Wes Burns (signed, official)

[Ric Flair]

The positive brigade and the negative nay sayers both have valid points, always have always will. I'm in the latter but wasn't always, the club have driven me here and it is what it is. I still get overly delusional every pre-season when our academy players are a breath of fresh air and then they either get neglected or show they aren't ready and i'm back in my box.

 

But in defence of folk mentally scarred by how appalling we've been ran in the last 3-4 years that get triggered when they see us operating similarly just a rung down, e.g your Coady and Winks at £60k + a week in the Championship at 3 times the average salary vs Chaplin, Cullen and Burns at £15-20k a week vs the average £6-8k and it's easy to swim in toxicity once again.

 

On the other hand, if we are going to right the wrongs or see any green shoots of recovery, it's not healthy to shout down and dismiss everything in the present day because the past was so bad. Maybe we are cutting our cloth more accordingly and there is a plan and an element of trust needs to be given back to our custodians of this football club. I find that hard to write right now, I must admit. I have no faith in them but I so badly want to. The club is up for sale and hopefully everyone is pulling in the same direction to secure a more prosperous future for us.

 

 

[Staffs Fox]

7 hours ago, Sunbury Fox said:

This is BDCR Mark 2.

 

Loved at his former club as an honest if limited trier.  Tick.

 

Way past his best (which was not great anyway). Tick.

 

Given 3 year contract to convince him to join, by the end of which we'll be desperate for him to leave. Tick.

 

Offering 3 year contracts to players over 30 with a recent bad injury is frankly horrific business. It's why he's coming to us in L1 rather than joining some no mark bottom half Championship club.

 

We will never learn. 

I’m not saying you’re wrong, everything you say might happen but we need to realise the situation we’re in. 
 

The summer we signed BDR and Ayew (as well as giving Vestergaard a new 3 year contract) we were a Premier League side, those signings were abysmal beyond belief. Then we could have signed young hungry talent from the leagues below with proper scouting and they’d have jumped at the chance of joining us
 

The old saying beggars can’t be choosers couldn’t be more apt than now. We are a mess, on the back of 2 consecutive relegations with well documented financial troubles. 3 years is at best going to be a year in league one and 2 in the championship. He could be a good signing at that level. To lump this decision in with the aforementioned ones in incomparable IMO

[trooky]

1 hour ago, LCFCJohn said:

The length of the contract could be a clue if he is prioritising some security for 2/3 years over a higher wage for 1 year.

 

£22.5k over a year - £1,170,000

 

Say £10k a week over 3 years is £1,560,000

 

Hypothetical numbers but it definitely seems like one where the wages will be much lower over longer. 

 

Or he signed it when McKenna was still manager and O'Neil has told him he's not needed. 

 

Anyway like the OP said we don't know the structure of the deal.

 

The £22.5k came from Capology, we don't know if that's correct or how that was structured, and I'm guessing this is what our reported £20K rumor is based on. 

Edited 6 August by trooky

[South Shire Fox]

8 hours ago, lgfualol said:

3 years is the Rudkin special, so I believe it. Probably tripled the wage expectations too. 

Yeah but whos the source that said its 3 years? Because the ‘ITKs’ have been wrong nearly every time 

[Bluetintedspecs]

37 minutes ago, Bert said:

Great post this. You’ll already know who is gonna be moaning and having a dig. It’s embarrassing and I don’t know what they’re trying to achieve. 
 

You just can’t win with them and no matter what they’ll go the opposite way. Don’t sign anyone. What’s going on. Sign players. Shit signing. Nothing is ever good enough, it’s like they can’t wait to just slate the club.

Exactly this 👏

I'd  say it's why so many, either ,do not bother  posting atall or contribute very little nowadays! 

This  overtly negative, anti club ,  extremely vocal minority make the site a depressing place to visit .

