No surprise as Chuks, Watson released
No surprises in today’s released and retained list by the club.
Farewell to academy graduate Aaron Henry, Championship play-off winners medalist’s Chuks Aneke and Tennai Watson plus short-term ‘keeper signing Dean Bouzanis.
Danny Hylton has been offered the chance to fulfill his ambition of coaching by joining Nathan Jones’ backroom team.
Henry played 28 times, scoring twice including an absolute cracker at home to QPR in the League Cup, the season we went to Old Trafford. Henry came on as a late sub that night and got most of his game time under Dean Holden.
Tennai Watson vastly improved his game I thought under Jones, especially positionally, but is never a RWB. He never let us down and will do a good job for a L1 side.
A fond farewell to Chuks, his time has come, hopefully for his sake he will go again somewhere else. 3 goals in two seasons both depleted by injuries, and only 10 goals in the four seasons since he was bought back from Birmingham.
When he first came back into the squad this January he looked like he was trying too hard but he became an important cog in this season’s turnaround coming on late in games used as either a battering ram or someone to take the sting out of a game. Three vital assists too in April. We’ll overlook the red card. Chuks will always be a welcome visitor.
24 players have been retained with contract negotiations with Thierry Small continuing. A lot of the retained list are youngsters, many of whom are ripe for loans, but there’s going to have to be some tough decisions to be made though.
Those 24 players as an ensemble are not Championship ready, not even close. The squad needs to be infused with Championship quality as well as the characteristics Jones demands. There may, well almost certainly will, be casualties. I presume Jones will want a first team squad of no more than 24 including 3 goalkeepers plus youngsters.
Well tomorrow the window opens…….what would we give to get a glimpse of Jones’s ‘wanted’ list ?
Chuks did a great job coming off the bench and holding the ball up, adding a few assists and scaring defenders who hated having him jumping into him. I can remember a couple of goals from his first stint where defenders literally bounced off him as he came running on to crosses. I wonder if this is it for him as a player? Surely no team will sign him as a starter and paying even a low salary as a bench player might put a few teams off. Tennai Watson never let us down but we need a bit more than someone who’s a right-back for that position – we have Kayne Ramsay and Nathan Asiimwe to play RWB. At 28 he’ll have a few more seasons left in him. Maybe JJ will move him across town to Wimbledon?
As for incoming players, rumours have linked us to right-back Josh Mulligan at Dundee. Allegedly we’ve made an offer to sign George Wickens, Lincoln’s starting keeper who was in Fulham’s academy system before dropping down to L1 and we’ve had a conversation with Barnsley about Davis Keillor-Dunn. They want around £3m for him.
The burning question is how much money have Brener, Friedman and co given NJ to spend? Financially things look more solid now and the great end to the season meant a few decent pay-days, the play-offs especially were very good for the coffers plus season ticket sales are looking good for next year. I think there’ll be money to spend and some of those on the retained list may move on.
Regarding the Transfer Window,
“Now is the Summer of our intent”
Apologies to Stratford Upon Avon Bill