Summer Window 2026 - Rumours and Discussion

Leuth

cafc_se7 said:

I can’t believe some of these comments on Carey. You lot must live in dreamland if you think we easily get somebody else in who’s better. Particularly for “3 million”.

The usual Charlton fallacy I see, better the devil you know. If someone offers 3-4m for Carey, snap their hand off 

Alwaysneil

If Ramsay doesnt sign a deal in the next two weeks with us i doubt we will see him play for charlton again

cafc_se7

Leuth said:

cafc_se7 said:

I can’t believe some of these comments on Carey. You lot must live in dreamland if you think we easily get somebody else in who’s better. Particularly for “3 million”.

The usual Charlton fallacy I see, better the devil you know. If someone offers 3-4m for Carey, snap their hand off 

I’d be amazed if we get that much. 1.5m max. He has been complete value for money! 

ns9

If we’re going down the player trading route, which we will almost certainly have to at some point, I’d rather sell TC than Carey. I wouldn’t want to sell either of them but they are the highest value assets we have if we are going to sell and the ones we are most likely to get sizeable bids for 

FAVADDICK

cafc_se7 said:

I can’t believe some of these comments on Carey. You lot must live in dreamland if you think we easily get somebody else in who’s better. Particularly for “3 million”.

Davis keillor dunn = £2 million 
Morishita ( blackburn ) = £2.1 million 
Mehmeti ( ipswich ) = £3 million 
Irankunda ( watford ) = £3 million 

Thats just a few, it can be done, it just depends on who's doing the shopping for them 

CAFCsayer

J BLOCK said:

Siv_in_Norfolk said:

Word on the grapevine up here is that there have been a few offers for Carey and it's possible he'll leave this summer

Wouldn't hate it if he left. 

I had him second in player of the year, but if we could get 5 mil for him, I'd take it. He won't be getting that many every year

Leuth

ns9 said:

If we’re going down the player trading route, which we will almost certainly have to at some point, I’d rather sell TC than Carey. I wouldn’t want to sell either of them but they are the highest value assets we have if we are going to sell and the ones we are most likely to get sizeable bids for 

TC's ceiling absolutely towers above Carey's

Leuth

(Fullah's does too) 

ns9

Leuth said:

ns9 said:

If we’re going down the player trading route, which we will almost certainly have to at some point, I’d rather sell TC than Carey. I wouldn’t want to sell either of them but they are the highest value assets we have if we are going to sell and the ones we are most likely to get sizeable bids for 

TC's ceiling absolutely towers above Carey's

Probably, yes. But Carey is delivering here and now, and the main focus for the club over the next 2-3 years is consolidation which will require instant results rather than waiting for players to come good at this level 

Elthamaddick

ns9 said:

Leuth said:

ns9 said:

If we’re going down the player trading route, which we will almost certainly have to at some point, I’d rather sell TC than Carey. I wouldn’t want to sell either of them but they are the highest value assets we have if we are going to sell and the ones we are most likely to get sizeable bids for 

TC's ceiling absolutely towers above Carey's

Probably, yes. But Carey is delivering here and now, and the main focus for the club over the next 2-3 years is consolidation which will require instant results rather than waiting for players to come good at this level 

this is spot on - we can't 'wait' for players to start delivering.

bonkers to think of selling Carey (unless a crazy offer comes in - which I can't see)

NabySarr

I put this on the Carey thread but worth adding here now this discussion is ongoing. 

He played in all 46 games for us this season, with 40 of those games being starts. Before this season the most starts he’d had in a season was 26. It’s pretty obvious that his form and performances dropped off because he was knackered. A rest this summer and he will be back to his best in August, with Knibbs being more fit next season to take the pressure off him 

We shouldn’t be selling him unless we get silly money. Our main problem is goals so selling our top goalscorer is probably not a great idea, and also Carey has a lot he can get better at which could easily mean his value goes up next season if we can continue to develop him 

ShootersHillGuru

I think there are big changes afoot in the squad but we have to retain at least a core of the better players from this season. Carey is one of those I believe and there aren’t that many. Unless the offer allows us to do something in the market that makes it irresistible then I’m thinking we’re better off holding on to him. One more season with similar outcome could put a million or two onto any bid. Unless of course Jones thinks this season was a one off and he’ll find it hard to replicate those stats. Ultimately it’ll come down to the size of any offer.

Braziliance

Here we go, typical CL. Discuss something and you get people trying to make out you're daft for having a different view on a player. 

Carey has been important to our season, but if a good offer came in I wouldn't be against us selling. He's got a good shot on him and that bit of fortune you need, but he's still been a part of a midfield that gets walked through almost every game. 

If someone came in with an offer of 4-5 million that would do nicely. Can pick up 2 or 3 top Championship level players on a free and put it towards their salaries, or even use it towards Jones or Ramsay who are more important for us right now.

