Well here we are again. Another annual Summer Window Preview, and another time we're preparing for life in a different division to the one we started the season in. In-terms of talking about the season that's just finished, I'm not going to go into too much detail. I'll just leave it with this quote from my Season Preview I posted back in September in relation to our chances of staying up which more or less sums up how the season unfolded.
"I do think tactically we're better suited to being in the Premier League this time around, but frankly I just don't think we'll have enough quality over 38 games."
I'd prefer to look ahead, rather than backwards- because this summer is arguably going to be one of the biggest summers we've had in our recent history. Simply for the fact that we need to work out where we are, and what we want to be as a club. And I'll say straight away, I almost don't want to get promoted next season to break the Yo-Yo cycle we're currently in. Obviously I want us to win every game- but at the same time I'd take a year in the Championship rebuilding a new, fresher, younger team both with signings and also by using the likes of Fabio Carvalho and then a proper run at promotion in our second and final year of Parachute Payments if it meant that if/when we got promoted we had a better chance of staying in the Premier League.
I suppose you can also consider this next over-long blog my job application to be the new Assistant Director of Football that we're supposedly after- because what I want to get across with these signing suggestions is a real and clear philosophy of where I want us to go as a club. At our best in the season just gone, we were a young, hungry, high-energy team and I'd like to see us continue on that path. I also just want us to be an exciting team to watch again. Especially in the Championship, I want to see us take the game to other teams and have some real drive and impetus rather than constantly playing with the handbrake on regardless of the opposition or score.
As usual with these Summer Window Previews, I do have to add in the disclaimer that I'm not expecting us to sign all of the names in this shortlist- and I'm not expecting us to necessarily sign these exact names and it's more that they're the profile of player I'd be chasing this summer. If we did sign the exact names it would be great though, because there are some really good players coming up.
Ins
Goalkeeper
For the first time in a couple of years, I'm actually going to be looking at potential Keepers. Ultimately it will come down to Marcus Bettinelli, and whether he's happy to be the "Cup Keeper" behind Rodak for next season which I'll look at in more detail later on. But if the position did become available, my preference would be to sign someone with loads of experience coming toward the end of their career on a Free- but someone who'd be happy to play back-up to Rodak all the same. I'd prefer this to having a Youth Keeper on the bench, just because I'd prefer to loan out said Youth Keepers for experience combined with the security of knowing that the Keeper on the bench can make the step up and be comfortable in "Mens Football".
Eldin Jakupovic (Leicester)
Jakupovic has been a completely forgotten man since he joined Leicester. But he was actually a very solid Keeper at Hull, which earned him the move in the first place. To me Jakupovic is the ideal profile of Keeper that we should be looking at. He's obviously got experience in spades, he'd be a good player to have in the dressing room because of said experience- and he'd be able to do a job for us in Cup games and league games should Rodak be injured, suspended etc.
Keiren Westwood (Sheffield Wednesday)
Westwood's contract with Sheffield Wednesday expires this summer with him confirming his departure following their relegation a few days ago. Similar to Jakupovic in many ways, Westwood would be a good player to have in the dressing room- but the added bonus with Westwood is that he has more recent Championship experience and just recent game experience in general as Jakupovic has been firmly 3rd choice at Leicester since he signed.
Defenders
Our defence is actually in a decent spot going into the summer, even with the obvious departure of Joachim Andersen. For the Championship, the level of Defender we have is very good. But with that said, we should still be looking to add should the right player become available. And should a player or players leave, we obviously need replacements lined up. Some of it is also system dependant as well, given Parker's switched between a 4 and a 5-back throughout the season which lends itself to different characteristics of potential signings.
Jonathan Panzo (Dijon)
Our current Centre-Back options after departures are Tosin, Tim Ream, Michael Hector, Terence Kongolo and Alfie Mawson- which on paper is exceptional for the Championship. But when you factor in Kongolo and Mawson's injury records, and especially with Mawson a potential departure- combined with me wanting to see Tim Ream moved to the back-burner due to his age and inability to make the step up it suddenly becomes more of a priority for us.