The boring clique who are not happy unless they're moaning also hurl abuse at anyone with an alternative viewpoint 

[Scotch]

As far as having Wes Burns in our squad, I'm happy with it it. Proven at this level, works hard, steps up when needed, a solid winger defensively for our young right backs to have in front of them and from what we are hearing, a great pro to have in the dressing room. This is exactly the sort of player we need to turn around the toxic culture that has developed at this club. 

 

I just can't wrap my head around us paying actual human money for him when we could have gotten him for free a month ago. Maybe it's wrapped up in the Fatawu deal but even then, I don't see how that could be structured to benefit us more than just signing him for nothing. 

 

I'm also getting tired of adding the sentence of "if he is over his injury" to my opinion of every new transfer we make.

[Stadt]

10 minutes ago, Staffs Fox said:

The old saying beggars can’t be choosers couldn’t be more apt than now.

Sorry I’m not normally so blunt but this is bollocks.

 

We’re in this mess because we’ve been so frivolous, we absolutely should be more choosey. The fee and wages could have gotten us a prime age winger with some resale value.

 

Let’s say he costs 500k and he’s on 15k pw * 3 years = £5m. He’ll most likely leave on a free, in our financial position it’s completely naive. 

[trooky]

1 hour ago, LCFCJohn said:

The length of the contract could be a clue if he is prioritising some security for 2/3 years over a higher wage for 1 year.

 

£22.5k over a year - £1,170,000

 

Say £10k a week over 3 years is £1,560,000

 

Hypothetical numbers but it definitely seems like one where the wages will be much lower over longer. 

 

Or he signed it when McKenna was still manager and O'Neil has told him he's not needed. 

 

Anyway like the OP said we don't know the structure of the deal.

 

The £22.5k came from Capology, we don't know if that's correct or how that was structured, and I'm guessing this is what our reported £20K is based on. 

[jv1]

22 minutes ago, Ric Flair said:

The positive brigade and the negative nay sayers both have valid points, always have always will. I'm in the latter but wasn't always, the club have driven me here and it is what it is. I still get overly delusional every pre-season when our academy players are a breath of fresh air and then they either get neglected or show they aren't ready and i'm back in my box.

 

But in defence of folk mentally scarred by how appalling we've been ran in the last 3-4 years that get triggered when they see us operating similarly just a rung down, e.g your Coady and Winks at £60k + a week in the Championship at 3 times the average salary vs Chaplin, Cullen and Burns at £15-20k a week vs the average £6-8k and it's easy to swim in toxicity once again.

 

On the other hand, if we are going to right the wrongs or see any green shoots of recovery, it's not healthy to shout down and dismiss everything in the present day because the past was so bad. Maybe we are cutting our cloth more accordingly and there is a plan and an element of trust needs to be given back to our custodians of this football club. I find that hard to write right now, I must admit. I have no faith in them but I so badly want to. The club is up for sale and hopefully everyone is pulling in the same direction to secure a more prosperous future for us.

 

 

Much more balanced Ric and honestly mate we are all scarred by the last few years - I think we are in such a unique situation after the success and being the model club to where we are and the mistakes that have been made - I’m not sure the average fan knows what to make of it or how to feel so they fall in one side of that fence you say or the other - because we are all still bloody angry at the whole thing and there is no obvious way to get over it 

 

being caught in the world of wanting a new start and things to be different and us to build a successful team and club again has to start somewhere and that’s also difficult to see when so many of people we blame for the last few years are still at the club - I think they are doing a decent job of decimating that horrible egotistical lazy playing staff but we still have to live with top and rudkin still being there and most of the hatred doesn’t have anywhere else to go whilst they are still in post 

 

