Stickied League 2 Transfer Rumours/Confirmed Transfers 2024/25

[jacobncfc]

Reaaaaallly testing the goodwill of last season haha.

He's signed a new deal until 2027

Well that’ll cheer everyone up a bit.

 

[1862]

Well that’ll cheer everyone up a bit.

I haven't checked but there must still be 2 or 3 "can he play centre back?" responses

 

[Youpies]

Colour me cynical but it works out well for all parties the new deal. Notts get a bigger fee and he gets the safety of a long term deal

I do. hink he's enjoying his time at the club though... It does come across genuinely

 

[1862]

Colour me cynical but it works out well for all parties the new deal. Notts get a bigger fee and he gets the safety of a long term deal

I do. hink he's enjoying his time at the club though... It does come across genuinely

Yeah agree with that, I think it pretty much just protects us from getting to the end of this season and facing the possibility of losing him for nothing a year later. I'd be surprised if he leaves this summer now but I doubt it stops anything from happening in January.

 

[jacobncfc]

Colour me cynical but it works out well for all parties the new deal. Notts get a bigger fee and he gets the safety of a long term deal

I do. hink he's enjoying his time at the club though... It does come across genuinely

He will also not have been on particularly good wages having signed as a relative unknown on a three-year deal, so this will give him a more realistic wage and presumably we get the security of a big release clause in return.

Also can’t see him being here much longer than another year if he keeps scoring which I think he will.

 

[The_Viking_Magpie]

Footballing wise that's very good news, financially it's great news.

It's hard not to have a good time when you have been scoring almost every week and winning almost every week to date.

Could easily increase the chance of him going but as mentioned provides guaranteed security and increased finances for player and club.

Superb news for us Stylish Pies.

 

[EnglishRed]

Reaaaaallly testing the goodwill of last season haha.

He's signed a new deal until 2027

Good news for Notts. Well, until he only scores 3 goals all season (I think you're probably safe there).

 

[PuB]

What the hell is a B team project in league 2?

I have no idea either, but it’s a team made up of reserves, youngsters and players signed from Dover, apparently.

 

[THE LAST WALTZ]

Instead of having 20-25 shit players you instead have 40 shit players with the hope some of the shittest ones (b team) develop so they are a bit less shit and can play in the first team eventually.

It’s more a case of buying up lots of youngsters with some promise and trying to develop them into first team players with a view to selling on for a profit.
Not many will make it but it only needs a few.
Makes perfect sense if you can afford to run it.

 

[Agombar stool]

Town sign Brooklyn Genesini

Swindon Town are delighted to announce the signing of full-back Brooklyn Genesini, subject to EFL approval.

www.swindontownfc.co.uk

 

[SaddlerJonny]

Jacob Maddox has been training with us, looks set to sign apparently. Any good?

Good player, rated him. Very tidy, just has a habit of sometimes going missing in games. I'd have kept him though.

 

[Moomin]

Seems to be linked with us and you. We can offered more wages no doubt but he'd probably play more for you, he be competing for Mullins spot which is nailed down when he's back. Unless he can play the target man role bit he's only 6ft

Yeah wages will be higher with you, for sure. We generally play with Nombe as a main striker so we may not necessarily need Armstrong unless we expect Sam to leave.

 

[Chris FGR]

It’s more a case of buying up lots of youngsters with some promise and trying to develop them into first team players with a view to selling on for a profit.
Not many will make it but it only needs a few.
Makes perfect sense if you can afford to run it.

Why not just buy up a few talented youngsters and have them as part of your first team squad?

 

[AusGill]

Why not just buy up a few talented youngsters and have them as part of your first team squad?

There’s a big difference between a youngster with promise, and a youngster that’s good enough to be around the first team.

Any youngster (18-22?) that’s good enough to play in L2 is probably worth a fair bit already.

But we Gills do have a few youngsters that are in our first team. Ethan Coleman (23), Dom Jeffries (21), Joe Gbode (18) and Jayden Clarke (22) have all shown a lot of quality already. And we’ve just got Shad Ogie from Orient. He’s only 21, and we fans thought he’d be a back up. But he put in a MoTM performance against Stockport on debut. Top quality at that age.

 

[BarraMatt]

Why not just buy up a few talented youngsters and have them as part of your first team squad?

We've signed five or so on B team contracts - idea is to develop those while having enough bodies across the squad to allow players on the fringes of the first team, or returning from injury, some game time in a North West reserve league. We've had to palm off long term lay offs on loan or give them very limited minutes in first team games to regain fitness in the past, which was no good for anyone.

 

[joethegill]

Why not just buy up a few talented youngsters and have them as part of your first team squad?

