Transfer rumours
Just checking to see if you had heard of any? Because I sure ain’t.
All very quiet on the transfer front, just the one solid rumour from a trustworthy source. Rich Cawley linked our name with out of contract Portsmouth ‘keeper Craig MacGillivray. The 28-year old won Pompey’s player of the year. Ben Amos among others is in current talks on a new deal at The Valley, but MacGillivray sounds a good option.
Amos as well as Chuks Aneke, Ben Watson, Jason Pearce, Adam Matthews and the injured Jake Forster-Caskey were all listed as players who the club will discuss renewal terms with. Crudely I wouldn’t be devastated if Nigel Adkins completely cleared the decks and club went for a wholesale new look.
Equally I am a realist and we need to build a squad and I wouldn’t be opposed to Matthews, Chuks or JFC staying, who I’d presume is the most likely even though he will be out until Christmas.
I think we are desperate to see the start of the rebuild but contracts run until July 1st and players and agents will shuffle their feet as long as they can.
Pre-season training starts towards the end of June, that is the key date for newbies. To give us the best possible chance I want to see new players through the door realistically before the pre-season tour.
Players excited to be part of a journey. Young, hungry, talented and each with something to prove.
If you look back as far as the mid 80’s, every season we have been successful we have started the summer with an early influential signing – John Humphrey, Clive Mendonca, Dean Kiely, Danny Hollands, Lyle Taylor…. What will the summer of 2021 bring?
Chicago Addick 
Only rumours down here in the South West of England! Adkins made another ‘holding’ statement this weekend repeating they are very busy behind the scenes at The Valley but worrying he added they were busy as “we’re going to try to get a few more players in”. Huh? I like you was hoping for substantially more than a ‘few’ and was hoping heaven and earth was being shifted to build the squad that was identified a ‘few’ months ago to assure promotion.
A year ago the problem was that we had no virtually money, plus a transfer embargo and therefore we were being careful in who we brought in. Now we have money and the problem is that agents are most likely upping their wage/signing on fee demands. Hence I can see a few stories maybe being planted in the media to create a bit of cometition.
Still it’s a long way to go before the season kicks off and we have a month before training starts. Most of the players are likely to be on holiday at the moment.
Currently though all I’m seeing are vague rumours.