Summer Transfer Window 2025 | Official Thread

[stubbo-admin]

May as well get going with this since with Sullivan at the helm, season ticket renewals slow, and the football vacuum to commence, this will soon be all the "news" there is.

Can Potter and MacCauley pull multiple rabbits out of the hat, or will Sullivan 'try really hard' with all of them before grabbing a few aging bargains from Big Willie Salthouse?

Window this close season comes in two parts:

Part 1: 1st June to 10th June
Part 2: 16th June to 1st September

Rumoured Outs...most of the squad

Let the "Rumoured In's" commence. 

------------------------------------------------------------

Player | Position | Club | Fee (GBP)

Rumoured In

1. Daniel Cummings | ST | Celtic
2. Koni De Winter | CB | Genoa
3. Morten Frendrup | DM | Genoa
4. Richard Kone | ST | Wycombe
5. Aaron Ramsdale | GK | Southampton
6. Caiomin Kelleher | GK | Liverpool
7. James Trafford | GK | Burnley
8. Kyle Walker-Peters | FB | Free Agent
9. Taylor Harwood-Bellis | CB | Southampton
10. CJ Egan-Riley | CB | Free Agent
11. Josh Brownhill | CM | Free Agent
12. Albian Hajdari | CB | Lugano
13. Lucas Høgsberg | CB | FC Nordsjælland
14. Ardon Jashari | CM | Brugge
15. Raphael Onyedika | CM | Brugge
16. James McAtee | AM | Man City
17. Mario Struykens | AM | Anderlecht
18. Mathias Kvistgaarden | ST | Brondby
19. Clement Bischoff | LB | Brondby
20. Mika Biereth | FW | Monaco
21. Barış Alper Yılmaz | AM | Galatasaray
22. Evann Guessand | ST | Nice
23. Lucas Stassin | ST | Saint Etienne
24. Marcus Taverner | FW | Bournemouth
25. Soungoutoo Magassa | CDM | Monaco
26. Valentin Atangana | CM | Stade Reims
27. Mads Hermansen | GK | Leicester City
28. Hamza Igamane | ST | Rangers
29. Yeremay | FW | Deportivo La Coruna
30. Adama Bojang | ST | Reims
31. Rocco Reitz | MF | Borussia Moenchengladbach
32. Dominic Calvert-Lewin | ST | Free Agent
33. El Hadji Malick Diouf | LB | SK Slavia Prague
34. Oscar Mingueza | RB/MF | Celta Vigo
35. Tyler Morton | CM | Liverpool
36. Harvey Elliott | AM | Liverpool
37. Zion Suzuki | GK | Parma
38. John Victor | GK | Botofogo 
39. Jacob Ramsey | MF | Villa
40. Mateus Fernandes | CM | Southampton
41. Nga Makou | CM | Lille
42. Quinten Timber | CM
43. Hayden Hackney | CM | Boro
44. Yves Bissouma | CM | Spurs

Rumoured Out

1. Nayef Aguerd | CB | Leverkusen, Marseile
2. Maxel Cornet | FW | Genoa/Others
3. Guido Rodriguez | DM | Betis/Espanyol
4. Tomas Soucek | CM | Everton
5. Michail Antonio | ST | Free Agent
6. Mo Kudus | FW | Chelsea/Newcastle/Arsenal
7. Lucas Paqueta | AM | Man City
8. Andy Irving | CM | Celtic/Wrexham
9. Emerson | LB | Marseille

Confirmed In

1. Jean Clair Todibo | CB | Loan To Perm (32m)
2. Daniel Cummings | ST | Celtic (Free Agent...Tribunal)
3. El Hadji Malick Diouf | LWB | Slavia Prahia | 20m
4. Kyle Walker-Peters | RWB | Free Agent
5. C****m Wilson | ST | Free Agent
6. Mads Hermansen | GK | Leicester (18m)
7. Mateus Fernandes | CM | Southampton (38m + 4m)
8. Soungoutoo Magassa | CDM | Monaco (17m)
9. Igor Julio | CB | Brighton (Loan)

