Summer Transfer Window 2025 Thread

[Saint Domingo]

Didn't they pay 60m for him... That ain't happening

Yeah it isn’t, I’m not saying it would, just saying he’s the type of midfielder that would fit in well here.

My worry is that if 2/3 of our starting midfield next season reads Alcaraz and Gueye then we are severely short in pace and power in there in comparison to the top teams. I know people like the players individually, I do as well, and they’re definitely useful players in the squad, but if we want to have a team that can play on the front foot and get in the face of top 6 sides then we need players that can both play and motor in there.

Look at the power and mobility in midfields like

Tonali Guimaraes Joelinton

Rice Partey Odegaard

Gravenberch McCallister Szoboslai

Rodri Kovacic Gundogan


We’ll be chasing shadows against the best unless we get some quality and mobility in the middle of the park.

 

[sanctioned]

Yeah it isn’t, I’m not saying it would, just saying he’s the type of midfielder that would fit in well here.

My worry is that if 2/3 of our starting midfield next season reads Alcaraz and Gueye then we are severely short in pace and power in there in comparison to the top teams. I know people like the players individually, I do as well, and they’re definitely useful players in the squad, but if we want to have a team that can play on the front foot and get in the face of top 6 sides then we need players that can both play and motor in there.

Look at the power and mobility in midfields like

Tonali Guimaraes Joelinton

Rice Partey Odegaard

Gravenberch McCallister Szoboslai

Rodri Kovacic Gundogan


We’ll be chasing shadows against the best unless we get some quality and mobility in the middle of the park.

Doesn't seem like you have watched kovacic and gundogan these days, definitely not mobile!

 

[Yarrgh]

The type of players who are going to cost that much are going to want wages of 100k upwards, probably nearer to 200k given that they'll also be players that will likely be getting offers from better clubs.

We need to be sensible. This window should be a case of walking before we run.

We're the 25th richest club in world football according to Deloitte's 2025 figures. Given a few league position rises, a new stadium and so on, it's likely we're back in the top 20.

I agree we should be sensible, but our financial situation and position should be more than sufficient to get any player we want in unless one of the CL(osed shop) teams want them.

 

[Saint Domingo]

Doesn't seem like you have watched kovacic and gundogan these days, definitely not mobile!

Probably bad examples as they’ve both slowed down recently (and City have suffered for it) but Pep has bought Gonzalez in and is linked with Reinjders, he’ll have mobility in that engine room once again.

The only time we’ve really had it recently was when Garner Onana and Doucoure played together and sadly Doucoure is just a terrible technician but it wa done of the few times that Everton’s midfield could get about an opposition and actually bully them and make them panic in possession.

The rest of the time we’re sitting deep hoping to nick it, or needing a great bit of football to outplay the opposition because we’re not running past anyone in midfield.

 

[Paul Rideout]

Yeah it isn’t, I’m not saying it would, just saying he’s the type of midfielder that would fit in well here.

My worry is that if 2/3 of our starting midfield next season reads Alcaraz and Gueye then we are severely short in pace and power in there in comparison to the top teams. I know people like the players individually, I do as well, and they’re definitely useful players in the squad, but if we want to have a team that can play on the front foot and get in the face of top 6 sides then we need players that can both play and motor in there.

Look at the power and mobility in midfields like

Tonali Guimaraes Joelinton

Rice Partey Odegaard

Gravenberch McCallister Szoboslai

Rodri Kovacic Gundogan


We’ll be chasing shadows against the best unless we get some quality and mobility in the middle of the park.

I saw an amusing stat that Odegaard has 2 more goals and as many assists as Ederson this season...

Ederson the Man City keeper....

 

[mahermi1]

My favourite was the Shearer one.

An absolute Kenwright classic

 

[ToffeeScot]

This is Brighton and Fulham talk, and not Newcastle and Villa talk. It’s possible to spend good money without spunking it up the wall. It’s also possible to waste supposedly smaller spending on absolute dross like Maupay.

Personally, I’m sick and tired of having Villa and Newcastle spoken about as if they’re a cut above us when they were both recently relegated, and both of them had far crapper squads than what we have right now before they invested in some quality players. Take the points deduction away and we have had two mid-table finishes in a row. Newcastle and Villa were starting from far worse starting points than we are right now.

We're the 25th richest club in world football according to Deloitte's 2025 figures. Given a few league position rises, a new stadium and so on, it's likely we're back in the top 20.

I agree we should be sensible, but our financial situation and position should be more than sufficient to get any player we want in unless one of the CL(osed shop) teams want them.

The football landscape has changed. Things can change very quickly which is both a benefit to us and a hindrance.

I think next summer is when we start to make big moves if they're on the table. I think this summer is all about making a push for top 10 and perhaps a challenge of those bottom European spots through signings that are of quality but also if potential upside to do better in future. If we only needed to add one or two players we might instantly see 50/60m signings but I don't think the squad we have let's us do that. We probably need around 5-10 signings, whether that's a combination of transfers and loans or what.

