The Official Summer Transfer Rumour Thread - 2025 edition

Nobody is knocking the club, but you have to admit that this is a bit of an anti-climax - the signing of an academy player that had already been announced, when people had waited till 5pm expecting a “proper” signing!

Sure, i get that but he’s come through the ranks and his interview suggests he is going to push to get occasional starts for the first team but that’ll be limited. He will be 3rd choice keeper in all likelihood.

One lesson i hope the club have learned is to maximise the use of the playing budget by aiming for quality over quantity. I’d rather 2 quality forwards we can attract by offering “decent wages” than 5 bang average ones. Though that ship may have sailed.

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But nothing from the club said there would be a signing. It was literally just someone on here, albeit seemingly in the know, telling us there would be a signing.

And there was no pre-signing ‘teaser’ like with a new signing, so they never hyped it up at all.

Someone further up suggested they were using it as positive news before announcing Stirk or someone else departs, and someone else saying it’s over the top for a first year pro.

All they’ve done is an interview and a few pictures to report it.

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Who said we expecting a “proper “signing at 5pm .

Perhaps I’m hard to please, but I’d like to see some signings of established League 2/League 1 players, being as we have lost/will probably lose around 9-10 of the matchday squad of 18. I know it always takes us a long time to get a team together over the summer because we are not first choice for many players, but it would be nice to get a few decent signings in early for a change!

This kid has been at Walsall since he was 10 years old .great day for him and his family friends and coach’s school, god I could go on .Walsall gave him a pro contract today and a bit of media which he fully deserves .get a life some of you ridiculous posts it is what it is .pi**ed off because you didn’t get what you wanted .Westie you’re in your kennel outside tonight naughty dog .

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We apparently had a major signing lined up — the contract was printed and the pen was filled with fresh ink. However, after the discussions in this thread and the ongoing uncertainty about whether we’re allowed to sign someone, we’ve decided to put the deal on hold. Hopefully, the player doesn’t receive a better offer in the meantime.

We need to blame @el_nombre for this shambles!

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No one from the Club said anything about a 5pm signing. The piece about the young lad is the usual stuff about academy graduates. Like others I want to see some decent signings as soon as possible and those should start soon. Maybe next week rather than this.

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:joy:

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Got to love Ben Sadler in his response lol

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Well we did have another academy graduate keeper on their first professional contract in George Barrett but we’ve let him go.

He did make the bench a couple of times but we didn’t really get to see too much of him so hard to say whether he was good enough to make it or not. I hope this kid doesn’t go the same way and we start making it an annual thing - as you say, we want more of our own youngsters making it into the first team (better that than filling the squad with loanees who never even get on the pitch).

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We did and we were told at a fan’s forum he was highly rated.Maybe the spells on loan last season didn’t go too well. Maybe Jenson can do better.

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I don’t know, but it must be really difficult as a teenage goalkeeper. Even at steps 4 & 5, the levels he was loaned out at, very few teams are willing to put an inexperienced 18 year old in goal on a regular basis, and most don’t bother with a sub keeper, so there are few playing opportunities. He was also recalled to be sub keeper for the first team, which disrupted loans, and even when Simkin and Hornby were both available he was frequently required just in case of a late injury, even at Wembley. I suspect Jensen Kilroy will find much the same, unfortunately.

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Upshot of my post 24/25 apathy is that I’m not checking in on here every 30 mins in the forlorn hope we’ve made a signing.

I’m really pleased for the kid - I hope he and his family really enjoyed the day. Hopefully, we can sign a few more academy players next week!

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Westie - and I blame him completely for the anti-climax :joy:

Imagine being this rattled by being wrong. Ignored the first one so you went again. Wow.

Except it’s bollocks. He was already our player

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Agree , it reminds me of the Dan Mole Twitter days.

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Nick Townsend signs for Eastleigh. Some thought he might end up here.

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