Transfer rumours !

Whitesince63 wrote:Jones and Gomez will only be away for a couple of months and from what I can see we have ample players capable of filling in for them so signing replacements, even temporary ones, doesn’t seem to me to be very cost effective. Clubs don’t tend to let their better players leave in January anyway unless there’s a big financial inducement and I don’t see us having the money to do that so personally I expect us to be trying to fight off approaches than making them this January.

Iirc we didn't start the season with the full quota of players we could have started with in terms of those players over 23 years old (or whatever is those who are discounted as being in the youth squad or whatever name that is now given).

We immediately had Johnston out for the season and now Nlundulu out for a number of weeks which will coincide with Jones and Gomez being away.

I'm not sure when Jones and Gomez will be back but from now until the end of February we have 12 league games and at least one FA Cup game, plus matches in the mickey mouse cup we are the current holders of.

I suggest if FV are serious about promotion then they simply can't take a risk of playing around 15 or 16 matches in the next 8 weeks, with the lack of depth we have in the squad to begin with and then losing 4 of them to injury or international tournaments for a quarter of the seasons league matches (12 out of 46), as we are bound to get injury's or sending's off during that period which will simply dilute the squad even more.

We will end up unable to rotate players and give them a rest - as we had recently already with both Charles and Dempsey playing with injury's.

If you read my post above I didn't suggest we were looking to BUY 'top players' from other clubs, what I was suggesting was more that we look to LOAN 'top players' from other clubs who for whatever reasons aren't getting a game with them - so a 'win - win' for everybody - we get a good player for a loan fee, he gets games, and the parent club gets some money for him instead of him rotting in the reserves.

No doubt loads of other clubs have similar plans to do the same - just that we have an edge in that we are offering them a chance to play in a team seeking promotion rather than one seeking to stay up.

I'm not saying this will happen, it is just my thinking, and if we don't bring in some cover over the next few weeks and go with what we've got then that suggests to me that FV either aren't serious about our promotion bid or simply don't have the money.

There's been some gossip about Hull and Swansea being interested in Charles for £5m but I thought is was bollocks - still do - but apparently Iles is now saying scouts from both those teams turned up at our game at Fleetwood (probably how the rumour started...).

IF we really did get a bid for £5m for him would you sell him...?

I certainly would!

Sluffy wrote:There's been some gossip about Hull and Swansea being interested in Charles for £5m but I thought is was bollocks - still do - but apparently Iles is now saying scouts from both those teams turned up at our game at Fleetwood (probably how the rumour started...).

IF we really did get a bid for £5m for him would you sell him...?

I certainly would!

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Like you Sluffy I don’t anticipate anybody spending anywhere near £5m for Dion but then I never saw anybody paying £6m for Madine! Of course if we were offered that, or anywhere near it, Dion would be off. It’s if FV accepted a bid around £2m that would annoy me and I suspect all other fans because how could we possibly replace him for that? To be fair we have a number of players who could be targets like George, Rico, Dempsey and even Toal so we may be fighting off offers we aren’t expecting. I hope not I’d be happy to just hold onto what we’ve got even if the squad may be a little stretched.

If we get an offer of £2m plus then he will be gone. We would need to replace him or it would send out the wrong message with us going for promotion.

Taylor rumour gathering momentum. Mabuma less so.

wanderlust wrote:Taylor rumour gathering momentum. Mabuma less so.

Ok only gossip for now but the fact that both are forwards does link into my thoughts that having lost Nlundulu and that Adebayo has recently been replaced by JDB (who himself was nearly let go last summer) and Jerome unlikely to last 90 minutes these days, that we were are light of a striker or two.

I'd be surprised if either of the two names we are supposedly linked to above are brought in to be starters - both are kids, with limited experience even at our level, but if we do sign one or both of them, I can see them being thrown on as part of a double substitution towards the end of games.

If that is the case I guess I suppose it is up to their parent clubs if that is what they want for them - for instance Taylor is scoring (and presumably starting) where he's been on loan - and if he came here he won't be a starter (in league games), certainly not to begin with unless we have injury's or he scores a lot on his sub appearances.

