Summer dealings

According to the record we have an option at £1.4 million on Kasanwirjo.

3 knee injuries with the other 2 in 18/19 and 19/20.

Do you take a punt?
 
Stevie Clifford spoke on Hagi situation on rangers review this morning.

We can’t afford to trigger the option for another year as too big wages.

So we are trying to negotiate but ianis will be able to get a much bigger deal elsewhere
Thee is the answer then. If he can get much better wages elsewhere then good luck to him. We have to have a figure we are willing to pay him and nothing more.

If we look at his contract over the time he has been here it hasn’t been great value. He is certainly performing well just now but can’t extend at any price.
 
I honestly think the Summer window will be as challenging as the previous one.
We really have made a huge hole for ourselves.
Ideally all those on loan will be punted.
We should be looking to offload Tavernier, Dessers and Yilmaz.
Lawrence and Balogun should be thanked for their service.
It's certainly going to be a busy Summer.
It will definitely be challenging, but how challenging will mainly depend on how well the likes of Davies, Matondo, Dowell, Cifuentes' etc loans go. Ideally, they'll show up really well and the loaning clubs will want their services permanently. Or, someone else does.

Getting those players off the books once and for all will be the most challenging part of the window for us, in my opinion.

It will more than likely require us to contribute to some sort of payoff again, just as we did in the summer to get high earners out the door.

For the likes of Dessers and Yilmaz, I don't think we'll have any problem finding buyers for them (Yilmaz' fitness permitting).

Aside from that, we'll need new faces in early doors so that they're ready for the Champions League qualifiers. That will be the other really challenging thing about the summer window. We can't afford to wait until deeper into the window to do the bulk of our business.

Hopefully we've got a few more Europa League games to come this season to 'boost the coffers', as they say. That should allow us to be more aggressive in pursuit of our priority targets when the window opens.
 
It will definitely be challenging, but how challenging will mainly depend on how well the likes of Davies, Matondo, Dowell, Cifuentes' etc loans go. Ideally, they'll show up really well and the loaning clubs will want their services permanently. Or, someone else does.

Getting those players off the books once and for all will be the most challenging part of the window for us, in my opinion.

It will more than likely require us to contribute to some sort of payoff again, just as we did in the summer to get high earners out the door.

For the likes of Dessers and Yilmaz, I don't think we'll have any problem finding buyers for them (Yilmaz' fitness permitting).

Aside from that, we'll need new faces in early doors so that they're ready for the Champions League qualifiers. That will be the other really challenging thing about the summer window. We can't afford to wait until deeper into the window to do the bulk of our business.

Hopefully we've got a few more Europa League games to come this season to 'boost the coffers', as they say. That should allow us to be more aggressive in pursuit of our priority targets when the window opens.
For starters we have to hope Birmingham get promoted!
 
GK - Butland* / Kelly / Munn

RB - New / Tav / Sterling
CB - Souttar / Propper
CB - New / Nsiala
LB - Jefte / New

CM - Raskin / New / Rice
CM - Diomande / New / Barron

RF - New / New / Hagi
AM - New / Bajrami / Cameron
LF - New / Cortes / Curtis

ST - Igamane / Danilo / New



Probably about 10 or so needed in but at least 7 need to be of starting quality.

That still gives a squad of around 30 including the prospects.

I’m not including Fernandes for now but if he is a success I still don’t see a scenario where we don’t need at least one commanding CB.

Out - Balogun, Yilmaz, Dessers, McAusland, King, Matondo, Cifuentes, Dowell, Davies, Lawrence

Agree with nearly all of that. Except a squad of 30 players is over excessive. I think 22 (over u21s) but there would need to be a degree of versatility in the players aswell. We need to aim for more genuine quality

Danilo and Bajrami are two players also who right now id happily see moves on. I like both and want them to be successful but Danilos injury problems are unbelievably draining and Bajrami genuinely looks like he doesn't want to be here
 
Just my opinion -

Lawrence will be away
Hagi I feel will leave
Balogun got a feeling will be offered a new deal
Davies, Matondo, Dowell and Cifuentes will be told to find new clubs and be cut adrift if not away
Ridvan will be sold for about £2m
Dessers will be sold for about £3m
Butland will be sold if any decent offers over say £8m
Propper will stay if keeps improving
Bajrami I think will want back to Italy and go for £2m

We'll get offered £25m for Hamza, try and get £30m, get told to fck off and he picks up a knee injury a week later, told be 3 weeks and never seen again
 
Can’t see anything other than the current “one out one in” hamstrung approach from this board due to their financial mismanagement of the club.

