Go on then… Rate the summer 2025 Transfer window

[SAK]

7 minutes ago, Ronaldo said:

I’ve accepted Howe will never sign this type of player. Just not his brand.

He’s flexible with formation on occasion so I don’t understand why he can’t be flexible with this type of player especially when against certain teams it would come in handy.

[andycap]

10 minutes ago, midds said:

Think this is about right. We've added depth and a bit of versatility to the squad which was essential. We still lack that extra bit of quality in key positions but we're no longer weal in any area now, injuries permitting

 

You don't want to see the one from 2021

Park could be added to that list aswell. 

 

 

Edited September 1, 2025 by andycap

[Paullow]

I think we are in a stronger position now than we were a couple of months ago, despite losing one of the best strikers in the league. We can just about field 2 teams of sufficient quality now, bar a maybe couple of positions, and not have an obvious drop off. We probably will find a place for Burn in most XIs (and deservedly so), and massive doubts with Botmans fitness,  but plenty of decent players in that 2nd team, and most of them will start their fair share of league matches.

 

-----------Pope--------------

Liv---Scharr---Botman---Hall

---Bruno--Tonali---Joelinton-

Elanga----Wolt----Gordon---

 

 

---------Ramsdale-----------

Trips---Thiaw----Burn---Kraft

--Miley---Willock------Ramsey-

Murphy----Wissa------Barnes

 

Lascelles, Osula, goalkeepers and one of two younger players to pad out the squad when required. 

 

Probably 7 overall.

[Yorkie]

11 minutes ago, midds said:

Think this is about right. We've added depth and a bit of versatility to the squad which was essential. We still lack that extra bit of quality in key positions but we're no longer weal in any area now, injuries permitting

 

You don't want to see the one from 2021

 

Do you have it?  Would genuinely love to if so. 

[junkhead]

Just now, The Prophet said:

 

Fair, I was just shook by the Dan James comparison

 

aye, sorry about that  

 

Elanga can be effective in our style of course but Eddie drives me mad with his total disregard for the genius of the left foot.

[midds]

2 minutes ago, Yorkie said:

 

Do you have it?  Would genuinely love to if so. 

[Gottlob]

We've given ourselves real squad depth while finding a nice balance to replace Isak. I believe the squad we have can be competitive on four fronts so in trying circumstances we've just about got there in the end. On the other hand Elanga, Thiaw, Ramsey and Wissa for £185 million does feel like a blunt use of the funds, showing little nous or imagination in the scouting department. Woltemade adds a frisson of excitement and we've signed players with plenty of upside, but I still have reservations about our resilience on the counter and our creativity and productivity in the final third. At times we've seemed slow to act, too credulous and even a bit desperate while a smarter approach might have seen us sign Ekitike, land Wissa for £10 million less or even avoid this whole fiasco entirely had we secured Isak with an improved contract offer last year. We're not functioning properly at the backroom or executive levels and it has at times been a chastening summer but we have persevered and given ourselves a fighting chance.

 

I'd say 6/10 which is perhaps a touch harsh but reckons with the fact that we're already three games into the season and seem to have jumbled through the summer. The sale of Isak obviously leaves a bit of a bad taste. I'm pleased we managed to secure Wissa but another midfielder, that touted £30 million sale of Osula or both on the final day would have added a point or two to the grade.

[Jagten]

1 hour ago, Elliottman said:

Ramsay, Thiaw and Elanga don’t have high ceilings? 

Not really

[huss9]

think we needed to bolster the midfield.

drop off is too big with even just a single injury.

not enought quality to rotate properly either.

[Erikse]

28 minutes ago, midds said:

Think this is about right. We've added depth and a bit of versatility to the squad which was essential. We still lack that extra bit of quality in key positions but we're no longer weal in any area now, injuries permitting

 

You don't want to see the one from 2021

 

Not sure I'd rate Trippier that highly. Capable back up for me. He doesn't make a real impact all that often anymore, and it doesn't seem like Howe trust him as much in a back 4 as he used to do. Could even say the same about Gordons impact these days, but I still thinks he contributes a bit more with his runs.

 

 

Edited September 1, 2025 by Erikse

[Izakaya]

Woltermade feels like a real coup, possibly Thaiw too, but the rest are below the tier of player many of us were expecting at the start of the window. 

 

[Vinny Green Balls]

Ramsey is below the tier?