If they're good enough then absolutely - and we have done that with the likes of Coleman, Clarke and now seemingly Ogie. That said, even though they'll all definitely get first team minutes, having B Team games available for fitness has got to be a bonus. Some of the others we've brought in like Ike Orji and Agbebi aren't quite at that level yet, but could get there in the next few years. And if they do get there, they're already our players.

I suppose the crux of it is that the main point of the B team squad is to sign up some players who we hope will be good enough for the first team eventually, without running the risk of throwing them into the first team ahead of time. Plus of course without the B side they'd stay with whichever club they've signed from, leaving the door open for another side to come in for them if they show promise. This way we have an element of control, which (as said above) makes absolute sense if we can afford to do so. It's also a good way of improving the structure at the club and gives us a ready made set of players who won't need settling in periods to the club if they're called upon.

It's one of the main strategies Brentford have used to get to where they are today. That plus a transfer policy which has proven fruitful, but none of it rocket science and I'm glad we're implementing some obvious structural steps.

 

[Stocky]

There’s a big difference between a youngster with promise, and a youngster that’s good enough to be around the first team.

Any youngster (18-22?) that’s good enough to play in L2 is probably worth a fair bit already.

But we Gills do have a few youngsters that are in our first team. Ethan Coleman (23), Dom Jeffries (21), Joe Gbode (18) and Jayden Clarke (22) have all shown a lot of quality already. And we’ve just got Shad Ogie from Orient. He’s only 21, and we fans thought he’d be a back up. But he put in a MoTM performance against Stockport on debut. Top quality at that age.

I was very impressed with Ogie.

We've done some something similar regarding a B team. I think we call it something a bit pretentious like an Emerging Talent programme. Its generally a mix of our youngsters plus we try and catch a few young talents who have been released by bigger clubs who we think may still have a future in the game.

 

[Son of Cod]

My main gripe with this is that in order to aid the development of these youngsters they're being taken out of first team squads where they're playing competitive football and being put in a B team set up where they will inevitably play in reserve team games and against and othe youngsters playing non-competitive football?

The notion of favouring control of the situation doesn't sit well with me. It's essentially saying that potentially 5% of you in the B team might make it, whereas we're fucking over the other 95% because you're coming here to play friendlies for however many years.

I don't really see Brentford as a comparable example with Gillingham, they weren't doing this in L2 were they? Luton were though, I believe. Would be interesting to see what their development squad players from their time in League 2 are getting on.

 

[Monkey Tennis]

My main gripe with this is that in order to aid the development of these youngsters they're being taken out of first team squads where they're playing competitive football and being put in a B team set up where they will inevitably play in reserve team games and against and othe youngsters playing non-competitive football?

The notion of favouring control of the situation doesn't sit well with me. It's essentially saying that potentially 5% of you in the B team might make it, whereas we're fucking over the other 95% because you're coming here to play friendlies for however many years.

I don't really see Brentford as a comparable example with Gillingham, they weren't doing this in L2 were they? Luton were though, I believe. Would be interesting to see what their development squad players from their time in League 2 are getting on.

It’s no different to having an under-21 squad (I’m sure most of you lot do) except these players might sometimes be 22 or 23, and first teamers can have a game with them for fitness.

One of our players was playing for Mossley in whatever division last season - on Saturday he was on the bench in League 2. Pretty sure he’s pretty happy picking up a couple of hundred quid a week as opposed to the zero he was probably on last season.

It’s not stunting anyone’s development, it’s keeping them in the game. Almost all the players will be the ones that typically leave football altogether and end up in the part-time or amateur game, but in our B-team they’ll still have the chance to ‘make it’.

 

[joethegill]

I don't really see Brentford as a comparable example with Gillingham, they weren't doing this in L2 were they? Luton were though, I believe. Would be interesting to see what their development squad players from their time in League 2 are getting on.

No I don't think they were, but simply because they didn't have the finances to do it while they were in League Two. They were definitely doing it as they were towards the top of League One though, and it's been a constant ever since. I think it really works well for them with foreign players, getting them settled in the country out of the spotlight of first team games, it gives them the platform to prove themselves over here, plus the time to develop.

Half of the B team will be out on loan in various places as well over the course of the season too. Likely B matchday squads will consist of some first teamers needing minutes, under 18s stepping in (and wanting to prove themselves too) plus the handful of B's around the club at that time.

It's worth pointing out that before this we didn't have anything between Under 18s and the first team - if they weren't in the first team picture as a teenager they were let go, and we've lost a few decent ones that way in the past few years who developed a year or so later.

 

[LS Bantam]

B teams in this league are just for show. Do you pay a squad of 10 (for easy numbers) B players £300 p/w or a top end first teamer who could get you 20 goals £3k p/w, on the off chance that a cast off from another side, who will be the ones recruited, ‘might’ make it more so than a potential key first teamer. Other than diverting funds away from the first team, the separate staff to coach or organise loans to some pub league, you may as well stick to signing proven league players or the better youth players let go with the little money we have at our level. If you’ve got the money to chance (was going to write ‘spunk’) it then good luck to you.

