Donley's a good player but a problem with these loans - apart from any loan fee - is the risk that Spurs could recall the player in January or sell him to another club. The uncertainty makes it difficult to build a side.
Yeah I remember Conor Gallagher leaving was such a kick in the guts for us many moons ago. That said I still think one or two will arrive in next couple of weeks. I think we’re seen as a good place to send youngsters, except by Spurs maybe.
I’m not sure we are seen that way at all anymore. We’ve got quite a big squad full of players we have spent decent fees on and our own academy players that we want to develop. So game time is hardly guaranteed
Add to that our manager has stated he doesn’t like loans and prefers to develop our own players, and we play a style of football that isn’t favourable to those PL clubs. Add to that our only young player on loan last season barely played and I wouldn’t say he developed much either
I’m not surprised we haven’t signed anyone on loan, because the best loan players won’t be available to us because PL teams are quite picky about what the best move is for their players. I’m not complaining as this is a better way to run a club than relying on loans like we have in the past, but we definitely won’t be seen like we used to be by those PL clubs using the loan market
I agree with this 100%, I don't think we're that attractive to PL clubs at least for youngsters on loan because of our own academy being the priority.
If we make any late loan moves I could see it being a more "senior" player that doesn't make someone's 25 man squad.
Probably with a view to a permanent move provided we can at least retain our league position into the 2026-2027 season.
He said, trying to think of any useful but likely to be surplus RWBs.
Think Knibbs will play in a hybrid 10/8 role, Berry did similar last year but Gilbert couldn’t quite master it positionally. Knibbs was basically doing it last season (albeit a bit further back) so seems a pretty natural fit
Knibbs is very versatile: The Man city midfielders all played hybrid roles and interchanged and when they were winning leagues and cups they interchanged with ease with KDB, Gundogan, Foden, Silva etc; they all played the 8, 10 and would drift wide if Grealish or Doku wasn't playing wide on the left. It seemed they took turns to support Haaland and arrive in the box. I'm sure we all agree, losing their defensive 6 or central midfielder in the impressive Rodri they looked more vulnerable. Rodri reads the game so well and city missed his protection of the defence on the counter attack.
Coventry as the 6 and Knibbs as the hybrid 8/10 will I believe be the first names down on the team sheet regarding midfielders. The rest we will have to wait and see what Nathan decides
Interesting times.
Been quite a while since Charlton have been compared with Man City
Yes quite cheeky 😀 but trying to get the point across that the same hybrid or interchangeable positions can be used and how important a Rodri or Conner Coventry are to sides at the top end of the premier or a newbie team to the Championship; 5 years but it seems longer!
CAFC not quite ready for City's flexibility in movement but...
I know it isn't a rumour, and someone will inevitably complain about more posts and no rumours, but Coventry will be so important and imo, look better a level above.
I've become a bit addicted to using sofascore as a metric and comparing players, Ebou Adams whos is fairly regarded as one of the best/most active DMs in the Championship is very similar to Conor statistically. I know it's a league above, but Ebou basically jumped straight from League 2 to the Championship (Barely featured in League1) and managed the jump fairly comfortably.
Another DM that is similar to Cov is Blackburn's Lewis Travis. Who sounds like he is off to Derby funny enough.
I can see people raving about Conor and I would like to see him sign a new deal, we only have him for 2 more seasons and I reckon he will be worth around 7-10 million after one good season in the Champ if he can match his League 1 performances.
I'll add his stats as a spoiler compared to Ebou & Travis just so you can see how active he actually is as I think it goes under the radar a bit. I think after one season he is going to be regarded as one of the best defensive mids in the Championship
I know he was someone that was mentioned on here a lot earlier in the window , Reading have replaced Harvey Knibbs by bringing in Kamari Doyle on loan from Brighton who I know impressed people on here for Crawley.
Would be worried about a wingback that seems to have a glaring weakness defensively.
Indeed. But he does have Champ experience so...
I think that’s sometimes overvalued, Carey having Champ experience doesn’t guarantee he’ll be better than Knibbs for example. I’d expect more from Knibbs being the more experienced player overall.
Would be worried about a wingback that seems to have a glaring weakness defensively.
Indeed. But he does have Champ experience so...
I think that’s sometimes overvalued, Carey having Champ experience doesn’t guarantee he’ll be better than Knibbs for example. I’d expect more from Knibbs being the more experienced player overall.
Agree, I'd rather have a League One player with Championship asperations than a Championship player with League One talent...
Second Tier podcast Ep 2 has predicted we finish 14th and question whether that may be a bit conservative.
Very impressed with the blend of signings while they believe Nathan will have all we need to be competitive.
It’s a good listen and they know their stuff.
One name which is consistently coming up as an exciting signing is Rob Apter. All bar none think he will do very well despite the step up.
I think they are going overboard here and getting too excited by some shiny new faces, like everyone did with Rotherham last summer.
The prediction that they are being conservative when saying 14th could turn out to be bang on the money, but that’s reliant on almost every signing turning out to be success which we know never happens - even last summer we had the Allan Campbells together with the Matty Goddens.
What this window has done is given us a proper fighting chance of staying up. And we should still consider 21st (and maintaining Championship status) a success for 25/26, with aspiration being 12th-16th for 26/27 with some further investment next summer.
Hey, I've listened to the POD for a couple of years. I fully expected us to be in the first installment and pleasantly surprised we didn't feature. What I would say is they do get some funny opinions stuck in there heads and refuse to budge e.g. Lampard is terrible, Scott Parker is anti-football etc. in the same way they are big fans of Jones & his Luton work and I think this maybe clouding their opinion, I've not listened yet but I'd trust the NTT20 boys opinion more.
Donley would have improved us and would have started, wouldn't have been a case of lack of game time I imagine.
A 3 man midfield of Coventry, Donley, Knibbs would have been top to watch, so it's a shame.
Hopefully we are after another type like Donley who can score and assist in the double figures as well as being combative, we don't need more than one DM when we have Coventry and play 5 at the back imo.
Knibbs described as a box-to-box midfielder again today. When we are in the swing of things I can see him playing there.
I personally think that midfield would be too imbalanced and would be overrun. I think he will want to more traditional 6's and then an 8/10. Donley and Knibbs in the same team would be too much unless we are playing with two 10's behind a nine.
Donley is a cracking player but I think's he's too much of a luxury, from Reading fans I know, they've all said Knibbs is excellent at leading the press from the front and I think that's the major appeal to NJ, creativity and goal threat aligned with working his bollocks off.
I'm expecting Coventry | JRC or Doc | Knibbs when everyone is fully up to speed.
Comments
He said, trying to think of any useful but likely to be surplus RWBs.
Yes quite cheeky 😀 but trying to get the point across that the same hybrid or interchangeable positions can be used and how important a Rodri or Conner Coventry are to sides at the top end of the premier or a newbie team to the Championship; 5 years but it seems longer!
CAFC not quite ready for City's flexibility in movement but...
Did they "pass"?
What big story is on the OS now that is preventing them announcing the latest signing?
There are more questions than answers
There are more questions than answers
And the more I find out the less I know.
He certainly seems to have the right personality for Charlton
Donley is a cracking player but I think's he's too much of a luxury, from Reading fans I know, they've all said Knibbs is excellent at leading the press from the front and I think that's the major appeal to NJ, creativity and goal threat aligned with working his bollocks off.
I'm expecting Coventry | JRC or Doc | Knibbs when everyone is fully up to speed.