[Jagten]

Just now, Izakaya said:

Woltermade feels like a real coup, possibly Thaiw too, but the rest are below the tier of player many of us were expecting at the start of the window. 

 

Our competition was Como.

[janpawel]

21 minutes ago, junkhead said:

 

aye, sorry about that  

 

Elanga can be effective in our style of course but Eddie drives me mad with his total disregard for the genius of the left foot.

 

Mbeumo was supposedly our number 1 target, so we deffo wanted a left footed RW, but thought Elanga was the next available alternative 

[Bimpy474]

1 minute ago, janpawel said:

 

Mbeumo was supposedly our number 1 target, so we deffo wanted a left footed RW, but thought Elanga was the next available alternative 

 

I don't think Mbop was ahead of Elanga for us, we were chasing Elanga for a while and we all know, we don't give up easily on a player we like.

[Kimbo]

11 minutes ago, Izakaya said:

Woltermade feels like a real coup, possibly Thaiw too, but the rest are below the tier of player many of us were expecting at the start of the window. 

 

I’m not sure why Thiaw would be more of a coup than the others given that Milan were trying to sell him to Como for about £10m less than what we paid.

[TheBrownBottle]

2 hours ago, Mahoneys Tache said:

Fucking hell. How many times has Eddie made a bad decision bringing a player in? What a bunch of moaning fannies. 

I think the players he’s brought in I have full confidence in.  Just the window itself has been a fucking nightmare.

 

Players signed: 8.5/10, squad significantly improved. 
Window itself: 1/10.  Like being wound up continuously for three months.

[TheBrownBottle]

20 minutes ago, Erikse said:

 

Not sure I'd rate Trippier that highly. Capable back up for me. He doesn't make a real impact all that often anymore, and it doesn't seem like Howe trust him as much in a back 4 as he used to do. Could even say the same about Gordons impact these days, but I still thinks he contributes a bit more with his runs.

 

 

 

I wouldn’t rate Miley that highly either.  We have numbers in midfield but not quality in depth.  Ramsey is a good signing, could’ve done with another tbh. 

[Erikse]

5 minutes ago, TheBrownBottle said:

I wouldn’t rate Miley that highly either.  We have numbers in midfield but not quality in depth.  Ramsey is a good signing, could’ve done with another tbh. 

 

I expect us to get some troubles with the midfield. We have 3 CMs who are somewhat injury prone. I'd say we have 4 quality players in that position, and 2 of them are amongst the injury prone ones. As we saw last time a Champions League season is very demanding of our midfielders in terms of fitness. If we are unlucky even Bruno or Tonali could get a longer spell out, and that would be awful.

 

 

Edited September 1, 2025 by Erikse

[timeEd32]

Apologies if someone posted these — I didn’t have 20 pages of this in me — but thought they were interesting from an outsider and reasonable.

 

[TheBrownBottle]

4 minutes ago, Erikse said:

 

I expect us to get some troubles with the midfield. We have 3 CMs who are somewhat injury prone. I'd say we have 4 quality players in that position, and 2 of them are amongst the injury prone ones. As we saw last time a Champions League season is very demanding of our midfielders in terms of fitness. If we are unlucky even Bruno or Tonali could get a longer spell out, and that would be awful.

 

 

 

Yeah, agreed - it’s a shame Willock can’t be stitched back together because he was a very capable PL midfielder and his running offered something different from the other midfielders.  Miley hasn’t kicked on for me (and I still think his appearances in 23/24 were more ‘he looks good for a kid from the reserves’ rather than ‘he looks like a natural at this level already).  Perhaps he will this season; he’s certainly got the right coaching team in charge to improve him. 

[Mahoneys Tache]

15 minutes ago, TheBrownBottle said:

I think the players he’s brought in I have full confidence in.  Just the window itself has been a fucking nightmare.

 

Players signed: 8.5/10, squad significantly improved. 
Window itself: 1/10.  Like being wound up continuously for three months.

That I can agree with. Excellent signings and squad depth is much better now. And the best British coach since Ferguson. Plenty to be optimistic about. 

[LFEE]

Well where to start? 

 

Glad it’s over was my first thought. I think we can all agree this window felt so much different to any thats gone before it. The rise of the football influencers and shills and the need for more locally contacted journalists to join them because they couldn’t beat them made for 3 of the most arduous months following NUFC.