Can see why people would want him to stay, as he does strike the ball well, but I think the whole midfield needs a shuffle personally. 

Scoham

FAVADDICK said:

cafc_se7 said:

I can’t believe some of these comments on Carey. You lot must live in dreamland if you think we easily get somebody else in who’s better. Particularly for “3 million”.

Davis keillor dunn = £2 million 
Morishita ( blackburn ) = £2.1 million 
Mehmeti ( ipswich ) = £3 million 
Irankunda ( watford ) = £3 million 

Thats just a few, it can be done, it just depends on who's doing the shopping for them 

DKD hasn’t proven himself at this level, he’s barely played for Wrexham.

You also have to take wages into account, presumably Ipswich pay a lot more than us.

If Carey goes we need to replace his goals, having a better player wouldn’t be enough. We already struggle to score as it is.

Leuth

Scoham said:

FAVADDICK said:

cafc_se7 said:

I can’t believe some of these comments on Carey. You lot must live in dreamland if you think we easily get somebody else in who’s better. Particularly for “3 million”.

Davis keillor dunn = £2 million 
Morishita ( blackburn ) = £2.1 million 
Mehmeti ( ipswich ) = £3 million 
Irankunda ( watford ) = £3 million 

Thats just a few, it can be done, it just depends on who's doing the shopping for them 

DKD hasn’t proven himself at this level, he’s barely played for Wrexham.

You also have to take wages into account, presumably Ipswich pay a lot more than us.

If Carey goes we need to replace his goals, having a better player wouldn’t be enough. We already struggle to score as it is.

'How will we replace his goals?' strikes me as absurd nonsense. We set up this season to feed him shots - it was pretty much our only attacking tactic - and it got us 8 goals. Next season, how's about signing some players who'll feed our actual strikers? 

ns9

All fair points, I just personally think Carey is very good and 8 goals in this side is a major achievement (without which we would’ve been in serious bother). I think we’re looking at a very different rebuild altogether if Carey is one we will entertain selling 

LargeAddick

TheHerminator said:

Genuinely can't believe some people want rid of Carey.

Our top goal scorer who had a dip in form that coincided with us stopping scoring, and suddenly we can do loads better because we stayed up.

If we build a better team in the summer he'll thrive again I reckon. No one in our team could drive forward and strike a ball like he did. But yea lets sell him.

Crazy

Exactly. Another team willing to pay 5m say and it’s yeah, sell him, we can do better. If so why isn’t the team willing to pay 5m getting the better player we are going to get to replace him. Yes he’s gone off the boil a bit but was still our top scorer and I think there is more to come from him. Unless it’s a ridiculous offer we need to keep him.

elbiglad

Although Jones has already proven to us that he can sell our top scorer and replace them, I think Carey is one of the players we should prioritise keeping. He clearly has the technical ability to play and score at this level, good athleticism and the right character for a Nathan Jones team.

However, in our situation we have to accept that every player has their price. We have to make sure that if we do sell we get proper fees. We all love Lloyd Jones, but a £6-7m offer for a 30 year old centre back with a year left on his deal would be hard to refuse and I could understand sanctioning that move. £5-6m for Carey after two thirds of a good season at this level would test our resolve.

The hard part is being able to replace these players. For every good CB/CM bought for under £3m there are probably ten bad ones. 

fenaddick

LargeAddick said:

TheHerminator said:

Genuinely can't believe some people want rid of Carey.

Our top goal scorer who had a dip in form that coincided with us stopping scoring, and suddenly we can do loads better because we stayed up.

If we build a better team in the summer he'll thrive again I reckon. No one in our team could drive forward and strike a ball like he did. But yea lets sell him.

Crazy

Exactly. Another team willing to pay 5m say and it’s yeah, sell him, we can do better. If so why isn’t the team willing to pay 5m getting the better player we are going to get to replace him. Yes he’s gone off the boil a bit but was still our top scorer and I think there is more to come from him. Unless it’s a ridiculous offer we need to keep him.

With that logic the whole transfer network would fall apart. When we replaced Alfie May with Matty Godden why didn't Birmingham just buy Godden instead? We were rumoured to have paid much much less for Godden than we brought in selling May. That's exactly how the game works. If we think we can identify someone who improves us for less than we get selling Carey then surely it becomes a relatively simple decision?

NabySarr

People saying we should sell Carey are the same people crying about style of play. They want some skillful creative number 10 in there and think we can start popping it through teams next season. You’re going to be disappointed

We are going to need Carey’s running, pressing, ball carrying and shooting next season just as much as we did this season. If we got a really good offer then yes we should sell him, but the replacement is going to be someone similar that can press and score goals and fits our style 

Leuth

LargeAddick said:

TheHerminator said:

Genuinely can't believe some people want rid of Carey.