And still no new investment in the club come the summer despite being told “there is a plan”
 
Our ability to rebuild in the summer will likely hinge on whether Igamane goes (and for how much) and whether we can get rid of Dowell, Davies, Matondo, Cifuentes etc on permanent deals.

The latter is more important.

If we don’t, any sale of Igamane is just absorbed into subsidising non-contributors as well as the wages of Tav + Butland (likely a minimum of £3m a year on these two).

Someone like Hagi may have to be overlooked because money is still tied up with, for example, Matondo.

I foresee a painful Summer unless we can move players out quickly. Imagine getting to late July with Davies, Dowell, Matondo still on the payroll…
 
Shame, he looked a good one. They were reporting he had all but signed Schalke over here so they must have lost out at the final hurdle.

Must’ve been asking for big dough because statistically he was excellent.

Koppen will have been well aware of him as he follows all the scout pages that were bigging him up.
 
Just my opinion -

Lawrence will be away
Hagi I feel will leave
Balogun got a feeling will be offered a new deal
Davies, Matondo, Dowell and Cifuentes will be told to find new clubs and be cut adrift if not away
Ridvan will be sold for about £2m
Dessers will be sold for about £3m
Butland will be sold if any decent offers over say £8m
Propper will stay if keeps improving
Bajrami I think will want back to Italy and go for £2m

We'll get offered £25m for Hamza, try and get £30m, get told to fck off and he picks up a knee injury a week later, told be 3 weeks and never seen again
All entirely possible.

As for Hagi, he clearly loves it here. My feeling is he'll sign a new deal with us for another 3 years or so, on lower wages than his original extension would trigger, but with a relatively low release clause inserted into the contract.
 
With all the talk of wages structures etc what do people know/think we’re paying the likes of Bajrami?

Arrived for a decent fee from Serie A/B.
 
I’ve no idea.

£20k ish?

He’s certainly not lived up to the fee so far.

Not sure where his best position is at all.
It’s one of my fears with not getting a deal done for Hagi.

The risk of spending £3.5 million on a Bajrami rather than unearthing a gem like Igamane.

Otherwise, I’m quite looking forward to the summer window in the hope that we manage to get those out on loan away permanently and free up wages.
 
It’s one of my fears with not getting a deal done for Hagi.

The risk of spending £3.5 million on a Bajrami rather than unearthing a gem like Igamane.

Otherwise, I’m quite looking forward to the summer window in the hope that we manage to get those out on loan away permanently and free up wages.

I can’t remember the timeline exactly, but reckon we should have worked on the Hagi deal at the time, rather than buying Bajrami.
 
I'm majorly confused by catastrophising over the summer window.

Could we easily do with 3-4 starters and more to the squad? Absolutely.

Why is everyone saying this summer will be like last summer?

We had 5-6 starters (for all most were finished) to replace.

The numbers in and out may be fairly significant, but I don't see it as anywhere near as complexed as last summer

Is there a specific reason people are assuming the worst?

For my reckoning, we've got £6m off the wagebill, the other £4m we want to take off it is close to taking care of itself. Non earners who come back from loan are mostly in their last year so will be far more open to leaving.
 
I appreciate money is tight.
However if we go into next season without Cerny and Hagi we can forget about building a team to challenge the scum. These 2 signed and Raskin extended must be our priority.
We now have a great group of young players but need these 3 .
I can't disagree. We can probably (just about) lose one of them as long as we get a decent replacement, but to lose Cerny AND Hagi takes all of our creativity out of the team. Yes we might get another Igamane, but that took until November till he was ready, arguably Bajrami still isnt, so by that time the league would be over.

We should have a wage ceiling with a couple of exceptions for "star" players the way the Australian league works. Hagi and Cerny could be these two with Tav, Lawrence, Butland, Yilmaz etc leaving.
 
