January Transfer Window 2026

[hetion]

It's because people at clubs have actual experts who know how to interpret data and use it as one source together with the views of professionals who actually know something about football.

And then amateurs on the internet use them as a blunt instrument to pretend they have a clue what they are talking about.

Well obviously. Exactly the same is true about the ol' eye test. We can pack up and go home if the bar for being able to have an opinion on footballers on an internet forum is being a professional data analyst or a professional scout.

 

[allen]

It's because people at clubs have actual experts who know how to interpret data and use it as one source together with the views of professionals who actually know something about football.

And then amateurs on the internet use them as a blunt instrument to pretend they have a clue what they are talking about.

It’s absolutely become a shortcut for people who don’t really understand the game to get some insight beyond the final score.

Same as possession stats. It feels like every televised game for the last couple of decades I need to be visually shown that Everton haven’t had the ball as much as the opposition and somehow that makes us undeserving.

 

[sanctioned]

Well obviously. Exactly the same is true about the ol' eye test. We can pack up and go home if the bar for being able to have an opinion on footballers on an internet forum is being a professional data analyst or a professional scout.

How about both are valuable?

 

[hetion]

How about both are valuable?

Exactly!

 

[NikNak8]

Well I wasn't his biggest fan though I loved his spirit. If he's not good enough for Spurs then he's not good enough for us if we want to progress. Looks like we'll have to agree to disagree on this one

Are you saying he doesnt improve our team? or even our squad? He walks into our team at the moment and makes us better, thats what counts for me. Personally I couldnt care less what spurs fans think.

 

[NikNak8]

For what it's worth I'm probably just not making my point clearly. I think Ekitike is absolutely incredible and miles ahead of Barry.

I was responding specifically to the comparison between them in terms of the chances they're getting, and the assertion that a better striker would get much much better chances than Barry. Ekitike is a much better striker but isn't getting much better chances.

If his finishing straightens out - and it almost certainly will, basically no one ever underperforms their xG this much for long - then the difference between Barry and what we consider 'a good prem striker' will become fairly small, and to me it makes more sense to stick with him while that happens given a) the insane financial cost of upgrading at striker and b) the massive holes elsewhere in the squad.

I hope you are right but time waits for no man. People refer to him like he's a kid of 18 or 19 but he is 23 so should be entering his peak. Fingers crossed he gets it together and you get your moment in the sun and can rfer back to the stats.

 

[hetion]

I hope you are right but time waits for no man. People refer to him like he's a kid of 18 or 19 but he is 23 so should be entering his peak. Fingers crossed he gets it together and you get your moment in the sun and can rfer back to the stats.

Haha yeah that'd be nice.

I do think it's always worth remembering with him that he never went to an academy and basically learnt 'on the job' from age ~19 onwards. He's entering his physical peak but he's years behind in coaching and training. Which I think is part of the gamble we took when signing him - he has a lot more room to grow his game.

For what it's worth there's a good pedigree of late blooming strikers who had to learn on the job instead of getting academy training - Drogba, Vardy, Wright, Klose..not that he'll be anywhere near that level but there's good precedent for strikers going that route and coming good later than usual.

 

[Swartzy]

It’s absolutely become a shortcut for people who don’t really understand the game to get some insight beyond the final score.

Same as possession stats. It feels like every televised game for the last couple of decades I need to be visually shown that Everton haven’t had the ball as much as the opposition and somehow that makes us undeserving.

And what does it prove, you can still go and win the game comfortably with 40% possession.

Playing/Watching football is a wonderfully enjoyable game.

Doing homework on football is a chore.

Watching Preston on saturday, all the stats put them midtable, they are 3rd in the league.
You think their manager cares about stats.

Stats try to show you the future,
Which we know is not possible, that's why they will permanently change.

Pick someone like Grealish for example, look at his stats from Villa/City/Everton

( Different clubs, Different managers, Different styles, and see how they have played out as they were projected at Villa.

I can't answer that, but it could be a good bit of homework for a stat man.


2 different views on football that will never make sense to either party.

You can both end up coming to the same conclusion, with one of you watching the game, and the other watching figures.

Do you enjoy the game - Vs - Do you enjoy the homework..

 

[Eggs]

Haha yeah that'd be nice.

I do think it's always worth remembering with him that he never went to an academy and basically learnt 'on the job' from age ~19 onwards. He's entering his physical peak but he's years behind in coaching and training. Which I think is part of the gamble we took when signing him - he has a lot more room to grow his game.

