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Clough, Buckley and Brown
Rather than report every single story as it comes in, I’m going to try to sum up rumours on a daily-ish basis at the most – when transfers are confirmed they are much more likely to get a news piece on their own.
Birmingham City have been linked with a few names to come into the club. Bolton’s young forward Zach Clough has been linked with a £750,000 move to the club while Will Buckley has been told he can leave Sunderland and it’s been reported Blues are in for him.
Clough is an interesting one. The 20-year-old has made 20 league appearances for Bolton and he’s already got eight goals; these numbers would probably both be higher had he not missed a portion of last season with a dislocated shoulder. He’s the kind of player I’d love to see us sign; young, promising and definitely on the up.
It’s been well reported Bolton are in financial trouble too with the PFA having to step in to help them pay their player wages last month. This means that they have to sell and if Blues can jump in with a bid for a player of the quality and potential of Clough… well, I’ll be a very happy chappie. I have to admit I’m not sure I could see Blues spending that much on a transfer fee this window but I do hope that they will look into this properly as I think it would be a bargain. We’d have to move swiftly though for fear of being gazumped int he same way Sheffield Wednesday were with Nick Blackman by Derby yesterday. I’m more hopeful than expectant on this one.
Buckley has been told he can leave by Sunderland as they look to change their squad in their bid to stave off relegation. It’s not a player I can see us affording permanently – he’s rumoured to be on a fair whack and Leeds failed to sign him permanently in the summer because of wage demands. I’m guessing that there would also be concerns that he is fully over the injury that kept him out of a fair portion of last season. If we could get a loan, maybe a loan-to-buy deal it could be advantageous for both clubs particularly if Blues could make the required contribution to his wages. Blues have been interested before and I wouldn’t be surprised if there was something in this.
David Gold has been busy on Twitter, stating that Reece Brown has signed on a month’s loan at West Ham United. However, Blues have since clarified that this isn’t a loan but an extended trial of 28 days to allow him to play in two non-first team matches. I think it’s worth restating that Brown is out of contract at the end of the season and would only attract a tribunal fee if Blues offered him a deal of the same amount or more money then he is currently on.
Tags: Reece Brown, Will Buckley, Zach Clough
60 Responses to “Clough, Buckley and Brown”
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It would be nice if we could get them and a couple more players if possible.
Interesting with clough wonder how genuine it is
Re: Brown – Even though he’s not likely to stay, cant we offer him a new contract just to get a few quid for him?
I thought about that – and I don’t think we will in case he signs it. I think he’s burned his bridges that far.
I think the club would come to an agreement with West Ham to avoid these tactics (assuming some honour remains in the game that is)
Maybe a nominal fee? I dunno.
There is more to this Reece Brown business, I’m not convinced Rowett is telling the whole story. As for Zak Clough, I think a few clubs will be interested in signing him, I would rather names be kept quiet until a deal is actually done.
i also would prefer it kept in house until players are signed ,but its probably the players agents leaking it to the press
Andy,
I entirely agree and I can’t understand why GR and his management team are unable to control this youngster.
Our loss West Hams gain and he joins a long list of talented youngsters moving on.
I would love to see Clough join us! However the fee seems a bit low. You never know with the PFA breathing down their necks,maybe they will have to sell on the cheap..
Clough is exactly what we should be looking at… raid clubs in financial troubles god knows we have had players leave cheap for the same reasons
i was told about the interest in Clough a week ago from a good source. Id say we are in a better position than the other clubs to get his signature.
I would love to see Clough come but don’t rate Buckley or his high salary at all. Clough fits the mould and would add to the side, for the price mentioned he would be a steal and he score goals which Dimmi has failed to do!
Tom Ross as rubbished the clough rumour saying blues have no interest I thought it was to good to be true wasn’t Gary Rowett saying they haven’t got money to buy any players but just to pay wages on loan players.
Tom is a good guy and if he says that then I go along with him. I have spoken to Tom over the years and he is not only a true bluenose but a fair and honest man.
Yes Tom is a good guy, but he gets it wrong like when he assured us the club would be sold in 48 hours a few months ago.
Can’t get to involved until signings are done and dusted , it’s only rumour and paper talk until they play for the Blues so when something concrete happens I will let rip . Kro
Only 4 days in and not a single solid rumour so far. All just supposition (except the players on trial.) At least when the first one signs on the dotted line, we can all relax a lot more, knowing that wheels are in motion. We’ve barely started the engine yet. :)
Can you have a ‘solid rumour’?