Our top goal scorer who had a dip in form that coincided with us stopping scoring, and suddenly we can do loads better because we stayed up.

If we build a better team in the summer he'll thrive again I reckon. No one in our team could drive forward and strike a ball like he did. But yea lets sell him.

Crazy

Exactly. Another team willing to pay 5m say and it’s yeah, sell him, we can do better. If so why isn’t the team willing to pay 5m getting the better player we are going to get to replace him. Yes he’s gone off the boil a bit but was still our top scorer and I think there is more to come from him. Unless it’s a ridiculous offer we need to keep him.

Because like our fans they've been gulled by the 8 goals and aren't taking a more holistic view of contributions to team play :P

Rothko

When's the World Cup start? Off-season crazy has already begun

Scoham

Leuth said:

Scoham said:

FAVADDICK said:

cafc_se7 said:

I can’t believe some of these comments on Carey. You lot must live in dreamland if you think we easily get somebody else in who’s better. Particularly for “3 million”.

Davis keillor dunn = £2 million 
Morishita ( blackburn ) = £2.1 million 
Mehmeti ( ipswich ) = £3 million 
Irankunda ( watford ) = £3 million 

Thats just a few, it can be done, it just depends on who's doing the shopping for them 

DKD hasn’t proven himself at this level, he’s barely played for Wrexham.

You also have to take wages into account, presumably Ipswich pay a lot more than us.

If Carey goes we need to replace his goals, having a better player wouldn’t be enough. We already struggle to score as it is.

'How will we replace his goals?' strikes me as absurd nonsense. We set up this season to feed him shots - it was pretty much our only attacking tactic - and it got us 8 goals. Next season, how's about signing some players who'll feed our actual strikers? 

I want to see more quality from the midfield too but I don’t expect us to completely change the way we play. Why don’t we keep him and strengthen the midfield?

Leuth

Scoham said:

Leuth said:

Scoham said:

FAVADDICK said:

cafc_se7 said:

I can’t believe some of these comments on Carey. You lot must live in dreamland if you think we easily get somebody else in who’s better. Particularly for “3 million”.

Davis keillor dunn = £2 million 
Morishita ( blackburn ) = £2.1 million 
Mehmeti ( ipswich ) = £3 million 
Irankunda ( watford ) = £3 million 

Thats just a few, it can be done, it just depends on who's doing the shopping for them 

DKD hasn’t proven himself at this level, he’s barely played for Wrexham.

You also have to take wages into account, presumably Ipswich pay a lot more than us.

If Carey goes we need to replace his goals, having a better player wouldn’t be enough. We already struggle to score as it is.

'How will we replace his goals?' strikes me as absurd nonsense. We set up this season to feed him shots - it was pretty much our only attacking tactic - and it got us 8 goals. Next season, how's about signing some players who'll feed our actual strikers? 

I want to see more quality from the midfield too but I don’t expect us to completely change the way we play. Why don’t we keep him and strengthen the midfield?

Of course, but if a decent offer comes in, he's exactly the sort of player we should cash in on to balance the books, is my point. What we need most of all is quality on the wings, and that will take investment 

ShootersHillGuru

Leuth said:

Scoham said:

Leuth said:

Scoham said:

FAVADDICK said:

cafc_se7 said:

I can’t believe some of these comments on Carey. You lot must live in dreamland if you think we easily get somebody else in who’s better. Particularly for “3 million”.

Davis keillor dunn = £2 million 
Morishita ( blackburn ) = £2.1 million 
Mehmeti ( ipswich ) = £3 million 
Irankunda ( watford ) = £3 million 

Thats just a few, it can be done, it just depends on who's doing the shopping for them 

DKD hasn’t proven himself at this level, he’s barely played for Wrexham.

You also have to take wages into account, presumably Ipswich pay a lot more than us.

If Carey goes we need to replace his goals, having a better player wouldn’t be enough. We already struggle to score as it is.

'How will we replace his goals?' strikes me as absurd nonsense. We set up this season to feed him shots - it was pretty much our only attacking tactic - and it got us 8 goals. Next season, how's about signing some players who'll feed our actual strikers? 

I want to see more quality from the midfield too but I don’t expect us to completely change the way we play. Why don’t we keep him and strengthen the midfield?

Of course, but if a decent offer comes in, he's exactly the sort of player we should cash in on to balance the books, is my point. What we need most of all is quality on the wings, and that will take investment 

Of course there’s something in balancing the books but not in this case. We struggled this season and we need to strengthen all over the pitch to both survive again and perhaps progress. Taking £3 -4 million for Carey would straight away necessitate spending at least half of that on a replacement who might or might not work out. Personally unless the offers just too good to refuse I think he has to stay. 

TheHerminator

Braziliance said:

Here we go, typical CL. Discuss something and you get people trying to make out you're daft for having a different view on a player. 