 

[joethegill]

Alright, if we call it an U23's team does that make it acceptable? If you're happy to do the same thing year after year. be stuck in this league for generations, chancing on a few kids released from Premier League clubs in your first team every year, or half a side of loans as some clubs go for then all power to you. We're trying something different.

For the record I think I'd rather take a chance on 10 kids with prospects than pay the same for one guy who MIGHT score 20, which in itself is no measure of success as Bradford fans will know from last year.

Having the ambition to want to build a proper club structure shouldn't be sneered at. Putting the building blocks in place for what we hope will be a successful future.

 

[chipmunx]

Alright, if we call it an U23's team does that make it acceptable? If you're happy to do the same thing year after year. be stuck in this league for generations, chancing on a few kids released from Premier League clubs in your first team every year, or half a side of loans as some clubs go for then all power to you. We're trying something different.

For the record I think I'd rather take a chance on 10 kids with prospects than pay the same for one guy who MIGHT score 20, which in itself is no measure of success as Bradford fans will know from last year.

Having the ambition to want to build a proper club structure shouldn't be sneered at. Putting the building blocks in place for what we hope will be a successful future.

Bradford are probably paying Taylor more than our whole B team costs..... I'd rather have any of them in our 1st team than him.

 

[Gladders]

Better to release them all, if they are not good enough now, you're just leading them on potentially thinking they may one day make it, but probably won't. Release them and let them get a proper job and career instead of leading them on with false promises for another few years. It's bad enough the premier League do this, never mind lge 2, at least with the premier League wasters they may end up still being professional in lge 2.

 

[Chris FGR]

The issue is in EFL academies most of the players are basically there to be teammates to the max 2 or 3 actual prospects, with the rest having no chance of a pro career. That’s alright in that they are at least doing an educational course alongside it so they aren’t wasting their time as such.

Once it gets to 18-21 year olds, what long term career benefits does it have to stick around in a League 2 clubs b team? You are genuinely better off leaving the game and starting work/uni or at least playing part time in non league whilst getting a proper career going outside of football at the same time.

Do Barrow or Gillingham offer all their b team players support in further education and career guidance outside the game, or is it just a case of playing and training at b team level and promoting one or two every couple of years and chucking the rest out with not a lot to show for it?

 

[joethegill]

Do Barrow or Gillingham offering all their b team players support in further education and career guidance outside the game, or is it just promoting one or two every couple of years and chucking the rest out with not a lot to show for it?

Well seeing as we've literally just started the program, it's a bit tricky to answer your assumption. One of the few good things about the club's infrastructure in recent years has been our in house school programme, so yes we do take education of youngsters pretty seriously. On the flip side, the players we're signing up aren't of school age, so it's entirely up to them if they want to take on any further education or not. We're essentially offering an extended trial period to players who we think could be good enough in the future, I'm really not sure what your problem is with that.

They will be given exposure to a professional football club environment, have better day-to-day coaching than they would receive further down non-league, and if they do end up getting released then they'll still have the opportunity for a career in non-league should they want it - after all we wouldn't have signed them if they weren't talented boys.

Your analysis of academies is fair, and often you'll see a lot of u16/u18 teams with a couple of stand out players and a lot of 'filler', but that's youth football and not really relevant to this situation. As I said in an earlier post, we have our U18 team and our first team - no bridge between. Players fall through that gap who maybe aren't quite physically ready for first team football, but they could be in a couple of years if we persevere with them which of course is a benefit to both the player and the club.

Or the alternative is we join what the rest of you seem to want to do and chuck a load of kids on the scrapheap every year because they aren't first team ready at 18.

 

[PuB]

Well seeing as we've literally just started the program, it's a bit tricky to answer your assumption. One of the few good things about the club's infrastructure in recent years has been our in house school programme, so yes we do take education of youngsters pretty seriously. On the flip side, the players we're signing up aren't of school age, so it's entirely up to them if they want to take on any further education or not. We're essentially offering an extended trial period to players who we think could be good enough in the future, I'm really not sure what your problem is with that.

They will be given exposure to a professional football club environment, have better day-to-day coaching than they would receive further down non-league, and if they do end up getting released then they'll still have the opportunity for a career in non-league should they want it - after all we wouldn't have signed them if they weren't talented boys.

Your analysis of academies is fair, and often you'll see a lot of u16/u18 teams with a couple of stand out players and a lot of 'filler', but that's youth football and not really relevant to this situation. As I said in an earlier post, we have our U18 team and our first team - no bridge between. Players fall through that gap who maybe aren't quite physically ready for first team football, but they could be in a couple of years if we persevere with them which of course is a benefit to both the player and the club.

