The January 2026 Transfer Window

[davulsukur]

Josh Sargent trying to force a move from Norwich, refused to play today.

That would be good news for us as it would weaken Norwich considerably.

Assume they would actually reinvest some money though. 

[RevidgeBlue]

1 minute ago, roversfan99 said:

No. Every single manager has encountered these problems. Mowbray took a bit longer to experience them but he did, every manager has and will.

In the season you mention. In the summer we sold Armstrong and reinvested nothing. Mowbray spent all summer moaning about it. In January, he was willing to sacrifice Rothwell to sign players. He wasnt allowed and again publically complained about it.

Waggott told someone I know during "the Rothwell window" that the owners had made a healthy transfer budget available in addition to the promotion bonuses which WERE actually publicised in the LT.

So either Waggott or Mowbray were lying because if Waggott was correct there was no pressing need to offload Rothwell to raise funds.

If Mowbray was discouraging them from spending at that point it would be at least be consistent with his behaviour of a couple of years previously when he freely admitted he had to get the owners to "calm down" following promotion from League 1.

He wouldnt have the same problem these days.

[roversfan99]

19 minutes ago, Theaxe15 said:

Agree to a point. They were fairly happy to spend for Mowbray for a while then held back a bit, I’m sure partly due to how awful BBD was before he got the D…
By no means a Venkys apologist, hate the tossers, but I do think Mowbray had a very different experience to more recent managers

It took longer than most other managers have to wait under Venkys, but eventually whoever you are, you will have the rug pulled from under you.

7 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Waggott told someone I know during "the Rothwell window" that the owners had made a healthy transfer budget available in addition to the promotion bonuses which WERE actually publicised in the LT.

So either Waggott or Mowbray were lying because if Waggott was correct there was no pressing need to offload Rothwell to raise funds.

If Mowbray was discouraging them from spending at that point it would be at least be consistent with his behaviour of a couple of years previously when he freely admitted he had to get the owners to "calm down" following promotion from League 1.

He wouldnt have the same problem these days.

Yes, I am sure that Venkys had a big chest of funds just waiting for him to spend.

He repeatedly whinged that season over not having more money. 

They took longer to do so than anyone else, but they fucked him over like they fuck everyone over. Hence why we have never and will never prosper under them.

[Andy]

So apparently we have a budget.

If that is the case, it won't just be a black & white '£x for transfers / £x for salaries'.

It's a bit more flexible than that - they can spend a bit more on wages when needed, but it lowers the amount in the overall pot (including for fees).

Signing Dennis and Wickham on loan last season was an example of this - both on (relatively) large wages, but very little paid in loan fee, as opposed to spending more on the transfer fee but being restricted by lower weekly wages.

[wilsdenrover]

32 minutes ago, KentExile said:

a warm body

young

quite tall

that is all

Made me think of Dr Seuss 😄

[RevidgeBlue]

6 minutes ago, Andy said:

So apparently we have a budget.

If that is the case, it won't just be a black & white '£x for transfers / £x for salaries'.

It's a bit more flexible than that - they can spend a bit more on wages when needed, but it lowers the amount in the overall pot (including for fees).

Signing Dennis and Wickham on loan last season was an example of this - both on (relatively) large wages, but very little paid in loan fee, as opposed to spending more on the transfer fee but being restricted by lower weekly wages.

It's not really "a budget" if no-one of the calibre we need will come for the wages we are offering.

Dennis and Woodrow were presumably intended as short term fixes to try and keep us in and hopefully get us through the play offs.

Is "a short term fix" what we need at the moment?

[KentExile]

4 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

Is "a short term fix" what we need at the moment?

its what we will get

whether we need it or not

Edit - that, or a "project signing" who may be ready in 4 years, but on a 3 year contract, with an option for an extra year

Edited 3 hours ago by KentExile

[wilsdenrover]

11 minutes ago, RevidgeBlue said:

It's not really "a budget" if no-one of the calibre we need will come for the wages we are offering.

Dennis and Woodrow were presumably intended as short term fixes to try and keep us in and hopefully get us through the play offs.

Is "a short term fix" what we need at the moment?

It’s a budget, it’s just not a championship one.

[J*B]

Ironically I don’t think we could sign Harry Leonard within our current budget. 

[...]

1 hour ago, Kjell said:

But knowing that he will not land another job in the Championship, he will probably put up with just about anything.

My prediction: the day he leaves Rovers is the day he has decided to move back to his family in France.

ClOsEr tO hOmE

[alcd]

1 hour ago, DanielMB said:

I only know Cadamarteri from his goalstats but can someone enlighten me as to what he would bring to the table?

Less than Leonard and about 6 weeks too late. 

[Upside Down]

10 hours ago, JHRover said:

Standard transfer window then. Big talk at the start, no problems shipping people out to bring in money, but unable to bring people in due to Venky constraints.

Ismael's first targets missed, 3 players in by the Hull game, business done early. Managed one easy loan. Anyone surprised?

Anybody who expects anything other than this is a complete moron.

[alcd]

1 hour ago, DanielMB said:

I only know Cadamarteri from his goalstats but can someone enlighten me as to what he would bring to the table?