Carey has been important to our season, but if a good offer came in I wouldn't be against us selling. He's got a good shot on him and that bit of fortune you need, but he's still been a part of a midfield that gets walked through almost every game. 

If someone came in with an offer of 4-5 million that would do nicely. Can pick up 2 or 3 top Championship level players on a free and put it towards their salaries, or even use it towards Jones or Ramsay who are more important for us right now.

Can see why people would want him to stay, as he does strike the ball well, but I think the whole midfield needs a shuffle personally. 

Blaming our attacking midfielder for being part of a midfield getting walked through is an interesting take I'll give you that.

fenaddick

First time we've had some genuine sellable assets in years and we don't quite know how to react to it. Stay in the Championship for a while and these transfer threads are going to have a few new recognisable themes I think

fenaddick

TheHerminator said:

Braziliance said:

Here we go, typical CL. Discuss something and you get people trying to make out you're daft for having a different view on a player. 

Carey has been important to our season, but if a good offer came in I wouldn't be against us selling. He's got a good shot on him and that bit of fortune you need, but he's still been a part of a midfield that gets walked through almost every game. 

If someone came in with an offer of 4-5 million that would do nicely. Can pick up 2 or 3 top Championship level players on a free and put it towards their salaries, or even use it towards Jones or Ramsay who are more important for us right now.

Can see why people would want him to stay, as he does strike the ball well, but I think the whole midfield needs a shuffle personally. 

Blaming our attacking midfielder for being part of a midfield getting walked through is an interesting take I'll give you that.

He isn't blameless on that though, his job as the attacking midfielder is to try to funnel the play into areas the opposition will struggle to capitalise on. NJ said publicly he needs to be better defensively. To be fair to Carey, he did improve and clearly put in the hard work. I think NJ actually sees him as a box to box midfielder in future because of his engine

TheHerminator

fenaddick said:

TheHerminator said:

Braziliance said:

Here we go, typical CL. Discuss something and you get people trying to make out you're daft for having a different view on a player. 

Carey has been important to our season, but if a good offer came in I wouldn't be against us selling. He's got a good shot on him and that bit of fortune you need, but he's still been a part of a midfield that gets walked through almost every game. 

If someone came in with an offer of 4-5 million that would do nicely. Can pick up 2 or 3 top Championship level players on a free and put it towards their salaries, or even use it towards Jones or Ramsay who are more important for us right now.

Can see why people would want him to stay, as he does strike the ball well, but I think the whole midfield needs a shuffle personally. 

Blaming our attacking midfielder for being part of a midfield getting walked through is an interesting take I'll give you that.

He isn't blameless on that though, his job as the attacking midfielder is to try to funnel the play into areas the opposition will struggle to capitalise on. NJ said publicly he needs to be better defensively. To be fair to Carey, he did improve and clearly put in the hard work. I think NJ actually sees him as a box to box midfielder in future because of his engine

No that's a fair point, but I'm not sure that Frank Lampard being in that spot would've meant that we stopped getting run over the way we did.

Arguably his job was to pick up the ball on the break and press high up the pitch, which I think in the main he did quite well.

He got tired towards the end which coincided with a dip in form, but his job wasn't to stop us being played through. It was to pick up the ball and run with it.  Your point is a fair one though in that NJ did call him out on it, but I think that was towards the end when he was shattered!

NabySarr

fenaddick said:

TheHerminator said:

Braziliance said:

Here we go, typical CL. Discuss something and you get people trying to make out you're daft for having a different view on a player. 

Carey has been important to our season, but if a good offer came in I wouldn't be against us selling. He's got a good shot on him and that bit of fortune you need, but he's still been a part of a midfield that gets walked through almost every game. 

If someone came in with an offer of 4-5 million that would do nicely. Can pick up 2 or 3 top Championship level players on a free and put it towards their salaries, or even use it towards Jones or Ramsay who are more important for us right now.

Can see why people would want him to stay, as he does strike the ball well, but I think the whole midfield needs a shuffle personally. 

Blaming our attacking midfielder for being part of a midfield getting walked through is an interesting take I'll give you that.

He isn't blameless on that though, his job as the attacking midfielder is to try to funnel the play into areas the opposition will struggle to capitalise on. NJ said publicly he needs to be better defensively. To be fair to Carey, he did improve and clearly put in the hard work. I think NJ actually sees him as a box to box midfielder in future because of his engine

I think it’s quite obvious that Carey has a lot he can improve on. Which is why I wouldn’t sell him now because if we develop him more we can get more money for him 

Clubs aren’t stupid nowadays. Yes they’ll see 8 goals but they will also see what we all see in that he’s also got a lot he can improve on. So I don’t think clubs will just see 8 goals and slap down a big bid for him, most teams are a bit smarter than that