Confirmed Out

1. Aaron Cresswell | LB | Free Agent | 0m
2. Danny Ings | ST | Free Agent | 0m
3. Vladimir Coufal | RB | Free Agent | 0m
4. Lukusz Fabianski | GK | Free Agent | 0m
5. Kamari Swyer | AM | Free Agent | 0m
6. Kurt Zouma | CB | Free Agent | 0m
7. Carlos Soler | CM | PSG | End of Loan
8. Evan Ferguson | ST | Brighton | End of Loan
9. Brad Dolaghan | Released
10. Dondre Abraham | Released
11. Mehmet Halim | Released
12. Muhammed Judus |stroppy| sp*rs| £55m
13. Michail Antonio | Released
14. Kieran Casey | Swansea | Loan
15. Edson Alvarez | Fenerbache | Loan with Option
16. Emerson | Marseille | £1m
17. Aguerd | Marseille | £20m
18. Max Cornet | Genoa | Loan

[southbankbornnbred]

Don't get me wrong - I don't think Areola is a great keeper or anything like that. He's an excellent shot-stopper, but I agree he's wonky on crosses and his distribution is often poor.

It's just that some people assumed Kelleher is better because he's at Liverpool. But when he played a succession of games, he showed he has a lot to improve. That's why Slot is happy to offload him.

I think we could do better. And better than Areola. But we need a striker and some midfielders who can run first!

[Massive Attack]

*sticks head in oven, but gives up when realises it’s electric*

[Iron Duke]

I think Kelleher is a good keeper and Brentford have done a decent bit of business.

But I’m sure we will pick up someone better for a good price. Maybe Brighton’s reserve goalie.

*sticks head in oven, but gives up when realises it’s electric*

[goose]

Fabianski has gone so one way or another we need a new goal tender.

Maybe someone slightly younger to push Areola? 

[nychammer]

Areola is a top class stopper. He's made some critical saves and kept us in games. His distribution, however is poor and he's made some proper stupid errors (Forest Game). I'm not sure we'll do a whole lot better unless we pay top dollar, which we wont, and signing a keeper, while we must do so, is not the top priority

[Massive Attack]

Areola's dogshit, other than the occasional flash save he can pull off. Shit at commanding a defence, shit at claiming for crosses often glued to his goal line even though he's 6ft 5, can't pass for shit with his feet unless straight to the opposition, he even has shit haircuts. Get rid regardless of if it's Kelleher or not, who I don't think is a bad Keeper if not top quality.

[onsideman]

Opinions and arseholes and all that.

For all his wonder saves I think Areola is a bit of a liability, indecisive under high balls and with god awful distribution. I dont think there were many in for him when we signed him from PSG for £10m as a number 2, if that's your benchmark

And the fact that a 40 year old Fabianski was at least as good says a lot

I appreciate others may think otherwise 

[Steady]

Looks like Brentford will land Kelleher for around £12.5m, and a bunch of (mostly young) West Ham fans on social media are crying into their energy drinks.

The fact that Liverpool initially wanted £20m+ for him, and not a single club bit at that price, should tell you a lot.

Promising keeper, but not a lot more at this stage. He has some obvious weaknesses that he needs to iron out. Areola, for all of his flaws, is a better keeper. If we are going to sign a new bloke between the sticks, then 'better than Areola' has to be the benchmark. Otherwise, what's the point?

Agreed, Areola is as good if not better, I don’t get the Kelleher hype. If we want a new keeper, then get a top class keeper like Pickford 

[southbankbornnbred]

Looks like Brentford will land Kelleher for around £12.5m, and a bunch of (mostly young) West Ham fans on social media are crying into their energy drinks.

The fact that Liverpool initially wanted £20m+ for him, and not a single club bit at that price, should tell you a lot.

Promising keeper, but not a lot more at this stage. He has some obvious weaknesses that he needs to iron out. Areola, for all of his flaws, is a better keeper. If we are going to sign a new bloke between the sticks, then 'better than Areola' has to be the benchmark. Otherwise, what's the point?

[Massive Attack]

Last year they lost £90m.
The year before they lost £120m.

Boehly has spent over a billion and got nowhere near winning anything significant.

Since he’s taken over they’ve been an absolute mess.

