Transfer Window January 2024 Post Transfer Window Thread

[OX18]

I'd hate for Cam to leave but I do sometimes wonder if his wages would be better spread over maybe three players and that maybe he deserves his shot at a higher league....
.....but if he wants to stay and sign a new contract then he'll still be the first name on the team sheet. He's the heartbeat of our squad, he's true quality and he clearly loves our club.

The Luton guy that came on here had a very good point, they were recruiting for the next league up. Championship players when they were in League One. You are not gonna get three Championship players in to replace Brans wage. Getting rid of the four out of contract, especially Murphy and Henry will give us plenty of money available for players, without selling your best player.

 

[Sheik Djibouti]

BB is now known as BBWTAF! after inexplicably heading against the post on Saturday.

 

[n1]

The Luton guy that came on here had a very good point, they were recruiting for the next league up. Championship players when they were in League One. You are not gonna get three Championship players in to replace Brans wage. Getting rid of the four out of contract, especially Murphy and Henry will give us plenty of money available for players, without selling your best player.

Exactly, and with each window that goes by, and because we have recruited sensibly over the past 8 months, the number of roles that we need to target is decreasing.

The summer window, 2024, will be entirely different from summer 2023. Realistically we'll need 3-4 first team ready players to keep improving, as opposed to 8-10. That as you say will be aided by some big earners leaving.

 

[Hackney Jack]

Joking aside, I think Cam is quite happy here as Oxfordshire has some of te best carp fishing waters in Europe, let alone England, including Linear.

 

[werthersoriginal]

Joking aside, I think Cam is quite happy here as Oxfordshire has some of te best carp fishing waters in Europe, let alone England, including Linear.

He's probably got fifty years to dodder around fishing and stuff, he needs to take his career seriously! If we don't go up this year he should leave - certainly an outsider would say that.

 

[Followtheox1]

The Luton guy that came on here had a very good point, they were recruiting for the next league up. Championship players when they were in League One. You are not gonna get three Championship players in to replace Brans wage. Getting rid of the four out of contract, especially Murphy and Henry will give us plenty of money available for players, without selling your best player.

It will be interesting to see how they did that. Generally existing Championship quality players, obviously, want to play in the Championship. They also command Championship wages. So, were Luton very good at spotting lower league players who had Championship potential or did they, while adhering to the rules around spending, spend big on existing Championship players? Of course, all of that could be rubbish and they could have just sold Luton as a great place to live, maybe by showing potential players some episodes of 24 hours in police custody to sell the town?

 

[werthersoriginal]

It will be interesting to see how they did that. Generally existing Championship quality players, obviously, want to play in the Championship. They also command Championship wages. So, were Luton very good at spotting lower league players who had Championship potential or did they, while adhering to the rules around spending, spend big on existing Championship players? Of course, all of that could be rubbish and they could have just sold Luton as a great place to live, maybe by showing potential players some episodes of 24 hours in police custody to sell the town?

I'm not sure he was right TBH, didn't Luton rise up the leagues while retaining some of the players that had been in the Conference? I think they were more about getting the most out of their players and signing guys who would fit their style, rather than were of 'Championship quality', whatever that means.

 

[Bicester Yellow]

He's probably got fifty years to dodder around fishing and stuff, he needs to take his career seriously! If we don't go up this year he should leave - certainly an outsider would say that.

The thing is, purely from a monetary point of view, outside of 4/5 sides. He’s not going to earn much more than the £12-£14k he’s on here.

 

[tonyw]

He's probably got fifty years to dodder around fishing and stuff, he needs to take his career seriously! If we don't go up this year he should leave - certainly an outsider would say that.

Cam will be turning 28 just after the end of the season.
He's at the point of his career where he's got to be realizing that he's not going to make it to the pinnacle of the game.

His choices are probably to find a bottom half Championship club that's willing to give him a shot and scrap and fight his way to starting there for 2-3 years before age catches up with him and he starts moving down the pyramid......or he can stay here where he's settled for another 4-5 years, or more, and cement his status as a club legend.

Given what we're paying him, there's probably not going to be a whole lot of difference between the two in terms of earnings.

