Macaulay Langstaff’s Transfer Fee: How Can Notts County Maximise Its Impact?

[thommo]

I’m not suggesting that the transfer fee received for Macaulay Langstaff should be spent on anything specific, nor do I expect the board to allocate the funds in any particular way. I want to begin by recognising the significant investments that have been made and how Notts has been wisely utilising funds to enhance the club’s facilities.

What I’m asking is, if you had a say, how would you choose to spend the money?

Personally, I would consider making one or two high-profile signings to uplift the fan base following the departure of such a star player. I would also contemplate investing some of the money in purchasing land for our training ground.

I have no doubt that the money will be reinvested. We may not know the exact figures and might only be able to go off the reported £750,000. For a League Two team, this might not match the fee we would have expected. We don’t know if it’s more, but based on the reported price, I’m curious about how members would like to see it spent?

[RetroPie]

I think some of the money will have been used to offload some of the less effective players, allowing the club to reach mutual agreements with them. It would be nice to see some modest fees paid for areas on the pitch that need attention. Whether that’s a striker to replace Macaulay Langstaff or a defensive midfielder, I would welcome it. The chances are that a better player could be found rather than a player without a team. I’ve heard that Notts are training away from Forest’s setup, but I think temporary agreements to use facilities would work. A permanent training ground would be a nice addition once we’re an established League One team.

[Robbie]

Notts certainly need to strengthen the playing squad even further. With just 21 senior professionals, Notts need another four good players to get the senior squad up to 25 plus the juniors.

Notts will probably have to spend some money to get the players they need so close to the start of the season.

If they have to spend a third of what they received for Macca, that will be good business. 

Not sure that Notts will go for another striker to replace Macca unless Morias goes.

We still don't know how those long term injuries to Scott & Palmer may have affected them until we have seen them play in several matches

I am slightly worried about the present size of the squad and I hope that Notts can rectify that situation quickly.

[Wheelbarrow repair man]

Some of the Money should be invested in making the Fans Match Day Experience/Comfort better. I Don't know about the Ladies but the Gents Toilets could do with an Up Grade. Like Hand Dryers that work. And @Robbie has said the ground needs to be improved to bring it back to full Capacity. He'll tell what he'd like to see, it's just I remember him saying something along those lines.

[Piethagoram]

2 minutes ago, Wheelbarrow repair man said:

Some of the Money should be invested in making the Fans Match Day Experience/Comfort better. I Don't know about the Ladies but the Gents Toilets could do with an Up Grade. Like Hand Dryers that work. And @Robbie has said the ground needs to be improved to bring it back to full Capacity. He'll tell what he'd like to see, it's just I remember him saying something along those lines.

@Wheelbarrow repair man The problem is the Jimmy Sirrel stand, where I believe the under the stand area is not large enough to cope in the event of an evacuation, as the County Road would need to be closed on match days, at a cost

We have already made significant capital outlay this close season on the pitch and The Nest.

 

[Robbie]

@Wheelbarrow repair man 

1 think Notts should spend up to a third of Macca's transfer money on new players and the rest held back for the ground improvements, 

As you said, upgrade the toilets, washing facilities, and try to make those improvements to open up those covered up seats.

If Notts can fill them it would be a good return on that investment.

[Joshua]

I don’t really mind if the rest of the squad is made up of free signings, as long as they’re good and have the potential to grow. It might be harder to spot this type of talent, but I think squandering Macaulay Langstaff’s transfer fee is a possibility when we have more money in the coffers. I would rather save it to strengthen the team in January, as that is the time when everyone is looking to improve and opportunities will naturally arise.

[TheSkipper]

It would be nice to add another striker, but I don’t think we need to spend money in that area. Unless the club wants a marquee signing to replace Macaulay Langstaff, but I think Jatta will do just fine. So, a solid backup to compete against Cedwyn Scott and Junior Morias would be welcome. Some fans are suggesting David McGoldrick could be the fourth striker, but I’m not sure. He wouldn’t be a regular starter for me. The majority of the remaining squad space is to add depth. A defensive midfielder would be welcome, but we don’t need to spend money to fill most of the remaining places. Having our own training ground would be nice, but potentially expensive. Beyond buying the land, you have to spend money to improve the facility, and this area can spiral into hundreds of thousands.

[allardyces tash]

Before we sign any new players, some funds should be reinvested into the squad. I believe it’s more crucial to use a portion of the money to extend the contracts of some players. For instance, Jodi Jones needs a new contract. It would be beneficial to keep him here, and he would make a good vice-captain. Some funds could be allocated to recruit a striker, another attacking player, and a defensive midfielder. I’m not too concerned about a training ground, as the club can extend an agreement to use existing facilities. However, it would be lovely to have our own training pitches one day.

The club could consider making the stands more inviting. A fresh coat of paint and perhaps some inspiring artwork could be added. Not exactly in the style of the family stand, but something more like what the club did under the Trews with the walls near to the suites. It showcased a lot of history of the club.

[liampie]

after reading the roku site being listed for sale, i do think it would make a good place for us to own and have as a training facility which could be ran open to the public too, as a means to bring in extra revenue. i think that is more likely if the reedtz bought it themselves, i would have thought it would be out of our reach as a club and using macaulaylangstaffs fee would take the majority if not all of it. i honestly think the transfer fee could be better spent on signing a few more good players and keeping most of it for the next season.

offering new deals to certain players would make sense.

[Chris]

Ensuring we can afford the likes of Jodi Jones, would be a good option so that we can offer him a new deal instead of sitting on it.

I am not against the idea of some going towards buying player(s) but teams may try to get inflated fees because they know we have money. I think this will make it a task to replace Macaulay Langstaff, as the temptation to ask for x2 more knowing the bidder has money but is also trying to replace a goalscorer - might make them ask for silly amounts, partly in hope of retaining them but also maximising their profit.

A training ground would be costly, but there's land for sale.

Where the factories used to stand, near to BBC Nottingham and opposite the train lines, has a large amount of land which could be transformed into a decent base to train. I am not sure what the area/street name is called. Most of the old factories have been knocked down, but if it's true that Notts are looking at the Roku site then that would be more ideal as it would involve less work.