Neil in the transfer market?

[Moosheep]

How do people think Alex Neil will perform in the transfer market? I have no idea how successful his signings were at Hamilton, but regardless he is going to have to operate at a whole new level and be signing a far better quality player. Does he have the eye for up and coming talent or will he opt for more established players? Getting the wrong players in has been the downfall of many a newly promoted EPL team (Norwich in 04/05 a good example). His one signing, Tony Andreu, seems to have disappeared without trace! It seems to me that the transfer market is the one piece of the Alex Neil jigsaw that we have yet to see fit into place.

Thought?

 

[Din]

Don't also forget Dorrans, who has been very impressive since he came in. But it'll certainly be interesting to see who comes in. He doesn't really have any contacts that he could call upon apart from those in Scotland, but if his transfer acumen is half as good as his tactical nous then we should be in for an exciting summer.

 

[KeiranShikari]

With how the club operate nowadays I'm sure we'd be fine even if he was useless in the transfer market. I don't think that will be the case, of course. 

Thinking about it, have we even announced a new head of recruitment yet? Pretty sure we haven't. Well I'm sure that vacancy won't be too hard to fill with quality now anyway.

 

[BroadstairsR]

He doesn't seem easily fazed, so he'll probably take it within his stride.

The scouting staff will have players in their sights, but the goal posts were moved a bit on Monday.

May be there's Snoddy or two lurking in the Scottish leagues waiting to be plucked from relative obscurity.

There was atime, when classy Scottish footballers flooded our top league, law, Baxter, Gilzean, Lorrimer, Strachan and, of course, Jim Bone, and not forgetting Jim Oliver, or even Bryan Gunn. 

Perhaps it's time for a renaissance? If so, we are in the driving seat. 

 

[Gaffer]

He does his research and gets his match tactics spot on so I think he'll do the same in the transfer market. The Dorrans signing was just what we needed. A repeat of the RvW fiasco is unlikely under AN's stewardship.

 

[derehamyella]

I think that the network is always in place, most of the scouts are employed or regually paid by the club irrespective of managers, wasn;t  Hughton one of the first to use a head scout, forgot his name.  and that was a roaring success..

  I am not worried at all for AN  if prepares for transfer like the games then we really have nothing to worry about.  We will all have our views on players the ones he gets and the ones we think he should have..    I love transfer time.

 

[Yellow Fever]

McNally has stated that they already have a PL list in place to replace players leaving and bring the squad up to around 25, so it all seems to be in place.

 

[The Great Mass Debater]

I wonder where we should be looking to recruit players from though. A club like ours would do well to cherry-pick from the championship - providing a good platform for promotion should we get relegated. Also with our rivals mainly looking abroad this would seem the most obvious pool of talent to tap.

Unfortunately, most teams consider themselves to be in with a shout of promotion, and selling their best player reduces those chances and risks a fan backlash, so consequently, most Championship teams will demand a hefty fee for their top players. With Blackburn and Fulham paying £11m odd for Rhodes and McCormack, the championship is by no means a cheap option. Prices are inflated in all probability.

English Premier League players cost a premium, so thats a no go. Loans Id rather we stayed clear of. What worked well for us under Lambert was a couple of good signings from League One. Though consider that we paid £3m for Pilkington when he'd still not yet come back from a serious injury, he scored 12 goals I think in his first season and was the highest scoring midfielder that season if my stats are correct. He became an Ireland international. Yet, despite all his advancement for us, we sold him at a loss of £1m. We paid 3m for a player carrying an injury and whom had only played in the third tier. Elliott Bennett also did ok, think we paid 1.2m for him or something similar, but jumping two leagues is always going to be a big challenge.

I wonder whether we should take the championship model, but maybe apply it to other countries, for example, look to Spain, where star second tier players might step up very well, but wont come with the massively inflated prices like the championship - think Michu for 2m.

Im not sure Scotland would serve us well, though it is the obvious market due to Neils experiences - though Im surprised he doesnt show more faith in Hooper, having seen him smash the SPL with Celtic

 

[Yellow Fever]

Following your logic, GMD, a new rumour has surfaced of our interest in an Irananian winger with 15 caps by the age of 21 who currently plays in the Dutch second tier:

http://hereisthecity.com/en-gb/2015/05/27/report-norwich-to-rival-celtic-for-nec-nijmegen-winger-alireza-j/

 

[The Great Mass Debater]

Nope! Cant pronounce either the players name or the club!

Interesting, but personally, I think these stories come from players agents, trying to flush out some interest. We seemed to be linked to everyone under the sun two years ago

 

[crabbycanary]

Well the clearout has begun to free up wages in that Becchio and Cuellar have now gone

 

[Yellow Fever]

Nope! Cant pronounce either the players name or the club!

Interesting, but personally, I think these stories come from players agents, trying to flush out some interest. We seemed to be linked to everyone under the sun two years ago

If it's difficult for us, GMD, imagine what poor old Chris Goreham would think if we signed him! 

