The narrative that fans would have been kicking off if Brereton was offered a new deal 2 years ago needs to change because the timelines just don't add up. He looked a million miles away from a footballer when we first signed him. He then showed some glimpses pre-pandemic and actually showed really good form when the season restarted behind closed doors. Many said in that stint he was one of our best players. Chile don't have a great pool to choose from these days, but he didn't get called up to be an international purely based on the form he showed when he first signed for us. Obviously he then did well at the Copa America. He still wasn't a household name. He still hadn't banged in 20 goals in half a season. Throughout this timeline his deal should have been extended with a modest increase in salary. Once Armstrong was sold shortly after, Breretons renewal still should have been top of the agenda. Once he started the first few games in red hot form, renewing his contract still should have been top of the agenda. But we and our money pinching ways were still sitting on our hands saying there is an option to extend his contract by a year so we were comfortable. I was one who couldn't see a footballer in him when he first signed. But if it was obvious he was beginning to show his potential to a fan who had previously made up his mind, it was clearly obvious to the club. End of the day there was a solid 6 months where the club should have made it a priority. They didn't, all for the sake of saving a few thousand per week, which has ended up costing us up to £20 million. That's the real timeline. We shot ourselves in the foot through penny pinching and arrogance. Hiding behind these 1 year options in players contracts has cost the club enormously.

I imagine the offers Porteous has is us vs Udinese / Watford. And the message from our side is clear. We can't match the wages they are offering however this is how we see you fitting into our squad and selling him a vision of the future, for both him and the club. As a player I can imagine the Udinese / Watford set up isn't massively appealing with the possibility of being loaned wherever the owners see fit, within their multi-club model. It's one which suits clubs but not one which gives a clear career path. I can see why he'd sign with us, but can absolutely see why he would go elsewhere. From JDT's comments, I feel its likely we will miss out.

I imagine the club are in a state of serious limbo regarding our transfer strategy this window. Brereton leaving for a fee could totally change the complexion of the players we are looking at. And we're working with our hands tied behind our back due to his contract situation and apparent interest in moving abroad. Logically, the time to judge will be once the window closes. His situation can't be used as an excuse. However it can't be easy to navigate.

Raya to Chelsea would make sense if you consider their current transfer strategy. Look at players other clubs are linked too and sign all of them!

I agree regarding Pears. He was absolutely shocking in that cup game vs Wigan and it certainly knocked both his confidence and reputation. He has however had a number of very solid games and a couple of outstanding ones. Bournemouth away last year sticks in my head where he was integral to us coming away with 3 points. A loan and regular game time would be massive for his career. He needs a chance to prove he can be consistent.

Oh I know. I was getting carried away and dreaming of a highly unlikely, but perfect window

Raya is a great option for all the clubs chasing him. Wages wise he would offset the cost of the transfer. De Gea for example is apparently on something close to 400k per week. Say they bought Raya and paid him 120k per week. That's a 14.5 million per year saving. He's an excellent goalkeeper, still at a good age and with 18 months left on his contract it brings the price down massively. He also ticks the box for a homegrown player. Importantly for us is the possible competition for his signing increasing his worth. Brentford will very easily be able to point to his sell on clause as a reason to hold out for a bit more. I can see him going for between 25-30 million if the interest is genuine from all those clubs. If Brentford really squeeze those clubs, it could see us bringing in an extra 5 million. Whether or not that goes straight into a transfer kitty to be reinvested, it will give a major boost in providing flex regarding FFP. Losing Brereton for either free or for a pittance of his potential worth, it could be a huge get out of jail free card for us. Let's just pray we don't get another Josh King situation whereby he went into the last year of his deal, on the verge of a major money move, only for it to fall through and us miss out on a windfall. Beginning to run away with myself now, but say we sold Diaz cut price, got a Raya windfall and brought in Porteous, Undav and a central midfielder. Follow that with some shrewd additions in the summer window and our squad is looking far stronger, more balanced and crucially, no more big assets on the verge of leaving us for free. A squad filled with assets and transfer windows where we are looking for the final pieces of the jigsaw, rather than cobbling a squad together.

