Aside from the fact that the players and staff are in Germany, what could be behind the the lack of new signings?

Could it be that spaces still to fill in the squad will be made from the current trialist and we are just waiting to see who is good enough? Are we still actively searching for a new number one goalkeeper or is the trialist Maks Baruc the likely candidate? Could it be we waiting to see if there are any outgoings, if so who might leave?

I'm sure that the Notts recruiters would have done their usual football radar checks on these trialists before inviting them to accompany the squad to Germany.

I think that they are just trying to find out if the trialists are better than who they already have including the academy players Notts have taken on tour.

Notts still have plenty of time before the summer transfer window closes on the 1st September. So Notts still have plenty of time to bring someone in.

I'm pleased that Martin is giving Riley Reynolds a good opportunity to show what he can do. If he's good enough, why buy another midfielder.

I've always wanted Notts to try Jodi in the playmaker role in midfield. I think he could also play a similar role to what Didzy played last season.

37 minutes ago, Robbie said:

I'm sure that the Notts recruiters would have done their usual football radar checks on these trialists before inviting them to accompany the squad to Germany.

I think that they are just trying to find out if the trialists are better than who they already have including the academy players Notts have taken on tour.

Notts still have plenty of time before the summer transfer window closes on the 1st September. So Notts still have plenty of time to bring someone in.

I'm pleased that Martin is giving Riley Reynolds a good opportunity to show what he can do. If he's good enough, why buy another midfielder.

I've always wanted Notts to try Jodi in the playmaker role in midfield. I think he could also play a similar role to what Didzy played last season.

Yes I'm sure the club wouldn't be spending money on taking trialist on a tour to Germany without the radar due diligence. It would seem that if most of them are given contracts, it wouldn't leave much room for more signings.

usually i dont think the club would make signings whilst they were in germany, i think those deals tend to be concluded before and after. it looks like we are considering some of the trialists, as i dont think we would take and play them just to make up the numbers. its difficult to say which or if any deserve being offered a deal. i still hope that notts sees that alex bass is worth replacing for a transfer fee, we ideally could do with a keeper that can grow alongside us and already has experience.

Aside from Alfreton, I haven't been able to see any of the trialists, and none really impressed me in that game. It would be interesting to see if our next game will be streamed, as it sounds like a fairer contest on paper, and hopefully the German style doesn't throw us off. As mentioned by Liam, I am hoping we buy a keeper because that gives the player a sense of being wanted, and generally they tend to be far better than whoever ends up as a free agent.

I noticed our DoF was in Kaiserslautern, so he'll presumably still be with the team. But we did sign Aljofee during the German trip, so maybe something else is in the pipeline. There could even be transfer business to take care of in Germany, stranger things have happened! I think and hope there will be a flurry of activity once they're back.

None of the trialists have stood out for me, but the teams we've played have been above our level so that's not really a fair reflection.

@Chris , a bit off topic but the next match will be streamed for about a fiver.

It does make me laugh that some fans on social media think the recruitment team are just sitting on their hands waiting for an agent to ring them. Like pretty much every other professional club over the summer we will be in the thick of trying to add players to the squad. I guess the biggest problem with wanting to sign a good player is that 99% of the time of other clubs will want to sign him too. There were rumours that we had offered Kian Spence a contract but he chose to go to Rotherham instead.

And sometimes some deals are worth waiting for, it could well be right now we are at the very end of deal for a top target that we've spent a month or so on.

As for the trialists, I know one of them is Ben Stevenson and I wouldn't be against him signing. The issue is we are stacked in centre-mid so we'd have to move someone out before brining him otherwise as @McPie rightly says it leaves little room to bring other players in, and right now it's attacking players that we need.

17 hours ago, menzinho said:

As for the trialists, I know one of them is Ben Stevenson and I wouldn't be against him signing. The issue is we are stacked in centre-mid so we'd have to move someone out before brining him otherwise as @McPie rightly says it leaves little room to bring other players in, and right now it's attacking players that we need.

To bring in someone like Stevenson would probably see the likes of Iorpenda pushed back to a bench player and likely see the end of someone like Edwards, which I'm not against.

It feels like a clear sign that none of the trialists have stood out enough to earn a deal. You’d think the best ones would’ve been signed already, especially with the season coming up quickly. I’m still hoping the club announces at least one new signing before the Cardiff match. It would give fans a boost and show things are moving in the right direction. Replacing Alex Bass is important. We need someone solid in goal, and sooner rather than later, so we’re not going into the season with uncertainty at the back.

It’s good that we haven’t rushed into signing any trialists, even though Notts could be quite keen on a few of them. The club seems to be weighing up all the choices, and I just hope it helps us find the right level of quality to strengthen the squad.

If someone like Jodi Jones was on trial, I suspect they’d already be signed up. That makes me think the club is focused on quality rather than quantity, which is encouraging.

I’m 99% certain we'll have a new No.1 keeper and attacking midfielder in before the season starts as a minimum. I just don’t think as a club, Notts are that blasé. We seemingly work so hard to get all these marginal gains it would be baffling to miss the obvious and start the season with two areas of the pitch significantly weaker than last season.

There seems to be a rumour floating around that we might re-sign Miller. Seems odd, as we released him but maybe the prospect of 1st team football might, perhaps, change the dynamic?

Never seen him play in a match but he looked pretty useful in training - particularly set piece and shooting drills - at that “Lifeline Trsinibg Day” last season. He’s big & commands the box, his distribution looked swift and competent & his previous experience suggests he’s a decent keeper. Yes, he’s a risk but that applies to most signings.

30 minutes ago, YoopEyes said:

There seems to be a rumour floating around that we might re-sign Miller. Seems odd, as we released him but maybe the prospect of 1st team football might, perhaps, change the dynamic?

Never seen him play in a match but he looked pretty useful in training - particularly set piece and shooting drills - at that “Lifeline Trsinibg Day” last season. He’s big & commands the box, his distribution looked swift and competent & his previous experience suggests he’s a decent keeper. Yes, he’s a risk but that applies to most signings.

Would make sense. He's technically a level above a lot of the keepers we've had from from an experience point of view (Carroll excluded). I'd be happy to have him back as the number one.

I wonder when Prem clubs finalize their GK pecking orders for the upcoming season. Will it all be done by now? Or maybe a bunch will come on the loan market anytime now?

GK is the number one priority, but ACM isn’t far behind. Get just one of those and we won’t be equipped for a promotion challenge

I’ll be happier when we sign another striker, I’m sure the recruitment team are working hard at bringing one in, another Langstaff please. 🙏

Well the vacant No.9 shirt after the announcement of the squad numbers is the biggest clue that a new forward is hopefully work in progress!