Transfer Window January 2024 Transfer Window Thread

[oufcreport]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1752031715588178022

We have been linked with him so many times. Now clear links to Des. Not saying we would sign him, just thought I'd mention him here, has played in England before too. 34 but could be one of those players, such as Bennett who comes in to provide cover as well as being a decent player.

 

[JOHN BOY]

That's harsh, those are four excellent players who sadly can't stay fit enough, though Bodin has been reasonably well available quite a lot. This time next year we'll have four more you want rid of, don't worry!

Yes Thorniley and mckechran.

 

[allaboardtheox]

I can’t contain my jealousy. Since the time McKenna walked in there they are everything I’d love my football club to be. I appreciate they have fantastic backing and a good fan base but clubs of all levels can do it on their own relative terms with the right people in the right positions and a total alignment from top to bottom. I’m sure there are problems there but my envy is out of control.

Their striker frustration (fans royally concerned by the lack of bodies) lasted just a fortnight before serving up one of the most wanted young players in the EFL. That’s a club that thinks far bigger than any one player (Hirst will be fit again in the summer, expecting to play) and smells blood - they can do it this season by showing that bit of aggression now rather than sit around moping about their misfortune with injuries and complaining about a difficult market.

Frustrates the life out of me how difficult we make things look from a position of great need. I agree that I don’t want us to attach ourselves to poor players on long contracts again but I don’t see any reason why you can’t do good business efficiently with proper planning, particularly a club of our standing in this division. It’s just tedious excuses.

McKenna didn't pull up any trees in his first 6 month's in charge, pretty sure it was a mid table finish, so let's put some perspective and context out there

 

[werthersoriginal]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1752031715588178022

We have been linked with him so many times. Now clear links to Des. Not saying we would sign him, just thought I'd mention him here, has played in England before too, but is 34.

He sounds a bit foreign. Does he even know where Fleetwood is?

Edit: he's ancient

 

[warksox]

Agreed - and I think the conversation here often forgets the fact that we are subject to League One Salary Cost Management Protocol rules.

Which means:
a) We are only allowed to spend 60% of our income on player wages
b) If we ignore this, we can be subject to a transfer embargo
c) You cannot get around this by the owners loaning the club money - owners can inject cash but only if they provide "a signed Letter of Guarantee.....to confirm that there is no interest linked to the donation or any requirement for future repayment of the injection by the Club."

As far as I can tell, our owners never give the club anything (very, very few owners do). They loan the club money interest free, but every penny we receive from Bakrie et al. appears as a liability on the club's accounts.

But whilst they can loan the club £400k for a transfer fee and stick that on the club's balance sheet, if we are close up against the 60% wage threshold (which I can easily believe we are, given the amount of money we're wasting on Murphy, Browne, Henry, Findlay.....and to an extent McEachran & Thorniley now as well) then we may have very limited wiggle room to bring anyone else in. Certainly anyone that's going to command a big wage like JCH or Marriott.

Agree with most of this except the bit highlighted.
According to Companies House, in June '23 the owners issued £2m of new OUFC shares - effectively diluting their own holdings.
This is effectively the owners paying the club £2m in return for shares. It's not a loan and they have no way of recovering this £2m unless they can enhance the sell-on value of the club by this amount to any potential future buyer.
Whilst some of it may have been to cover stadium related costs it will also qualify as income to help keep us within the SCMP 60% rule.

OXFORD UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB LIMITED filing history - Find and update company information - GOV.UK

OXFORD UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB LIMITED - Free company information from Companies House including registered office address, filing history, accounts, annual return, officers, charges, business activity

find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk

 

[WRox]

Marcus Browne
Billy Bodin
Josh Murphy
James Henry

That’s the issue folks, four MASSIVE wages for four players always on the treatment table. Still reeling from Robinsons mess, need to continue the rebuild in the summer.

And what contribution are Kilmarnock and Burton realistically making to Findlay and Seddon’s wages?

Thankfully the opportunity is there this summer to finish the clean up job and to really kick on.

It’s no surprise how we’ve approached this window. We’ve spent out and got the big money striker that fits the profile we wanted. The goalkeeping position was sorted quickly. We’ve signed a pacey winger the recruitment team have liked for a while. Now it feels like we’re waiting to take advantage of the late chaos at the end of the window to close out a couple more targets, I imagine on loan and I imagine for much less cash than we’ve spent elsewhere.

I do think the Goodwin injury has caught us short and I do think it’d be a big miss to not sign a holding midfielder, but this isn’t the disaster of last January and particularly not if this week goes well.

 

[greatunclekip]

McKenna didn't pull up any trees in his first 6 month's in charge, pretty sure it was a mid table finish, so let's put some perspective and context out there

Yep, he had a s**t start....

"McKenna's arrival saw a quick upturn in Ipswich's form, with the team's results and performances much improved. Ipswich won seven of McKenna's first 10 games in charge, keeping seven clean sheets in the process. Under McKenna, Ipswich went 11 matches unbeaten through February and March, including setting a new club record for not conceding a goal, surpassing the previous record of 547 minutes"

 

[oufcreport]

He sounds a bit foreign. Does he even know where Fleetwood is?

Edit: he's ancient

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1752049961997381672

Interesting to see he was very interested in him before, as well as being a go-to player

 

[Joey]

Yep, he had a s**t start....