His goal stats are underwhelming and significantly worse than Leonard in both the Championship and L1

[KentExile]

outspent by Barton Rovers

[Comfortably numb]

1 minute ago, alcd said:

His goal stats are underwhelming and significantly worse than Leonard in both the Championship and L1

Seen a poster mention that if Hibs do want Cadamarteri, we should go in for Kieron Bowie. Can't be on mega wages at Hibs

 

[JHRover]

I'm far from Mowbray's biggest fan and have slated him on numerous occasions over the years, but I'm still struggling to comprehend why he would turn down / refuse to spend a transfer budget in January with the club sat second in the table, with his contract expiring in the summer. 

It makes no sense. No manager in world football would have done that in the position we were in at the time, especially when the likelihood is that it was going to be his last 'make or break' season with us. 

I'm well aware of what Waggott was telling people, which conveniently diverted blame and attention for transfer inertia and falling away from promotion away from him and the owners and onto Mowbray who they knew was probably leaving in the summer anyway.

Nope, I'm not having it.

Mowbray got 2-3 years of relative luxury under these owners (although I still am convinced that even then the 'big' buys of Gallagher, Diaz and Armstrong were all investment signings for the purposes of recovering their money with interest later rather than with a footballing target in mind) but then after that he was left out on a limb like the rest of them.

[Emerald Isle Rover]

7 minutes ago, Comfortably numb said:

Seen a poster mention that if Hibs do want Cadamarteri, we should go in for Kieron Bowie. Can't be on mega wages at Hibs

 

We aren’t spending 2-3million on Bowie 

[aletheia]

Is there life on Mars?

[Ghost7]

Looking forward to letting them know what I think of their transfer business on the 24th at home to Watford.

I think the message will be clear.

[yankfan]

1 hour ago, Andy said:

So apparently we have a budget.

If that is the case, it won't just be a black & white '£x for transfers / £x for salaries'.

It's a bit more flexible than that - they can spend a bit more on wages when needed, but it lowers the amount in the overall pot (including for fees).

Signing Dennis and Wickham on loan last season was an example of this - both on (relatively) large wages, but very little paid in loan fee, as opposed to spending more on the transfer fee but being restricted by lower weekly wages.

Let’s not fucking do that again 

[47er]

10 hours ago, Gamst said:

If you don’t pay championship wages the inevitable outcome is relegation. Whether that’s this season or somewhere down the line. If we survive this season which is quite possible then we will be without even more senior pros next year (Tronstad, Hedges, Cantwell, Pickering) and we will need to sell promising players like Alebiosu and Toth as they will want more money to sign a new contract and we won’t want to lose them for a free transfer. Once again we will need to find 10 + unknown players from overseas to fill the gaps. They will have no championship experience because any player with any experience will want a higher salary. This model is flawed and the only logical endpoint is relegation. This is so obvious that you would need to assume that relegation and a league 1 team with smaller costs is the objective. So once again you have to ask the question why the hell do they bother?? 

I'm guessing they bought it in a fit of enthusiasm, chiefly by one of their number, have been regretting it for years and just hang on for the sake of pride.

[wilsdenrover]

5 minutes ago, 47er said:

I'm guessing they bought it in a fit of enthusiasm, chiefly by one of their number, have been regretting it for years and just hang on for the sake of pride.

Side boob Rao?

[yankfan]

40 minutes ago, JHRover said:

I'm far from Mowbray's biggest fan and have slated him on numerous occasions over the years, but I'm still struggling to comprehend why he would turn down / refuse to spend a transfer budget in January with the club sat second in the table, with his contract expiring in the summer. 

It makes no sense. No manager in world football would have done that in the position we were in at the time, especially when the likelihood is that it was going to be his last 'make or break' season with us. 

I'm well aware of what Waggott was telling people, which conveniently diverted blame and attention for transfer inertia and falling away from promotion away from him and the owners and onto Mowbray who they knew was probably leaving in the summer anyway.

Nope, I'm not having it.

Mowbray got 2-3 years of relative luxury under these owners (although I still am convinced that even then the 'big' buys of Gallagher, Diaz and Armstrong were all investment signings for the purposes of recovering their money with interest later rather than with a footballing target in mind) but then after that he was left out on a limb like the rest of them.

Mowbary had to work for that budget. He had to fly to prune and get on his knees like vegrant. And it worked. He has the luxury few have. He somehow had money to buy Downing to watch on the sideline, his old mates kid Ansley for £500,000. Gally for £7 million, Diaz for £7 million to play for the. 21s. Mowbary was backed to a level we will never see again. 
 

JDT either had too much trust in the Egg or too much pride to beg the owners for money. Eustace too…seems and manager that wants any funding is required to go to India, kids arse, and remind the owners they own a football club. 

[47er]

3 hours ago, DutchRover said:

Classic Venkys January so far,

Just need a laptop malfunction at one minute to midnight to finish it off properly.

"Its understood Rovers are going to appeal." 

[47er]

12 minutes ago, wilsdenrover said:

Side boob Rao?

Precisely!