When it’s posted in black and white on the Blues website is when I’ll believe any signing. If Blues were interested in Clough though, they best move it. Bolton fear they could lose a lot of players but there will also be a time where they have to say enough is enough because they can’t sign anyone anyway as they are under a transfer embargo. Lennon admits they may have to sell players but are Blues really interested or is it media crap? Time will tell.
I thought Rowett knew who he wanted and was just waiting for the window to open. I have never understood why clubs leave it to the last day of the window to sign players.
And dont get the player for four or five games of the season one thing Clarke did well was early business
Sean, Clarke bought players from the lower divisions. We are supposed to be trying to attract players from higher than that now….at least that’s what fans on here are saying they want. I’m sure any muppet can sign players from divisions lower.
Because the selling club wait for better offers and the buying club have offers out for alternative / contingency players. It really is not simple.
From the Bolton news. ” BIRMINGHAM City have ruled themselves out of the running for Wanderers’ prized asset Zach Clough. The Blues had joined Championship rivals Huddersfield Town and Sheffield Wednesday in asking about the young striker looking to take advantage of the financial chaos at the Macron Stadium. But sources in the Midlands now suggest Gary Rowett’s side have backed away from the deal and will not be pursuing it any further.”
Best to ignore all rumours and do as atko said and wait until it’s on bcfc.com before believing owt.
That’s what I mean :-) kro
Dave Mann is totally correct. Until signings are made we simply do our heads in with rumour and tripe galore. It is basically down to social media gone mad.David Cotterill for example is all down to fantasy with GR rubbishing reports.
Just watch Rowett’s press interview on YT. He alluded to the fact that for every 10 rumours in the media, 8 of them are bullsh*t!
He’s right in a way. I’d say for every 1 signing that comes off there are 30 enquiries too. Transfer windows are hard man.
And a lot of it is fan talk followed by really poor media reporting picking up a story from social media but not doing their research. Not to mention agents trying to gather interest in their clients to instigate either a move or imrpoved contracts at their current clubs.
It seems scouring social media has taken over from proper journalism. How hard would it be to check a story before printing/posting it?
I listened to the Brian Dick podcast today and he got on to the Reece Brown affair and he said that he didn’t know Brown side of the story, because he’d never spoken to him. Straight away, I though “why not?” It got me wondering as to how these things work. Is a journalist able to talk to any player, or does it have to go through the club. Can he not just phone a player, or is that a no no? Anyone know how it works?
No, you missed the point. Not talking about stuff reported in the papers. Believe me, there is a lot that goes on we don’t see – even if it’s just a phone call to look at a situation.
Thanks. That’s why I asked.
One gone two to go, dont you just love this time of year.
I have heard that Bolton would have excepted blues offer for Clough but nobody eats peanuts , but I don’t believe that as GR has been seen holding a packet of Brazil nuts .but I don’t believe that because they looked like expensive Brazil nuts , kro
From who ? Kro
To be honest Dave if the story was true about bidding for Clough , with a £2 million tax debt a bid of the same for vela and Clough would have been worth a punt , …kro
I agree . Kro
I’ve said it on Twitter, but I’d propose this:
Transfer Window: June/July ONLY – barring special circumstances, i.e: all GK’s injured.
Also, a “Manager” window in Dec/Jan months, whereby a Manager can only be sacked/can resign in those months. Clubs CAN sack outside of window, but can only appoint existing member of staff until the Dec/Jan window comes into effect. The reason a Manager can only resign in that time is to protect a club from a Manager walking out of his own accord and leaving the club rudderless by selfish means.
This would cut out the BS from Agents/Players leaving clubs in the middle of the season, giving CLUBS more power, as it should be, in my opinion, and also allows prevents other clubs poaching managers/coaching staff at ridiculous times during the season.
Your suggestions sounds like Big Brother. Denying human rights, freedom of movement and employment rights. Apart from those I agree entirely lol.
I feel it would be a better system than now. The current system favours the bigger clubs hugely, whereas the system I’ve suggested would bring about a bit more of a level playing field. There’s big divisions happening to Football in this country – down to agents a lot of it — and I think it’s wrecking the game.
football is capitalism in action – the big clubs hoover up the small – just like Tesco hoovered up all the corner shops and the British car industry went down the pan.
The car industry went down the pan because the employers didn’t stand up to the unions
At least it seems people on here (not for the first time of course, lol) have been jumping the gun a bit with regards to Cotts. It would seem he really did have a slight injury last week but Gary Rowett has confirmed that he & everyone else for that matter with the exception of Koby Arthur are back in training & ready for Saturday. Personally I would like to see most of the first team rested given the Forest game is only a few days later.
‘Norwich have a put a £15m price tag on winger Nathan Redmond to ward off interest from their Premier League rivals,’ writes the Daily Mirror.