And that's the point. They have spent a huge fortune on what they achieve/or don't achieve if the Europa Conference Cup is the best they can win these days. Fuck all clever about it. 

We achieved winning that by spending a lot less.

https://www.football365.com/news/transf ... d-man-city

[twoleftfeet]

I thought this was a West Ham transfer thread? 

[goose]

Last year they lost £90m.
The year before they lost £120m.

Boehly has spent over a billion and got nowhere near winning anything significant.

Since he’s taken over they’ve been an absolute mess.

[Lee Trundle]

I feel grubby talking up Chelsea, it's a horrible plastic club with weird fans, but credit where it's due, they're miles better than us at the financial and business parts of football. Whilst that's not difficult with the way we're run, they're also better at it than most well-run clubs as well.

Exactly this.

[Sir Alf]

If we were to make one signing in this early window which is open to 10th June, I might be less cynical. Ideally it would be an athletic, pacy, central midfielder since that is imho the priority area for any rebuild. This Onyedicka sounds perfect especially his name

But we hear Sullivan is on his yacht for the next week or 2 and Macaulay and Potter still identifying targets and besides we have to sell.  Hence all pointing to late window activity after the season starts with cast offs and has beens from Salthouse and Silkman once Sullivan has sabotaged negotiations on deals for the young, hungry type players that Potter and Macaulay are supposedly targeting.

We’ve seen this play out so many times. Yes we got AWB last season that way but anyone who has watched Sullivan in the transfer market these last 15 years at West Ham and the years at Brum knows without doubt that this was an exception. Its usually older, high wage players that were good a few years back at some big name club ( razzle dazzle ).  

[El Scorchio]

A typical and likely scenario will be this Onyedika fella in the Belgian league who is supposedly a top target for our low energy, old midfield.

We will bid late, allowing other clubs to get involved. They want £24 million, Sullivan will open with loan to buy, the derisory £15 million, then up it to £20 million but with 7 year repayment terms and finally “take it or leave it” £21 million. Sullivan will also refuse to pay agent fees.  Around late July/ early August, after weeks of Sullivan negotiations from his “art of the deal playbook”, Everton or some other club will meet or be close to meeting the valuation and wrap everything up in 2 or 3 days.  The message will go out that the selling club were difficult or ahents caused problems before waiting until end of window when a Salthouse or Silkman client, 28 years or more old, played for big Prem club, appears from left field. And so it goes on.

Sully like Trump or any narcissist, loves a negotiation, a deal and the power they have in that process. Its a form of validation. Its why Trump passes every bill via an executive order and not via congress or the house. It all goes thru him and he gets the final say. Sullivan very similar and why a DOF was never appointed but a half arsed Tech Director. 

In short, if Macaulay and Potter have targets I expect very few if any primary ones to be secured.   The “ sell before we buy” excuse ready in place to make sure we can lose out on some targets and / or be able to string them out until the eventual collapse. Then Sully saves the day via his agents. 

Yup. 100%

[nychammer]

Funniest thing I've read on here, can't remember from who, but it went something like "A top player might not get his transfer to a CL club so then we become the next best thing"

We are so off being the next best thing it's untrue. After CL clubs, come those in the other European spots, which makes even Palace more attractive than us. I was going to say then those clubs who finished above us but forgot the Mancs were below us and they come ahead of us as well. Nope we will be in the basement bargain and free transfer end of the market. Ffs

As much as we love these expensive marquee signings occasionally, they mostly don't work out because even if we do manage to sign them, the penny soon drops that they are playing in a side that cannot deliver top trophies or regular European Football. They will sparkle in patches in a side that generally does not complement their talent, performances become inconsistent, attitudes moody and invariably they want out after a season or two. We need to sign the right players who are talented, hungry to play PL football and will help us to rebuild and improve us to the point where we are a competitive top half side which can carry those top talented players and where they make us better (Example in point - Kudus will go to Arsenal and Improve them as a side overall).

It's easier said than done of course and rebuilding our squad will take time and we have to trust Potter knows what he's doing.