I've a lot of faith in GB. He's exactly what we need. JDT has us playing some pretty bland stuff, however points wise I do think he's over achieved with the squad we have. I'd hope there are more signs of things clicking next season and we're left just needing the final pieces of the jigsaw. One of my biggest hopes is that Broughton is truly empowered and JDT will be judged on results. A long way from what we experienced with Mowbray where he was king of the castle.

In an earlier post I said we should be looking to building a squad for next season, ensuring we aren't starting from nothing. I also stated the aim should be promotion within 3 seasons. That's very different from a sole focus on bringing through academy players with potential, even though they do play a role.

I don't think anyone on here would be able to argue that group of centre backs are of top 6 quality. Hyam yes. Wharton has big question marks. Phillips and Barnes have little to no experience. Carter, I'd actually be open to selling or loaning to a championship club. He's OK, but I think lower level championship might be his limit.

Let's say we want to win promotion within the next 3 years. Which having listened to what GB and JDT have been saying, seems as though it is pretty in line with the clubs ambitions. If that is the case, then if we see players who we belive are of top 6 quality come available for reasonable fees, then we should be signing them to build that squad. Even in this instance where it looks like we're planning for next season without Ayala. Spending 5-6 million this transfer window on players with inflated price tags or expensive loans to try and go for it this season, leaves us in the same old position next year. Again, I think we should be doing all we can to achieve top 6 this year. But it shouldn't be the sole focus and there needs to be a clear criteria whereby any players we bring in, benefit the club long term..

I don't totally disagree. Considering our position this season, promotion should be the aim. But not at the expense of having glaring holes in our squad next season. Nobody predicted we'd be in this position when the season began. I don't want us to be facing a similar situation next season. If the right player comes along, at the right price, for a position we have a need for, then we should be doing it.

Dack has been by far and away our best player since the world cup. Its hard to judge whether he'll hit the levels he was at pre-injury. Especially considering the fact that we have so little creativity in forward areas. He never was going to win games on his own. He's always needed competent players in and around him. Hopefully we'll continue to improve our squad and he'll begin to have more and more influence. History and the soft spot I have for him aside, I think he's the best player in our squad again and if utilised correctly will get back to being one of the best players in this league. It's great to see him back. Hopefully his knees will be fine for the rest of his career. I'd love to see us win promotion with him, even if he's in his 30's when we do it. It would be a wonderful story.

Watched couple of clips of Porteous on YouTube. The most insightful of which was this one. He's mic'd up in a friendly game and directing half the team. You can tell he's a real leader at the back.

Having listened to the GB podcast this type of signing makes sense. I'm pleased too. It's about time the club did some proper forward planning. It's clear Ayala won't see another season with us. He'd need replacing. If this fella is good, then centre back is absolutely sorted for years to come. Myself included, fans seem to look very short term. Every season we say, "the championship has never been this weak, this is a golden opportunity". If I'm being realistic, regardless of our league position, I don't think we have the quality to be promoted this season. So even though centre back isn't the priority today, in 6 months time it would be. I'm sure at time Brentford fans had their frustrations. They sold Maupay, Ollie Watkins, Benrhama. Others too I'm sure. The key was forward planning and a process. They knew if they didn't win promotion in one particular season, they were well placed to do it the next season. Our conundrum in this is that we need to start selling our assets when they have value. If we could sell Diaz this window and be confident that we have an quality replacement lined up, then I'd do it. I think most on here feel promotion this season is unlikely, we need to have half an eye on next season already.

Crazy decision to allow the Fernandes goal. On the initial pass, Akanji actually slows to play him offside. Then speeds up again once the ball is played. So he wasn't in position. Then there's no way Ederson wasn't impeded by Rashford being there. He was facing someone shootint either to his left or his right by Rashford being there. If Rashford wasn't involved the Fernandes shot would have been far easier to read.

