The January Transfer Window …..Dos the major surgery start?

[Phil Mitchell]

We need to look at talent in the lower leagues, we’re still an attractive prospect to an a bang in form league one/league two player and develop them further. Do what we used to do instead of buying the shit from teams around or above us. Phil

[Tommy G]

If anyone thinks we've got the structure or the minerals in the recruitment department to have a successful January transfer window then they're deluded. It's an inherently difficult window, only clubs with a functioning DOF can potentially navigate properly. None of our early learning center lot will have a clue. We should just ban ourselves from it to avoid any further damage. 

[davieG]

7 hours ago, Sly said:

We have seven first team players expiring at the end of June.

That's a bit extreme, will they explode or just shrivel up 

 

Maybe a new thread for them Gone and Best Forgotten.

[Pita]

5 minutes ago, Tommy G said:

If anyone thinks we've got the structure or the minerals in the recruitment department to have a successful January transfer window then they're deluded. It's an inherently difficult window, only clubs with a functioning DOF can potentially navigate properly. None of our early learning center lot will have a clue. We should just ban ourselves from it to avoid any further damage. 

Out recruitment team have been shocking for years they have brought loads of poor players who are over paid. The best thing is a total change DOR and his team 

[Stadt]

12 minutes ago, Phil Mitchell said:

We need to look at talent in the lower leagues, we’re still an attractive prospect to an a bang in form league one/league two player and develop them further. Do what we used to do instead of buying the shit from teams around or above us. Phil

Justin was the last player we signed from L1, before that it was Bakayogo ffs

[Tommy G]

Maybe we can offload the RB we bought from Parma - can't even remember his name. 

[alanf0x]

Absolutely no point in starting the rebuild until at very minimum the board are replaced and recruitment department revamped. 
 

Pointless throwing money at it until the hierarchy is sorted. 
 

If Top not prepared to move his mate and co on, time to sell up. 

[murphy]

8 hours ago, Sly said:

I know we have a sub forum for transfer, however this is a more in general discussion.

 

Our squad is a mess.

 

Too many high earners.

Too many that would rather be elsewhere.

Too many in cruise control.

Too many not good enough.

Too many bits and pieces players.

Too many lightweight players.

Too many that won’t fight for the cause. 

Too many that at the of their contract.

 

We have seven first team players expiring at the end of June.

Begovik, Ayew, Ricardo, Winks, Daka, Soumare and Marcal. You’d find it hard to justify keeping any of them in our current situation. Even more so that them leaving potentially removes something like £13m a year from the wage bill. 

 

We can all read between the lines the lines and the PR machine that is constantly pushed, the academy is the future. Our crop of players that we will rely on, just isn’t ready “yet”. 
 

The reality is, at this point the manager, whoever that may be, will be in a real stick or twist moment some January.

 

If we receive any form of offer, which we will, surely we’ve got to start letting some of these players go, even if we are within touching distance of a return to the Premier League? 
 

Plus, let’s not make the same mistake we did with Lookman. Please can we sign James.

That's the "too many".   What about the not enough? 

 

Not enough creativity

Not enough pace

And no strikers whatsoever! 

[Richmondfox]

41 minutes ago, Tommy G said:

If anyone thinks we've got the structure or the minerals in the recruitment department to have a successful January transfer window then they're deluded. It's an inherently difficult window, only clubs with a functioning DOF can potentially navigate properly. None of our early learning center lot will have a clue. We should just ban ourselves from it to avoid any further damage. 

I don’t understand how the same person/team can sign off on Bilal, Ayew and Skipp, 

[murphy]

2 minutes ago, Richmondfox said:

I don’t understand how the same person/team can sign off on Bilal, Ayew and Skipp, 

They didn't.  Skipp and Ayew were Cooper's.

 

Thanks Steve!

[Chrysalis]

Nothing will happen for most of the window as usual, then some panic signings last day, maybe we loan out one or two players.

[Pita]

It’s going to be interesting to see what players we get rid of sell the better players keep the rubbish. More poor loan players. Just a standard window for us 

[Finnegan]

It's extremely rare we do January business at the best of times and we still haven't had the outcome of a potential points deduction over financial irregularities.