 

[Wiz]

About time with Becchio...twas an odd signing in the first place.

 

[KeiranShikari]

Wouldn't say odd but certainly not first choice. We did need a striker and he was banging them in at the time.

 

[KeiranShikari]

As for the Iranian fellow. Tall wingers are my fetish, we should go for it.

 

[Suffolk Canary]

Unfortunately, most teams consider themselves to be in with a shout of promotion, and selling their best player reduces those chances and risks a fan backlash, so consequently, most Championship teams will demand a hefty fee for their top players. With Blackburn and Fulham paying £11m odd for Rhodes and McCormack, the championship is by no means a cheap option. Prices are inflated in all probability.

Very true.  English players and English leagues have seen transfer prices inflate at a ridiculous rate.  It's usually cheaper to buy abroad, where more clubs accept that players will have to leave at some point to progress their careers, and many clubs rely on selling players to stay afloat as they don't have the TV money like england has to run clubs. 

 

[Yellow Fever]

I wonder where we should be looking to recruit players from though. A club like ours would do well to cherry-pick from the championship - providing a good platform for promotion should we get relegated. Also with our rivals mainly looking abroad this would seem the most obvious pool of talent to tap.

Unfortunately, most teams consider themselves to be in with a shout of promotion, and selling their best player reduces those chances and risks a fan backlash, so consequently, most Championship teams will demand a hefty fee for their top players. With Blackburn and Fulham paying £11m odd for Rhodes and McCormack, the championship is by no means a cheap option. Prices are inflated in all probability.

English Premier League players cost a premium, so thats a no go. Loans Id rather we stayed clear of. What worked well for us under Lambert was a couple of good signings from League One. Though consider that we paid £3m for Pilkington when he'd still not yet come back from a serious injury, he scored 12 goals I think in his first season and was the highest scoring midfielder that season if my stats are correct. He became an Ireland international. Yet, despite all his advancement for us, we sold him at a loss of £1m. We paid 3m for a player carrying an injury and whom had only played in the third tier. Elliott Bennett also did ok, think we paid 1.2m for him or something similar, but jumping two leagues is always going to be a big challenge.

Im not sure Scotland would serve us well, though it is the obvious market due to Neils experiences - though Im surprised he doesnt show more faith in Hooper, having seen him smash the SPL with Celtic

I'm not sure the PL is always an expensive place for signings, if the player you want is out of favour with his current manager. This worked well for us with both Jerome (1.5m) and Dorrans (3m). There might be other gems like those with the advantage of PL experience.

 

[Dubai Mark]

Even including Lambert's time with us, I have never been more confident over the more recent years that our Manager/Club will bring in the right signings to strengthen up our squad. Now my humble pie has been finally finished, and I was still eating it on the way to Wembley it was that big after the comments I made following his appointment.

I really cannot remember being as impressed by a Norwich City Manager as I much as I have been by Alex Neil, really serious about that, even Lambert didnt impress me this much.......so, yes full of confidence that he knows what he wants, and is probably even planning which team he will put out against each EPL side next season,  I exaggerate, but you know what I mean.   

 

[ZLF]

It is the only unknown but I am not too worried.    His two signings so far are Dorrans (prem class) and Andreu.   Its clear the latter,  like RvW actually,  is a skillful attacking player who is a little lightweight for the hustle bustle of english football.    The summer will tell whether Neil and the training team can beef him up in 6 months ready to compete.   ditto RvW.     However its clear that Andreu has talent  - so we are 1+ reason for optimism out of two so far.

Also given how clearly focused he is on getting his methods into players I cant imagine him being less thorough on new signings.    Yes having cash is a new experience for him - but so it is,  if we are honest,  for the whole club.

Finally player purchases are now a team effort - Alex will have specified the positions and attributes and the scouting team will have provided a list of targets and the "tom cavendish" scouting reports.   Alex, McAuley & Holt and that team will have considered who is the best fit.       The days of the manager identifying and securing players is long past.     What I do think Alex will do is ensure hsi research is thorough,  extensive and best choices made.

But remember,  he,  like every other of the 91 managers recruiting this summer,  will make some mistakes; No manager has a 100% record,    not all players will settle or justify their fee or wages and the least likely looking players will be a success - esp after three months of the AN effect.   That IS just the nature of the beast. 

 

[Yellow Fever]

I'm hoping that AN sticks to his guns and looks for quality rather than quantity. 18 of our first team players have PL experience already and that will be invaluable. We also have yet to see what Odjidja-Ofoe and Andreu will add to the squad next year, but I suspect that AN already has a good idea. Dorrans will bring valuable fresh PL experience and his calm and cultured passing game will be invaluable in helping to keep possession against PL sides. Every one of the players who started the play-off final has considerable PL experience as well as a close knowledge of the other players' skills. Some new players will come in, but it won't be an upheaval that unsettles the current balance. The other key will be the focus, thoroughness and man-management of AN and that will make all the difference.