Thank you for this. A brilliant listen. I've a lot of hope that GB is going to be a pivotal appointment for us. He speaks superbly and I like his ideas and philosophy. Even if Venkys don't change and are difficult to work under, he seems as he will provide consistent planning and strategy on the football side which will only benefit the club.

For me Potters future should depend on whether he has lost the dressing room. Those within the club will know whether or not that is the case. He's got credit in the bank after his achievements at Brighton, the injury list is huge and many of their current problems were apparent under Tuchel at the beginning of the season. If he's not lost the dressing room I'd continue to back him. If players are openly expressing dissatisfaction with his methods, then writing is on the wall.

The reason I wouldn't be looking to take the risk on Cantwell is that it feels like a middle ground is unlikely. Given just how good he looked a couple of years back, his drop in form has been enormous. I think he'd either do absolutely nothing and be a burden, or he'd be a wonder signing. Really we need players who we know are going to offer something regardless, but also have the potential to become a huge asset. Yes there is a high reward with him, put the potential for it to be money burned are also higher. For context, people way Szmodics was a waste for a similar fee. Personally I think we've overpaid for him but he's always going to bring something.

If we sign Killkenny I'll wait to see him play before passing judgement. However.. if he doesn't have a purchase option in his deal it'll be a little disappointing. What we really need is someone with know-how and a bit of experience to guide our midfield. Not sure I see the point in a young lad with potential on a temporary deal. A young lad with potential and the option to make it permanent is a different story.

Regarding Szmodics, people saying he's awful is a little much. I do think we overpaid for him, but he does have something to offer. My personal belief is that he's pretty woeful in a 10 position when we're defending deep. He can't keep possession and the resurgence of Dack shows the gulf in technical quality between the two. I think Szmodics has a role to play as a box to box midfielder. We've overpaid for him but he's not a complete waste of money. Considering the cost I'd rate him as a 4/10. Hopefully with better technical quality in the midfield (mainly Dack), Szmodics can forge his own position and show more value over time.

Edun would be a cracking 5 a side player. A lot of energy, pace, ok technique. He just doesn't seem to understand the game and roams around in a clueless fashion. Always caught out of position.

I'm not sure how nobody has mentioned time wasting. I read a stat the other day that the average time the ball is in play for a Premier League match is 57 minutes. With one or two games falling into the 40's. I've no idea how it's not been stamped out. From a commercial point of view, whether on TV or at the ground, fans have paid to watch a game of football. It's tainting the product. I'm in favour of the clock stopping when the ball is dead. However the talk of reducing the allocated time isn't something that sits right with me. At least to the levels I've recently seen suggested. Have 40 minute halves and the clock stops when the ball is out of play. We'd get to see so much more football.

On the surface Hirst has the profile of the type of player we should be looking at. Did well in the second half of last season, scoring a lot of goals. I was pleased there was a purchase option in the deal. When I say profile of player, I mean young, a purchase option so its not just a temporary fix, and players who given their age have potential high resale value. The problem is that it's just as easy to pick up a dud as it is a diamond. Our scouting needs to be better as he clearly wasn't up to it. He's been a big disappointment and I'm sure Jdt & GB are disappointed at how it's turned out. Hopefully the beefed out scouting department can show their worth moving forwards with better due diligence on that profile of player, reducing the chance of more outcomes like we've seen with Hirst. Very happy for them to have the time to increase the % of diamonds we bring in rather than duds.

Watched a video of him and he looks superb. One year left on his contract could put him in the £2.5 million range. We'd have to have been telling porkies about what we have to spend if we are interested. If there is any truth at all in the rumour, it strikes me the same as the Bosnian defender we were after in the summer. Its a long shot and unlikely. But you might as well try so long as you don't miss out on other targets if it becomes unrealistic.