As I've already talked about, in general I want us to build on what our best characteristics were in the season just gone of being a young, hungry, high-energy team. With that in mind, Jonathan Panzo would be a very smart signing in my opinion. Dijon joined us in the relegation gang by comfortably finishing last in Ligue 1, and added on to that with the finances of basically every French team not named PSG on the ropes- you would imagine Panzo would be available if the right offer came on for him. Young, English and Left-Footed as a Centre-Back is a very, very attractive proposal- and the potential is definitely there with Panzo.
It goes without saying we'll have limited funds this summer, so if the price for Panzo was extortionate I wouldn't touch him. But without actually knowing, I would think Panzo would be a relatively good price with all factors considered- and we have a potential bargaining chip in that AK47's spent the second half of the season on loan at Dijon as well. Although maybe that'll mean they make us spend more.
Joseph Okumu (Elfsborg)
This is the first of (probably) many names in this Shortlist that are "straight to Google" names for the majority of people, and that's if Jonathan Panzo wasn't already. Okumu's the best Defender in Sweden right now, and on paper he has absolutely everything needed to succeed for us next season. He's strong, tall and deceptively quick for someone his size. We'd face major competition for Okumu's signature should we be in for him if reports are to be believed, the strongest link I've seen with him so far is Rangers to give an idea of his "level" generally speaking.
My preference between Okumu and Panzo would be entirely dependant on which side Parker sees as Tosin's best. He's spent most of the season as a Left Centre-Back, but of course he is naturally right-footed and he was moved to the right partnering Ream for the games against Man Utd and Newcastle.
Issa Kabore (Man City)
Right-Back will be an interesting one to watch this summer. If the report in The Athletic is to be believed, Kenny Tete could well be staying this summer- and then we also have Denis Odoi contracted for another year and Steven Sessegnon returning from loan. However neither of those two options as back-up is that encouraging to me. I want us to try and build something that'll last, and that immediately rules Odoi out- and Sessegnon hasn't pulled up any trees at Bristol City. My preference when talking about another Right-Back would be someone who has different characteristics to what we already have with Kenny Tete.
Enter Issa Kabore, whereas Tete is relatively defence-minded- to the point where if we play a five-at-the-back next season I'd rather Tete play on the right side of the three rather than the Wing-Back. Kabore on the other hand is the definition of a Wing-Back. Kabore's all pace as he's shown on loan at Mechelen, and as usual with what I do in these blogs in recent years he could finally be the replacement for Fredericks we still haven't found.
As I've already talked about, in the scenario of us playing a five-at-the-back Kabore would suit the Wing-Back role perfectly- but also in games where we'll firmly be on the front foot and we won't have to worry about defending as much I'd prefer to have the attacking option of Kabore starting instead of Tete.
Deian Sorescu (Dinamo Bucharest)
Sorescu is similar to Kabore in many ways, in that he has pace to spare and he'd be more of an attack-minded option at Right-Back. But Sorescu would be a completely different level to what Kabore would offer, in the sense that he's more or less a Winger playing as a Right-Back. However, I'd completely back it- because as I've said I want to see us be a front-foot team next season and take the game to teams and having Sorescu at Right-Back who is a genuine goal threat would be a good addition with that in mind.
Ian Maatsen (Chelsea)
I'll look at our Left-Back situation more in the Outs section later, but it's definitely fair to say there'll be a scenario where we will need to be in the market for a back-up Left-Back behind either Robinson or Bryan this summer. And I should say now, in-terms of straight loans- I'd only want to have Loan players as back-ups. Loan + Options (the Tony Khan special) I wouldn't mind as much in the way we signed Knockaert, Cavaleiro, Bobby Reid etc. in our last Championship window for FFP purposes.
Maatsen's coming off a decent season on loan at Charlton, and I would expect to see him in the Championship next season one way or another. Maatsen would be a very strong option for us next season- and offer us some versatility as well given that while he spent most of the season at Left-Back he also deputised as a Right-Winger on occasion which is also another signal of the attacking intent I want to see us approach the season with.
Midfielders
Right off the bat, it needs to be said that the Midfield is where we're going to need major surgery this summer. The only Centre-Mids I would confidently say we'll have at the club next season are Harrison Reed, Josh Onomah and Tom Cairney. And when you factor in Cairney's injury problems, that has us very thin on the ground. With that in mind, it isn't an understatement to say we'll need to sign two, if not three new Centre-Mids this summer before we're in a comfortable position.
