our spending and look for a few 💎. That will not be a popular opinion. But reality ain't pretty.
We have some good players and an attacking manager for a change. Let's see where that mindset change takes us.
C O Y W.

 

[pbc373]

Not doubting your conversation for one minute but it does seem odd that we’ve no funds for players but actively paid compo for our manager and managed to lure him away from a promotion chasing L1 side.

How did we afford compo for him but not new players? And how did we persuade him to abandon his successful project at Plymouth without the promise of funds?

I just find it hard to believe that he’d jump ship and come to us in these circumstances. And then recruitment wise in January, I found the story that Ridsdale fancied Iredale but Lowe didn’t, hence the move not happening quite believable and refreshing. I honestly doubt very much we couldn’t even afford a player OOC in the summer from Cambridge United.

Same with Tom Pearce. For me we clearly didn’t fancy him or we’d have made a move. In the end we didn’t and he took the offer at Wigan. Granted Wigan are a different ballgame to Cambridge United but still, if we wanted him, we’d have got him.

I don’t think anyone thought Craig was suddenly going to splash the cash come summer but at the very least there’d be some smart, shrewd recruitment lead by Lowe and assisted by Beet, no involvement from Ridsdale apart from negotiation.

If there is no money for players then we’re in big trouble. Players OOC, loan players returning to parent clubs and then the rest just not being up to task. It would be some shift in mentality to go from youth players barely getting a sniff to being depended on. Would Lowe have abandoned his great working relationship with the chairman at Plymouth for that?

Since Craig has taken charge we’ve appointed an exciting, young manager with a big future in the game, improved communication dramatically between the club and fans, improved the match day experience and brought in an exciting loan player in the transfer window, one we are no doubt contributing massively to wage wise and managed to fend off other club’s interest.

Personally, I just can’t see summer being doom and gloom.

Maybe Lowe doesn't think either Iredale or Pearce are as good as Grant and maybe he/we had a gentleman's agreement with Plymouth not to take any players until the end of the season.
I'm just guessing but perhaps Lowe has told PR that rather than jump the gun on a player for the sake of it, he'll make do with what he's got and wait until better become available in the summer.

If it is the case, I think it's a sensible approach.

 

[Mr Meeseeks]

Maybe Lowe doesn't think either Iredale or Pearce are as good as Grant and maybe he/we had a gentleman's agreement with Plymouth not to take any players until the end of the season.
I'm just guessing but perhaps Lowe has told PR that rather than jump the gun on a player for the sake of it, he'll make do with what he's got and wait until better become available in the summer.

If it is the case, I think it's a sensible approach.

Agreed, I'd much rather hang fire and get target uno instead of making do.

 

[Thracia]

Take your points fully re Neil and I agree. Same thing happened with Billy and so it wouldn't surprise me long term to see it happening again. But to lure Lowe away and fail him at the very first hurdle, barely a few months into the job, surely we're not that stupid. In fact surely he's not that stupid either, he knows our record with spending etc and to leave Plymouth with the relationship he had with the chairman, he must have been sold some dream.

We did exactly that with Alex Neil - he was promised the "£14m Ingol training ground" would be ready for the start of the 2018-19 season - it was "a big attraction" for him taking the job he said, as his first transfer window closed with us hanging onto Jordan Hugill, but making no squad additions either.

Within 6 months, Hugill had been sold and the training ground plans were already unravelling.

 

[bowlandwhites]

Wouldn’t surprise me. Lots of people saying we’ve turned the corner since Craig Hemmings took over, but there’s been no indication of that. All the talk of no budget and putting faith into youth, and initiatives to placate the fans to lack of incomings

People expecting us to have a massive overhaul could be in for a shock come summer

I would imagine we don’t have much wriggle room because of FFP with having such a big squad .
Come the summer with quite a few players will be released & it wouldn’t suprice me if we sold a couple of players of or fees.
I defiantly think a midfielder could go .
AN will be off the payroll.
People are reading to much into not signing WB. This is part off the problem at north end we have a habit of rushing to sign players
I personally think we need to sign some young pacy players.
We will be fine it’s alway the same we have to have a conspiracy at the club .

 

[Mr Meeseeks]

Summer spending.
Everyone thinks that because Craig is now at the helm that we will have millions to spend.😒
Sadly not the case. He continues to pump money into the club, to meet our ever growing wage bill. ( although trimming of the squad and loaning out players help).
Without a massive increase in revenue funds ( sale of players / sponsorship / shirts / more fans at matches). We simply do not have the ability to plough money in regardless of the money Craig may or maynot have. Due to FFP.
I would rather see us tighten our spending and look for a few 💎. That will not be a popular opinion. But reality ain't pretty.
We have some good players and an attacking manager for a change. Let's see where that mindset change takes us.
C O Y W.

Not seen one person suggest we will spend millions, not sure where you have got that from.

People just want to see a change in recruitment policy, back to when we went for up and coming lower league players or young Prem academy players that didn't make the elite level grade.

Stop signing the Wickhams and the likes and start looking for the likes of Scott Twine, Connor Grant, Regan Slater etc.

We won't get them all right but it's a smart policy that can be done on a budget. It just involves some proper scouting and use of analytics, we have James Beet, why not use him? He's not a miracle worker but he is welcome addition to the club.

Whiteman and McCann were cracking signings. Sepp, Iversen and Archer are cracking loans. Now supplement these players with similar types of players in the positions that we are crying out for.

 

[SF]

Imagine this summer will be a bosman frenzy, so it'll be interesting to see what level of player we go for.

If we go for proven Championship players then we'll likely lose out 9/10.

I think Lowe will make use of the loan market, Grayson was especially good at that; Beckford, Gally, McGeady, Pickford, Johnstone, Reach, Baptiste... All improved the first 11.

 

[Jack Daniels]

I wonder, given the success of Riis, whether we will continue with a Bosman forage into Europe?

There will be some absolute diamonds out there from the major B Leagues and lower teams in the A Leagues.

Mahrez - £450k as one high profile example. Source Wiki.
Bernarbia - another example as a Free. Source Wiki.

I am sure there are many many others.

 

[baysidepne]

There will be some absolute diamonds out there from the major B Leagues

They are now practically impossible to recruit unless they are in their National Team and have played 75%+ of matches at a National level over the last 2 years under the GBE scheme. If they're eligible for the GBE (new word for Work Permit basically) then they're fair game. It's a point based system but opens up the door for countries outside of the EU, Japan/Korea/USA as examples. Nice one Brexit.

I was speaking to a Recruitment Lead during the weekend about players in Bundesliga II, Eerste Divisie and even a player in 3.Liga but they're all off limits for us. The only way we could get them is they are recruited by a Top Flight club, plays 75% of games and hope they get a National call up and only then will they have enough GBE points and that'll be tight. Nice one Brexit.

We're going to be looking at Bosmans/Compensation payments for the players we'll undoubtedly bring in. Recruiting from top-flight European leagues will be difficult if we're not spending money (which appears may be the case)

 

[JG1888]

It’s ok we will be selling Riis for 20 mill next Jan

I’m personally ok with this. Sell our players when their value is at it’s highest and then replace them with quality league one players which we can now afford. Better than letting our best players run out their contract and lose them for peanuts, even harder to replace them with no money.