January Transfer Window 2025

You can't talk about that.

Swanseas announcement video on X is quite good…

In other news B team skipper Ben Perry has joined Northampton on loan.
Personally like to see Fin and Josh Powell get moves as well.

Reading forum seems to think the fee for Bindon was under a million. Universally like him, and agree he's too good for them. Had six months on his deal, so they're happy to have the money and keep him until the summer.

HWG on someone called Joel Ndala, who’s at PSV.

PSV reserves apparently. One for the future you'd think

Seems to be a Man City youngster, on loan at PSV who had an obligation to buy in the summer. Now on loan to us with an option to buy, and City get a sell-on because the obligation was broken. Which is a bit too much for me to take in at 11pm if I'm honest.

Man City youngster, been in loan at PSV. Loan with option to buy for £4 million.

Scored 1 in 12 for PSV.

Fin Back has gone on a permanent to Wycombe

The perks of being a PL club filters down to the youngsters. They get decent moves on the back of it. Good luck to him.

I can’t remember a calmer transfer window. The thread page count/incoming activity ratio must be at its highest. I’m assuming it helps PAR and keeps powder dry for the summer.

I’m very pleased that we exited some players (yes, you Emmanuel), found opportunities for younger players, secured important longer term contracts, bought in a couple of players (whom we may never see) and have Danilo and Sangare back.

They'll be using something along these lines (Dixon-Coles) to predict the probability of home/away/draw in each game and then projecting that into all the results for the rest of the season: www.ajbuckeconbikesail.net/wkpapers/Airports/MVPoisson/soccer_betting.pdf

I expect that 30 years on and with the additional data available now (yes, including xG), there are more sophisticated models available being used by the likes of Benham and Bloom. You wouldn't expect Opta to be on the absolute cutting edge because there isn't the same financial imperative.

Not paywalled for me: www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2025/02/04/nottingham-forest-nuno-espirito-santo-evangelos-marinakis/

Nothing very exciting - will probably go for Wissa again in the summer, looking to extend Nuno's contract beyond summer of 26.

Yep, it's noticeable the calibre of club where our youngsters go has risen.
Remember when Cash, Worrall, Wes and Yatesy were sent to non-League for their first loan spell.
Last season, Fin was in L2, now our youngsters are pretty much all going to L1 clubs for experience. Still not sure how many will make the step up (although let's not forget Yatesy had loans at Barrow, Scunthorpe, Shrewsbury and Notts before making our first team).
Taylor (just 21) probably has the best chance - all three of the clubs he's been to speak very highly of him, even if his goal ratio is not what you'd hope for from a forward. With the lack of transfer activity in Jan, I'd like to have seen him recalled and integrated with the first team for the rest of the season, although he'll get more football action staying with Wigan.
McDonnell (21 next month) has been a huge hit at Colchester and in the running for their Player of the Year, but probably needs a pre-season with the first team and a Championship loan to see how he really measures up.
Osong's (20) loan at Rotherham was a disaster (injury, poor form), so let's hope Cambridge is better, but I don't see a top-level career for him.
Gardner (19) is an intelligent footballer, but lacks a bit in size at the moment, so will be interesting how he gets on at Lincoln.
Not seen Ben Perry enough, but Kevin Nolan (Northampton manager and good mates with Reidy) will have seen him a fair bit and is obviously impressed enough to take him.
Manni Norkett (20) didn't light up Cheltenham, and no-one else has come in, so expect him to be released in the summer.
As I said, would have liked to see Josh Powell out on loan (he had a decent run in the first-team pre-season last season under SSC), but been stuck in the B team ever since and I do like Kyle McAdam and Jack Nadin, although again size may be an issue for a decent pro career.

If we do make European football, it'll be interesting to see what that does for the young fringe players. I do realise that I keep banging on about it but, as things stand, we'd only be able to name a 22 man squad (of over 21s) for Europe, so there's every chance we'd need to keep Dale Taylor and McDonnell (for example) around as bench options and 23rd/24th members of that squad.

With the departure of Omobamidele, Zach Abbott is theoretically 5th choice central defender for the remaining games (although Toff on the left of a three is likely ahead of him).

Thinking ahead to the summer window, if we do secure a European spot we will need 4 homegrown players in our 25 man squad, which means we might have to target Brennan Johnson and Matty Cash for returns to the City Ground. Add in Yates and then it's either pick up someone like Karl Darlow as 3rd keeper or promote a Zach Abbott to the European squad, unless there are some other former graduates out there to target who I have forgotten. Johnson and Cash both feel like they would be available, but how much they would cost I don't know.

Zach Abbott (like Moreira and Tyler Bindon) will still be under 21, so they aren't a factor for the senior squad and can used as much or as little as we want.