I also want to see us put more of an emphasis on getting goals from the Midfield as well, because that's been a very big problem for us since Scott Parker's been in charge which I don't think can be illustrated any more than the fact our Centre-Mids scored a grand total of two goals between them all season (Cairney against Palace and Lemina against Liverpool) which is only one more than Liverpool's Goalkeepers.
Jean Onana (Lille)
While I wouldn't go as far as to call Harrison Reed injury prone, because that would be quite harsh, I also wouldn't back him to start 46 games next season. With that in mind, we do have to look at some defensive-mid options that will be able to step up in Reed's absence both with injury but also the rotation you need to do over such a long season.
Jean Onana is a very old-school defensive-mid in many ways and he's shown that style off a lot on loan at Mouscron in the season that's just finished. He's not particularly good on the ball, but what he does well is sitting in front of the back-four, breaking up play, making tackles and then passing it to players who can offer more on the ball than he can. And especially in the Championship, that style of player can definitely be useful for us with the sort of games we'll most likely be in a lot of the time.
Patrick Berg (Bodo/Glimt)
Bodo/Glimt have been somewhat of a fairytale story in Norway over the last couple of years, "doing a Leicester" by winning the Norwegian league and turning into a bit of a talent farm selling the likes of Jens Petter Hauge to Milan and Philip Zinckernagel to Watford over the last year or so. And someone central to this success has been defensive-midfielder and current Norwegian international Patrick Berg who for my money is currently the best player in the league.
Whereas Jean Onana is a very old-fashioned defensive-midfielder, Patrick Berg is the very definition of a modern one. Onana is for want of a better way to put it, quite one-dimensional, Berg is a very dynamic defensive-midfielder who is much more progressive on the ball. Especially if we're only playing with two Centre-Mids next season either with a 4-4-2 or a 3-4-3, Berg's abilities would compliment Harrison Reed's very well and give us a very good balance.
Abdou Harroui (Sparta Rotterdam)
When discussing what my "philosophy" for signings would be this summer, and the sort of player I'd look to recruit- Abdou Harroui is everything I want out of this coming window personified. Harroui is the exact sort of ambitious signing I want us to make this summer, and channel our efforts and finances into rather than going for big name players like a Loftus-Cheek or going down the "proven Championship" route like we did in our last Championship summer window with players like Knockaert on big money.
As I've said already, Harroui is everything I want out of this transfer window. He's a young, exciting, energetic box-to-box midfielder who has a goal in him to boot. With Harroui's contract expiring in 2022, he wouldn't/shouldn't be a ridiculous price either. These sorts of signings are what we need to get better at in general, in that we need to be better at signing players at a good age, give them a good platform to get their name out, improve them in-turn getting their value up and then selling them on for profit.
Gustavo Hamer (Coventry)
From one young Dutch midfielder to another, Hamer's form definitely tailed off toward the end of the season for Coventry- but he's shown more than enough in the first half of the season to turn some heads- and with respect to Coventry attract the attention of some bigger name clubs.
Hamer fits a similar profile to Harroui in that he's definitely a proper box-to-box Midfielder who can contribute at both ends of the pitch, but the added attraction with Hamer is that he can actually take a Set-Piece. Of the many flaws we had in the season that's just finished, with the way we were set up to defend and snatch 1-0s- our complete inability to be a threat from direct or in-direct set-pieces compared to a Burnley or Newcastle was arguably one of the biggest reasons we went down. As such I'd like to see us try and take a step to address that this summer one way or another.
Alexandru Cicaldau (Universitatea Craiova)
A defensive and a box-to-box midfielder are the absolute minimum I want out of this transfer window, but I'd also like to see us look to add a genuine #10 attacking-midfielder- simply because I don't think we can rely on Tom Cairney to play 46 games next season. And with the abject failure of Loftus-Cheek having someone to connect the Midfield and the Attack and a complete lack of creativity as a result completely killed us in the season that's just finished.
So as a result, we're taking second trip to Romania, this time for Alexandru Cicaldau. I'd actually say Cicaldau fits a similar profile to Cairney in many ways in-terms of his goal threat and the threat he carries going forward, but Cicaldau would be a long-term option and someone we can build around going forward as I've made a point of with these signings. Cicaldau will have only just turned 24 when we kick off for the first game of the season in August. In short, coming into what should be his prime years.