I can definitely see the appeal in choosing option #2.

 

[Foley]

Cam will be turning 28 just after the end of the season.
He's at the point of his career where he's got to be realizing that he's not going to make it to the pinnacle of the game.

His choices are probably to find a bottom half Championship club that's willing to give him a shot and scrap and fight his way to starting there for 2-3 years before age catches up with him and he starts moving down the pyramid......or he can stay here where he's settled for another 4-5 years, or more, and cement his status as a club legend.

Given what we're paying him, there's probably not going to be a whole lot of difference between the two in terms of earnings.

I can definitely see the appeal in choosing option #2.

I think that he should play in the Championship ( hopefully with us, but if not, why not with somebody like Watford, Sheff W if they stay up , or ahem Bristol C?
He is good enough to do well in the Championship in my view, has been very loyal, but really should test himself at that level.

 

[RyanioBirdio]

I think that he should play in the Championship ( hopefully with us, but if not, why not with somebody like Watford, Sheff W if they stay up , or ahem Bristol C?
He is good enough to do well in the Championship in my view, has been very loyal, but really should test himself at that level.

He’s got no resale value and is totally untested at that level. Any club buying him has got to be willing to keep him and never get their cash back due to his age, and as he’s never played a single minute in the second tier he’s a complete punt. That means any club buying him has got to be willing to spend millions of pounds on him all-in, which means they’ll likely need to be genuine promotion contenders.

Can’t see how he gets there.

 

[chromeyellow]

He’s got no resale value and is totally untested at that level. Any club buying him has got to be willing to keep him and never get their cash back due to his age, and as he’s never played a single minute in the second tier he’s a complete punt. That means any club buying him has got to be willing to spend millions of pounds on him all-in, which means they’ll likely need to be genuine promotion contenders.

Can’t see how he gets there.

Via us, of course

 

[Foley]

He’s got no resale value and is totally untested at that level. Any club buying him has got to be willing to keep him and never get their cash back due to his age, and as he’s never played a single minute in the second tier he’s a complete punt. That means any club buying him has got to be willing to spend millions of pounds on him all-in, which means they’ll likely need to be genuine promotion contenders.

Can’t see how he gets there.

If he doesn't sign a new contract, then in a years time his price will be coming down?
With a year to go on his contract, he will go for what £1 to £1.5m?
Sure it is a bit of a punt, but that is not a lot of money for many Championship clubs.
I may be totally wrong, but would be pretty surprised if ( injuries permitting) , Brannaghan doesn't do very well in the Championship

 

[Followtheox1]

If he doesn't sign a new contract, then in a years time his price will be coming down?
With a year to go on his contract, he will go for what £1 to £1.5m?
Sure it is a bit of a punt, but that is not a lot of money for many Championship clubs.
I may be totally wrong, but would be pretty surprised if ( injuries permitting) , Brannaghan doesn't do very well in the Championship

I don't think he will do as well in the Championship as some think. Don't get me wrong I think he is a very good player. His energy, desire, never giving up and ability to drive the team along are his outstanding strengths in my opinion and if we hadn't had him in the last few seasons who knows where we would be. However, in my view, he lacks a bit of quality on the ball at times as well as vision to make him top level Championship. For every great diagonal ball he plays, a couple go wayward. He often holds on to the ball too long, not spotting that pass and his final ball isn't always to point.

 

[RyanioBirdio]

If he doesn't sign a new contract, then in a years time his price will be coming down?
With a year to go on his contract, he will go for what £1 to £1.5m?
Sure it is a bit of a punt, but that is not a lot of money for many Championship clubs.
I may be totally wrong, but would be pretty surprised if ( injuries permitting) , Brannaghan doesn't do very well in the Championship

Even £1m plus matching his current wages for three years is circa £3million in total outlay, with zero recoup. It’s a spreadsheet game at Championship level, and he’s got no proven pedigree, no profit potential and would be seen as a potential cost liability if the buying club went down. He doesn’t tick a single box and is a depreciating asset.

