AKCJ

"Most successful club in EFL history" is definitely an attempt at fooling some daft Yank or Sheikh isn't it.

Makes no difference to us. £10m on an injury prone centre back that cannot run in the last 2 years of his contract will always be an amazing sale for a League 1 club.

£10m is crazy good business for someone with obvious limitations. Obviously would have been great to keep him but we can’t turn that down.

The lads 13. Bit weird that there are people online following their movements.

Just by means of reminding, we'll probably get about 25m for Page and Monga and that's relatively unheard of for two players that haven't immediately ripped up trees in men's football in the way the likes of Rooney and Bellingham did. Especially for a club in League 1. Yes Page and Monga both looked like good prospects but they're still only that at this stage.

There are endless reasons why a parent might prefer their lad to play for Leicester over Man City. I know people like to make out that we're bad at getting academy players through and into the first team but it's really not actually true. Yes I think that we could be doing better but ultimately since our 2023 relegation we have had Monga, Page, Joseph, Aluko, Braybrooke, Alves, McAteer, Nelson, Evans, Stolarcyzk, S. Thomas, Cover, Popov, Marcal and Brunt all come through the academy and play in the first team at some point. 15 in 3 years is good going and not many clubs could match that. Did you want us to be getting the next Yamal or Bellingham? Ultimately there is a food chain and it doesn't matter what our training ground looks like, we'll always have the very best pinched. It's just the way things work. It's like these people that make out that La Masia is some sort of factory that makes elite footballers when the reality is that Barca just hoover up every good player in Spain (and beyond). Joseph looks to be a player that will make strong impact in the EFL and will likely end up in the Premier League on the trajectory he's on. That makes him a very good signing for us.

I just think he's an available centre half that doesn't mind having the ball at his feet and is known by the DoF. Would be a suitable Souttar replacement if he did go. Cheap with a high ceiling too.

Completely agree. Braybrooke, Alves and one of Aluko/Joseph have to start on Saturday.

It'll be the same as it would have been for Leicester.

Yes but also it's the perfect place to learn how to be a professional footballer. If you've got a very talented young teenage son you're going to want him playing at Seagrave over whatever facilities the likes of Coventry, Forest or Derby have to offer.

15 year old lads just want to play football. It's the parents who get swayed by the carrot these clubs dangle. Guarantee that last season Mr and Mrs Motsi with young Darren were invited to watch a Champions League game in the Etihad exec suites free of charge including a lovely tour of the ground and training facilities.

Seagrave pays itself back through players like Jayden Joseph who we managed to snag from Man City's academy. It's not a place that magically produces great players, we'd likely have had players like Monga and Page with or without Seagrave because they're local-ish lads. Seagrave is about expanding that talent pool to hoover up as many great prospects as we can.

Bloody hell wouldn't he be incredible at this level? Was on loan at Ajax last season ffs.

Stolarcyzk Joseph Okoli Souttar McFarlane Skipp Braybrooke Alves Chaplin Watson Bristric McCarthy, Aluko, Choudhury, Burns, Mavididi, Cullen, Page Suddenly looks a lot better. Desperately need to replace Souttar and Page if they leave though.

He will. It'll be his job to keep defenders pinned back.

Again, please just be good. Doesn't even have to get 20 goals just be a pain in the arse to play against and our attack will be transformed.

I've had real life conversations with people that think we're going to get relegated from League 1 because Russell Martin played possession football. Actual people that think this style of play will mean we'll finish in the bottom four in a league containing the likes of Bromley, AFC Wimbledon, Cambridge United, Leyton Orient, Notts County, Peterborough etc. This should be a similar season to the Enzo one where it's so easy it becomes boring. Especially if this Bristric lad does well.

Finley Burns makes a lot of sense. I can see that happening.

That's assuming we would have put in the relegation wage cut clauses. We certainly didn't have them in place for our first Premier League relegation so I have my doubts. But in any case, £25k a week is about 5 times the average league 1 wage.

Can't wait to get lil bro'd by Ipswich again.

No chance. Max 1 of those go.

Yeah I worry that we'll go after Souttar. I don't rate him, let alone for a team that wants their centre halves to have the ball at their feet.

Yeah very strange that they're still without clubs. Both would get decent game time here I reckon.

For what it's worth, these are my predictions... I think we'll sell Page and Souttar with Faes and Coulibaly going late in the window on loan. That would leave us with the following options for Martin's system; Goalkeeper; Stolarcyzk, McCarthy, Ravizzoli Right Back; Joseph, Aluko Centre Half; Okoli, Gray Left back; McFarlane, Thomas Base of Midfield; Skipp, Hamza Number 8; Braybrooke Right Winger; Burns, Alves, BDCR Attacking Midfielder; Chaplin, Cullen Left Winger; Watson, Mavididi Striker; Bristric That's a squad of 20. We'd need to add two centre backs, two centre midfielders and one striker to get a full team. I suspect that centre halves will be the massive priority this week once Bristric is in.

If we are able to get Skipp out and pick up Smallbone that would be very good business IMO. I rate him, a classy player and would sit really well in the base of our midfield. I wonder why he hasn't been picked up yet.