I think it's a two way street in terms of being cautious too. I don't think the players that are around the 50/60m mark will be interested in us this season unless you slap down huge wages which I also don't think we will do unless they're truly special.

Maybe I'm wrong, I just can't see it happening this summer. I think I'm also traumatised by the last time we had money and went crazy with it.

 

[Saint Domingo]

Arteta was a quality central midfielder and Gibson was actually a very good player too. But they were generally paired with Phil Neville who I always hated playing there. Totally out of his depth.

Arteta Pienaar Osman all very good players technically. Gibson Neville not bad either. Cahill was also extremely effective.

Look who they played against though.

Lampard Essien Ballack
Mascherano Gerrard Alonso
Carrick Scholes Park
Vieira Petit Gilberto

Whilst we could match up technically we couldn’t match up physically. That doesn’t mean Cahill Fellaini Carsley etc couldn’t rough it with the best of them. Of course they could. It means that when push comes to shove in key games the opposition are first to the ball, they cover that extra ground quicker, get to rebounds first, block shots, get shots away. We are a yard behind top opposition.

The same is happening now. Trying to watch McNeil Garner Gueye Harrison etc. chase top teams around the pitch trying to get the ball back is painful. Times when we’re on the break and our attackers get caught are times other teams are getting opposition defenders sent off or going through on goal.

We need a midfielder that genuinely can knock opposition players off their game, that you can see them impact the game through force of their aggression. We just haven’t had it probably since McCarthy in 2013 who was everywhere for us and showed even in the first half of the Goodison derby under Koeman that he could get on top of Henderson Fabinho and Wijnaldum. Klopp called it wild football but in reality he was knocked over by it because we’d ran over them that first half and should have been ahead. McCarthy’s hamstring goes at halftime, Barry came on and we dropped a yard and they just took control.

Win your tackles, win your races, win your duels, one of the fist things young players get told as a basic. It’s very difficult to do that when you’re half a yard behind your opponent all the time, all over the pitch.

Beto and Branthwaite are the only players we have who are quick enough, even Branthwaite isn’t searing. Onana could shift and so could Doucoure but both are gone now.

We are one of the slowest teams in the league from 1-11.

 

[MikeH72]

Yeah it isn’t, I’m not saying it would, just saying he’s the type of midfielder that would fit in well here.

My worry is that if 2/3 of our starting midfield next season reads Alcaraz and Gueye then we are severely short in pace and power in there in comparison to the top teams. I know people like the players individually, I do as well, and they’re definitely useful players in the squad, but if we want to have a team that can play on the front foot and get in the face of top 6 sides then we need players that can both play and motor in there.

Look at the power and mobility in midfields like

Tonali Guimaraes Joelinton

Rice Partey Odegaard

Gravenberch McCallister Szoboslai

Rodri Kovacic Gundogan


We’ll be chasing shadows against the best unless we get some quality and mobility in the middle of the park.

?????

 

[Drago]

Yeah it isn’t, I’m not saying it would, just saying he’s the type of midfielder that would fit in well here.

My worry is that if 2/3 of our starting midfield next season reads Alcaraz and Gueye then we are severely short in pace and power in there in comparison to the top teams. I know people like the players individually, I do as well, and they’re definitely useful players in the squad, but if we want to have a team that can play on the front foot and get in the face of top 6 sides then we need players that can both play and motor in there.

Look at the power and mobility in midfields like

Tonali Guimaraes Joelinton

Rice Partey Odegaard

Gravenberch McCallister Szoboslai

Rodri Kovacic Gundogan


We’ll be chasing shadows against the best unless we get some quality and mobility in the middle of the park.

We've been in financial bother and fighting relegation off over the last 5 years.

Yes, we will be chasing shadows against the elite teams in this league. We aren't going to bridge that gap in one transfer window.

 

[NeilMorepies]

Yes, we will be chasing shadows against the elite teams in this league.

I know we are slow, but I’m sure we could catch Hank Marvin. He’s 83.

 

[atrottel]

Ornstein is reporting that representatives from other competing clubs (including us) have been told that Delap has decided on Chelsea as his destination.

 

[Toffe3m4n]

Ornstein is reporting that representatives from other competing clubs (including us) have been told that Delap has decided on Chelsea as his destination.

Still think that's a bonkers move for him. Happy to be proven wrong.

 

[Drico]

Still think that's a bonkers move for him. Happy to be proven wrong.

I'll be happy when you're proven right.

One of the great consolations in cases like this is watching a player drown in a sea of his own hubris. Had he gone to Newcastle, I would have said "smart fella." Had he come here, I would have said "brave." Had he gone to United, I would have said "has an ego." Going to Chelsea screams "greedy and hubristic."

Now, if he proves me wrong, he's going to be a superstar. But I don't see it. I see a fella with a good attitude and great heart. But has he the quality to make a success of himself at Chelsea given all their dysfunction and entitlement? Better players than him have failed there...

 

[Mr Happy]

Still think that's a bonkers move for him. Happy to be proven wrong.

Well it's up to him. They need another striker to be fair. They go deep in comps so he'll get minutes.