January Transfer Window

[dpjfox]

As many of CL's former players are out of contract next summer I believe we could agree pre contracts with any wanted players in January (buy now and avoid the rush, and more importantly pay later!). Watch out for moves for at least 2 or 3 players IMO

 

[MKFox]

have we got any cash for signings?

 

[PFKAKTF FOX]

As with most clubs who change managers, there always ends up being some cash made available to the new man.

IMO CL will probably use the loan market whilst he assess the current squad. Also we have a large number of players out of contract at the end of the season. I wouldnt be surprised if CL uses the next month or so to assess these players and then may start trying to ship a few out early for nominal fees or even frees to generate funds. Also a lot of these out of contract players are on big wages, if some of these can be got rid of this will free up a lot of the budget for Levein to work with.

IMO the following players will leave by January transfer window :

Ian Walker - Expensive wages and would possibly still generate a decent fee in Jan transfer window.

Matt Elliott - Already left out of first squad, again another high earner and also a player with a strong influence in the dressing room (and probably not always positive).

James Scowcroft - Again another high earner and if Norwich are still interested would again command a decent fee. I think this one that Levein will think about over the next couple of months.

Trevor Benjamin - Although always gives 110%, but clearly is nowhere near good enough and is again a high earner.

Scot Gemmill - Dont think he will get another contract after this month.

IMO there could well be others but this would generate funds for Levein to start reshaping his squad.

 

[Leigh]

Other than Gemmill I can't see any of the rest of those players going unless we paid up their contracts, no club would pay much for a player out of contract in a few months, and none of those players will move if they're offered less money at another club which most of them would be.

 

[Fox Fan]

Other than Gemmill I can't see any of the rest of those players going unless we paid up their contracts, no club would pay much for a player out of contract in a few months, and none of those players will move if they're offered less money at another club which most of them would be.

True, but I think these players need to be realistic. Look at all the players we shipped out, some of them have had to take seriously crap jobs and there's tonnes of players floating about without a club. These players should realise that at the end of this season that could be them! So if someone offers them a contract on 10k a week but for 1 1/2 years i think they might just see sense and take it.

 

[dpjfox]

Transfer Window

I think youre missing my point. All the Hearts players out of contract in the summer will be available for nothing. The idea of approaching them in January would just tie the players to us when their current contracts expire ie they would cost nothing and we dont pay their wages until next season.
Its the same thing that Man Utd did with Liam Miller from Celtic. Celtic werent happy but the boy wanted to come south as will some of the Hearts players I expect.

 

[lemoi]

I think everyone is missing the point here. Can you imagine LCFC suddenlly releasing cash from nowhere (still in debt from a creditors point of view) to buy people who will be free in 6 months time? The highly paid players obviously realise that they are on to a good things in the market today and a mid-table premier team would not be interested in paying someone more than 10 grand a week who cannot even set 'The Championship' alight, and so will not pay money unless they are desperate. The whole football concept now is more like a business than anything else and so why would a club like to spend on a player when they could just get them for free as long as they are not too young? Someone like Trev is getting paid more than double than Keown because of the football wage structure at the current time, so you have to realise that there will be a lot more wage money free when the old contracts expire to bring in bosman signings in the summer of monsieur Levein's free choice. This is dependant on his ex-players commitment to him and his coaching styleee.

 

[Redditch Fox]

I think everyone is missing the point here. Can you imagine LCFC suddenlly releasing cash from nowhere (still in debt from a creditors point of view) to buy people who will be free in 6 months time? The highly paid players obviously realise that they are on to a good things in the market today and a mid-table premier team would not be interested in paying someone more than 10 grand a week who cannot even set 'The Championship' alight, and so will not pay money unless they are desperate. The whole football concept now is more like a business than anything else and so why would a club like to spend on a player when they could just get them for free as long as they are not too young? Someone like Trev is getting paid more than double than Keown because of the football wage structure at the current time, so you have to realise that there will be a lot more wage money free when the old contracts expire to bring in bosman signings in the summer of monsieur Levein's free choice. This is dependant on his ex-players commitment to him and his coaching styleee.

Exactly, I would say that with the exception of Scowcroft - for the moment -few if any of the rest of our players have any cash value whatsoever. Realistically - based on the market, their wages & performances - they are clearly liabilities not potential assets. And its the same at most clubs.

 

[Redditch Fox]

As with most clubs who change managers, there always ends up being some cash made available to the new man.

Ian Walker - Expensive wages and would possibly still generate a decent fee in Jan transfer window.

Sorry, but IMO Ian Walker would:

a) generate no fee whatsoever firstly because he is a free agent in the Summer
b) because he's clearly seeing out a Taylor (silly) contract;
c) because his long term fitness appears a doubt
d) because he is no longer nearly good enough to command a first team place in any half decent prem side.

Hewill be lucky to move on a free for a prem squad place (at best) in the summer or a team place in a lower division outfit probably around London or get a greatly reduced contract with us.

am i right or am i right?

 

[Lboro fox]

As with most clubs who change managers, there always ends up being some cash made available to the new man.

Ian Walker - Expensive wages and would possibly still generate a decent fee in Jan transfer window.

Sorry, but IMO Ian Walker would:

a) generate no fee whatsoever firstly because he is a free agent in the Summer
b) because he's clearly seeing out a Taylor (silly) contract;
c) because his long term fitness appears a doubt
d) because he is no longer nearly good enough to command a first team place in any half decent prem side.

Hewill be lucky to move on a free for a prem squad place (at best) in the summer or a team place in a lower division outfit probably around London or get a greatly reduced contract with us.

am i right or am i right?

I believe walker earns about 25k a week which is about right for a player of his stature. I feel he will be a top class goalie for a premier team for quite a while. He is better than both howard and carrol at Man Ure, Hoult at West Brom and Lehmann at Arsenal, to name a few.

