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Transfers The Winter Transfer Thread - 25/26
- Thread starter The Fighting Cock
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Have we ever got anyone decent from Everton
Steven Pienaar
Richarlison
Saha
They even got the upper hand when Levy gazuumped them for sissoko
For me stay away from Everton players
Haaland is about the most un-City player (Pep) and they have him. Semenyo is a battering ram like Haaland for when they have had enough of the pretty passing and just wanted to smash the door down, he gives them a nasty physicality and is far more tidy than given credit for. A forward line of Doku, Foden, Cherki and Semenyo with Haaland up top in theory will be chaos.
Didn't he sign a new contract?
what and give him back if hes shit? like tel?
Also interesting that Semenyo told Chelsea to get stuffed too.
I'm not saying he wouldn't have gone to City anyway as they are the most attractive option, but considering he's a gooner it's interesting that he told both Chelsea and us to get lost.
Seems he had no intention of playing for another London club other than Woolwich, unless he couldn't help it.
I'm not saying he wouldn't have gone to City anyway as they are the most attractive option, but considering he's a gooner it's interesting that he told both Chelsea and us to get lost.
Seems he had no intention of playing for another London club other than Woolwich, unless he couldn't help it.
What kids are we signing?
We tried.
neither does a lot of what they have been buying recently. not what youd consider classic pep players anyway, maybe getting players in for after pep, coming away from the technical keep ball stuff.
Major holes at LW, CM, LB and LCB cover and we're going after a RW.... very on brand.
aint he more a 10? thought he was in the hole when ive seen everton on.
agree tho, we have far more important issues, weve taken a gamble on xavi, going to have to see it through till maddison back now, the positions youve said are the biggest weak links, sort them.
Guy we’ve been linked with:
Said El Mala
December 23, 2025
There’ve been several youngsters in the Bundesliga who’ve burst onto the scene this season. At only 17 years old, Lennart Karl has made himself into a regular starter for Bayern Munich, which is quite the accomplishment given how tough it is to crack their starting XI. We’ve already done a deep dive on Yan Diomandé, who’s had a meteoric rise from the DME Academy in Florida to being a starting winger for one of the biggest clubs in Germany in RB Leipzig. Can Uzun had a great start to the season after assuming more attacking responsibilities following the departures of Omar Marmoush and Hugo Ekitike.
Another teenager who the hype train is gaining steam is Said El Mala. His track record before this season included scoring double digit goals with Viktoria Köln during his age 16 and 17 seasons in both the U19 Bundesliga and 3. Liga. Even still, you don’t expect teenagers to have a combined goals and assist per 90 rate approaching 1 in a top 5 league. The underlying production has also been impressive, threading the needle of being a high usage dribbler with strong shot quality.
If there was an adjective to describe El Mala’s skill set, it’d be fearless. He is constantly looking to beat opposing fullbacks in 1v1s. Even when faced with a 1v2, he’ll try to get to the byline or split the gap to get inside. This mindset has helped him generate a plentiful amount of chances for himself. According to Opta Analyst, among players in the Bundesliga who’ve played at least 400 minutes, no one has more carries which end in a shot than El Mala’s 1.99 per 90 minutes.
Despite being almost one-footed with his dribbling, he’s a threat to cut inside or attack the byline. Part of what makes him an astute dribbler is how economic he is in sizing up his fullback with clean touches, and the aggressiveness in immediately looking to square up defenders. When moving inside, his burst with the 2nd step and change of tempo helps him gain inside position. His use of shimmies vs recovering defenders helps open up potential shooting opportunities, and he can absorb contact from riding challenges. He can be susceptible to settling for low quality shots in those situations. That said, he’s also capable of the spectacular, including his goal vs Augsburg.
Because of how direct El Mala’s playstyle is, he’s functioned as a tertiary playmaker this season. He’s had several matches this season where he’s attempted less than 10 passes. Some of this is due to how Köln play in-possession, but his style of play makes him less of a passer. As a result, it’s not a surprise that his open play xG assisted is a lot lower compared to the value of his own shots he’s generated. According to FBRef, among Bundesliga wingers and attacking midfielders, he’s in the 20th percentile for key passes per 90, 22nd for passes into the box per 90, and 56th for crosses into the box. The constant need to attack off the dribble (and sometimes being guilty of having his head down) means he’ll miss some passing windows, although he’s shown some touch with his right-footed crossing towards the far post.
