Stickied League 2 Transfer Rumours/Confirmed Transfers 2024/25

[Kenneth E End]

Playing with better players and working with better coaches is probably better for the player at that age anyway.

Not really. At that age, its crucial that the kid actually enjoys what he's doing. I think the parents have been sensible to an extent. Come pre season training he'd have left all his friends behind and playing alongside youngsters from across Europe.

You also need the football brain - players can have all the talent in the world, but if they haven't got the football brain, you're not going to make it.

 

[Kenneth E End]

There's a guy who posts on Outlaws who works with our youth set-up, and he has suggested before that it would be more cost effective for us to basically scrap the youth system below u-16s or something, as at that age we can offer pro terms and guarantee real financial returns on the players.

Considering we were spending £400-450,000 on our academy every year when we were in non league football, without any central financial assistance, this must be entering the minds of some.

 

[Murphy]

Playing with better players and working with better coaches is probably better for the player at that age anyway.

I agree with that to an extent, but Luton won't have some two bit Sunday League dad down there coaching the kids, he'll be well licensed and up to standard. The only major difference would be in the facilities between Luton and Arsenal, and the fact that an 11 year old is moving for that sort of money is utterly ridiculous. What's the point of academies if we don't get to see our own talent come through.

 

[daviejones]

In fairness I think if we're talking about the kid enjoying his football, surely his parents and him would be better suited to judge that. They obviously thought it was a good move for them for whatever reason, however there's countless cases of people getting offers to go to bigger clubs and rejecting them.

I seem to remember someone on our board saying that Newcastle wanted Dempsey when he was in our youth team but he rejected them, and from what I remember it was a pretty great deal for the parents albeit perhaps not for the club. My point is that if you talk about shutting down the academy because of the few times that a player does leave to go to an Arsenal or a Newcastle, then you lose the players from all the other times where they come through your youth team, become a first team player and earn you a load of money.

 

[Kenneth E End]

We haven't had one of those for a while - Cauley Woodrow signed for Fulham as a 16-year old after playing a couple of FA Trophy games for around £250,000. The last "big money" deals were during the Mike Newell/Kevin Blackwell era - that money miraculously disappeared.

I think the next couple of seasons, we may have a couple starting to emerge, but our biggest earners will come from players that've dropped out of the bigger clubs in their late teens - like Cameron McGeehan, Michael Harriman and Pelly Ruddock.

And because of the EPPP, before the age of 16, the big clubs can pick and chose who they want to take.

 

[daviejones]

It differs a lot depending on your club obviously. We've got a massive catchment area with no professional teams nearby so we put a lot more faith in the youth setup than in collecting bigger teams' released players in their late teens. This pays off for us pretty consistently; 4 of our best players this season (not hard I know) have been from the youth team and they'll all probably go onto bigger and better things at some stage.

Young players in the area only really have us as a sensible option to progress because of the lack of competition and there's unlikely to be many big clubs sniffing around the youth team unless a player's really special - United did nick one of our keepers for a relatively small fee at around the time of the London riots I seem to remember, but this is rarer than for other clubs. But at the same time we struggle to attract the released players from bigger clubs so it's swing and roundabouts I guess.

 

[Judge Dredd]

For anyone interested, this is what the guy who works in our youth set-up suggested would be the best system to adopt for us going forward:

"1- Dump EPPP Cat 3 (u7s to u18s) and all its trimmings and replace with EPPP Cat 4 (u18s)
2- Scrap the academy under 16 and replace with community coaching and an elite squad
3- Reduce staff levels and increase scouting to find the best 14-17 year olds from EPPP Cat 1 clubs
4- Recruit a team of top transition coaches (technical, tactical, fitness/conditioning, psychology) for our 17-21 yo to make sure they convert to adult football
5- Raise our middle finger to the PL, FA and FL and tell them to stick their funding up their arse "

 

[daviejones]

Kyle Dempsey now being monitored by Crystal Palace according to someone on our board who 99% of the time is right. Worrying times.

 

[RavenBish]

Kyle Dempsey now being monitored by Crystal Palace according to someone on our board who 99% of the time is right. Worrying times.

So he's only got 1 wrong out of 100 rumours? Very impressive.

 

[daviejones]

So he's only got 1 wrong out of 100 rumours? Very impressive.

It's a figure of speech.. although he generally only posts things he's been told by someone who actually knows so it'd be near that number.

 

[EricSabin]

Seems Luton are after strikers then?

No substantial rumours for us so far, were apparently after Adam Chapman and apparently Tom Pope too. Doubt we'd have the money for Pope

 

[Judge Dredd]

Seems Luton are after strikers then?

I'd be surprised if we didn't sign at least two this summer. Maybe three if Cullen leaves.

