11 Aug 2026 09:57:04
Morning all, first time poster here and more of a question to the Eds and people in charge
Do you think Barcola is worth the money being discussed? or do you think it would be better off spending that Money on a CDM and right back and another right winger to make the squad more complete and solid rather than blowing all the money on a marquee signing?
out of curiosity who would you pick for right back, cdm and a right winger if you could? Thanks.
{Ed001's Note - I have not seen enough of him to judge, but nothing I have seen suggests he is worth going for. I would much rather concentrate on getting the defence and midfield sorted personally.
I would like to see Sadiki in midfield, Rayan on the right wing and probably Kayode behind him.}
11 Aug 2026 10:58:08
Well said Ed001. Recruitment the last 12 months seems to be based on my Football Manager 1999 efforts - chase/buy lots of attacking talent and don't bother with a solid core/base. £100m on a quality RB and a DM would complete this team, instead we're trying to spend the same amount on one player who will do nothing to improve our porous midfield/defence.
It's fantasy football stuff.
11 Aug 2026 11:10:04
Athletic is now reporting that Macca will stay.
The dream of a half-decent DM is vanishing for the 5th summer in a row.
11 Aug 2026 11:11:56
Those 3 would be fantastic additions and that's the truth of it. We'd be motoring then!
11 Aug 2026 11:13:16
I'm not sure if he's worth the kind of money being talked about. Makes sense if Gakpo is going for, hopefully, equally silly money, though. Not a lot of great LW's around, and Barcola looks like one of the best options we could realistically get.
11 Aug 2026 11:47:17
I agree it's a huge amount of money. I'd imagine Iraola is very much in this conversation, so if Barcola is the man he wants, then hopefully let's have faith in him.
11 Aug 2026 11:51:22
No, he isn't worth the fee being talked about.
Do we want him enough to pay it, or close? Different question, and that's for the club.
I don't want him enough to pay that.
I'd rather keep the current group, and add to it with a Mbaye type.
11 Aug 2026 11:58:17
I do trust the respected ITK accounts, but I have to admit the prospect of pursuing Barcola above the types of additions mentioned above does boggle my mind a bit. The lack of a DM, more than anything else, is so obvious, and I'd be bitterly disappointed if we didn't strengthen in that area, regardless of who else comes in.
If we do get Barcola, where does that leave Gakpo? Is he covering CF with Isak until Eki is back? Unlike many, I really like him as a player, but I doubt his stock and value will be higher in future than it is right now, but talk of him leaving seems to have gone quiet.
Same with Jones, Macca, Endo etc.
Really hope to see some movement in the next couple of weeks to this effect before the season starts.
11 Aug 2026 12:48:59
I think he's the best winger available this window. Someone with his pace is very difficult to come by.
He reminds me a lot of Salah when we signed him, ridiculous pace, but questionable decision-making and finishing.
Like Salah a few years ago, if this guy plays a full 90, he can probably find 5 clear-cut chances for himself and miss 3 of them.
The only real difference between him and Salah will be whether he has the same mentality and desire to improve. The only way to find that out is to give him the opportunity with a bona fide starting position and see what he can do.
11 Aug 2026 12:59:50
Well, in a perfect world I also wish we had gone for players like Sadiki or Kone for CM and Kayode, Palestra or Kounde for the back, plus a RW, but all the noise seems to be around Barcola so I don't concern myself with those thoughts.
We haven't been linked to a CDM at all, and didn't try to get Palestra or Kayode before they moved clubs / signed a contract extension respectively, which is super odd to me.
In terms of RW, not a lot of options to be honest.
I'm not an ITK but I'd guess we wasted too much time on Diomande and then didn't chase Rayan because Bournemouth don't want to sell, hence not enough time in the window for all the back and forth? Not sure, just guessing here really.
I think Hughes, plus all the wasted energy and time with Edwards sticking his nose in transfers before leaving, was just super detrimental and I can't wait till they're both gone (one down, one to go).
11 Aug 2026 13:18:36
Yeah, I can't fathom why we haven't moved for Kayode, Premier proven and a stand out right back. Ditto Sadiki. Clubs' moves in the transfer market have been odd - Barcola continues that trend - if changes behind the scenes are true, hopefully it results in a more cohesive transfer plan. This summer has been pretty woeful so far, and the squad looks very fragile.
11 Aug 2026 12:54:14
Ed01 re: Barcola, I have never rated him as high as some on here have and I can deduce some over-glazing of his ability as well which is fine as it is just an opinion.
Now if he is the one the club is going for then, what can one do but accept it and support him to do well. Indeed, we could sign other players in other areas of need in defence (already being sorted with Araujo, hopefully he steps up) and in midfield so I'll just wait till the end of the window and then, we can assess things.
11 Aug 2026 14:49:12
Barcola is a strong addition but probably the least needed if the plan is for him to play LW. If the plan is to buy him for RW, then we are nuts!! We couldn't conceivably pay upwards of £100m to play the lad out of position. If we do buy him for the LW then we still need another winger for the right??? I'm not as concerned about the midfield, because I think the coach can get a tune out of Szob, Grav and Macca, but surely we need to move on Jones and upgrade to more DM type midfielder.
Defence is a priority for me. Araujo is a good addition but we need more for the RB and LB position. I'm a massive fan of Kerkez (mainly based on his Bournemouth days) but can't deny he struggled since joining, and hoping Iraola can get him back to his best. Desperately need a Tzimikas and Bradley upgrade!
11 Aug 2026 16:49:08
Dow-ney, if Mbaye comes in along with Barcola, then we would need another wide man cos Rio and Vic are there.
The question will be, in that scenario, what happens to Gkpo cos he would wanna start games if he doesn't wanna be a backup to the back up at LW or the backup CF to Isak?
11 Aug 2026 17:04:11
Didn't Kayode sign a contract extension a while back?
11 Aug 2026 17:18:43
Barcola can play through the middle as well.
11 Aug 2026 17:19:06
I think Sadiki or Kone might improve us slightly but Barcola improves us massively.
We have one of the deadliest strikers in the world in Isak but he's a striker who needs the chances to be created for him. He will score the odd screamer but more often than not it's the ones like he scored on Sunday. Clever running from others to create the space, he fills the space, ball played through, touch, bang.
That's Isak.
Barcola will provide pace and clever running, especially in behind, which in turn will pull defenders about, as the CBs need to come across on the cover, which gives Isak more space to score.
If we can get Isak firing, we have a real chance of winning a lot of football matches. Barcola could be the key to that happening.