Valon Berisha (Reims)
It's time for an old favourite. When trying to address a general lack of creativity, I thought it was best to look at the teams around us and see what they did. As a result, I ended up looking for a player who fits a similar profile to Matheus Pereira. Someone who can play centrally or out-wide, can take a good set-piece and crucially will be a genuine goal threat. And I couldn't look past someone I've suggested in these multiple times before.
I've been a big fan of Berisha for literal years at this point, and the previous years versions of these blogs are all the evidence needed to prove it. As I've already talked about, the finances in French Football are pretty ropey right now- so if the right offer came in for Berisha I would assume Reims would accept. Especially for someone Berisha's age where the clock is firmly ticking in-terms of any re-sell value. It's a departure from the general theme of this blog in that Berisha's slightly older (in fact Berisha's the oldest outfield player suggested), but as I've said already when looking at the profile of player I was looking for- I just couldn't see past him. Hopefully this year is the year.
Forwards
This is probably the most interesting section, in-terms of the fact that so much is up in the air because of stuff we simply don't know as mere mortals. Simply put, we just don't know who's leaving this summer- and as a result any potential incoming suggestion will have an asterisk next to it. As usual I've tried to cover all the bases, covering if Mitrovic stays or goes and then if we make Josh Maja permanent or he goes back to Bordeaux. I'd also like to see us hit the reset button with the Wingers (more later), and as a result even with Fabio Carvalho coming through I'd still like to see us sign one (although it could easily be someone of the Valon Berisha type who can play centrally or out-wide).
Adam Ounas (Napoli)
I've been interested in Adam Ounas for a couple of years now, specifically since he had a good AFCON in 2019. But I've always felt he was above us, in the sense that he's had a few moves to "bigger" teams than us in recent years. However, Ounas is definitely out of favour at Napoli now, spending the first half of the season on Cagliari's bench and the second half of the season on loan at fellow relegation gang member Crotone where he's been much more impressive.
For want of a better way to put it, Ounas would be the player we thought we were signing with Anthony Knockaert in-terms of his dribbling ability and being a genuine goal threat coming off the Right-Wing on his left-foot. On top of that, Ounas is actually a good age and will have genuine re-sell value down the line whereas we're probably going to end up having to give Knockaert away with the wages he's on. Add that on to the fact that Ounas is out of favour at Napoli and going into the last year of his contract with them, he should be a pretty good price as well.
Robin Hack (Nurnberg)
Robin Hack is an interesting proposition, because his stock was very high last season coming off the back of a very good goalscoring season with Nurnberg which attracted some attention. However, he ended up staying with Nurnberg over the summer- maybe because of COVID and has had a less successful 20/21 season topped off with a long injury lay-off between January and April.
The potential is still definitely there with Hack though, and with wanting to add more goals into the team in mind, Hack is a very good finisher- especially when compared to the standard of finishing we saw in our most recent Championship season from Bobby Reid, Knockaert, Cavaleiro etc. and with his stock maybe not being as high as it was last year if the price was right I'd be massively in favour of signing him this summer.
Nikolai Baden Frederiksen (Juventus)
Moving on to Strikers now, and as I've already referenced so much of these Striker suggestions will have an asterisk due to the uncertain futures of Aleksandar Mitrovic and Josh Maja. We could end up with both or neither lining up for us next season, and nobody other than a select few people (Tony Khan, Scott Parker, the players etc.) will actually know what's likely to happen this summer.
However, we need to look forward (no pun intended)- and when looking at Strikers to sign this summer I've tried to look at Strikers I think Scott Parker will want. In that they're more mobile and can press rather than Mitrovic who's more of the archetypal Target Man that was very clearly out of favour given Cavaleiro spent more time up-front than Mitrovic did in the season that's just finished. But at the same time, we are going into the Championship- so we also need someone up-front who can handle themselves and won't get bullied which is a hard balance to try and strike.
This suggestion is as close to Austria as I'm getting this time around, the annual trip to Salzburg has been postponed. Frederiksen is coming off the back of an unbelievable season on loan with WSG Tirol in Austria and he's the exact sort of Striker I'd be looking at this summer, in that they might not be completely ready to take the Championship by storm and bag 30 Goals to fire us up next season- but thinking long-term he'd be a very strong option to have at our disposal.
