ClaphamFox

You answered your own question. Mads is a better keeper and our number 1. He'll be straight back in if available. Jakub will likely get his chance next season irrespective of whether we stay up or go down.

Make of that what you will...

This is why I hope it’s a loan if he does end up coming.

Mmmm…which one would we choose? 🤔

But this is my whole point. An up and coming youngster from one one those leagues would usually be regarded as one for the future and given time to settle in & develop. What we need right now are players who will come straight into our first team and immediately improve it. Unfortunately those players are hard to come by.

Good question. I'm not sure, but I'd guess that the rules covering loans relate to the squad of 25 & so leaving him out would free up another PL loan space. But even if it didn't enable us to get another PL loan, leaving him out of the squad would free up a space for an overseas loan.

We're not compelled to name Edouard in the squad of 25 provided we can afford to leave him out. People keep talking about freeing up squad places to get players in, but it's not uncommon for players to be left out of the 25 if they're deemed surplus to requirements...

It's actually not awful - more than one in three over his career. The problem is that he's never played in a top league so we have no idea what he'll be like in the PL...

Oh sure, because there is a tried-and-tested, foolproof way of ensuring that players plucked from obscure leagues turn out to be 'talents' with solid resale value rather than duds who have no incentive to leave because they know that nobody else will match their wages... Look I get the frustration - we clearly badly need to improve the squad. I'm just baffled that some people apparently find it impossible to comprehend just how difficult it is for a club in our position to recruit the quality players we need in the January transfer window. There is a reason why so little business is done this month - it's because there is so little value in the market. And if you add the very real risk of relegation into the equation, it becomes even harder. Like everybody else I really hope Woyo turns out to be a good 'un, but we've clearly taken a punt there. We didn't exactly seem to be fighting off much competition for his signature...

Do you really want us to spend money on unproven players in obscure leagues that may turn out to be crap and impossible to get off the wage bill because nobody else will take them? Has our recent record in the transfer market not taught you anything at all?!

Most likely because, as I’ve stated, the kind of players we need right now very likely won’t sign for us on permanent deals given the high risk of relegation.

You mean the one that he answered by saying: “We spoke about that, the winter window, and also towards the summer. We also said that there’s no rush to do things.”

So you’re basing your assumption that Ruud was lied to on a one-word answer he gave to a question in a press conference? Has he since confirmed that the club has changed its mind and told him no funds are available? If so I must have missed it…

I don't know exactly what the club said to RvN during the interview process because I wasn't there. How do you know? Besides, as I said, I don't think the issue is that we don't have the money to buy players. I think it's because our position in the table makes recruitment very difficult.

Funds are required to secure loan deals too. And loans make more sense in this window anyway given that we don't know what division we'll be in next season.

The funds probably are there. The problem is more likely the lack of players who are both: a) of the right standard to improve the squad; and b) willing to join us.

Is there any indication of whether it's a loan or a buy?

200 million? I'd love to know who's watching it. Maybe it's big in Asian countries where they're obsessed with specific star players rather than teams...?!

Does the Saudi league have an international audience? Is there anywhere outside of Saudi where it's big?

Cannon was on loan at Stoke so did not have a squad number. And Palace will not take Edouard back.

I mean I don't rate Rudkin either, but signing somebody already in the grip of a fatal disease would be a new low....

We should have won the CL that season.

We’re looking for overseas loan deals for high quality players who will immediately improve our starting 11 and whose current clubs are willing to let them go in the middle of the season. That’s a very small market we’re targeting and lots of other clubs are shopping in the same place.

There would be little point in bringing anybody in at this stage who doesn’t immediately improve our starting 11 - ie, is of clear PL-standard. Unfortunately, players of that calibre are not going to be falling over themselves to join a relegation dog fight which carries a genuine risk of them becoming a Championship player in the summer. Hence our best chance of obtaining such players is through the loan market, which in our case has to be the overseas market as we already have two domestic loans (one of which has proved a complete waste). So realistically, we’re looking at two loans of PL-standard players from overseas who are currently out of favour at their current clubs. Not too many of those around, and the few there are will be in very high demand. This is not an easy market to do business in when you’re in our current position.

How do you know we haven’t bid for anyone?