pmcla26

That’d look well nice in blue and gold

A lot of Ings’ game relied on his quick movement over 5/10 yards (prior to his big injury at Liverpool, during his time at Burnley it was over a longer distance), now he’s lost that he hasn’t really got much threat. He’ll get marked out of most games. We’ll face a lot of low blocks this season and I don’t think a shorter, slow striker is key to breaking them down in League 1. You need a physical focal point, really. If he’s used as a sub or plays off another forward with that profile then maybe his finishing ability will be useful, but I don’t want to see him leading the line as a lone striker from the start this season.

Players trajectories are the concern with transfers like this and Ings - they’re only going to get worse. Plus, I would personally have liked to see a preference for pace and power in this window, but doesn’t look like that’s being prioritised so far.

For Leicester City, not your Sunday League team New balance are alright, the other 3 make awful kits.

Better alternatives?

Hopefully will be Nike next

Will be Ayew mark 2, legs have gone.

I think he’ll be an England international by the time he’s 21

Birmingham FA Cup and I think Millwall (also in FA Cup) under Enzo Maresca he done well, I think last season his struggles were exacerbated by those around him. Stolarczyk similar. Both come into the side, looked good, then struggled as time went on.

I imagine the people who are (rightly) annoyed by it aren’t the same people buying season tickets

Yeah, hopefully we’ll be playing Swansea, Cardiff and Wrexham next season.

I do think some people have decided they don’t like him because they’ve been told not to, rather than actually knowing much about him/his teams.

Just makes no sense Leuven selling to middling European teams for c. £10m then that team selling for £30-40m. We could have paid the same as what Antwerp did for Keita then sold him for what Parma will now get.

Mandela Keita, formerly of Leuven, now wanted by Everton. I remember in 2023 people mentioning him on here as one to watch. Why we don’t ever use the link (both ways), I fail to understand.

Such a needless signing when we had Ndidi, Winks and Soumare all on the books already and only playing once a week

Doubt Martin would have agreed to a rolling one year deal. Doesn't leave us in a very good position either if he does really well and someone wants to take him off our hands.

Maddison got the same treatment in 22/23 when he was good for 3/4 of the season then struggled at the end. Pretty much same as Abdul - probably trying too hard, felt the pressure and buckled.

It’s more common for the players to agree terms first as club to club negotiations usually take longer. Also makes more sense, as clubs then don’t spend ages negotiating over a transfer fee for a player that doesn’t want to leave/join that club.

Cooper felt a stupid appointment at the time because we knew that he couldn’t coach the squad to carry on playing anything like the way we had been under Enzo. With Martin, at least there is a degree of hope that he can coach the players to play a certain way and find success with it, rather than Cooper’s nonsensical lack of tactics that never gave us a chance. Personally, I think he gets the first 5 games from the fans and then if the majority are not impressed, he’ll be hounded out like he was at Rangers. It could go either way and we’ll likely know very early on.

Could see him at Watford

The way he got the best out of Adam Armstrong could really suit Jake Evans

Josh Wilson-Esbrand at left back - McCarron using his links.

Only consider players like this when the older ones we already have, have left. No point signing Morsy if we have Winks, Skipp and Choudhury still on the books.

He can clearly coach, if we go heavy on youth I expect him to have a positive impact on a lot of the young players. I don’t expect him to be able to get a tune out of proven shit though. If we’re still lumbered with the overpaid, older players then it’s a pointless move.

With young, impressionable players it could work with Martin. It’s imperative he starts well though if he has any hope of winning over the fans.