No Championship club pursued him with any real gusto besides a yo-yo club in Blackpool, and come the summer he will be two years older than he was the last time even they tried. If nobody else wanted him at 26 with a £1.25m release clause, when he was only on 5k a week, why would they want him at 28 for the same money when he’s on 12k?

 

[Steve Gilbert]

I don't think the club are revealing contract lengths for recently signed players, I wonder why!? As far as I'm aware no player has a contract beyond June 26.

I think Goodhram and Golding are the only 2 that are contracted to 2027.
Harris 2026
Long 2026
Negru 2026
Brannagan 2025
Moore 2025
Smyth 2025
Findlay 2025
Eastwood 2025
Brown 2025
Henry 2024
McGuane 2024 (club have a option)


In regards to Brannagan, I honestly can’t see him leaving even if we don’t go up. He is on a good wage, is one of, if not, the main man in the squad, loves living here and now has his coaching business set up.

 

[Carpy]

It’s a spreadsheet game at Championship level

 

[Foley]

Even £1m plus matching his current wages for three years is circa £3million in total outlay, with zero recoup. It’s a spreadsheet game at Championship level, and he’s got no proven pedigree, no profit potential and would be seen as a potential cost liability if the buying club went down. He doesn’t tick a single box and is a depreciating asset.

No Championship club pursued him with any real gusto besides a yo-yo club in Blackpool, and come the summer he will be two years older than he was the last time even they tried. If nobody else wanted him at 26 with a £1.25m release clause, when he was only on 5k a week, why would they want him at 28 for the same money when he’s on 12k?

Yes fair point.
He may have to agree to a reduced salary (will Oxford offer £12k a week after his next contract if we don't go up?). Maybe he will see out his contract?
On the basis that Josh Ruffels has been a Championship player for a couple of years now, I can't see how Brannagan can't make it there.
If you are right, he sure has to hope that Des is the man who will take us up.

 

[Sheik Djibouti]

Yes fair point.
He may have to agree to a reduced salary (will Oxford offer £12k a week after his next contract if we don't go up?). Maybe he will see out his contract?
On the basis that Josh Ruffels has been a Championship player for a couple of years now, I can't see how Brannagan can't make it there.
If you are right, he sure has to hope that Des is the man who will take us up.

If we do go up, it will be in no small part down to what Brannagan himself does on the pitch. Do we now have the players around him and balance in the squad to help that happen?

Time will tell.... hopefully starting tonight against Wigan!

 

[Morris Oxford]

I think Goodhram and Golding are the only 2 that are contracted to 2027.
Harris 2026
Long 2026
Negru 2026
Brannagan 2025
Moore 2025
Smyth 2025
Findlay 2025
Eastwood 2025
Brown 2025
Henry 2024
McGuane 2024 (club have a option)


In regards to Brannagan, I honestly can’t see him leaving even if we don’t go up. He is on a good wage, is one of, if not, the main man in the squad, loves living here and now has his coaching business set up.

Perhaps a question for our CEO at the fans forum could be framed around the fact that all first team contracts (bar youngsters Goodrham and Golding) run out in summer 2026 or before.

Will we be only looking to sign players in the summer on 2 year contracts, and if so how will that impact on our ability to attract players who are being offered longer deals with other clubs?

 

[Sheik Djibouti]

Perhaps a question for our CEO at the fans forum could be framed around the fact that all first team contracts (bar youngsters Goodrham and Golding) run out in summer 2026 or before.

Will we be only looking to sign players in the summer on 2 year contracts, and if so how will that impact on our ability to attract players who are being offered longer deals with other clubs?

If the timescale on the stadium planning application and its subsequent determination is to be believed, we might well know how secure our future is ahead of the Summer 2024 window!

 

[RyanioBirdio]

Perhaps a question for our CEO at the fans forum could be framed around the fact that all first team contracts (bar youngsters Goodrham and Golding) run out in summer 2026 or before.

Will we be only looking to sign players in the summer on 2 year contracts, and if so how will that impact on our ability to attract players who are being offered longer deals with other clubs?

I believe Goodrham’s contract is 2026 with an option to extend to 2027, not 2027 outright. He supposedly signed a 2.5 +1 deal last month exactly the same as Goodwin, which was also described by the club as “long-term”.