Wonder how much of that we would get?
Really interesting Staffs this Redmond deal. At the time was this not a ‘personal deal’ done by a certain disliked man and questions asked about where the money went. If this is correct then no prizes for guessing who will profit for future sell ons.
Mitchell
Don’t even insinuate what you’re trying to insinuate. a) you’re factually incorrect and b) it’s libellous. Thanks
Point taken Daniel.
Daniel was there a sell on clause on the Redmond deal?
Yes
the main thing is we are in the championship shortly followed by the brady bunch over the road, who by slow death will be in championship next year, oh those derby worthy of a season ticket next season.
In my eyes Rowett needs to start planning for next season… and scouting talent for future seasons…
OK 15mill Redmond, Butland has to be worth at least the same that’s 30mill, then there’s Mutch we are probably talking 35 million total for three players, all sold in the last two years. What did we get? 10-12 million that aint good business.
Yawn yawn
Your right mark , with all stats on line on players a manager should be all knowing , and then scouting trips should refine the search , once again the lack of reported action is a large intimidation to people who every week put their hard earned money into the club , I can read GRs train of thought on the players he’s brought in so far , but now we need to bring in a skill factor into a couple of players we buy now that we have installed the true grit , which makes GRs job even harder . but is necessary , but hey,the silence is making the media blogs more and more desperate for news and is very unsettling for everyone at club level , so let’s hope it doesn’t turn into another farcical window , kro
For me, the biggest balls up was introducing the transfer windows. It more or less forces a club to sell a player in January who is out of contract in the summer, or lose him for nothing. The main problem with that, is that the buying clubs know that, so can afford to wait until the death.. and pay way under the odds, or get him for nowt at a later date. It forces the selling clubs to accept less than a player is worth.
The British clubs should push for the transfer windows to be abolished completely and go back to how things used to be. I’m also glad the loan window is being scrapped. Too many clubs have made a mockery of the system.
There seems a fairly obvious solution to the Loan Window misuse and i cant believe teh governing bodies haven’t thought of it.
Player A at Birmingham City gets injured – estimate 1 month out
Player B signs on loan at Birmingham City for 1 month
Player A is ineligible for the duration of 1 month to play competitive football
Should player A be fit and ready for competitive action earlier than expected and Birmingham reinstate his registration, Player B returns to parent club and is no longer eligible to play for Birmingham
this would remove the emergency loans that clearly are not emergencies
That could never happen because how would Player A become match fit if he cannot play competitively? You say if he got fit & ready for competitive action earlier than expected his registration could be reinstated but he could never get to that point if he couldn’t play to gain the required fitness level.
They would utilise the development squad as they do now until the player is able to make the bench.
Development games aren’t considered competitive matches. Once they’re ready for the bench that’s competitive match fit, it doesn’t mean they have to be able to play a while game.
I don’t think the loan window is being abused except for when a club signs a player then loans him back to where they got him from. For me that is a con. The purchasing club knows a young players value is going to increase so they snap him up before the price gets too much & as a sweetner loan him back to his former club making out they have the best of both worlds. In fact they’ve just been ripped off, lol!
Clubs in the top 2 divisions need to get competitive games for their squads & the lower leagues can’t always afford to bring in players, especially at short notice. Loans are their bread & butter & as I say, it works well for the top 2 divisions that their squad players can get competitive games. Development/U21 games are non competitive & useless….no better than a Sunday League game. How are they supposed to help Professional players?
Not to overly labor the point as i’m sure no one else really cares for this.
i was specifically referring to the ‘Emergency’ Loan system which is not used only for emergencies but to boost squad size just in case. this being the system that will no longer operate next season, the regular loan system will remain in the confines of the transfer window.
your 2nd paragraph, kind of raises another point to support why the Emergency Loan system doesn’t work, the bigger clubs with the means just stockpile players so that they don’t fall into their rivals hands then use the emergency loans to get them game time.
Not England but how can it be right that just this week Barcelona registered 77 new players when their transfer ban was lifted.
This approach stifles and restricts player progress that could be made in the lower leagues as a regular squad player and progress up the levels as their performances dictate. Think players of promise like Scott Sinclair & Jack Rodwell that went to purely warm the bench at City for every player we hear of this happening to there are half a dozen more that will never even warm the bench – but it keeps them out the hands of Chelsea, Arsenal etc etc
if this wasn’t the case the quality would naturally filter down the leagues, thus meaning the quality of development squad games would increase as a result also.
Apologies got into one their, we clearly have different opinions but healthy conversation and different opinion is fine by me – KRO