Anyway what do I know - just my thoughts.

I know a little bit about Joe Taylor - a lad I play with sometimes was at Norwich Academy at the same time as him (yes I'm winding down the footie now after breaking 3rd metatarsal in my big toe 3 months ago - maybe a final runout or two to see how it goes when I get back from Portugal in April). Our lad had a bad knee injury which ended his pro ambitions but Taylor got signed by the Linnets and was immediately loaned out to Wroxham which is about 10 miles from us and I know a lad who plays for them and went to watch them once when Taylor was a kid - and he scored. Still only 16 or so Taylor scored a shedload for Wroxham and helped them get promoted back to the Isthmian North. Basically he's small and nippy but uses his low centre of gravity well, has good control and a shot on him - played wide the one time I saw him or more accurately as an old school inside forward. When Posh signed him he didn't do much so there's a question hanging over him as to whether or not he can crack it at a higher level - and then Luton came in for him - I think Posh probably snatched their hands off. Loaned back to Colchester he's done really well in League 2 and I suspect that his current level is somewhere between L1 and L2 - but he's still young so you never know. Personally I don't rate him much higher than Conor Carty but his goal record is better and he hustles like Dion a bit which Evatt will like - whether or not the goals are to do with the way Colchester used him or not I don't know but he is a decent finisher. Could turn out to be a good 'un but I can't envisage him in the Championship if we get there - at least not at this stage of his development.

wanderlust wrote:I know a little bit about Joe Taylor - a lad I play with sometimes was at Norwich Academy at the same time as him (yes I'm winding down the footie now after breaking 3rd metatarsal in my big toe 3 months ago - maybe a final runout or two to see how it goes when I get back from Portugal in April). Our lad had a bad knee injury which ended his pro ambitions but Taylor got signed by the Linnets and was immediately loaned out to Wroxham which is about 10 miles from us and I know a lad who plays for them and went to watch them once when Taylor was a kid - and he scored. Still only 16 or so Taylor scored a shedload for Wroxham and helped them get promoted back to the Isthmian North. Basically he's small and nippy but uses his low centre of gravity well, has good control and a shot on him - played wide the one time I saw him or more accurately as an old school inside forward. When Posh signed him he didn't do much so there's a question hanging over him as to whether or not he can crack it at a higher level - and then Luton came in for him - I think Posh probably snatched their hands off. Loaned back to Colchester he's done really well in League 2 and I suspect that his current level is somewhere between L1 and L2 - but he's still young so you never know. Personally I don't rate him much higher than Conor Carty but his goal record is better and he hustles like Dion a bit which Evatt will like - whether or not the goals are to do with the way Colchester used him or not I don't know but he is a decent finisher. Could turn out to be a good 'un but I can't envisage him in the Championship if we get there - at least not at this stage of his development.

Well Luton are in the PL and they seem to rate his chances lusty. Of course they may be back in the Championship next season but they’re obviously buying for the future. I think as Sluffy says, if we did sign him he wouldn’t be straight into the first team which would actually be a step down for both the lad and Luton who will want him to play games so I’m not sure anything will come of it. I think a more likely signing is Josh Stokes from Aldershot although I think there will be a lot of competition.

Declan John, out of contract at the end of the season has re-joined Salford on loan.

Doubt we will see him in a Bolton shirt again.

Wonder what the real story is about him, seemed the best left wing back we've had since before FV took over.

Ipswich journalist linking us to their midfielder Idris El Mizouni for a couple of hundred grand or so...

Can't see our priority being the midfield unless he's seen as a defensive midfielder to fill in when Thomason gets sent off and suspended?

I agree Sluffy, I don’t see a midfielder being a priority either when it’s obvious that our weakest position is LWB with neither Randell or Iredale cutting the mustard. With three centre backs I’m also not sure that a defensive midfielder is needed at all and both George and Demps can fulfill most of that role. I hear that Nelson Khumbeni has been recalled from his loan at Fylde so was there a problem there or is IE just bolstering our squad?