Or the alternative is we join what the rest of you seem to want to do and chuck a load of kids on the scrapheap every year because they aren't first team ready at 18.

Also worth pointing out that many of our youngsters (and we’re not unique in this by any means), get loaned out to local sides like Chatham, Sittingbourne, Sheppey etc, so they use the club as a base for full time training/physio etc something which they wouldn’t get if they signed for those clubs on a semi-pro basis.

Edit to reiterate: there’s literally a school in our ground so if anyone of any age was looking for career advice or wanted to find someone who knew about further education they wouldn’t have to look very far.

 

[Chris FGR]

Well seeing as we've literally just started the program, it's a bit tricky to answer your assumption. One of the few good things about the club's infrastructure in recent years has been our in house school programme, so yes we do take education of youngsters pretty seriously. On the flip side, the players we're signing up aren't of school age, so it's entirely up to them if they want to take on any further education or not. We're essentially offering an extended trial period to players who we think could be good enough in the future, I'm really not sure what your problem is with that.

They will be given exposure to a professional football club environment, have better day-to-day coaching than they would receive further down non-league, and if they do end up getting released then they'll still have the opportunity for a career in non-league should they want it - after all we wouldn't have signed them if they weren't talented boys.

Your analysis of academies is fair, and often you'll see a lot of u16/u18 teams with a couple of stand out players and a lot of 'filler', but that's youth football and not really relevant to this situation. As I said in an earlier post, we have our U18 team and our first team - no bridge between. Players fall through that gap who maybe aren't quite physically ready for first team football, but they could be in a couple of years if we persevere with them which of course is a benefit to both the player and the club.

Or the alternative is we join what the rest of you seem to want to do and chuck a load of kids on the scrapheap every year because they aren't first team ready at 18.

Dunno if you’ve got any family/friends that’s been in an academy, but say if your lad gets to 18 and hasn’t made it by then the chances are he won’t ever make it (which is the case for 9/10) are you going to advise him to spend another 2 or 3 years hanging around a b team hoping, or is it better to be realistic and get started on a different career/go to uni?

I get the argument from a club’s perspective, if they can afford it, it could pay off if a few make it as late developers but clubs need to be careful not to offer false hope. The majority of these b team lads won’t make it. Sometimes it’s best for their own good to realise that sooner rather than later.

 

[Son of Cod]

It’s no different to having an under-21 squad (I’m sure most of you lot do) except these players might sometimes be 22 or 23, and first teamers can have a game with them for fitness.

One of our players was playing for Mossley in whatever division last season - on Saturday he was on the bench in League 2. Pretty sure he’s pretty happy picking up a couple of hundred quid a week as opposed to the zero he was probably on last season.

It’s not stunting anyone’s development, it’s keeping them in the game. Almost all the players will be the ones that typically leave football altogether and end up in the part-time or amateur game, but in our B-team they’ll still have the chance to ‘make it’.

Most clubs at this level have u21s? I'd be very surprised if that's the case. I'd say most have u16/18s as their top level youth side and that the best players get offered YT grad contracts or get released.

I guess we'll see what sort of calibre of player that Gillingham bring in to be in their development squad. I could certainly see them taking players out of National League South level for example. I'm not sure your development squad is comparable as you don't have a youth team at all do you? Or have I got that wrong?

 

[joethegill]

Most clubs at this level have u21s? I'd be very surprised if that's the case. I'd say most have u16/18s as their top level youth side and that the best players get offered YT grad contracts or get released.

I guess we'll see what sort of calibre of player that Gillingham bring in to be in their development squad. I could certainly see them taking players out of National League South level for example. I'm not sure your development squad is comparable as you don't have a youth team at all do you? Or have I got that wrong?

That's partly the point - we have nowhere for the top scholars to play regularly without the B set up. For example we've just given pro contracts to around 4 or 5 really promising players from the u18s, but they won't develop by hanging around waiting to be given a chance in the 1sts. We can give them game-time on a regular basis, while keeping a close eye on their progress. If a loan move is best for them, they'll go on loan as most of them did last season. In some instances we have some strong depth at first team level currently, but also have promising youth coming through - should we discard these players at 18 because they've currently got half a dozen in front of them in terms of breaking the first team? In a year's time the situation could look totally different and they could be the next cab off the rank.

Jack Tucker was a good example a few years ago, was set to be released before being given an opportunity in the first team thanks to injuries, and nailed down a place in the side before eventually earning us a few quid. If not for the injuries at the time he probably would've been released and we would've lost out. The B team is a safety net for that scenario.

In terms of the players we've signed to the B team so far then yes you're right with the sort of level - Agbebi from Dover and Clarke from Dulwich Hamlet were both NLS, plus Ike Orji from Chatham who are Isthmian Premier (step 3). So far the recruitment process seems to be to give lower league players a chance, rather than released players from higher divisions getting a second chance which I'm all for personally.