[boleyn8420]

Funniest thing I've read on here, can't remember from who, but it went something like "A top player might not get his transfer to a CL club so then we become the next best thing"

We are so off being the next best thing it's untrue. After CL clubs, come those in the other European spots, which makes even Palace more attractive than us. I was going to say then those clubs who finished above us but forgot the Mancs were below us and they come ahead of us as well. Nope we will be in the basement bargain and free transfer end of the market. Ffs

[Steady]

As we could get them on a free, I would punt both Sergio Reguilon and Alfie Whiteman.

 

No thanks, they’re Spurs level kind of players, 17th place standard 

[Ladysmith]

As we could get them on a free, I would punt both Sergio Reguilon and Alfie Whiteman.

[Sir Alf]

A typical and likely scenario will be this Onyedika fella in the Belgian league who is supposedly a top target for our low energy, old midfield.

We will bid late, allowing other clubs to get involved. They want £24 million, Sullivan will open with loan to buy, the derisory £15 million, then up it to £20 million but with 7 year repayment terms and finally “take it or leave it” £21 million. Sullivan will also refuse to pay agent fees.  Around late July/ early August, after weeks of Sullivan negotiations from his “art of the deal playbook”, Everton or some other club will meet or be close to meeting the valuation and wrap everything up in 2 or 3 days.  The message will go out that the selling club were difficult or ahents caused problems before waiting until end of window when a Salthouse or Silkman client, 28 years or more old, played for big Prem club, appears from left field. And so it goes on.

Sully like Trump or any narcissist, loves a negotiation, a deal and the power they have in that process. Its a form of validation. Its why Trump passes every bill via an executive order and not via congress or the house. It all goes thru him and he gets the final say. Sullivan very similar and why a DOF was never appointed but a half arsed Tech Director. 

In short, if Macaulay and Potter have targets I expect very few if any primary ones to be secured.   The “ sell before we buy” excuse ready in place to make sure we can lose out on some targets and / or be able to string them out until the eventual collapse. Then Sully saves the day via his agents. 

[Swiss.]

MacAtee and Ramsdale I like. 

[honky cat]

Understand that Daniel Cummings from Celtic is now done
Will join on July 1 for £300,000 training compensation

Was reading an article about Richard Kone from Wycombe
Didnt realise he is only 21. Would often check their results to see how Kodua was getting on & Kone always sounded like their biggest threat 
Anyone seen him play? Does he have it to step up?

He seems to have had a bit of a colourful early life so he would be a gamble, depends on the fee. Has links to Newham, so maybe our Academy have already looked at him and decided he wasn't for us. 

[Gank]

I'd agree that morally, they're finding ways to cheat the system which puts clubs who play by the rules at a disadvantage.

However, it's such a grubby business that I wish we would do it as well, I have been impressed by their genius accountants on many occasions from moving buildings around companies all held by one group and repeatedly moving the profits onto the club to effectively selling their women's section to themselves for a hugely inflated fee.

Of course, had they kept all the players you listed,they'd probably have been top two every year for a decade but to even be in a position to lose that pedigree of player and still finish above most teams every year shows that at the very least, their shady deals fund a quite superb recruitment team. As you say, having a top recruitment team doesn't equal a top transfer team as they've let them go for nothing.

I feel grubby talking up Chelsea, it's a horrible plastic club with weird fans, but credit where it's due, they're miles better than us at the financial and business parts of football. Whilst that's not difficult with the way we're run, they're also better at it than most well-run clubs as well.

[onsideman]

OK, I'll bite.

Well the talk was of the balls-out way in which they spend hundreds upon hundreds of millions in the transfer market by managing to somehow out-flank the rules on P&S rules by, for example, selling their hotel to the ownership group for an inflated price.

So we were talking about their transfer policy, not youth recruitment.

There isn't any world in which recruiting the players I mentioned as examples, letting them go for little or nothing and then buying inferior players for tens of millions is to be applauded

[Gank]

Erm... no it means they've got rid of a number of players that are better than most of those they currently have 

So they DID get it right by having them in the first place.

Well that's such twisted logic I'm going to have to conclude you're on a wind up so I'll leave it there

Sorry for adding one more comment after you wanting to leave it there, but I wanted to let you know that I'm not on a wind up, I am trying to point out that your examples of their transfer policy mistakes highlights how superb their recruitment policy must have been in order for them to make those mistakes.