 

[Joe_Fox]

I don't think he is better than Howard and Carroll. Maybe better than Hoult though.

 

[Redditch Fox]

As with most clubs who change managers, there always ends up being some cash made available to the new man.

Ian Walker - Expensive wages and would possibly still generate a decent fee in Jan transfer window.

Sorry, but IMO Ian Walker would:

a) generate no fee whatsoever firstly because he is a free agent in the Summer
b) because he's clearly seeing out a Taylor (silly) contract;
c) because his long term fitness appears a doubt
d) because he is no longer nearly good enough to command a first team place in any half decent prem side.

Hewill be lucky to move on a free for a prem squad place (at best) in the summer or a team place in a lower division outfit probably around London or get a greatly reduced contract with us.

am i right or am i right?

I believe walker earns about 25k a week which is about right for a player of his stature. I feel he will be a top class goalie for a premier team for quite a while. He is better than both howard and carrol at Man Ure, Hoult at West Brom and Lehmann at Arsenal, to name a few.

Well, football is all about opinions but I find that pretty amazing stuff & wonder why no premiership side has come in for him if your view is valid so just like the Micky great debate -we'll wait and see where the reality lies in all this.

 

[LufbraFox]

looking ahead to not the transfer window, but the end of the season, i personally hope we dont release all of the players as we prettty much did this season. OK players like Elliot, Walker and Scowcroft are on silly (Taylor) wages but surely it would make more sense to offer them reasonable wages rather than release them completely.

Surely if the club turned round to the players and offered them a reduced (yet still competitive) wage they are likely to take it as realistically they arent going to get a place in a team in a prem team, these players have been at the club and surrounding area for a number of years and would prefer to stay.

I am not sure what happened exactly but i certainly think Sinclair and Davidson would probably get into our team this year in front of the current crop of players. OK this business was conducted by MA so hopefully Craig will realise that yes, some of the players need to go, but also there is a good core of players that need to be retained if the club is to maintain consistency and not be releasing 13 players and signing 13 new players at the end of every season

 

[Who-Izzet]

There will be something available to CL surely, even if it is £200-£500k.

I wouldn't expect lots of signings just yet though

Mickey Adams
Dave Bassett
Howard Wilkinson
& even Craig Levein himself have said there is enough talent at this club to get promoted.

So he has something to work with for now.

If we don't go up I have no doubt Walker won't be here next season, he'll be on someone's bench like Man City or Portsmouth. £25K is alot of wages a week for any Championship player in my books. Surely we could find a decent keeper with alot less wage demands & cash in on Walker. Someone would pay a small fee for him I'm sure. Perhaps a loan till the end of season. Ian Bennett isn't getting any games at Brum.

 

[Leigh]

Don't think Walker is on 25k pw, thought it was more like 14k pw. :?

 

[Redditch Fox]

looking ahead to not the transfer window, but the end of the season, i personally hope we dont release all of the players as we prettty much did this season. OK players like Elliot, Walker and Scowcroft are on silly (Taylor) wages but surely it would make more sense to offer them reasonable wages rather than release them completely.

Surely if the club turned round to the players and offered them a reduced (yet still competitive) wage they are likely to take it as realistically they arent going to get a place in a team in a prem team, these players have been at the club and surrounding area for a number of years and would prefer to stay.

I am not sure what happened exactly but i certainly think Sinclair and Davidson would probably get into our team this year in front of the current crop of players. OK this business was conducted by MA so hopefully Craig will realise that yes, some of the players need to go, but also there is a good core of players that need to be retained if the club is to maintain consistency and not be releasing 13 players and signing 13 new players at the end of every season

I think that all the players who were prem club & signable on realistic wages worthy jumped ship at the end of last season. Frankly, I don't think that we have a single player who is worth a first choice place in a premiership side.

However, one of the few things that MA was right on, was clearing out the likes of Sinco & Callum last summer - one of them is a perpetual liability on and off the field and the other won't get/ can't get fit for any length of time.

But I agree with you that we cant carry on every season shedding 13 players and bringing in about the same number - Micky had just gone a bit overboard & of course replaced inadequate players with some others who CL is going to have his work cut out in raising their game.

 

[MKFox]

don't blame the players. a contract is there to protect both parties for it's duration. t*yl*r was such a scrote

 

[Lboro fox]

As with most clubs who change managers, there always ends up being some cash made available to the new man.

Ian Walker - Expensive wages and would possibly still generate a decent fee in Jan transfer window.

Sorry, but IMO Ian Walker would:

a) generate no fee whatsoever firstly because he is a free agent in the Summer
b) because he's clearly seeing out a Taylor (silly) contract;
c) because his long term fitness appears a doubt
d) because he is no longer nearly good enough to command a first team place in any half decent prem side.

Hewill be lucky to move on a free for a prem squad place (at best) in the summer or a team place in a lower division outfit probably around London or get a greatly reduced contract with us.

am i right or am i right?

I believe walker earns about 25k a week which is about right for a player of his stature. I feel he will be a top class goalie for a premier team for quite a while. He is better than both howard and carrol at Man Ure, Hoult at West Brom and Lehmann at Arsenal, to name a few.

Well, football is all about opinions but I find that pretty amazing stuff & wonder why no premiership side has come in for him if your view is valid so just like the Micky great debate -we'll wait and see where the reality lies in all this.

For some reason the big prem teams seem to sign flappy foreign goalies. With a decent defnece in front of him walker would be an excellent steadying influence to most teams. He would be ideal for both Man Ure and Arsenal.

 

[highland fox]

If Walker goes then I would imagine CL would go for Gordon (the Hearts and Scotland Keeper).

 

[MKFox]

the gopher?
flash?
bennett?
gay?