@piedestrian maybe we are paying Crawley to take him?

@menzinho hope you are right, but a goal every 8 games isn't great.

Refering to Roos, when you look at the record of Notts goals conceded by Roos and Belshaw there's not a lot of difference between the two. When it comes to clean sheets the same applies.

15 hours ago, Robbie said:

Refering to Roos, when you look at the record of Notts goals conceded by Roos and Belshaw there's not a lot of difference between the two. When it comes to clean sheets the same applies.

I suppose it's why the brothers are so good that although their market is quantitative data, they also rely on qualitative data and subjective consensus. We all know how much at risk he puts the team under, especially defence.

Tommi O'Reilly? Rumoured loan from Villa. Would that fill an attacking midfield slot nicely?

One of our tormentors at Crewe and yet another player of the season!

I've seen the reports about O'Reilly potentially coming on loan to us, it would be a definite yes from me! He'd be a great option as one of our No 10s.

Sounds like Sheffield Weds were interested but there was no guarantee of the game time, whereas with us he'll definitely be in contention for our starting 11.

I suppose O' Reilly is a great acquisition (even if on loan) as we deseperately need a lot of new creative blood, but I think we're about to lose Jones and Jatta. Depending on what we do with Roos and his huge wages is another conundrum we're faced with. We still are missing depth at WB (if we're sticking with this formation) also with no definitive RWB (Tsar likely to move across to LWB if Jones goes).

Yeah, Kilmarnock didn't jump at the chance to get Roos back again, he is potentially going to be a very costly back-up.

I really don’t get the Jones rumours though, he seemingly loves it here but he’s unfortunately pretty injury prone (not helped by the fact he gets clattered in some matches) and he’d cost quite a bit too. It doesn’t strike me as a great deal to be done, for another club that is.

It’s a shame we haven’t released the team from either the WBA or Barrow friendlies because had he played in either or both, you’d think then he’s not going anywhere. I really hope he is staying because it would just add more strain to the summer recruitment.

@menzinho Agreed - JJ seems so settled. However, money does talk. Would be a big miss if he goes, even if he only manages 3/4 of the season and he has to be nursed a bit.

Jatta I feel is different, yes undoubtably would be missed, but the model of buy cheap-develop-move on at a good profit seems to fit his situation to a tee.

Also we need to pay for some of the recent 'undisclosed fees' with the other signings made so far.

Robertson and Grant out short term. Sanders out for 3 months. Jones and Palmer out for assessments (might be selling them). Rod out til Sept and Enoru is still trying to get back from hospitalisation.
It's looking a bit ropey...

Traore released.

Sanders injury is a blow, one of the best signings on paper.

Still time to bring in a few, maybe there'sa part exchange in the offing, and at least one loan.

1 hour ago, Sheffield Pie said:

Traore released.

Sanders injury is a blow, one of the best signings on paper.

Still time to bring in a few, maybe there'sa part exchange in the offing, and at least one loan.

Traore release... a bit of a short and sweet statement from Notts. Sounds like he never settled and won't be missed

We're looking incredibly thin. I think we need two AM's, a LWB (maybe two if Jones leaves) and RWB, probs another CM and a GK if Roos leaves.

Agree@piedestrian most of the areas you mention is where the creativity lies. I am happy we look sold defensively including the centre midfield options, but wing back and attacking midfield is where we open teams up and become a goal threat. Patto knows it, lets hope the recruitment team do as well. If we that part right I think we'll be ok.

It just didn't work out with Traore, considering he had 3 season playing in the top division of Norway you'd have thought he would have been a hit not a miss but that's just how it is with transfers sometimes. Surely him going means someone else is coming in to take his spot now.

It's interesting to me that this time last year we had signed 5 players on loan. This season we have either missed out on players or are just extremely reluctant to sign loanees. I understand that you don't want to over-rely on loan players, but to have not signed any is weird to me. If we can get a player from the level above that isn't ready for that level, like Iorpenda, Luker and Abbott were, you can quite easily strengthen the side.