Everyone is entitled to an opinion but nothing good is coming from the big major negativity- Chaplin and burns are not Ayew and Reid - very very different in so many ways - we have also seen for the first real time 4 or 5 of the youth get proper pre season minutes and at this level they will be great members of the squad - I think that stands for aluko , Joseph , braybrooke , page and alves - 5 new academy lads at least plus the ones around it already in a match day squad of 18 this year is pretty damn good -

and add to that the young lads on loan and the squad is massively refreshed with youth - you’ve got to have the right experiences pros around them though and Reid , hamza , mavididi are not those guys - there still part of the problem - so the gaffer is bringing in a few and it’s only a few that have proper experience-  promotions on their cvs at higher level and from everything we can read are super pros and great characters that are desperately needed to replace the swamp dwellers 

 

we as a support base whilst still in bereavement mode to a certain extent have to find a way to get behind this team and the new manager- we have to - people can still not like certain things but I’m hoping we don’t have to be ultra negative on everything- the only way we get promoted is if we as fans also find our voice again and make the king power a tough place to come again because we are doing our bit and getting behind the new look team - it’s so important and you never know it might actually help to start to heal some of the gaping wounds we all have 

 

Edited 6 August by jv1

[trooky]

What I don't get with these signings is why we've left them to the end of pre season. No one else has left since Fatawu. 

 

Is it the usual incompetence from the club, or has RM decided our academy players aren't ready yet? 

[CosbehFox]

Mind me being negative. 

After all, the club found itself in this position because a number of seriously reckless and stupid transfer deals. The room for margin is smaller than ever and hence every transfer is viewed with a great deal of scepticism from myself. There’s a vibe with this summer business which is getting a bit 23/24. Players capable of a job for a year, possibly a second and their personalities might be better, if they are being paid well, they will hard to move on. Everyone is ignoring that Chaplin was frankly shit for Pompey last season for example
 

I want there to be a club in the future and I’m concerned that the increased revenue brought from League One to Championship won’t be enough. Even for a new owner that’s awful lot of debt to immediately saddle themselves with. 

Lincoln who won the league last season did not experienced pros. 

Edited 6 August by CosbehFox

[stevostadium]

13 hours ago, Wasyls Pec Deck said:

Someone has just said it’s a 3 year deal, for someone who’ll be 32 in November. BCDR Mark II 😂 

now that is an issue if true.

Will we ever learn

[SB87_LCFC]

Medical tests were done last night on this one, uncertain on contract length but is expected to sign today

[LestaLad]

I know a few of you have said how other clubs raved about BDCR and Coady etc when we signed them, but they all were saying how they’ll be good squad players, none of them said how they’ll be our best player like Ipswich fans have said under this tweet. Literally judging from their replies, they think we’ve signed the best player in the league. 

[Staffs Fox]

7 minutes ago, Stadt said:

Sorry I’m not normally so blunt but this is bollocks.

 

We’re in this mess because we’ve been so frivolous, we absolutely should be more choosey. The fee and wages could have gotten us a prime age winger with some resale value.

 

Let’s say he costs 500k and he’s on 15k pw * 3 years = £5m. He’ll most likely leave on a free, in our financial position it’s completely naive. 

You might be right but until we see the guy play for us and the next three years play out we really don’t know. So I’m willing to give the guy a chance given the situation we’re in. If he helps us to promotion and championship consolidation I’ll consider that a success given our situation. 
The point I was making is that the players who are will to play for us is greatly reduced since the BDR and Ayew signings, so it’s not exactly like for like 

[Stadt]

Just now, Staffs Fox said:

You might be right but until we see the guy play for us and the next three years play out we really don’t know. So I’m willing to give the guy a chance given the situation we’re in. If he helps us to promotion and championship consolidation I’ll consider that a success given our situation. 
The point I was making is that the players who are will to play for us is greatly reduced since the BDR and Ayew signings, so it’s not exactly like for like 

There are still literally thousands of players that would jump at the chance to play for us.  £7.5k pw is a significant pay rise for lots of L1 players, £5k would be a payrise for almost all L2 players.

 

Our best ever player came from the National League. Arguably our second from Ligue 2, their equivalents in ‘26 might be 2k and 5k. 
 