Terem Moffi (Lorient)
This one wouldn't be cheap, I'll start by saying this. Frederiksen was the one I highlighted if we don't make Maja permanent- whereas Terem Moffi is firmly my choice if we do end up saying goodbye to Mitrovic this summer. We won't have to sell Mitrovic for cheap given he's tied down to a long-term deal- and as a result any potential sale should leave us with money to invest into his replacement.
Moffi is actually an interesting one because he wasn't originally going to be here,. I had a list of potential signings ready if we didn't beat Brentford in the final last year with names like Robin Hack, and a Striker I had an eye on was Adrian Grbic who ended up signing for Lorient. So I thought I'd see how Grbic was getting on- and turns out he's barely played such has been the form of Moffi this season. I also had a more like for like replacement for Mitrovic in trying to get Vedat Muriqi on loan with an option from Lazio- but then I thought about it and realised it wouldn't really solve the problem Parker almost created for himself by deciding Mitrovic's style of Striker wouldn't work for us anymore.
Moffi has had an unbelievable career acceleration over the last 18 months or so, being in the Lithuanian league until January 2020 when he signed for Kortrijk before getting another move to Lorient in the summer of 2020 where he's gone on to have a very good season in-front of goal for a team battling relegation in Ligue 1. As with Frederiksen, Moffi is the exact sort of Striker I'd be looking to sign this summer given his current ability but also his age and his potential to develop even further.
Outs
Before looking at players who are still contracted to Fulham it is worth mentioning that we're saying goodbye to our loanees in Alphonse Areola, Joachim Andersen, Ola Aina, Mario Lemina, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Ademola Lookman and Josh Maja. It's a genuine shame to see the majority of these leave the club, but that's the risk you run when you do rely so heavily on loan signings I suppose. I do think Josh Maja could still be signed. Bordeaux going into administration will mean Maja will be available to buy, presumably for cheaper than what the Option to Buy was that we secured when we loaned him in the first place as well- so that'll be one to watch in the coming weeks.
We also have Kevin McDonald, Cyrus Christie and Fabri out of contract this summer. We have an option on Cyrus Christie's deal, but there's no point extending it- and we'll do better to just shift his wages. The real shame will be Kevin McDonald, but I would hope everyone in decision making positions at the club sees the value in keeping McDonald on at the club in some capacity with how valuable he's been to the dressing room in recent years.
Aleksandar Mitrovic
"My one slight reservation is that I'm not entirely convinced he suits how Scott Parker would ideally want to set his team up. Especially at Championship level Mitrovic is good to the point where you adapt to accommodate him, but I think in an ideal world Parker would prefer a more mobile, pressing Striker. That could perhaps be why he's only scored 1 goal under Parker to date including Pre-Season (and that was a penalty). He'll still score a bagful of goals next season because of how good he is, but I'm not entirely convinced Parker will get the absolute best out of him- and that could very well be his undoing during his time in charge."- My 19/20 Season Preview
This conversation has been brewing for the majority of the season at this point pretty much. While I doubt we'll ever know all the details of what's gone on behind the scenes this season, it has ultimately brought us where we are now where at least under Scott Parker- it would appear as though Mitrovic simply doesn't have a future at Fulham. The conversation then turns to would we be better off with Scott Parker and no Mitrovic or Mitrovic and no Scott Parker next season- but that's perhaps a debate for another time.
As I've already made reference to, even with potential off the field stuff in the equation- we still have no need to let Mitrovic go on the cheap this summer. He's got a contract for three more years after all and as a result any potential suitors for him should be told that they'll have to cough up a significant amount to acquire his services this summer which in-turn would give us the funds to try and replace him.
It should also be said that this season, for all of the issues we've had, has shown that there is life in us without Mitrovic in the team, and if we're all in on Scott Parker as Manager we need to give him the best possible chance of translating his vision on to the Football pitch and it would appear as though that vision doesn't include Aleksandar Mitrovic.
Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa
When looking at money coming in, Mitrovic and Zambo are the two big money sales we can make this summer that will give us more room to manoeuvre in-terms of bringing players in. It's a shame with Zambo, because if our Player of the Season vote were to have taken place prior to Christmas I have no doubt in my mind that he would have won it. But for one reason or another, whether it was COVID, or just a loss of form he wasn't able to follow it up in the second half of the season.
My one hope with Zambo this summer is that we actually do sell him, another Loan in the hope that he can return in the event of another promotion is fanciful and also decreases his long-term value for us because his contract expires in 2023. So just take the 20+ million for him and move on.