I feel reasonably confident that most of the guys who have gone out on loan will earn moves, if not to their present clubs then elsewhere. They all have ability, they're just of no use to us.

Lawrence and Balogun are OOC and, despite being good eggs, neither should be renewed. We've already signed Tom's replacement and even watching Leon trying to run now is painful.

On the loans, Fernandes will be decided on depending on how the next six months go; obviously we'd love to keep Cerny if that's possible,

Of the contracted players, and starting for the back:

If Tav can maintain current form I would keep him for experience. We don't have that much of it and he's been very dependable since getting over his early season problems. Ridvan is amongst the expensive old guard and his contract length means that this summer is probably a good tie to sell him. I would actually sell Souttar too, if he won't sign a new contract, I don't think he is physically reliable enough to build a team around, so it would be as 3rd choice/ cover. Unless Fernandes is ab absolute revelation, we need a starting CB to build around.

In the middle Hopefully Rice steps uop to become Dio's deputy in the coming months. If that happens hopefully Raskin will sign an extension and we can focus on finging a deputy for him. With Lawrence gone Cameron will replace him. If Bajrami hasn't found his feet by then we may have to trade and find an alternative. Whether Hagi stays or goes is all aboutwage I suspect.

Up front I would say that Dessers needs to go while we can get good money for him. Igamane should have enough experience to be the main man by then, so we can bring in another project behind him in readiness for moving him on the following summer. likewise Danilo.

So at least well be looking for a starting CB, quality midfield cover, a young project CF and some quality in teh wide areas.
 
I'm majorly confused by catastrophising over the summer window.

Could we easily do with 3-4 starters and more to the squad? Absolutely.

Why is everyone saying this summer will be like last summer?

We had 5-6 starters (for all most were finished) to replace.

The numbers in and out may be fairly significant, but I don't see it as anywhere near as complexed as last summer

Is there a specific reason people are assuming the worst?

For my reckoning, we've got £6m off the wagebill, the other £4m we want to take off it is close to taking care of itself. Non earners who come back from loan are mostly in their last year so will be far more open to leaving.
I agree with you mate. With the players off the wage bill already, and HOPEFULLY the loan boys off in the summer thats a huge saving. And I said earlier, we can easilly lose Matondo, Davies, Cifuentes, Dowell and Lawrence and only need to replace all 5 by a single winger to be no worse off.

Hagi and Cerny concern me as they will need replaced. We could be doing with a CM to help Raskin get rotated, and a replacement for Balogun. I would also take a back up left back, an upgrade on Tav, Butland and Dessers but if they can't be shifted it wouldnt be the end of the world.
 
No player is worth 30k a week in Scotland. It's why we end up having problems shifting players as they won't get a bigger deal elsewhere.
100%, By the time a player is worth 30k a week to us they should already be moved on for profit. If a player was truly worth 30k up here they would be able to get themselves 50k down south no problem
 
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I'm majorly confused by catastrophising over the summer window.

Could we easily do with 3-4 starters and more to the squad? Absolutely.

Why is everyone saying this summer will be like last summer?

We had 5-6 starters (for all most were finished) to replace.

The numbers in and out may be fairly significant, but I don't see it as anywhere near as complexed as last summer

Is there a specific reason people are assuming the worst?

For my reckoning, we've got £6m off the wagebill, the other £4m we want to take off it is close to taking care of itself. Non earners who come back from loan are mostly in their last year so will be far more open to leaving.

The catastrophising this season has been horrendous. I've given up on a number of outlets because of it. It's incredibly wearing and self defeating.
 
Just my opinion -

Lawrence will be away I hope
Hagi I feel will leave Sadly I agree
Balogun got a feeling will be offered a new deal I can only see it if its like a Defoe style coaching and emergency backup.
Davies, Matondo, Dowell and Cifuentes will be told to find new clubs and be cut adrift if not away I think Davies and Matondo will go, while we may need to pay off Dowell and Cifu.
Ridvan will be sold for about £2m I'd take that. I think that will be the ball park with add ons over and above.
Dessers will be sold for about £3m Same as Yilmaz, I agree
Butland will be sold if any decent offers over say £8m I would bite your hand off for anything over £3m at this time with his current form.
Propper will stay if keeps improving Yeah I can see that, I think he'll be a key player.
Bajrami I think will want back to Italy and go for £2m It does start to look as if he doesn't want to be here.