"McKenna's arrival saw a quick upturn in Ipswich's form, with the team's results and performances much improved. Ipswich won seven of McKenna's first 10 games in charge, keeping seven clean sheets in the process. Under McKenna, Ipswich went 11 matches unbeaten through February and March, including setting a new club record for not conceding a goal, surpassing the previous record of 547 minutes"

I remember saying he'd do well at the start of last season/end of the season before and someone (can't recall who but a fairly well known poster) scoffed at the idea he's any better than Robinson.

 

[notThisWayButThat]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1752049961997381672

Interesting to see he was very interested in him before, as well as being a go-to player

Sounds perfect for us

 

[Leysboy]

Sounds perfect for us

Is that a young version of Don King.

 

[Leysboy]

What makes you think he’d score that many

Look at the amount of chances we create. He’s clinical.

All I was saying it would show ambition. We won’t be signing anyone of that ilk.

The purse strings have been tightened.

 

[Joey]

That's harsh, those are four excellent players who sadly can't stay fit enough, though Bodin has been reasonably available. This time next year we'll have four more you want rid of, don't worry!

I think "excellent" is stretching things hugely. Browne can be a match winner but his best goal return in a season is 6 which is very mediocre.

Murphy has shown a couple of flashes to go with 18 months of pretty poor performances, when he's actually been fit, which in turn is off the back of a downwards trajectory for the best part of half a decade.

Bodin is a good player, can look great or can be anonymous. At this point he's probably just a decent League 1 footballer.

Henry was the best of the lot in our colours but he's clearly had it now. When he comes on he doesn't look up to the pace or physicality of the game. One of the best players we've had at the Kassam but not fit for purpose and we're lumbered with his wages.

None of these players are excellent. I suspect/hope they'll all be released in the summer and I very much doubt any of them will find a better team. If Bodin is deemed able to contribute then I'd consider a deal for him on reduced terms but otherwise they're a drain. Not their fault, they were offered the deals and would have been mad not to take them, this is on Robinson and the board for allowing it to happen. All four were a risk and plenty of people saw this happening at the time we signed them.

Every club will have some players not contributing what they should relative to their wages but this is a huge drain on us (add in Findlay too, who we are paying to play for someone else).

 

[Joey]

Look at the amount of chances we create. He’s clinical.

All I was saying it would show ambition. We won’t be signing anyone of that ilk.

The purse strings have been tightened.

Do you think we create a lot of chances? Rather flies in the face of the data and what you can see with your eyes at games, even under Manning we didn't create huge amounts. Not sure where the narrative has come from that we create a lot.

 

[werthersoriginal]

I think "excellent" is stretching things hugely. Browne can be a match winner but his best goal return in a season is 6 which is very mediocre.

Murphy has shown a couple of flashes to go with 18 months of pretty poor performances, when he's actually been fit, which in turn is off the back of a downwards trajectory for the best part of half a decade.

Bodin is a good player, can look great or can be anonymous. At this point he's probably just a decent League 1 footballer.

Henry was the best of the lot in our colours but he's clearly had it now. When he comes on he doesn't look up to the pace or physicality of the game. One of the best players we've had at the Kassam but not fit for purpose and we're lumbered with his wages.

None of these players are excellent. I suspect/hope they'll all be released in the summer and I very much doubt any of them will find a better team. If Bodin is deemed able to contribute then I'd consider a deal for him on reduced terms but otherwise they're a drain. Not their fault, they were offered the deals and would have been mad not to take them, this is on Robinson and the board for allowing it to happen. All four were a risk and plenty of people saw this happening at the time we signed them.

Every club will have some players not contributing what they should relative to their wages but this is a huge drain on us (add in Findlay too, who we are paying to play for someone else).

Oh yeah, they were excellent in their day, I mean. Findlay sounds like another expense and he’s contracted for ages

 

[Big Ron]

Do you think we create a lot of chances? Rather flies in the face of the data and what you can see with your eyes at games, even under Manning we didn't create huge amounts. Not sure where the narrative has come from that we create a lot.

He doesn’t see many of our games, he’s too busy scouring the lower leagues for players we should buy.

 

[Marked Ox]

Probably as they have ambition

Or they'll go into administration again.

 

[Marked Ox]

Oh yeah, they were excellent in their day, I mean. Findlay sounds like another expense and he’s contracted for ages

Another 2 years with Findlay isn't it? Hopefully Killie will bit the bullet and sign him permanently (albeit doubt they could match his wages so he'd probably have to accept a cut).

 

[Yellow River]

Marcus Browne
Billy Bodin
Josh Murphy
James Henry

That’s the issue folks, four MASSIVE wages for four players always on the treatment table. Still reeling from Robinsons mess, need to continue the rebuild in the summer.

Add to that Findlay and Seddon both out on loan at Kilmarnock and Burton respectively, we’ll be contributing to both their wages and in Findlay’s case a huge wedge. We also had to pay off Wildschut.

This is Robinson’s legacy, not only did he go awol for 18 months he hamstrung his successor/s for the following 18 months too.

He was ever so ‘umble and cared though.

 

[Oxford84]

Another 2 years with Findlay isn't it? Hopefully Killie will bit the bullet and sign him permanently (albeit doubt they could match his wages so he'd probably have to accept a cut).

Better than Thorniley at the moment?