Free Agents

So the January window slams shut with no incoming transfers.

Fair enough.

The squad as it stands is very strong, but as everyone has said, including Farke, one or two positions could do with additional cover. Farke has also said any player coming into the club would need to tick a number of boxes, otherwise the club would explore alternative options.

The January window can be a notoriously difficult window to do business in, despite the number of deals going through which would appear to counter that claim. It all depends on quality, price, availability, and willingness of both club and player to effect a transfer mid-season. It isn't always straight forward.

In my humble opinion it's not the end of the world. We only have to look at our own Josuha Guilavogui to see that there are free agents to be had as a short term, experienced addition to the squad as cover for positions where numbers are thin. Whether they fit the profile of the kind of player Farke would like, and are of the calibre required, is another matter. There are players who are out of contract as recently as last month, so unless injuries brought their contract to an end, they should be fit enough to be integrated quickly into the squad.

Someone like Kemar Roofe as an example would be a complete no-no. He played 63 games in 4 years at Rangers due to beng constantly injured and is without a club since last summer. Realistically, who would take a chance on him, unless you were looking for someone to keep Bamford company in the treatment room?

If we were to go down the free agent route I believe it would better sooner than later so that the player would be up to speed fitness-wise more quickly and not have to play catch up. A contract to the end of the season with a clearly defined role as a backup if needed would solve a problem without a major long term investment and allow us to recruit for the PL in the summer, assuming we go up.

It wouldn't surprise me if the recruitment team have one eye on this market, especially as they've already dipped into it last October. It may be that Farke is content with what he's got but that would contradict what he said about hoping to add what used to be known as a midfield general and/or striker this window.

The reality is that we have an array of talent throughout the whole squad that is likely the envy of the rest of the Championship. I can't ever remember us having a 9 substitute bench that's as strong as it is now. We seem to have gone from creche kids to fearsome powerhouses. As long as injuries and suspensions don't kick in towards the end of the season we'll be OK, but there's no crystal ball for those possibilities and we know all too well how last season played out.

I have confidence in the owners to do what is needed without panicking or being reckless in their approach, something I occasionally felt Radrizzani and co were guilty of, for example, "don't go to bed yet", and "white smoke". Don't get me started on the relegation loan clauses.

If nothing happened this window it's because there weren't suitable, sensibly priced options that matched the desired criteria. It's quite possible that a strategy for potential recruitment has been discussed with Farke (assuming he still wants those additions), should the window not bear any fruit, as it hasn't done. Let's see what happens.

In the meantime, there's an away match against Coventry to get through on Wednesday and it would be good to pick up 3 points on the road for a change. Confidence should be through the stratosphere after the 7-0 annhiliation of Cardiff last Saturday but as ever, we can't take anything for granted.

Despite the odd hiccup here and there I'm absolutely loving this season and looking forward to some exciting times in the next 3 months or so.

Free agents or no free agents, stick or twist, I'm happy either way. There'll be 23 Championship clubs who would gladly swap places with us, so let's enjoy the ride, squeaky bum time notwithstanding

MOT