I’m aware that the likes of transfermrkt lists Goodrham as being contracted until 2027, but it also lists Ciaron Brown as having a contract until 2025, when he himself said on the radio that it runs until 2026. It also has no contract expiry listed for the likes of Brannagan and Bodin, despite it being public knowledge that their contracts run until 2025 and 2024 respectively, so it’s patchy to say the least.

 

[Morris Oxford]

If the timescale on the stadium planning application and its subsequent determination is to be believed, we might well know how secure our future is ahead of the Summer 2024 window!

Well quite, but it would be nice to hear from the club what their thinking and planning was on this, rather than
customers supporters with genuine concerns having to guess.

 

[Sheik Djibouti]

Well quite, but it would be nice to hear from the club what their thinking and planning was on this, rather than
customers supporters with genuine concerns having to guess.

I reckon the clue is in the timing of the fans forum

 

[David1022]

I'm not sure he was right TBH, didn't Luton rise up the leagues while retaining some of the players that had been in the Conference? I think they were more about getting the most out of their players and signing guys who would fit their style, rather than were of 'Championship quality', whatever that means.

We got promoted in our first season in League 1, (we actually won it) all because we recruited sensibly. We always tried to recruit for the league above. Nathan Jones was always very vocal about it.

It will be interesting to see how they did that. Generally existing Championship quality players, obviously, want to play in the Championship. They also command Championship wages. So, were Luton very good at spotting lower league players who had Championship potential or did they, while adhering to the rules around spending, spend big on existing Championship players? Of course, all of that could be rubbish and they could have just sold Luton as a great place to live, maybe by showing potential players some episodes of 24 hours in police custody to sell the town?

It was through a combination of championship players that had maybe fallen out the team so we got them on a free and smart investments in players from lower leagues that had the potential to play higher.

For all his faults Nathan Jones used to give new signings a pretty impressive presentation that would convince players that were potentially out of our financial budget to maybe take a hit financially in the short term. By all accounts he did this in the championship too. Cant actually think of any player that actually lives in Luton and I cant blame them.

 

[Morris Oxford]

I reckon the clue is in the timing of the fans forum

Oh I’m sure the timing of the fans forum is all based around the potential for some positive news on the stadium planning. Williams and Ferguson wouldn’t be fronting up otherwise.

However there is still a long way to go with the planning process, there might still be delays, adjustments, and reviews. This could well eat into a decent chunk of time.

What if we come to say July/August/September or beyond and it’s looking like the planning process is for whatever reason getting delayed, and bogged down.

What then is the plan regarding the offering of long term contracts and competing with other clubs?

 

[Foley]

Well quite, but it would be nice to hear from the club what their thinking and planning was on this, rather than
customers supporters with genuine concerns having to guess.

I would think that an awful lot of details will come soon on the ground.

 

[Foley]

Oh I’m sure the timing of the fans forum is all based around the potential for some positive news on the stadium planning. Williams and Ferguson wouldn’t be fronting up otherwise.

However there is still a long way to go with the planning process, there might still be delays, adjustments, and reviews. This could well eat into a decent chunk of time.

What if we come to say July/August/September or beyond and it’s looking like the planning process is for whatever reason getting delayed, and bogged down.

What then is the plan regarding the offering of long term contracts and competing with other clubs?

Aren't 2 years plus an option pretty normal?
How often do we offer 3 year contracts?
I am.not sure that this is a big deal, but others would know more than me.

 

[werthersoriginal]

Could everyone wear a badge with their screen name on, so we can see if any of the tough guys here have squeaky voices etc?

 

[Sheik Djibouti]

Aren't 2 years plus an option pretty normal?
How often do we offer 3 year contracts?
I am.not sure that this is a big deal, but others would know more than me.

Absolutely. Recent history shows we've had our fingers burned on longer contracts with the likes of Hanson and Findlay springing to mind. 2 years with an option of a third if WE (as club) think you're worth it as a player. Anything beyond that needs to be earned. About time clubs took a bit more power on this back from players and particularly agents!