 

We're not doing anything in January. 

[nnfox]

We need a striker.  There is no point in discussing anything else until we have a striker that can actually score goals.  Regardless of outgoings. Striker, striker, striker.

[gurru991]

4 hours ago, alanf0x said:

Absolutely no point in starting the rebuild until at very minimum the board are replaced and recruitment department revamped. 
 

Pointless throwing money at it until the hierarchy is sorted. 
 

If Top not prepared to move his mate and co on, time to sell up. 

Absolutely Agree !!

Starting a rebuild with Rudkin in charge is a complete waste of time.

Move whoever we can for whatever we can get & replace with youth until the Summer.

In all honesty I don't see Rudkin getting fired or Top selling.

[Arkie Bennett]

7 hours ago, izzymuzzet said:

Faes will try to force a move in January I think, even if only on loan. He's out of the team again and will want to get back in the Belgium squad before the World Cup. Souttar should be back by then so that's a straightforward like for like replacement. 

Bit harsh on Souttar.

[alanf0x]

34 minutes ago, gurru991 said:

Absolutely Agree !!

Starting a rebuild with Rudkin in charge is a complete waste of time.

Move whoever we can for whatever we can get & replace with youth until the Summer.

In all honesty I don't see Rudkin getting fired or Top selling.

And that's the problem. Top won't sack Rudkin, so it moves the protests from Rudkin to Top 

[CornwallFox]

None of the players etc expiring contracts will leave in January without being offered silly money at they can sign pre contract agreements for free transfers. That said, how many of them will actually be wanted by anybody else is another question. 

Just praying we don't start giving them contracts thinking we're locking in some imaginary value. 

[CornwallFox]

43 minutes ago, gurru991 said:

Absolutely Agree !!

Starting a rebuild with Rudkin in charge is a complete waste of time.

Move whoever we can for whatever we can get & replace with youth until the Summer.

In all honesty I don't see Rudkin getting fired or Top selling.

I think a decent head of recruitment or whatever they're called is more important than Rudkin. 

When we had Macia we were picking winners most of the time. 

Since then it's been a downhill spiral and all of the recruitment heads we've had have done appalling jobs at identifying players within budget and with potential. 

For every Jordan James there's a Woyo Coulibaly, Skipp, Ayew and BDCR. We must have about a 10% success rate over the last few years. 

Rudkin may well ultimately be to blame as overall DOF but we've brought in some well thought of recruitment leads who have utterly failed. 

Edited 11 November 2025 by CornwallFox

[gurru991]

12 minutes ago, alanf0x said:

And that's the problem. Top won't sack Rudkin, so it moves the protests from Rudkin to Top 

That’s just how it is. Top can run the club into the ground or punt Rudkin.   Top obviously is not the brightest star in the night sky but even he will catch on eventually. 
How long the process will take is anyone’s guess !!

[MPH]

THIS MAY NOT BE RELEVANT AT ALL..

 

 

Charlotte FC today announced the appointment of Brian McDermott as special adviser (former reading and Leeds manager). He’s going to be overseeing recruitment. That WAS a job that, to my knowledge, Steve Walsh was doing. It would suggest he is leaving.  I’d love it if he could get involved with recruitment!

Edited 11 November 2025 by MPH

[Mark 'expert' Lawrenson]

I’d love to see Soumare go in January, that would be a great start to the new year.

 

[Mark 'expert' Lawrenson]

5 hours ago, Tommy G said:

Maybe we can offload the RB we bought from Parma - can't even remember his name. 

That signing sums up our recruitment in a nutshell, just why? Who thought it was a good idea? He wasn’t needed and was just a bizarre decision. He’s out on loan and will probably end up back with us drawing a wage and never playing. 

[st albans fox]

Just don’t see incomings in Jan unless loans. 
 

would like to think that we could move a couple on if only to save six months of their wages 

[Cincinnati Fox]

Not going to happen! Dream on

KP out