 

[daviejones]

I'd be surprised if we didn't sign at least two this summer. Maybe three if Cullen leaves.

I'll drive Billy Paynter over to your stadium if you want him? Please?

 

[EricSabin]

I'd be surprised if we didn't sign at least two this summer. Maybe three if Cullen leaves.

Interesting! Cullen likely to?

 

[Judge Dredd]

Interesting! Cullen likely to?

Not sure to be honest. He obviously had his head turned mid-season to the point that Still dropped him and said he'd never play for us again after requesting a move. But then he was back in the team a week later and it was apparently a miscommunication issue... hmm! All the rumours suggest that Peterborough were the club involved, but they made a bid which we rejected and then sacked their manager a couple of days later, and we've heard nothing on it since. Cullen was back in the team playing 90 minutes every week by the end of the season and he's contracted for another two years, so it's hard to say.

Personally I'd sell him in a heartbeat if there was still interest. I'd take anything over £100k probably, he's okay but he doesn't fit our system, he can pretty much only be effective in a 4-4-2. He's not good enough to build a whole team around so I'd rather take whatever cash we can for him and sign either a proper target man or a pacey wide forward type to suit Still's preferred 4-2-3-1. I was pretty surprised League One clubs were interested at all to be honest, he's a barely above average League Two goal poacher, can't self-create, isn't quick, isn't tall...

 

[StagsForLife]

Seems Luton are after strikers then?

No substantial rumours for us so far, were apparently after Adam Chapman and apparently Tom Pope too. Doubt we'd have the money for Pope

Good luck with that but you'll be paying a fee

 

[Kenneth E End]

Serious question - where do Northampton get the money from? Cardoza's back pocket?

Your budget last season must've been quite significant.

 

[EricSabin]

Serious question - where do Northampton get the money from? Cardoza's back pocket?

Your budget last season must've been quite significant.

Pretty much! We've always had big budgets, ours was 5th in the league this year. For the money we spend we really do underachieve. The redevelopment should mean we can spend even more as we will make more. We also spent a lot the year before paying off Boothroyd, then paying compo and a big wage for Wilder and also, Knill as assistant won't be on peanuts.

 

[EricSabin]

Good luck with that but you'll be paying a fee

Were <-- past tense

 

[Chippy]

Pope would be a great signing for us but can't help but think he will stay in League One.

I did hear an interesting one from fella I know at the club today, Craig Mackail-Smith. He's been released by Brighton after a couple of stop start years, loves John Still and vice versa. Was here for the Shrewsbury game on Sky TV I believe. Would be very happy with that signing.

 

[Kenneth E End]

Pope would be a great signing for us but can't help but think he will stay in League One.

I did hear an interesting one from fella I know at the club today, Craig Mackail-Smith. He's been released by Brighton after a couple of stop start years, loves John Still and vice versa. Was here for the Shrewsbury game on Sky TV I believe. Would be very happy with that signing.

Now you're talking. Its £££££ though.
I bet St Albans were gutted when they released him at 19 years old after just 2 goals in 45 games at Step 3!

 

[StagsForLife]

Were <-- past tense

Read that at 3 in the morning so didn't pick up on that haha.

 

[Judge Dredd]

£££ and his record since he ruptured his Achilles and missed over a year of football is pretty dire (albeit at higher levels) so a bit of a risk. He'll probably end up at Peterborough I would imagine.

 

[cufc17]

Ivan Toney to Bolton?
It's just a Twitter rumour, but apparently Northampton value him at 500k.

 

[daviejones]

Exeter, York, Carlisle and now Portsmouth interested in Vadaine Oliver
http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/carlisle-united/latest/1.1212434?

 

[Chippy]

I don't think there are many "no-risk" signings at this level to be honest

 

[WH_Stag]

How can you know a kid is a wonderkid at the age of 11?

I played with Patrick Bamford when we were 9/10... us winning 9-1 and him scoring all 9 indicated that he was a bit of a wonder kid.

 

[TrinidadsNumberOne]

Exeter, York, Carlisle and now Portsmouth interested in Vadaine Oliver
http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/carlisle-united/latest/1.1212434?

What the actual fuck? This is brilliant, another Leitch-Smith waiting to happen!

 

[Beee]

If Deverdics does sign for Luton it would complete one of the most bizarre career trajectories I've seen.

He was pretty average for us in 2009-ish, career then went into rapid decline, then managed to get a Conference club to take a chance on him, then all of a sudden he's signing for Luton! Odd.

 

[HertsCobbler]

His agent is Phil Sproson who seems to have a lot of lower league players. Hackett, Carter, Nicholls, Mohamed all seem to use him.