 

After occupying most of our thoughts everyday for those 3 months I feel it be better to keep the Isak thoughts as short as possible much like the clubs statement. Being firmly in the reintegration camp and hold firm particularly against a fellow English club I began to shift towards the realisation after the meeting at his house we should kill his career for 6 if not 12 months to let him reflect on his life choices. However when you try to remove emotion from the situation you think of the teammates and staff and whether you’d equally be killing 6-12months of their career with a potential circus. We’ll never know but I’d be lying if I wouldn’t have minded finding out. However the club chose a different path and hopefully the results and performances will justify it. We’ll see if a precedent has been set for future player agitation when it suites them. One thing however has surprised me when the news broke late last night how well i slept and when I woke to find it all but done I’ve give it very little thought until writing this now. I think that’s the saddest thing about this whole sorry episode. How little he seemed to care and how little he’s left us caring.

 

As for the six players we’ve brought in for I think I saw £70m balance it will probably be 12-18months before we truly have a clear picture if the window was a success. On paper we’ve clearly upgrade all who they’ve replaced with five of them. A lot hangs on how big Nick replaces Isak and how quickly. Wissa will hopefully buy him a little time but not much and with the eye-watering fee will have his own pressures to deal with.

 

Another way I try and judge our perceived closest rivals. As much as it pains me and as much as performances can occasionally delude us Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool and dare I say it Chelsea are currently operating at a different level to us. Not just financially but as an organisation. Our new CEO and DOF can’t come quick enough and in particular our DOF has to be a long term appointment to create a more creative framework to our transfers and give us the ability to gain players at a much better value earlier in their development and have Howe’s trust in that direction until the new stadium is built and revenues are significantly increased. Hopefully both will be in within this month or next. Meanwhile I view Man Utd, Spurs, Villa and Forest in our regular challenge for potentially lucrative 5th spot in the division. Although on far greater PSR scale than us Man Utd’s ownership and direction never fails to disappoint. They’ve went big this summer hoping to score their way up the table. Spurs might have the greater PSR power than ourselves but I always have doubts about their ultimate ambition under their current owners but that may change as they look to possibly sell up. As it stands we can go pretty much toe to toe with them. Whilst they may of not of had an eye catching window they hired a good manager who can usually get more from the sum of a teams parts. Villa fascinate me the most as their trajectory is I feel the closest match yet their PSR approach is completely different. From us hardly troubling the chequebook for 2yrs with quality over quantity approach theirs has been very transient that probably reflect the main difference between the two managers, both I rate extremely highly. One I see as a teacher you’d respect whereas the other the dad you love. For those who looked on in envy at their high transfer activity for 2yrs might be feeling different after comparing the current one and how the previous season ended for both. Forest I’ve included because they are certainly trying to be amongst us it feels. How long they can sustain it who knows and their owner/manager dynamic you feel will always be on a knife edge regardless who is in the hot seat. What they also seem to have is a very creative DOF (potentially our No.1 target and we are haggling over the cost though some say that is not the case and we are looking elsewhere).

 

In short now the window has closed I feel once teams are bedded in if we can finish above all 4 of these then 5th is achievable in the league. Cup progression will always be helped with favourable draws but I expect Howe to take both the domestic ones as serious as always. UCL I feel is still at the enjoy the ride stage but the new format does give us a chance to qualify to the KO’s.

 

Success however will all depend on us being better at creating more chances to give us a chance to score more goals and that’s where I feel we’ve disappointed in the window in not getting a creative attacker (BEK or similar ilk and price).

 

Overall 7.5/10 though I voted 7. Might look back in 12 months and think completely different. Meanwhile its around 121 days to the next window 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 2, 2025 by LFEE

[r0cafella]

Window is a 6. We've filled holes in our squad which is a plus but I'm not convinced by some of the players for the fees paid for them. 

 

The handling of the Isak situation was also poor imo but it's been discussed to death so no need to tread it here. 

[Pata]

2 hours ago, midds said:

Think this is about right. We've added depth and a bit of versatility to the squad which was essential. We still lack that extra bit of quality in key positions but we're no longer weal in any area now, injuries permitting

 

You don't want to see the one from 2021

 

Canny but I would make few changes. Tino as first choice RB and the light green on Bruno #6 and Barnes feel really harsh. 

 

Spoiler

Burn as a LB should be capable back-up too but it's quite a few injuries away to actually happen.