We'll get offered £25m for Hamza, try and get £30m, get told to fck off and he picks up a knee injury a week later, told be 3 weeks and never seen again
Pretty much agree on all there.
 
I feel reasonably confident that most of the guys who have gone out on loan will earn moves, if not to their present clubs then elsewhere. They all have ability, they're just of no use to us.

Lawrence and Balogun are OOC and, despite being good eggs, neither should be renewed. We've already signed Tom's replacement and even watching Leon trying to run now is painful.

On the loans, Fernandes will be decided on depending on how the next six months go; obviously we'd love to keep Cerny if that's possible,

Of the contracted players, and starting for the back:

If Tav can maintain current form I would keep him for experience. We don't have that much of it and he's been very dependable since getting over his early season problems. Ridvan is amongst the expensive old guard and his contract length means that this summer is probably a good tie to sell him. I would actually sell Souttar too, if he won't sign a new contract, I don't think he is physically reliable enough to build a team around, so it would be as 3rd choice/ cover. Unless Fernandes is ab absolute revelation, we need a starting CB to build around.

In the middle Hopefully Rice steps uop to become Dio's deputy in the coming months. If that happens hopefully Raskin will sign an extension and we can focus on finging a deputy for him. With Lawrence gone Cameron will replace him. If Bajrami hasn't found his feet by then we may have to trade and find an alternative. Whether Hagi stays or goes is all aboutwage I suspect.

Up front I would say that Dessers needs to go while we can get good money for him. Igamane should have enough experience to be the main man by then, so we can bring in another project behind him in readiness for moving him on the following summer. likewise Danilo.

So at least well be looking for a starting CB, quality midfield cover, a young project CF and some quality in teh wide areas.
A very measured assessment of things.

I don't foresee the same difficulties this summer with freeing up wages.
 
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I agree with you mate. With the players off the wage bill already, and HOPEFULLY the loan boys off in the summer thats a huge saving. And I said earlier, we can easilly lose Matondo, Davies, Cifuentes, Dowell and Lawrence and only need to replace all 5 by a single winger to be no worse off.

Hagi and Cerny concern me as they will need replaced. We could be doing with a CM to help Raskin get rotated, and a replacement for Balogun. I would also take a back up left back, an upgrade on Tav, Butland and Dessers but if they can't be shifted it wouldnt be the end of the world.
You've nailed it re the numbers leaving Vs the numbers coming in.

I'd imagine the number of players leaving will far exceed those coming in.
 
There is no reality in which we sign 10 players. Even in Beales overspending window or Gios post Seville we never signed that many. Those that are hoping for that are going to be hugely disappointed the same way they were the last few windows!

Everything we have seen points towards us going for a squad of 20odd players supplemented by youth. 30 is far too many and unsustainable. I agree with you on the players that need to go, but I think all can go and only Yilmaz and Dessers we need to actually replace out of them.

Left winger, centre midfielder, defender (assuming that’s not Fernandes), back up right back (or replacement for Tav). That’s the four positions we need. After that I wouldn’t be unhappy replaceming Yilma, Dessers, Butland and maybe even Danilo if we can find a buyer.

But it will be one out one in NOT including the loan boys IMO.
We just signed 10 last summer if you include Cortes and Dio who were already here.

The 30 I mention include Munn, Curtis and Rice, it’s not 30 twenty somethings, there’s no reason why the third striker can’t be a young Nsiala type signing.

I actually think Hagi will leave and we have quality questions over Barron and Bajrami to name but a few but we still need the attack behind Igamane and the defence rebuilt this coming summer.

Further to this the most important signing IMO which is another midfielder who is of the same level as Raskin / Diomande (or better).

Fortunes do not need spent on these players and they certainly shouldn’t be paid fortunes but the positions mentioned need addressed.
 
There maybe questions over who between Dessers and Danilo (when fit) should be first choices in our front four which arguably is the strongest part of the side just now.,

The best chance of Igamane being here next season if he continues the form shown in the last couple of matches! Otherwise he will almost certainly be away and hopefully for a very decent fee. Be great if he stayed for another season but if a club from the EPL comes calling....