Marcus Bettinelli
I already mentioned it in the Goalkeeper section, but Bettinelli's future with us entirely depends on how happy he is to sit on the bench behind Marek Rodak. While on the face of it you would assume Bettinelli would want to get out and play Football- being dropped in favour of Jordan Archer at Boro might make Bettinelli consider a few things, and he might be more content to be the "Cup Keeper" and stay at a club he's been at for absolutely ages and be in a familiar environment.
Denis Odoi
We do have Denis Odoi contracted for another year, and he would be a useful squad player for us next season. But at the risk of sounding harsh, I just don't see the point in keeping him. Yes, he would be a useful squad player for us as I've said- but as I've also said I want to see us put a long-term plan in place next season even if it comes at the cost of an immediate return to the Premier League so if/when we do get back there we'll have a better chance of actually staying there. Odoi similar to Tim Ream in many ways doesn't really fit into that given his age and proven lack of ability to take the step up to the Premier League.
As such, if we could sell Odoi this summer, or come to some sort of mutual consent agreement and part ways with Odoi on good terms this summer I'd be very much in favour of it.
Alfie Mawson
I genuinely think of all of the mistakes we made in the 18/19 Summer Transfer window if I could go back and stop one from happening it would be Alfie Mawson signing for the amount of money he did. It's just been an absolute disaster, and while he did show some of his ability at Bristol City on loan- he also showed what's held him back and will most likely continue to hold him back. His legs are held together with Tape and Prayer.
Like a few names in this Outs section, with the amount of money Mawson will be on- we might be better served to just find some sort of mutual termination agreement with him so both sides can move on. Because I doubt anyone with half a brain would be willing to take the risk of signing Mawson permanently if there was a transfer fee involved given his recent injury history.
Maxime Le Marchand
As with Odoi and Mawson, I just don't see the point in keeping Le Marchand this summer. Le Marchand's going to be 32 in October, and hasn't shown at any stage in his Fulham career that he has the ability to consistently start for us as harsh as that may sound. With only a year left on his contract, if we can't find a buyer whether it be Antwerp where he spent the second half of the season on loan or somewhere else he'd be another where I'd back just releasing them and freeing up the wages.
Joe Bryan/Antonee Robinson
I've grouped these two names together, simply for the fact that while it's obviously possible we do, I don't see us keeping both this summer. It's one thing to have Joe Bryan as a back-up Left-Back in the Premier League, it's a completely different proposition to have him playing second fiddle in the Championship. And while Robinson is a bit lacking in-terms of crossing, if I had to choose between the two as a long-term proposition I would keep Robinson.
But with that said, we know as an actual fact Joe Bryan would be good enough for us in the Championship next season- and he does pose more of a goal threat both directly and indirectly. And with Robinson as I've already talked about being the better long-term proposition- of the two Robinson would be the player we can get more money from should we sell one.
It would ultimately come down to what offers came in for the pair, and as I've said there is still the hypothetical possibility that we keep both and can work out a way of playing both whether it be Robinson as a LCB and Bryan as a LWB or Bryan playing further up- but personally I just don't see it and it will be a shame to see either depart this summer.
Jean-Michael Seri
This is my "throwing one out there" for this blog, and there is about a 95% chance I'm proven wrong. I'll predict right now that Jean-Michael Seri will be a Fulham player next season. I don't even have a particularly solid reason as to why I think that, more of a gut instinct combined with the circumstances we're currently in.
As I've already talked about, our Midfield options will be very thin on the ground after other departures, combine that with the fact Seri is almost running out of options as far as potential Loans go and the wages he's on with us in a COVID impacted market makes me think Seri could end up in the Andre Ayew sort of position at Swansea where he's just going to have to accept where he is and get his head down because there won't be another team out there willing to take his wages on.
Stefan Johansen
Our other "maybe" Midfielder is of course Stefan Johansen returning from his Loan at QPR. I do believe we've seen the last of Johansen in a Fulham shirt though, Parker clearly doesn't rate Johansen given that for the majority of the promotion season he was comfortably 5th choice Centre-Mid- and with Johansen going into the last year of his contract with us and QPR presumably being keen to have him back I'd rather we just cash in. I did consider suggesting using Johansen as part of a deal for Rob Dickie who is a Centre-Back I rate very highly- and if that was on the table I wouldn't say no. But one way or another as I've said I think Johansen will be moved on this summer.