Without the ball, El Mala has shown a bit of promise, although it’s certainly been the case that the chaotic nature of the Bundesliga has helped him get quality shots off. Once a turnover is generated in the opposition half, he’s looking to sprint in behind. This is also the case in moments when he’s positioned centrally and trying to make straight line runs through the middle when a teammate receives in pockets of space. In Köln’s 1-1 draw versus St. Pauli, he spent the first half moonlighting as a striker, trying to stretch the opposing backline. Once he receives the pass, he’ll try to move across the last defender to take him out of the play and open up a clear shooting opportunity. He’ll also regularly make runs along the left flank to set up his dribbling. Although he’s taken a ton of shots from the wide left zone of the box, there’ve been a few down the middle from taking advantage of counters.
El Mala has displayed an interesting skill-set for a winger in his first season of top flight football. Players of his archetype who are heavy volume dribblers don’t often have good shot locations to their name, but in nearly 800 minutes of play, he’s been able to accomplish this. The lack of playmaking could limit the total value he provides. However, becoming more prolific off the ball can mitigate those concerns to some extent. Some of his production has been due to the impact of substitute effects, with him producing five goals and assists in his sub appearances. He’s still been a net-positive in the minutes he’s started. The Bundesliga is also arguably the most attacker friendly league of the big 5, which makes it a good development spot.
There have been some shortcomings which El Mala has displayed so far. One of them is the lack of a left foot to his game. Although he’s shown a bit of willingness to try crosses on his weaker foot, the shooting has been wayward. It could be a problem for him as he plays more minutes and other clubs start gameplanning against him. He can also be guilty of telegraphing his intentions of dribbling inwards, which might explain his success rate being at only 40%.
There’s a comparison to be had between El Mala and Diomandé. Both are in their age 18 season and have put up 8 goals and assists through the first half of the season. The two of them provide significant value with their off the dribble prowess, ranking among the best in Europe for dribble and carry on-ball value. Between the two, Diomandé has a quicker first step, yet El Mala might be more direct with his carrying and dribbling intentions. Neither would be considered advanced playmakers, while El Mala shows a greater willingness to operate off the ball through movement. Both have shown to be electric prospects in their own way as largely direct wingers.
783 minutes does not make a career, but it’d be hard to deny El Mala’s hot start. It’s not every day you see teenage attackers produce at the level he’s been at, even after accounting for sub effects and the friendly environment of the Bundesliga. At his best, he’s been electrifying this season and caused several headaches for defenders in Germany. It’ll be interesting to see how he performs in the 2nd half of the season, with opponents putting more emphasis on slowing him down. How much will his flaws become a bigger part of the overall picture? What can’t be denied is that at only 19 years old, Said El Mala has been one of the better players in German football this season.
I’ve watched zero live games/replay 90’s of this kid, just YouTube, so don’t have a formed opinion, but his deficiencies would be a worry at this stage - and not sure he’s ready for a PL spot. Not going on my list - yet.
Said El Mala
He went from 3rd division to Bundesliga superstar instantly
Meet 19-year-old Said El Mala, who apparently had no learning curve in his leap up to the top flight.
Mohamed MohamedDecember 23, 2025
There’ve been several youngsters in the Bundesliga who’ve burst onto the scene this season. At only 17 years old, Lennart Karl has made himself into a regular starter for Bayern Munich, which is quite the accomplishment given how tough it is to crack their starting XI. We’ve already done a deep dive on Yan Diomandé, who’s had a meteoric rise from the DME Academy in Florida to being a starting winger for one of the biggest clubs in Germany in RB Leipzig. Can Uzun had a great start to the season after assuming more attacking responsibilities following the departures of Omar Marmoush and Hugo Ekitike.
Another teenager who the hype train is gaining steam is Said El Mala. His track record before this season included scoring double digit goals with Viktoria Köln during his age 16 and 17 seasons in both the U19 Bundesliga and 3. Liga. Even still, you don’t expect teenagers to have a combined goals and assist per 90 rate approaching 1 in a top 5 league. The underlying production has also been impressive, threading the needle of being a high usage dribbler with strong shot quality.
