2024 Season, Arrivals and Departures

**sbgawa** · 01/02/2024, 9:30 AM

Originally Posted by 2 Year Contract

John Fallon from the Examiner tweeting that Naj Razi is joining Serie B club Como

if if we are getting a decent fee amd sell ons id be happy enough as i couldnt see him getting game time ahead of the midfield we have.
Towell, Poom, O Neill, Byrne, McEneff, Burns , Nugent, Burke plus a couple of others and we only play 3 in midfield. Plus 1 of the places is the holding midfield spot which is either Poom or O Neill so really only 2 places for the rest or 3 maybe if we have one up front. Still feel we have to many midfielders to keep happy but i suppose we have plenty of cover if there are injuries or we go deep in Europe

**2 Year Contract** · 01/02/2024, 12:36 PM

Originally Posted by sbgawa

if if we are getting a decent fee amd sell ons id be happy enough as i couldnt see him getting game time ahead of the midfield we have.
Towell, Poom, O Neill, Byrne, McEneff, Burns , Nugent, Burke plus a couple of others and we only play 3 in midfield. Plus 1 of the places is the holding midfield spot which is either Poom or O Neill so really only 2 places for the rest or 3 maybe if we have one up front. Still feel we have to many midfielders to keep happy but i suppose we have plenty of cover if there are injuries or we go deep in Europe

�450k with add ons

https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/...-41322445.html

**pineapple stu** · 01/02/2024, 12:42 PM

It says �450,00 up front (presume that's �450k, but could be �45k) with potentially twice that much from add-ons.

**ger121** · 01/02/2024, 12:48 PM

Originally Posted by joey B

Tommy Lonergan�s moving to Fleetwood for 60k according to Dan McDonnell.

Originally Posted by Glen Of Aherlow

If he ends up going to Waterford on loan it's a joke .

Anyway gutted to see him go thought he could have been one to shine this season

Fleetwood would, would Fleetwood!

**ger121** · 01/02/2024, 12:51 PM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

It says �450,00 up front (presume that's �450k, but could be �45k) with potentially twice that much from add-ons.

Nice bit of business. Mandriou aside, they tend to do well when it comes to transfer fees.

**placid casual** · 01/02/2024, 12:59 PM

I really think the experience of playing in European games gives teams looking for young LOI players both a look at their potential in a testing environment and also increases the market value-Naz held himself well in the brief euro campaign for Rovers last year. Hopefully he can (a) fulfill his potential and (b) make some more money for Rovers.

**joey B** · 01/02/2024, 1:08 PM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

It says �450,00 up front (presume that's �450k, but could be �45k) with potentially twice that much from add-ons.

Fallon confirmed it�s 450k ,decent fee �.

**Stuttgart88** · 01/02/2024, 1:23 PM

Good fee but I'm disappointed nonetheless, just as a fan. He's an exciting prospect and I was looking forward to seeing him blossom. A lot of very good young players are leaving us early (Bazunu, Zefi, Ferizaj, Emakhu, Razi...). Just purely from an intangible perspoective, seeing your academy kids develop into regular first team players is great for the fans and their connection to their club. I guess there's still Noonan, Nugent, Tetteh etc but I'm not sure these guys' ceilings are as high.

**LTFC** · 01/02/2024, 1:43 PM

Has to be positive all round. Say Rovers had 24 or so in an u19 squad, and assuming they are amongst the best in the country at that age, then whats a good number to take the next step, ie get a pro contract, at a level higher than LOI premier, or Loi premier or lower than loi premier, say first division? I dont know the answer, but would imagine if 25% take the next step would be a great achievement for an academy.

**Glen Of Aherlow** · 01/02/2024, 2:05 PM

Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

Good fee but I'm disappointed nonetheless, just as a fan. He's an exciting prospect and I was looking forward to seeing him blossom. A lot of very good young players are leaving us early (Bazunu, Zefi, Ferizaj, Emakhu, Razi...). Just purely from an intangible perspoective, seeing your academy kids develop into regular first team players is great for the fans and their connection to their club. I guess there's still Noonan, Nugent, Tetteh etc but I'm not sure these guys' ceilings are as high.

Know what you mean , as a Pats fan it was great to be able to watch Sam Curtis play regularly for the first team for a couple of seasons

**WeAreRovers** · 01/02/2024, 2:07 PM

Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

Good fee but I'm disappointed nonetheless, just as a fan. He's an exciting prospect and I was looking forward to seeing him blossom. A lot of very good young players are leaving us early (Bazunu, Zefi, Ferizaj, Emakhu, Razi...). Just purely from an intangible perspoective, seeing your academy kids develop into regular first team players is great for the fans and their connection to their club. I guess there's still Noonan, Nugent, Tetteh etc but I'm not sure these guys' ceilings are as high.