Aboubakar Kamara
Another player I've suggested using as a make-weight for a Centre-Back already in this blog is of course AK47 as part of a deal for Jonathan Panzo. AK47 found a way back into the mix last time we got relegated in part because of the fact the manager changed after his Yoga escapades and gave everyone a fresh start.
If the reports around the time of his departure on loan to Dijon are true, and you do have to say "if"- then I just don't see any way back for AK47 this time around, unless of course we say goodbye to Scott Parker one way or another this summer. But even then, I just don't see the value in keeping Kamara. He's just not very good, he has pace, but no Footballing brain and he's just a bit too much of a loose cannon. Basically Mario Balotelli with a fraction of the natural talent.
Anthony Knockaert
From one AK to another. If we can get any sort of significant transfer fee for Knockaert this summer I'd be surprised. And Knockaert is almost the prime example of why I've (bar Valon Berisha) targeted players in the age bracket below. For want of a better way to put it, Knockaert is and was just a waste of money.
I do think the Knockaert stick is used to beat Tony Khan a bit too much, because to my knowledge the Option to Buy on Knockaert became an Obligation if Knockaert still had both legs attached- and at the time of signing I would estimate 95% (if not more) of people thought Knockaert was a quality one. But as we all know, it's turned out to be anything but and we're left with a near 30 year old on massive wages and very little re-sell value.
I feel like the most likely outcomes with Knockaert will be a loan to another Championship team or just being a rotation player for us- neither of which are ideal but it's what we've been left with. If we get lucky and someone does offer us a decent amount of money for Knockaert- whether it be Forest because of Hughton etc. then even better.
Scott Parker
Finally, a conversation does need to be had about Scott Parker going into the summer. I'll say right off the bat that unless Parker does somehow get offered the Spurs job I do think Parker's staying. With that said, we do need to talk about Parker's overall approach and style of play going into next season. As I've made abundantly clear, I want us to approach next season with real attacking intent- which doesn't seem to be in Parker's DNA.
And I think that could hold us back next season, in the same way that Watford recognised Vladimir Ivic was doing with his rigid back-five and they appointed Xisco Muñoz who changed Watford into a front-foot 4-3-3 team and they along with Norwich walked away with the automatic promotion places. For want of a better way to put it, it's about having the balls to play with the handbrake off and knowing when to do it will be the difference between Top 6 and Top 2 next season. And based on the last two seasons with the Newcastle performance fresh on the brain I'm not sure if Parker does, simply put.
The conversation would then turn to who we replace him with, and my five potential Managers I looked at were (in no particular order) Gerhard Struber, Russell Martin, Marco Silva, Barak Bakhar and Chris Wilder. I did have a fleeting thought of "what's the worst that can happen" if we gave Quique Setien's agent a call, but I think that one would be too ludicrous. Overall my opinion on if I want Parker to stay can be summed up by saying I wouldn't sack Parker, but I wouldn't cry any tears if he did get another job.
As I've already said though, I think the club and Parker are in this together for the long haul one way or another- and we just have to hope that Parker will have learned that he can take the handbrake off sometimes. I won't be holding my breath though.
Next season is going to be an interesting one in the Championship. I think this current Championship season has shown the strength of Parachute Payments in a COVID impacted league financially speaking and as a result I would expect all Parachute Payment assisted teams to be there or thereabouts next season. Then when you throw in the likes of Forest under Hughton and Boro under Warnock along with the Play-Off teams who haven't gone up it should be very competitive at the top end of the table. But as I've said many times, I would genuinely take not being right in the mix next season if the reason we weren't is because we were putting a proper, long-term plan and rebuild in place which would mean we were stronger down the line.
Thanks for reading as always, I do still really enjoy doing these transfer blogs. If anything I enjoy the Championship ones more because I have more room to really flex my knowledge of obscure players from the Romanian League. I am genuinely looking forward to next season, I have a lot of time for the Championship in general and (hopefully) with fans back in the ground consistently and most of all no VAR there's a lot to look forward to come August. Thanks again for reading, hopefully you've all stayed safe and will enjoy your summer before we go again in August- ideally with as many fans in the ground as possible.