Perhaps loans have been delayed as players have not yet returned from the world cup. This trickles down as the squads higher up take place - I think 🤔.

While loans are very useful it does leave you in this situation where you have to replace key players each year. Must be a hard balance to achieve.

The owners and RM have said a few times that they regard the loan market as 'good value'. Confident they are trying to get in the best they possibly can.

Players or clubs wanting guaranteed game time might be a barrier. Have got the sense once or twice that loan players were being picked or coming off the bench, especially in the second half of the season, even though they'd lost form or interest. Or I might be just imagining that.

Off the top of my head, we started last season with four season-long loans. Aljofree and Iorpenda were there pretty much for all pre-season, with Hall and Luker arriving later on. I definitely expect something to happen in the next week or two, maybe an attacking midfielder and a quick centre forward among them. O'Reilly seems to fit in well there.

Having four long-term injuries before a ball is kicked is less than ideal. And I hope there's nothing in the Palmer talk above, he's one of our players with L1 experience (he was a regular in a side that won promotion from this level). Him, Jones and Jatta were part of the core of our promotion-winning team, and replacing them all while they're under contract is an unnecessary risk.

Now being linked with Dean Campbell at Northampton. Is he any good?

That's quite a few we seem to be chasing, if we get some of those targets e.g. O'Reilly, Mellon, Boyes we'll be OK.

Edited August 3Aug 3 by Sheffield Pie

Shame 🫠

https://yorkcityfootballclub.co.uk/york-city-snap-up-wing-back-harry-boyes/

But then...🙃.. we have a championship player

https://www.swanseacity.com/news/ollie-cooper-makes-notts-county-loan-move

I think that we'll be a first choice for loans for many clubs (maybe bar Man Utd with Aljofree last season), but given that Luker looks to be given a shot in the first team, Iorpenda potentially on the move to Derby and Hall's been mentioned on being loaned to a championship club, we are showing that we're a club that can really educate and bring a player up levels. I look forward to seeing some young uns back up what we've got.

It seems this morning some reports have been going round about us potentially signing Ishe Samuels-Smith, a left-wing back, on loan from Chelsea.

15 minutes ago, menzinho said:

It seems this morning some reports have been going round about us potentially signing Ishe Samuels-Smith, a left-wing back, on loan from Chelsea.

That would make sense - an area where we are light. MP did say 'Yes!' to incomings after the match yesterday. (and a Number 9 please)

3 hours ago, menzinho said:

It seems this morning some reports have been going round about us potentially signing Ishe Samuels-Smith, a left-wing back, on loan from Chelsea.

If he's a left wing-back it would make sense (whether Jones stays or not), but I read elsewhere that he plays in Bedeau's position. Let's wait and see what happens. I'm expecting the remaining loanees to be attacking midfielders or maybe a striker, depending on whether we fill the vacant number 9 shirt.

On 09/08/2026 at 16:28, StarkMallard said:

I'm expecting the remaining loanees to be attacking midfielders or maybe a striker, depending on whether we fill the vacant number 9 shirt.

Definitely, we've been waiting for these but most new arrivals have been defenders and deeper midfielders.

I think the club have deviated away from a balanced recruitment strategy, spooked by...

- going into the new season with 2 long-term injuries in defence

- having each season at L2 hit by losing our entire starting midfield at different times. Sanders' injury would have rung this alarm again

- needing options and depth in defence/midfield in case players get exposed like Rawlo, Brindley, Cameron and Baldwin were.

So insurance in these positions is seen as a must I think. Added to this, the hardest area of recruitment is strikers and other players who can put it in the onion bag.

Hopefully it's a case of using the entire window to get the right players in instead of being panicked into taking a punt against the data model. But as things stand you have to agree with the pundits, a season scoring profile of something like....Roberts 12, Smyth ?, Acquah 5, Ndlovu 5, Jones ? Cooper 4, Grant 3, Tsaroulla 3, plus defenders and mids is only going to go one way. As MP said a couple of interviews back, we absolutely need to do more to replace the goals lost from Jatta/Dennis/Hall/Luker/Iorpenda departures.