Just getting promoted is very short sighted, we’re still in financial trouble - we get about £9m more in TV revenue but that covers probably half of Chaplin, Burns & McCarthy’s wages (with wage rises on promotion).

 

We haven’t start assessing transfer business on their impact on each year of their deal not just are they a good player right now. One of Chaplin, Cullen or Burns would be fine, all three is lunacy.

[LCFCJohn]

17 minutes ago, teblin said:

You'd hope this was the logic rather than just giving him 20k a week over 3 years.

 

Though you never know with this lot.

 

16 minutes ago, jv1 said:

That’s exactly how it will work - not rocket science is it - he gets a guaranteed wage for longer and gets a great move to a great club 

It’s good from the perspective it is less wages going out on this seasons books.

 

I understand the concerns about a 3 year contract at the age he is and the injuries. But to flip it, it also makes him easier to move on if his wages are lower and if there has been little or no fee spent. For example, after 2 years, he might be willing to take a pay reduction to move to another club who give him a 2 year deal where it’ll be a similar scenario where he gets a further year security. 

[VLC86]

13 minutes ago, Scotch said:

As far as having Wes Burns in our squad, I'm happy with it it. Proven at this level, works hard, steps up when needed, a solid winger defensively for our young right backs to have in front of them and from what we are hearing, a great pro to have in the dressing room. This is exactly the sort of player we need to turn around the toxic culture that has developed at this club. 

 

I just can't wrap my head around us paying actual human money for him when we could have gotten him for free a month ago. Maybe it's wrapped up in the Fatawu deal but even then, I don't see how that could be structured to benefit us more than just signing him for nothing. 

 

I'm also getting tired of adding the sentence of "if he is over his injury" to my opinion of every new transfer we make.

When you are a league 1 club in the state we are in, there is always likely to be one factor you are going to have to take a risk on.

 

Its either recovering from an injury, played well in the past but recently hasn’t been great or a youngster who is unproven.

 

Now, our squad is absolutely littered with the latter so it’s a real risk adding more young lads.

 

Chaplain falls into the second pot, and I wouldn’t be shocked if he wasn’t the only one like this we end up with, and obviously Burn falls into the first.

 

Probably like most, I’d rather we wernt risking signing someone who is recovering from an ACL and the contract is clearly going to be stupid for this level so hopefully we do see some more unproven lads with high potential come in from abroad or the lower leagues.

 

Ive said it elsewhere though, we are still in gamble mode. Top will want us to be pissing the league so someone pays him more money for the club.

[LCFCJohn]

17 minutes ago, trooky said:

Or he signed it when McKenna was still manager and O'Neil has told him he's not needed. 

 

Anyway like the OP said we don't know the structure of the deal.

 

The £22.5k came from Capology, we don't know if that's correct or how that was structured, and I'm guessing this is what our reported £20K is based on. 

Could be yeah, but whatever the reason, he seems to be taking the view to maybe extend his career by taking a lower wage but contact security.

[Rubbersoul]

Is he strictly a RW or can he play anywhere else 

[trooky]

16 minutes ago, LCFCJohn said:

Could be yeah, but whatever the reason, he seems to be taking the view to maybe extend his career by taking a lower wage but contact security.

Burns is a strange signing, why didn't he sign for us when Fatawu left the club for Ipswich?

 

Either he isn't our first choice or Burns wasn't convinced by us and we've been negotiating to reduce the 3 years and contract terms.

 

Or was he offered as part of the Fatawu deal, but we wanted cash only and we've been lazy in our recruitment and gone back 2-3 weeks after? 

Edited 6 August by trooky

[Reg Vardy]

We are in League One.

We still could be next year

We might not

The players we can sign, will be aware of this.

If they don’t need to take the risk of joining a League One club

Wes Burns has possibly traded a one year contact at a higher level for a three year contract at a lower level.