If there was an adjective to describe El Mala’s skill set, it’d be fearless. He is constantly looking to beat opposing fullbacks in 1v1s. Even when faced with a 1v2, he’ll try to get to the byline or split the gap to get inside. This mindset has helped him generate a plentiful amount of chances for himself. According to Opta Analyst, among players in the Bundesliga who’ve played at least 400 minutes, no one has more carries which end in a shot than El Mala’s 1.99 per 90 minutes.
Despite being almost one-footed with his dribbling, he’s a threat to cut inside or attack the byline. Part of what makes him an astute dribbler is how economic he is in sizing up his fullback with clean touches, and the aggressiveness in immediately looking to square up defenders. When moving inside, his burst with the 2nd step and change of tempo helps him gain inside position. His use of shimmies vs recovering defenders helps open up potential shooting opportunities, and he can absorb contact from riding challenges. He can be susceptible to settling for low quality shots in those situations. That said, he’s also capable of the spectacular, including his goal vs Augsburg.
Because of how direct El Mala’s playstyle is, he’s functioned as a tertiary playmaker this season. He’s had several matches this season where he’s attempted less than 10 passes. Some of this is due to how Köln play in-possession, but his style of play makes him less of a passer. As a result, it’s not a surprise that his open play xG assisted is a lot lower compared to the value of his own shots he’s generated. According to FBRef, among Bundesliga wingers and attacking midfielders, he’s in the 20th percentile for key passes per 90, 22nd for passes into the box per 90, and 56th for crosses into the box. The constant need to attack off the dribble (and sometimes being guilty of having his head down) means he’ll miss some passing windows, although he’s shown some touch with his right-footed crossing towards the far post.
Without the ball, El Mala has shown a bit of promise, although it’s certainly been the case that the chaotic nature of the Bundesliga has helped him get quality shots off. Once a turnover is generated in the opposition half, he’s looking to sprint in behind. This is also the case in moments when he’s positioned centrally and trying to make straight line runs through the middle when a teammate receives in pockets of space. In Köln’s 1-1 draw versus St. Pauli, he spent the first half moonlighting as a striker, trying to stretch the opposing backline. Once he receives the pass, he’ll try to move across the last defender to take him out of the play and open up a clear shooting opportunity. He’ll also regularly make runs along the left flank to set up his dribbling. Although he’s taken a ton of shots from the wide left zone of the box, there’ve been a few down the middle from taking advantage of counters.
El Mala has displayed an interesting skill-set for a winger in his first season of top flight football. Players of his archetype who are heavy volume dribblers don’t often have good shot locations to their name, but in nearly 800 minutes of play, he’s been able to accomplish this. The lack of playmaking could limit the total value he provides. However, becoming more prolific off the ball can mitigate those concerns to some extent. Some of his production has been due to the impact of substitute effects, with him producing five goals and assists in his sub appearances. He’s still been a net-positive in the minutes he’s started. The Bundesliga is also arguably the most attacker friendly league of the big 5, which makes it a good development spot.
There have been some shortcomings which El Mala has displayed so far. One of them is the lack of a left foot to his game. Although he’s shown a bit of willingness to try crosses on his weaker foot, the shooting has been wayward. It could be a problem for him as he plays more minutes and other clubs start gameplanning against him. He can also be guilty of telegraphing his intentions of dribbling inwards, which might explain his success rate being at only 40%.
There’s a comparison to be had between El Mala and Diomandé. Both are in their age 18 season and have put up 8 goals and assists through the first half of the season. The two of them provide significant value with their off the dribble prowess, ranking among the best in Europe for dribble and carry on-ball value. Between the two, Diomandé has a quicker first step, yet El Mala might be more direct with his carrying and dribbling intentions. Neither would be considered advanced playmakers, while El Mala shows a greater willingness to operate off the ball through movement. Both have shown to be electric prospects in their own way as largely direct wingers.
