StarterForTen

On the positive side.... No matter when a change of ownership happens there will be opportunity to add to the squad as this season -more than any before it - the pool of free agents beyond the transfer window will be huge.

Assuming there is some budget head room, we could change our fortunes dramatically with four free agents - and I bet they wouldn't be demanding top dollar either.

Not that I am suggesting we sign him, but it's staggering that Tom Huddlestone has not played since leaving us a year ago. There must be some pragmatism settling in with some of these discarded high earners.

If we sell Lawrence to West Brom, that frees up the number 10 shirt for Messi.

And the fee will cover 12 minutes of Messi playing time.

Unless we add 20+ goals to the current squad we will be bottom three all season. We were the lowest scorers last season and we have added nothing in resolving that.

I can't see us scoring more than 30 goals with the resources we have.

12 minutes ago, DCFC1388 said:

Through a mate who sometimes hear news from the club. He has been right previously regards kits

I thought was signed as a free agent?

Maybe it was a 'free' transfer. No such thing of course.

2 minutes ago, jono said:

That is a MD's salary in medium sized, reasonably profitable company. 

And more than the Prime Minister

20 minutes ago, lukedcfc said:

Stearman (33) has had 7 clubs, hardly a journeyman. 

Derby will be his fifth club in six years. What is your definition of a journeyman?

And yes, he is only 33... for another 13 days

5 minutes ago, Ted McMinn Football Genius said:

So selling TL will achieve what exactly? Is it to make us compliant with EFL ??‍♂️??‍♂️

Why does any team sell a player - to raise cash. Often that's so as they can then sign someone better or, in Derby's case, it is to pay the wages / Taxman.

I think the game as a whole has come to something when we are applauding a 34 year-old journeyman like Stearman for taking a £4.5k per week contract. Twenty-five years ago (ie before PL), a player of his ilk would have been choosing between Grimsby, Newport and Rochdale for £450 a week!

5 minutes ago, kevinhectoring said:

unless the young lad is born with socks on 

In which case, he's in the team tomorrow!

Derby 1 - Huddersfield 4

FRGS: Bird

(Mel to storm dressing room at end demanding to know why only nine Academy players were in the team)

And let’s be honest, we’d be happy to take Billy The Fish to bolster our front line. In fact, is he one of the triallists?

Loan fee and wages of £2.4m for a season so you can count us out.

This team might be Rooney making a point.

Not sure who he’s making the point to though. The EFL?

If they bid enough, he will go.

What 'enough' for the Club is is guess-work - but it's probably less than any fan would take.

But then we don't have to pay the bills.

... I can't help thinking Moor Farm might be prone to a Covid 19 self-isolation outbreak some time around next Thursday, forcing a postponement or three.

Though, of course, with so few players in training, it might be difficult to prove any close contacts as they seem to have a pitch each to train on!

(Dark humour aside; C19 is no laughing matter of course).

9 minutes ago, MACKWORTHRAM said:

There's no money in the club because Morris does not want to put anymore in.

The bloke is worth around £600 million. So he's not ran out of money.

I understand if you want rid and you'll be reluctant to put money in or course.

But my point is, given our current state, why is he not doing something to help bring players in. 

Perhaps they have written off this season? Perhaps they know there is a points deduction coming because they are going to fail P+S rules once the new accounts go in? Perhaps a disenchanted owner is fed up of throwing good money after bad?

15 minutes ago, Ramarena said:

If they were sensible, the EFL would allow clubs who have players with mid to long term injuries the option to bring in a 6 month loan or offer a free agent a 6 month contract, so the player can recover without the pressure of being bought back too soon.

Obviously this should only be an emergency measure for clubs who’s numbers drop under the 23 due to a long term injury.

Only problem with that is it would bring in an additional wage burden, and the whole point of an EFL embargo on signings is to control costs. 

2 hours ago, Ambitious said:

Until we can replace them then I beg to differ. We could sell Buchanan now for £2m which would be a fair fee, but without being able to pay a transfer fee, loan fee, a season long loan or a contract greater than a year. It doesn’t make sense to sell. Anyone we sell just goes to further securing our relegation this season. 

That's valid from a playing resource management point of view, but assumes a sale is due to allowing 'wiggle room' in the squad regeneration. Might be that £2m - or more - is simply needed to stop the business going under.

Is Lee Gregory a free agent this summer?

Surely not all trial lists will get taken on though. The whole point is to see players close up before moving forward with your preferred options. There will be plenty more over the next six weeks - and let's be honest there is going to be great value in the Free Agents market come September 1st as there will be more players without clubs than ever before.

How is Festy Ebosele on the list? I thought he was out of contract with new terms offered?

How can he have signed when others offered new terms (Wisdom, Davies, etc) aren't allowed?

Have I missed something?

Mengi has to be one of them; we need pace at the back.

And wages can't be a particular problem as we can't pay more than £600k/season for any player.

If the club don’t pay HMRC then the embargo is the least of the problems. The Revenue does not play soft ball when it comes to debt collection. 

Quick question... can we loan players OUT?

...If we set up our young players of 'professional standing' that clearly aren't at Championship standing with loans to non-League clubs at an appropriate level, do they not count as part of our quota?

The EFL's rule on the minimum strength of a playing squad even for a club under an embargo is there to protect the integrity of the competition. By including the players used for the Chorley game in calculating Derby's current squad strength they would be arguing against the very reason the rule was introduced in the first place.

If Derby had fielded the same team they did for the Chorley game for an end of season match with little consequence to the Rams (but possibly could effect other issues i the division) they would be done for fielding an under-strength team.