At 31, a lower salary over a longer period is better for him and his family

Ipswich have a new Manager, who clearly was happy to let him go

We have a new Manager who clearly sees him as beneficial for this season and likely next

Every footballer (pretty much) has had injuries, occupational hazard 

 

 

[honeybradger]

5 hours ago, Bluearmyfox28 said:

The constant forced negativity from the same members on this forum is hilarious. It’s the same members that state we are doomed financially if we don’t go up but also that we should play a whole season with academy players with zero men’s football experience. Make your minds up! 
 

This isn’t football manager where you can trust a squad of 20 year olds to go unbeaten. You need the blend of experience for the young lads to turn to and guide through a gruelling season, it’s not rocket science. 
 

Throughout RM has said he wants different profiles, Burns gives you exactly that being the more direct winger whilst Alves gives you the inverted option, that’s what you want! 
 

This narrative of “he blocks someone’s pathway” is utter bs. If someone was good enough they had a whole pre-season to show it. What more of a chance do you want? I’ve seen people say he blocks Alves, again absolute bs. Sports is based on a squad not the starting 11. Both Alves and Burns will see plenty of game time using rotation to keep both fresh and firing whilst using competition to bring the best out of each other. If they don’t like it then leave because that’s the mindset we can’t put up with no more. It’s literally that simple.
 

Personally I think it’s a great signing. For once in years I look at the squad and see a balanced squad offering different profiles and styles for each position. With the additions of Bristic and Burns all the squad is missing is a proven goalscorer and the squad is complete.
 

Genuinely very happy with the business we’ve done so far each position has some serious competition whilst offering different profiles to rotate dependent on what the opposition puts in front of us. 

Signing a 31 year old winger who has barely played in the last 2 seasons due to an ACL is not forced negativity, it is a valid concern. Saying it is forced makes it looks like you're unwilling to keep the debate open.

 

Realistically if any of the two camps is forced between the negative one and the positive one surely it would be the latter given the state of the club and the ineptness on and off the pitch we have witnessed over the years.

 

Personally I think we have a better chance of going up next season playing Carr than Burns. Carr is one that has impressed in pre season, unlike Chaplin for example who despite being off the pace still has his place in the squad secured. Not really much more he could have done to get an opportunity.

 

I guess we'll see how the season unfolds, if we storm the league then fair enough but if we struggle again then what was the point of bringing in these older players if they can't do the business.

[CosbehFox]

15 minutes ago, Stadt said:

There are still literally thousands of players that would jump at the chance to play for us.  £7.5k pw is a significant pay rise for lots of L1 players, £5k would be a payrise for almost all L2 players.

 

Our best ever player came from the National League. Arguably our second from Ligue 2, their equivalents in ‘26 might be 2k and 5k. 
 

Just getting promoted is very short sighted, we’re still in financial trouble - we get about £9m more in TV revenue but that covers probably half of Chaplin, Burns & McCarthy’s wages (with wage rises on promotion).

 

We haven’t start assessing transfer business on their impact on each year of their deal not just are they a good player right now. One of Chaplin, Cullen or Burns would be fine, all three is lunacy.

For the record look at Pearson’s first three signings at the club for literally £200k, Morrison, Dyer and Adams. All three from lower league clubs, hungry, not huge wages, decent age. 
 

Tunchev a punt from abroad

 

Dickov, Powell, Edworthy - freebies, one year deals exclusively 

Supplemented by loans from top clubs, which represent little risk to ourselves. One of which secured a permanent signing at the end of it 

 

Edited 6 August by CosbehFox

[AKCJ]

26 minutes ago, LestaLad said:

I know a few of you have said how other clubs raved about BDCR and Coady etc when we signed them, but they all were saying how they’ll be good squad players, none of them said how they’ll be our best player like Ipswich fans have said under this tweet. Literally judging from their replies, they think we’ve signed the best player in the league. 

We'd have given the same reviews for Marc Albrighton when he went on loan to WBA. Burns is a huge fan favourite in Ipswich, doesn't necessarily mean he's still at a high level.