Transfer window

It was quite nice watching last Monday’s transfer deadline pass without having expectations of loads of last minute signings, although whatever happened to David Datro Fofana was a slight dissapointment, if it ever was a thing. We’ll probably never know.

We’ve had so many last minute signings that have turned out to be crap at best, that it’s so much more comforting having new players in the building early in the window. Jones’ stance on loans also means we are not scrapping around in the Premier League academy barrel hoping that the next young hopeful turns out to be Conor Gallagher.

There will be plenty of time in the future to judge our summer window, but unlike a lot of other clubs in the division who made late outlays, we are in a position to make an opinion, so what do we think thus far?

First of all some stats.

Teams in The Championship signed 244 players in the summer window. Hull City, Sheffield United and Watford signed the most (14), United’s city rivals, Wednesday, the least at two. One of which was an emergency ‘keeper, and one was a loan where Man Utd paid all of the costs due to Wednesday’s transfer ban, which lasts for another two years.

119 of the 244 players involved fees with Ipswich breaking the record for a transfer fee spent by a Championship club. The 19-year Norwegian forward Sindre Walle Egeli cost £17.5m from FC Nordsjaelland.

As we know, most transfers get listed an ‘non-disclosed’ but according to the website Transfermarkt 37 players were signed for more than €3.0m or more including our own Charlie Kelman.

The three relegated teams raised significant funds from selling players, and the biggest net spenders were unsurprisingly, Wrexham at £29.20m but we followed next at £10.1m, and then Birmingham at £8.8m. Swansea, QPR and Derby were the only other net spenders.

To bring all of that into some sort of early September determination, Transfermarkt lists our squad as having the lowest value in the division at €18.45m, below Sheffield Wednesday and to remind us of the task in hand, a whopping €161m less than Ipswich’s market value.

10 Addicks players signed then, 9 on a permanent. Despite by our standards the huge outlay on improving the squad, we were not shopping in the same aisle as many of our competitors let alone the likes of Ipswich and Wrexham.

We may be one of the league’s biggest payers of transfers, but that will not equate to salaries and all the other bells and whistles clubs which much larger revenues can offer. I suspect we are bottom three for wages.

Remembering that we started our summer more than three weeks after everyone else, massive credit should go to the recruitment team for signing a mix of potential and experience. There is a gamble in signing the best players from the level below, but what they bring is a hunger and an aspiration to succeed.

I am long done with buying older players coming down the levels for one last payday, but Jones is obviously very big on culture and the right characters and turns to players that he knows. We saw that again with Bell, Burke and Bree.

There is an upside of owning assets like Apter, Knibbs, Carey, Kelman and Oloafe. A gamble obviously, but a calculated one.

We haven’t seen Burke, but other than Kelman I think every new signing has shown something so far. Yes, there are questions but I think despite all of our own scouting expertise, it is too early to judge any player either way including Kelman.

Finally a word to the owners. Two words actually: Thank you. Let us also not forget new contracts for Lloyd Jones, Miles Leaburn, Macaulay Gillesphey, Nathan Asiimwe, Micah Mbick and not forgetting Nathan Jones himself.

As Jones tells us this is not a destination, but a journey, and a journey that was unimaginable 18 months ago. It is going to require patience and steely resolve.

This was a window that I don’t think any of us predicted, but it gives us a real opportunity to continue the journey sustainably and excitingly.