For what it's worth there's a good pedigree of late blooming strikers who had to learn on the job instead of getting academy training - Drogba, Vardy, Wright, Klose..not that he'll be anywhere near that level but there's good precedent for strikers going that route and coming good later than usual.

…..Vardy was always prolific, I don’t think it’s about them ‘developing late’, it might be more that they were given opportunity to play at higher level later in their career.

 

[MACCA75]

I hope you are right but time waits for no man. People refer to him like he's a kid of 18 or 19 but he is 23 so should be entering his peak. Fingers crossed he gets it together and you get your moment in the sun and can rfer back to the stats.

Tbh its pretty easy to predict that Barry will improve to some degree as
1. He is getting used to the league by now and
2. He can’t exactly get much worse.

I don’t need any stats to have drawn that conclusion.

What I will say is there is a reason that the vast majority of successful football managers have played the game to a decent level. They understand the game far more than a stat nerd ever will. It’s why Pep Guardiola manages City and not Trevor from the tech team.

 

[Pabbers]

I used to love the scouting accounts and experts on X, having all access and know all to these more obscure players.

But I have seen in the last couple of years they get so much wrong....mainly about where players play....favored side, roll or even skillset.

Almost all of them said Ndiaye can't play on the right.....and 1 even argued that him destroying England on that right hand side meant nothing as it was not Prem football.

Too many caveats for them to get out of...just admit you are wrong, or don't know - it happens, and nobody knows the exact future of players, else it would be easy.

My personal experience is like most on here....watched all our life and player a bit, so can understand the slight nuances of the game in SOME aspects. I have a cousin who watches everything like me and has never kicked a ball.....we have very often disagreed on many players and in-game play...I put that down to him not getting those on field past experiences.

I think many of these experts online scouts are just that......data & other scout report reading football geeks.

I LOVE Champ man....and love picking up unknown wonderkids on that game...and yes very often they do actual replicate real life "Wonderkids",
So I can pick you loads of names that fit stats and data to be pefect for what we need...but thats just number son a screen / sheet.

You NEED experience, tried and tested players in any team...and they just work better than taking too many risks, not many of our risks work.

 

[hetion]

…..Vardy was always prolific, I don’t think it’s about them ‘developing late’, it might be more that they were given opportunity to play at higher level later in their career.

I don't mean this in an argumentative way but trying to argue Vardy wasn't a late developer when he was playing in the fifth tier of English football until he was *twenty five* feels like a stretch.

If he had finished developing then and was already the level of a record-breaking Prem striker I imagine he'd have been picked up sooner and for more than the £1m that Leicester paid.

For reference when they were both 21, Vardy was playing non-league football (!!) and Barry was scoring double digits in La Liga to fire his team to the Champions League.

Barry will not obviously not be close to as good as Vardy but all I'm trying to say is development is non-linear, ESPECIALLY when a player has not been through academies.

 

[hetion]

Tbh its pretty easy to predict that Barry will improve to some degree as
1. He is getting used to the league by now and
2. He can’t exactly get much worse.

I don’t need any stats to have drawn that conclusion.

What I will say is there is a reason that the vast majority of successful football managers have played the game to a decent level. They understand the game far more than a stat nerd ever will. It’s why Pep Guardiola manages City and not Trevor from the tech team.

Re: your first point I totally agree, I just like to see if stats agree or disagree with our instincts like that from watching the game (it might back up a theory or tell us we're missing something).

On your second point, that's absolutely true, but on the reverse there's a reason why the vast majority top clubs recruitment departments are run by stats nerds instead of ex-pros. Different skillsets that make up different parts of running a football club.

 

[Pabbers]

Re: your first point I totally agree, I just like to see if stats agree or disagree with our instincts like that from watching the game (it might back up a theory or tell us we're missing something).

On your second point, that's absolutely true, but on the reverse there's a reason why the vast majority top clubs recruitment departments are run by stats nerds instead of ex-pros. Different skillsets that make up different parts of running a football club.

They don't run the recruitment process, they offer all the analysis / stats for the final decisions makers to go out and then make decisions - And those are pretty much all ex-footballers.

 

[MACCA75]

Re: your first point I totally agree, I just like to see if stats agree or disagree with our instincts like that from watching the game (it might back up a theory or tell us we're missing something).

On your second point, that's absolutely true, but on the reverse there's a reason why the vast majority top clubs recruitment departments are run by stats nerds instead of ex-pros. Different skillsets that make up different parts of running a football club.

All true mate, wasn’t really having a go at you btw, was just sticking up for the old school amongst us!