I get this and agree that eventually we need to be able to hang on these young players but it's a very hard circle to square - give the kids game time and achieve sustained success at the same time. Not impossible - and it should be the aim - but very tough to do.

Pats have done and continue to do a great job bringing kids through but they haven't had the same level of success as Rovers and have done it out of necessity. That's not a criticism in the slightest BTW.

At the end of the day Rovers are getting �450k for a 17-year-old with twice that figure in possible add-ons. No doubt that Naj is a massive talent but he would have struggled for game time this season. A good bit of business for all parties... hopefully!

**sbgawa** · 01/02/2024, 2:28 PM

Mirror quoting 500k as up front fee. Either way it's a decent fee and hopefully is more typical these days of all clubs getting decent fees for young talent

**joey B** · 01/02/2024, 3:19 PM

Eric Yoro who joined Bolton from UCD a couple of years ago signed for Cliftonville on loan�.

**ontheotherhand** · 01/02/2024, 3:23 PM

Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

Good fee but I'm disappointed nonetheless, just as a fan. He's an exciting prospect and I was looking forward to seeing him blossom. A lot of very good young players are leaving us early (Bazunu, Zefi, Ferizaj, Emakhu, Razi...). Just purely from an intangible perspoective, seeing your academy kids develop into regular first team players is great for the fans and their connection to their club. I guess there's still Noonan, Nugent, Tetteh etc but I'm not sure these guys' ceilings are as high.

Bittersweet isn't it? It's the high ceilings bringing the attention but we won't get to watch the progress now. Still good to be nurturing the talent this far I suppose. We need a few slow burners to come through as it would be nice for some homegrown talent to reach their potential here.

Good fee for a 17 year old, especially with add ons. Hopefully there's a sell on as Como will attract a bigger future transfer fee than we can for now. They are spending a lot lately.

Regularly getting money is progress but now we need a few of these lads (Bazunu is a good start tbf) going on and fulfilling their promise. Then the bigger money will start showing up.

Bohs getting a season (or two?) out of McManus and then 500k is another good one. Positive signs.

**pineapple stu** · 01/02/2024, 3:26 PM

It'd be interesting to see after a while if these sort of moves are actually worth it.

Yoro was an awful player and was never going to make it at Bolton. He could have had two years' senior experience at this stage - but against that has had two years in what's presumably a top full-time academy. Which is better? (And then take the case of Naj Razi, who is giving up presumably a full-time contract at Rovers to move to Italy - is that worth it?)

**ontheotherhand** · 01/02/2024, 3:29 PM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

It'd be interesting to see after a while if these sort of moves are actually worth it.

Yoro was an awful player and was never going to make it at Bolton. He could have had two years' senior experience at this stage - but against that has had two years in what's presumably a top full-time academy. Which is better? (And then take the case of Naj Razi, who is giving up presumably a full-time contract at Rovers to move to Italy - is that worth it?)

He'd be moving to Italy on a full-time contract as well I'd assume.....

**joey B** · 01/02/2024, 3:33 PM

Dundalk signed Ciaran McGuckin from Rotherham United on loan until the summer , Northern Ireland U21 International �

**pineapple stu** · 01/02/2024, 3:49 PM

Originally Posted by ontheotherhand

He'd be moving to Italy on a full-time contract as well I'd assume.....

For sure - so that's full-time to full-time. I just want to remove the benefit for Yoro of going from part-time to full-time; that's just because he left UCD and that's not really the point of my supposing.

**JC_GUFC** · 01/02/2024, 4:17 PM

Originally Posted by joey B

Dundalk signed Ciaran McGuckin from Rotherham United on loan until the summer , Northern Ireland U21 International �

Very little senior football behind him. Dundalk have a handful of seasoned pros but then a lot of inexperienced lads who could be anything.

That second game of the season at home to Galway United is going to be very interesting for both sides and could determine the direction of the season for either team. At least Stephen O'Donnell will know what to expect this season - it was like he had done absolutely no prep ahead of the cup meeting last season.

**ontheotherhand** · 01/02/2024, 5:16 PM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

For sure - so that's full-time to full-time. I just want to remove the benefit for Yoro of going from part-time to full-time; that's just because he left UCD and that's not really the point of my supposing.

Would Yoro have even started for UCD? Fairly sure they only played him so scouts tracking his minutes played thought he was doing OK.....