Nelson Khumbeni hadn’t played since 25th November for whatever reason, so maybe it was because of lack of game time recently and will send him out on loan somewhere else

BoltonTillIDie wrote:Nelson Khumbeni hadn’t played since 25th November for whatever reason, so maybe it was because of lack of game time recently and will send him out on loan somewhere else

Cheers Btid I didn’t know that but obviously if a players out on loan then you expect him to play. Since he was one we have hopes for it doesn’t sound too promising if he can’t feature for Fylde does it?

Whitesince63 wrote:

BoltonTillIDie wrote:Nelson Khumbeni hadn’t played since 25th November for whatever reason, so maybe it was because of lack of game time recently and will send him out on loan somewhere else

Cheers Btid I didn’t know that but obviously if a players out on loan then you expect him to play. Since he was one we have hopes for it doesn’t sound too promising if he can’t feature for Fylde does it?

He might be injured perhaps and been back at the Reebok for weeks for all we know and the announcement is just official confirmation that he's left Fylde?

I'm also unsure if he can play for another club this season if he's already played for us and Fylde?

Maybe the rules don't apply to playing at clubs at non-league level, I don't know?

Nixon story -

Former Premier League star with £7.6m in career earnings eyed for shock transfer by League One side Bolton

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  FREE agent and former Premier League ace Josh Onomah is on the radar of Bolton.

The midfielder, 26, trained at Stoke after a spell at Preston last season and wants to get back into a club as soon as possible.

Wanderers want new faces without spending big and Onomah would fit the bill.

Onomah rose through the ranks at Tottenham and was tipped by many for Premier League success.

He represented England extensively at youth level and was handed opportunities by Tottenham - largely in cup competitions.

The midfielder was part of the England under-20 side that won the World Cup in 2017.

That age group included the likes of Dominic Solanke, Dominic Calvert Lewin and Kyle Walker Peters.

The midfielder made 32 appearances for Spurs during Mauricio Pochettino's tenure but was never given an extended run of starts in the team.

He finally left the club in 2019 to join Fulham following spells on loan at Aston Villa and Sheffield Wednesday.

Injuries hampered his time at Fulham, with Onomah often in and out of the team.

He made 76 appearances for the Cottagers before leaving to join Preston in 2022.

Injuries again hampered his ability to settle in the side and he made 13 appearances before leaving the club as a free agent.

Onomah has been without a club this season but training with Stoke City has kept him fit and ready for a move.

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wanderlust wrote:Taylor rumour gathering momentum. Mabuma less so.

Yes the Taylor rumour was gathering momentum - but for Lincoln not for us!!!

Joe Taylor: Lincoln City sign Luton Town striker on loan

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I did think is was improbable for Luton to loan out their player to a third tier club just to sit on the bench whilst he's just been scoring for fun this season already in the fourth tier.

I'm sure he'll get a lot more game time opportunity in his 'short' season stay with Lincoln than he would have done with us.

I’d be throwing a cheeky bid in for Mason Clark at Peterborough. He looks the bollocks at this level

Boggersbelief wrote:I’d be throwing a cheeky bid in for Mason Clark at Peterborough. He looks the bollocks at this level

Doesn’t fit Evatt’s system any more than Victor does Boggers so I don’t see any chance of that and at his age there’s no value in him either. Looks like he’s going to Charlton anyway.

Whitesince63 wrote:

Boggersbelief wrote:I’d be throwing a cheeky bid in for Mason Clark at Peterborough. He looks the bollocks at this level

Doesn’t fit Evatt’s system any more than Victor does Boggers so I don’t see any chance of that and at his age there’s no value in him either. Looks like he’s going to Charlton anyway.

???

He's only 24.

I very much doubt Charlton have the money to buy him and he's more likely to be heading off to a Championship club if he's off at all in this window as Posh are looking good at least to get into the playoffs or better this season and won't want to sell him unless they need the money.

Whitesince63 wrote:
Doesn’t fit Evatt’s system any more than Victor does Boggers so I don’t see any chance of that and at his age there’s no value in him either. Looks like he’s going to Charlton anyway.

He fits the bill perfectly 63. If we can afford him there’s no doubt that Evatt would go for it