783 minutes does not make a career, but it’d be hard to deny El Mala’s hot start. It’s not every day you see teenage attackers produce at the level he’s been at, even after accounting for sub effects and the friendly environment of the Bundesliga. At his best, he’s been electrifying this season and caused several headaches for defenders in Germany. It’ll be interesting to see how he performs in the 2nd half of the season, with opponents putting more emphasis on slowing him down. How much will his flaws become a bigger part of the overall picture? What can’t be denied is that at only 19 years old, Said El Mala has been one of the better players in German football this season.
I’ve watched zero live games/replay 90’s of this kid, just YouTube, so don’t have a formed opinion, but his deficiencies would be a worry at this stage - and not sure he’s ready for a PL spot. Not going on my list - yet.
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Nah....Guy we’ve been linked with:
Said El Mala
He went from 3rd division to Bundesliga superstar instantly
Meet 19-year-old Said El Mala, who apparently had no learning curve in his leap up to the top flight.
Mohamed Mohamed
December 23, 2025
There’ve been several youngsters in the Bundesliga who’ve burst onto the scene this season. At only 17 years old, Lennart Karl has made himself into a regular starter for Bayern Munich, which is quite the accomplishment given how tough it is to crack their starting XI. We’ve already done a deep dive on Yan Diomandé, who’s had a meteoric rise from the DME Academy in Florida to being a starting winger for one of the biggest clubs in Germany in RB Leipzig. Can Uzun had a great start to the season after assuming more attacking responsibilities following the departures of Omar Marmoush and Hugo Ekitike.
Another teenager who the hype train is gaining steam is Said El Mala. His track record before this season included scoring double digit goals with Viktoria Köln during his age 16 and 17 seasons in both the U19 Bundesliga and 3. Liga. Even still, you don’t expect teenagers to have a combined goals and assist per 90 rate approaching 1 in a top 5 league. The underlying production has also been impressive, threading the needle of being a high usage dribbler with strong shot quality.
If there was an adjective to describe El Mala’s skill set, it’d be fearless. He is constantly looking to beat opposing fullbacks in 1v1s. Even when faced with a 1v2, he’ll try to get to the byline or split the gap to get inside. This mindset has helped him generate a plentiful amount of chances for himself. According to Opta Analyst, among players in the Bundesliga who’ve played at least 400 minutes, no one has more carries which end in a shot than El Mala’s 1.99 per 90 minutes.
Despite being almost one-footed with his dribbling, he’s a threat to cut inside or attack the byline. Part of what makes him an astute dribbler is how economic he is in sizing up his fullback with clean touches, and the aggressiveness in immediately looking to square up defenders. When moving inside, his burst with the 2nd step and change of tempo helps him gain inside position. His use of shimmies vs recovering defenders helps open up potential shooting opportunities, and he can absorb contact from riding challenges. He can be susceptible to settling for low quality shots in those situations. That said, he’s also capable of the spectacular, including his goal vs Augsburg.
Because of how direct El Mala’s playstyle is, he’s functioned as a tertiary playmaker this season. He’s had several matches this season where he’s attempted less than 10 passes. Some of this is due to how Köln play in-possession, but his style of play makes him less of a passer. As a result, it’s not a surprise that his open play xG assisted is a lot lower compared to the value of his own shots he’s generated. According to FBRef, among Bundesliga wingers and attacking midfielders, he’s in the 20th percentile for key passes per 90, 22nd for passes into the box per 90, and 56th for crosses into the box. The constant need to attack off the dribble (and sometimes being guilty of having his head down) means he’ll miss some passing windows, although he’s shown some touch with his right-footed crossing towards the far post.
Without the ball, El Mala has shown a bit of promise, although it’s certainly been the case that the chaotic nature of the Bundesliga has helped him get quality shots off. Once a turnover is generated in the opposition half, he’s looking to sprint in behind. This is also the case in moments when he’s positioned centrally and trying to make straight line runs through the middle when a teammate receives in pockets of space. In Köln’s 1-1 draw versus St. Pauli, he spent the first half moonlighting as a striker, trying to stretch the opposing backline. Once he receives the pass, he’ll try to move across the last defender to take him out of the play and open up a clear shooting opportunity. He’ll also regularly make runs along the left flank to set up his dribbling. Although he’s taken a ton of shots from the wide left zone of the box, there’ve been a few down the middle from taking advantage of counters.
