Absolutely no chance Szmodics will play for us again.

He was mostly an unused sub. He needs consistent first team football or his development is going to stagnate.

I'd love to be in the JDT / Broughton group chat. The bloke they wanted last year, and were told no because he's too old, is now in. Genuinely an absolute joke.

Do you need a left footed CM too?

He's already proven himself to not be good enough. We'll be adrift at the bottom by Christmas if he's the nailed on starter and Szmodics / A.N. Other isn't banging in goals at a ridiculous rate.

Ah the modern day myth - the need for a left footed CB. Pep has a lot to answer for.

He's got until January to do what? A blind man on a galloping horse can see that he's shite.

Anything more than survival is a miracle with these owners.

Well Wahlsted's wages are off the books too. So are Gallagher's. That will have freed up a lot of wiggle room.

He's absolutely shite, mate.

If they are then it's clearly Walters showing that he still loves the club after all these years.

Are we playing 6 at the back?

He's probably worth more than our entire club.

Our budget definitely doesn't stretch to photoshop!!

They better not do that for all of our signings - our budget doesn't stretch to buying a Japanese and French flag, and maybe an Austrian one too. Gotta be more frugal, lads.

To be fair he's bigger and faster.

I wonder what they paid for him. I think he's a useful player at this level and only 20.

You mean like Hilton, Eastham et al who clearly aren't good enough but keep on getting contracts / found soft landings elsewhere? We absolutely do right by the Academy players - it's one of the few things still to be proud of with this club.

"Appreciate the offer, but I have a much better chance of first team football in the immediate future here. I owe it to the club, and myself, to repay them for the faith they've had in me".

Yes, my employer when I was 16 had mollycoddled me for 8 years too.

I'd want my previous employer to be properly compensated.

On promotion £100m and Balaji Rao's first born child. It ain't happening so offer them the moon.

Please stop calling him "Wee Dougie", for all of sakes.

We need two wingers and a GK imo (assuming no-one else outside of Gallagher and Szmodics leave). We really did have a black hole at #9 last season and Hedges / Dolan et al simply don't score or create enough. Replacing those front 3 with players that actually contribute, relegating Hedges and Dolan to their rightful position (strong squad players) would make a world of difference.

The Finneran transfer fee will be literal peanuts to Newcastle - they're just haggling because they can. They won't send their quota filling GK to us.