Cerny - Again brilliant if we can retain him but already noises we could not afford the £7 million fee even if we was willing to decide to stay.

Hagi - See people staying we shouldn't pay £30K a week. The alternative is he walks away for nothing in June. If so a minimum of £2 million and probably more lost. An agreed extension with a sale next January or preferably summer 2026 is surely worth a punt by the club? we have to keep some players!

Danilo - Possibly injury prone

Dessers - For continuity and availability (so far) I would also try and keep.

Bajrami - Hopefully will kick on as he acclimatises. Think he is contracted anyway.
 
It’s one of my fears with not getting a deal done for Hagi.

The risk of spending £3.5 million on a Bajrami rather than unearthing a gem like Igamane.

Otherwise, I’m quite looking forward to the summer window in the hope that we manage to get those out on loan away permanently and free up wages.

It’ll be a sore one to take if we can’t afford to pay Hagi because we are paying guys like Matondo
 
If possible I'd move on at least a dozen current contributing players, but that's unrealistic.
Yilmaz, Dessers, Igamane and Jefte are our most sellable assets and if the money is right I'd sell them all.
I like Hagi but not for huge wages.
Kasanwirjo would be madness.
I suspect Tav will refuse to give up the year contract he has left on the 37k a week he's allegedly getting.
Balogun's body can't cope anymore.
So for me :

Out : Balogun, King, Jefte, Yilmaz, Lawrence, Igamane, Hagi. Cerny as we can't afford him. All of those already on loan barring Fraser.

In : RB, CH,LB, DM, LW, 2xST, RW.
 
The latter is more important.

If we don’t, any sale of Igamane is just absorbed into subsidising non-contributors as well as the wages of Tav + Butland (likely a minimum of £3m a year on these two).

Someone like Hagi may have to be overlooked because money is still tied up with, for example, Matondo.

I foresee a painful Summer unless we can move players out quickly. Imagine getting to late July with Davies, Dowell, Matondo still on the payroll…
Is suspect Davies will definitely be away as he seems to be performing for Birmingham. Keep our fingers crossed Dowell and Matondo do well . Lawrence will be away . I would like to keep Hagi but only within our wage structure.
 
We just signed 10 last summer if you include Cortes and Dio who were already here.

The 30 I mention include Munn, Curtis and Rice, it’s not 30 twenty somethings, there’s no reason why the third striker can’t be a young Nsiala type signing.

I actually think Hagi will leave and we have quality questions over Barron and Bajrami to name but a few but we still need the attack behind Igamane and the defence rebuilt this coming summer.

Further to this the most important signing IMO which is another midfielder who is of the same level as Raskin / Diomande (or better).

Fortunes do not need spent on these players and they certainly shouldn’t be paid fortunes but the positions mentioned need addressed.
Fair enough mate I didn’t realise you meant the youngsters in that. I feel around 20-22 players who are classed as main squad players then another 5-6 youngsters.

And agreed when you include those on the books then it was ten but under the current climate that probably means we have Cortes and Fernandes, maybe Kara as players already here (and boy do I hope Cerny is the same!).

Completely agree with the idea of bringing in Nsala and Igamane type players, I almost see them as bringing in youngsters for what would have been the B team.

I hope you’re wrong about Hagi but I suspect you will be right. He will be a difficult player to replace.
 
You've nailed it re the numbers leaving Vs the numbers coming in.

I'd imagine the number of players leaving will far exceed those coming in.
As it should be. I never again want to see 28+ year old players sitting on the bench on huge salaries. Gerrard may have had some absolute horrific signings but the vast vast majority were youngsters (Simpson, Hastie) who could have gone any way and were likely on low wages. Since he left we then went to Matondo, Lawrence, Dowell, Lammers who not only in some cases signed for decent money, but on huge wages.

I’d take 5 punts on a Igamane type signing knowing they won’t all come good than to get another Dowell
 
All entirely possible.

As for Hagi, he clearly loves it here. My feeling is he'll sign a new deal with us for another 3 years or so, on lower wages than his original extension would trigger, but with a relatively low release clause inserted into the contract.
would hope Hagi stays, but not sure he will
 
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