El Mala has displayed an interesting skill-set for a winger in his first season of top flight football. Players of his archetype who are heavy volume dribblers don’t often have good shot locations to their name, but in nearly 800 minutes of play, he’s been able to accomplish this. The lack of playmaking could limit the total value he provides. However, becoming more prolific off the ball can mitigate those concerns to some extent. Some of his production has been due to the impact of substitute effects, with him producing five goals and assists in his sub appearances. He’s still been a net-positive in the minutes he’s started. The Bundesliga is also arguably the most attacker friendly league of the big 5, which makes it a good development spot.
There have been some shortcomings which El Mala has displayed so far. One of them is the lack of a left foot to his game. Although he’s shown a bit of willingness to try crosses on his weaker foot, the shooting has been wayward. It could be a problem for him as he plays more minutes and other clubs start gameplanning against him. He can also be guilty of telegraphing his intentions of dribbling inwards, which might explain his success rate being at only 40%.
There’s a comparison to be had between El Mala and Diomandé. Both are in their age 18 season and have put up 8 goals and assists through the first half of the season. The two of them provide significant value with their off the dribble prowess, ranking among the best in Europe for dribble and carry on-ball value. Between the two, Diomandé has a quicker first step, yet El Mala might be more direct with his carrying and dribbling intentions. Neither would be considered advanced playmakers, while El Mala shows a greater willingness to operate off the ball through movement. Both have shown to be electric prospects in their own way as largely direct wingers.
783 minutes does not make a career, but it’d be hard to deny El Mala’s hot start. It’s not every day you see teenage attackers produce at the level he’s been at, even after accounting for sub effects and the friendly environment of the Bundesliga. At his best, he’s been electrifying this season and caused several headaches for defenders in Germany. It’ll be interesting to see how he performs in the 2nd half of the season, with opponents putting more emphasis on slowing him down. How much will his flaws become a bigger part of the overall picture? What can’t be denied is that at only 19 years old, Said El Mala has been one of the better players in German football this season.
Edit
As per my post yesterday, adding in Mamadou Sangare. Also thinking of adding Ndiaye, but he’s hard to way up, eye test says good, but metrics are mixed, but that could be because he’s playing out of position all season to accommodate the Wankhorn. So I’ll put him in brackets.
6/8/DP
Baleba / Anderson / Stiller / MGW / Bouaddi / I.Sangare/ Lemine Camara / Koné / M.Sangare
Attack
Mintheh/ Mitoma /Akliouche/Semenyo/Mikautadze/Yildiz/ Paz/ Lookman/ Fofana (Lyon currently injured)/ Guirassy / Bahoya/ Pulisic / Diomande / (Ndiaye)
LB
To be updated
LCB
Schlotterbeck
LB/LCB hybrid
Lukeba
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Cliffy Jones will be gutted.
Id love Schlotterbeck for his leadership. But hear he's tapped by Liverpool. He is the exact profile personality we need. For me Kone Schlotterbeck Hackney Diomande.
AFAIK teams can bid and whatnot anytime but they can't register a new player until the transfer window opens, so they're not doing anything wrong in chasing a player now.
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Smells like what the old firm used to do up here and what Fergie used to try at United. Sign them so nobody else can.
That was the old Spurs.
The new Spurs gets politely rejected by multiple good players until they finally get someone who is nowhere near as good
I was the same regarding Savinho in the summer. Now I think we dodged a very expensive bullet.
The only way I’d be interested in signing him now would be on a loan with a relatively cheap option (£40m max), purely because January is a difficult window to get good players in. Look at last year, our two targets were Tel and Kolo Muani, Levy and Lange made an absolute Roger Hunt of both deals, to the point Ange had to phone Tel and beg him to come. Both players have turned out to be absolutely shite for us, so I’m not expecting this window to be much different.
I don’t agree about us mainly targeting Premier League players though. I think we miss out on too many players from other leagues because of spending so much on Ndombele. This PL only approach has led us to overpaying for such worldbeaters as Brennan Johnson, Richarlison, Solanke & Kudus.