Yes I was impressed with the ex Blackburn midfield player his passing and positional sense was good and with the old head hughs helping him adjust to premier league footballer doesn't look like he will be a big goal scorer .That's where we have let ourselves down buying 27olds which I have mentioned before keep 4 years with an option but by then too old I know 23 year olds cost money but we must scout them so we can sell for a profit.

Whilst I agree Mick, it has taken time for us to establish ourselves and it is hard to think of many bad signings (Mbabu aside) since we reached the Premier League this time.

Seasoned professionals were the right players to buy.  However now we are getting ourselves established again it is absolutely right that we begin to cast our net at players who have potential.  This summer will be telling in that respect.

As an aside though, does anybody else think that this Wharton is being a bit overhyped?  I haven't seen much of him to be honest but he didn't seem particularly special against us?  Or did I miss something?

What the! Does this mean?

Think this bearded dragon wants all the under 21s put in the side or some shat. Nothing but waffle all the time!

Seems to really look at having a go at every opportunity- weird!

Thought that this one was quite easy to read and understand to be fair.

I don't think you can argue we don't buy any young players, but as Somerset mentioned we needed some seasoned professionals to help us once we got promoted. If we argue that now we are a most established PL team, we can look at getting some younger players as well. For what it's worth, with the exception of summer 2022, we have brought in at least one 23yo in the last 4 years.

Summer 2020
- Tete (24)
- Robinson (23)
- Tosin (23)
Summer 2021
- Wilson (24)
- Muniz (20)
Summer 2022
- Diop (25)
Summer 2023
- Bassey (23)

Also, it's easy to look at Wharton as the lone example from Crystal Palace. They also got Ahamada (20) and Franca (19) and they have barely played.

Quote from: BestOfBrede on April 30, 2024, 09:31:03 PMWhat the! Does this mean?

Think this bearded dragon wants all the under 21s put in the side or some shat. Nothing but waffle all the time!

Seems to really look at having a go at every opportunity- weird!

Sorry but what did you find difficult with Mick's post? Agree or disagree is fine, but pretty clear what he means.

The players we have been linked with recently are by and large much younger than the past couple years so I do think that is the direction we are moving in. I do think it made sense to target veteran players initially after promotion to stabilize and now we can fill out the squad with some younger prospects.

Age is just a number....Willian on a free...  Traore on a free.... that's good business

He looks very good for a guy that just turned 20. He made the step up from The Championship without the need for any sort of transition period. Of course Eze and Olise from Palace did the same.

We should seriously consider raiding The Championship for new recruits as there's value to be found there.

Quote from: Asotosyios on April 30, 2024, 09:59:12 PMSummer 2022
- Diop (25)
Summer 2023
- Bassey (23)

In football terms I'd define "young" as aged 17-23. One player at the upper fringe of that bracket in two seasons is hardly a compelling case for our recruitment of youth/potential.

However, I accept that as a newly-promoted side we needed players who could hit the ground running.

In summer 2024, I'd hope/expect we can sign 3-4 players in that range. 

the gulf between our top academy players and first team is huge. very few players can bridge it at PL level.
carvalho ,sessignon , dembelle ,all came into the side  at championship level . Even Tosin,  Wilson and Bassein have all established themselves outside of the PL before making the step up.

I am really really surprised that Bassey is as young as he is. I had no idea.