Wise words from @ARLukomski

Gone to a team that's average attendance is short of 2k and who's owner buys and gets teams relegated (Spezia and Sønderjyske).

We got a "fair value" which doesn't say a million but doesn't say 200k so coffers could go along way to replenishing (and binning off) certain players.

Edited July 29Jul 29 by piedestrian

The saga about Jatta, together with endless summer speculation about other players, is a reminder that the close season is a tough gig for the average fan. It is also a stark reminder that fans are the only stakeholders connected to a football club whose relationships are not transactional. Owners can sell. Managers can resign or face the sack. Players come and go. Staff move on and are replaced. Their relationships with the club are defined by contracts, salaries and career opportunities. In the competitive world of football commercially sensitive information is withheld until a deal is done. By contrast we, the fans, remain engaged and attached for reasons that have little to do with transactional logic and nothing to do with compensation.
That is what makes the close season so strange for us. Left in a state of suspension, desperately refreshing news feeds, analysing transfer rumours of increasingly questionable credibility, and counting down the days until the season starts. We have no influence over decisions and no access to the conversations that shape the club's future. Yet we are in most cases the people most emotionally invested in the outcome.
The irony is that the people who care most have the least involvement. Football clubs can function without a manager, replace a striker, or recruit a new chief executive. What they cannot replace is the collective loyalty of their supporters.
Perhaps that is why the close season feels so long. It is a period when we are constantly reminded that our relationship with the club is entirely one-sided—and yet, despite the uncertainty, anxiety and endless waiting, we remain devoted. In football, everyone else has a contract. We simply have commitment.

35 minutes ago, Graham said:

Perhaps that is why the close season feels so long. It is a period when we are constantly reminded that our relationship with the club is entirely one-sided—and yet, despite the uncertainty, anxiety and endless waiting, we remain devoted. In football, everyone else has a contract. We simply have commitment.

So true and people who don't like football just don't understand it!

I kind of realised this was coming when I read Smythe's profile - he sounded like a Jatta replacement rather than someone who would complement him. And so it's turned out.

AJ may be a bit raw, he isn't good in the air and his first touch can be a bit suspect. Some of the reported sums clubs were ready to pay for him overvalued him IMO. However, he consistently scored for us, every second game during his time with us. If he can replicate that in Portugal's top flight, he'll really be in the shop window and some very big clubs will notice him. It's a short career, so I hope he does well.

The biggest unknown for us now is where the goals will come from. Smythe sounds promising but is unproven, and Ndlovu and Aquaman don't have great scoring records so far. It'll be interesting to see what permanent and loan signings are still in store.

@StarkMallard very true. Seems to have been on the cards for a while. Of course a great loss but so was Langstaff.

The model moves on.

Looks like Casa Pia (or should that be Pie?) need a new striker looking at last year's table.

Looking at it i find things understandable as :-

From Jatta's perspective:

It's a step up to a top-flight European league.

He'll have the chance to test himself at a higher level and potentially earn a bigger contract.

At 27, this is probably the ideal time in his career to make that move.

But, and it is a but.

From Notts County's perspective:

Losing a striker who scored so many important goals is a huge blow.

Replacing his goals and physical presence won't be easy, especially as the club prepares for life in League One.

If the transfer fee is reinvested well, it could strengthen the squad overall, but there is always a risk when you sell your main goalscorer.

I'd say it's one of those transfers that supporters understand but don't enjoy. Jatta became a real favourite at Meadow Lane, not least because of his goals and his role in helping County win promotion.

The big question now is whether Martin Paterson's recruitment team can find someone capable of replacing those 17 league goals. If they can't, County's ambitions this season become much harder.

Or have we already achieved that with the latest signings? ⚽️

It will be interesting to see how he gets on and of course we all wish him well. But it's quite a tough league and our friend Jatta has got weaknesses in his game. His first touch lets him down a fair bit and he can sometimes get too easily jostled off the ball. I also think he's a big game/ big atmosphere player who gets energised by the big crowds - Wembley a recent example. He might struggle with the much smaller home crowds.

1 hour ago, Michael D Pie. said:

Or have we already achieved that with the latest signings? ⚽️

I don't think, or at least hope, that we have not. Three strikers on the books; one experienced but not a regular scorer, one inexperienced but not a regular scorer, that puts a lot on the shoulders of Mr Smyth who has scored well in the last few months in Finland but is still relatively inexperienced.

It would be nice to have one more on board; probably again unproven but then perm 2 from 4 or 1 from 4 and we have some cover and some room for one of them to really develop under Patto's guidance. (Yes, I am ignoring Traore)

I’m sorry to see Jatta go as we all are but that’s football, as others have said he’s served us well and he goes with my good wishes.

Another proven goal scorer would be a nice addition so let’s see what happens in the rest of the window.

Notts clearly wanted a replacement, which shows that we won't just sell players without making sure we aren't leaving ourselves short. I wished undisclosed fees weren't a thing, as it does mess up transfer records and activity and I feel we as fans deserve to know what he went for.

This said, I think he might struggle. They have a player from Benfica on loan, and aren't really expected to do all that well.

I am not saying this to speak down about Jatta because he left, I think at any top flight level he would probably find it more challenging but I do wish him well. If he does well, that's great. Yet he's going to need to be more displined and return to putting effort in even when he struggles with his form.

My issues are only with his agent, as I feel he was the reason behind all the antics we experienced and perhaps unsettled Jatta to the extent he wasn't always at his best with us. There were games last season where I wouldn't have had him in the XI due to his effort and form, however, we did need him and his talent could change at a single point in any game. Whilst I do wish Jatta well, I would hope he will learn from allowing some of the negative aspects of his time here to stall his career. He improved during his time here, no doubt that will be important as he moves on.