Transfer News, Gossip & Speculation Transfer Thread - Summer 2025 Edition.

[southendkid]

Lots of players out of contract at Gateshead. They've been way off the mark since January, but they played us off the park at Roots Hall. Might be one or two worth looking at there? Maybe Greg Olley, for a start, an attacking midfielder and our sort of intelligent, articulate player.

Olley will almost certainly be available given he laid into the Gateshead owners after our win, can't imagine he'll be offered a deal after what he said. My only worry about Olley is that he broke his leg back in August and he hasn't played since, players aren't always the same after an injury like that.

 

[Blues4LifeDan]

Haughton from Fyle would be ideal - v obvious we need to bolster strikers and 19 in that Fylde team represents an impressive season.

Ideal player but we have absolutely no chance. He's on a rumoured 2k a week, which is why no one has touched him. He's obviously settled in the area and no into his 30's.

 

[Jim Levenstein]

A destination of Carlisle, Morecambe or Hartlepool is where I think Olley will end up. I can't see him ending up all the way down here.

 

[Shrimp and two veg]

Ive heard J Rees to us from local sources, but they havent always turned true so i'm waiting to see. Daggers seem to be in all sorts of trouble now. Bet theyre wishing Strevens were still there!

 

[Liam AAS]

Haughton from Fyle would be ideal - v obvious we need to bolster strikers and 19 in that Fylde team represents an impressive season.

Great player but more likely to end up at Oldham/Rochdale/Carlisle/Morecambe etc in the NW. That's if he goes anywhere at all, Fylde have just taken up an 1 year option.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

I'd love to get Josh Rees. I have been saying it for so long. He again had a great season in an awful Daggers team. Out of contract, local and we've been linked before.

I know he doesn't fit the age profile, but we need to add goals and assists to the midfield, he does both in abundance.

I can’t say how much signing a soon to be 32 year old midfielder from a relegated side fills me with dread.

Our midfield picked up when we had the young legs and energy of Coker and KAF in the engine room in place of Cav, Moncur and Noor - and Cav and Noor are both younger than Rees. There’s a place for experience but we surely have that ticked off and don’t need a third experienced midfielder.

He might score goals but I’d rather we backed Oli Coker if we want a goalscoring midfielder. Coker has room to grow his game. I see Rees’ only going backwards.

Booty was always on lots of people’s list, I think.

Has another year left on his current deal.

 

[SUFCGoals]

Didn't CP link us to some youngster a few divs below us not so long ago. I'd imagine that's the closest we have to any rumour of substance so far

Charlie Warren from Felixstowe, his stats are pretty good. Can't say I've seen him play before.

A couple of decent additions even in League 2 could be Vincent Harper LWB (released from Exeter), Josh Rees (out of contract at Daggers) and Tyrese Shade (out of contract at Eastleigh).

Shade has looked extremely lively when I've seen him but not sure about his off the ball work. Rees' numbers have consistently been great and could add goals from midfield. With him being local a one year deal is a no brainer. Although he may want longer as he's 32.

 

[Leigh_Seasider]

I can see Rees being on the ‘if we stay in the NL’ list maybe as a squad player but if we go up to L2 (if ..) .. I’d be surprised if we weren’t looking elsewhere

 

[Napster]

Scott Sinclair!

 

[Smiffy]

Another vote here for Dion Pereira.

Been at Luton 5 years and not broken through. Always a standout in a crap Daggers side though. 16 G/A in 34 games this season. Reminds me a little of Ryan Hall. Would be good to have a proper option out wide.

One for Stilly to sort out surely.

 

[kentblues]

I'd love to get Josh Rees. I have been saying it for so long. He again had a great season in an awful Daggers team. Out of contract, local and we've been linked before.

I know he doesn't fit the age profile, but we need to add goals and assists to the midfield, he does both in abundance.

Regrettably I hear he ran over Kev’s favourite cat…

 

[kentblues]

Haughton from Fyle would be ideal - v obvious we need to bolster strikers and 19 in that Fylde team represents an impressive season.

isn’t the problem with him he has a very good job outside football. Hence P/T suits him very well?

 

[Blues4LifeDan]

I can’t say how much signing a soon to be 32 year old midfielder from a relegated side fills me with dread.

Our midfield picked up when we had the young legs and energy of Coker and KAF in the engine room in place of Cav, Moncur and Noor - and Cav and Noor are both younger than Rees. There’s a place for experience but we surely have that ticked off and don’t need a third experienced midfielder.

He might score goals but I’d rather we backed Oli Coker if we want a goalscoring midfielder. Coker has room to grow his game. I see Rees’ only going backwards.


Has another year left on his current deal.

I get what you're saying YB and we certainly have to be careful. I do also think we have to be mindful that every player has to be judged individually and not as a collective. The collective being 'older players'. Of course, Kightly, Milligan and Moncur are all examples of when it goes wrong, but that doesn't necessarily mean every player older than 30 is a 'no-go signing'.

There are several examples of when it does work. It all went down hill for Gateshead when Butterfield got injured. Doidge is FGR's top goal scorer. Henderson has still contributed 9 goals for Rochdale and he's 40 and Weston played an important part in Bromley's promotion in his mid-thirties. It's a squad game and that bit of experienced quality can make all the difference, especially in the final third.

Furthermore, Rees hasn't been sitting on the bench or been the scrapheap without a club with no preseason in his legs. He has played consecutively for years at this level. In that time, he has produced a big number of goals and assists. He knows this level inside out and has produced the goods season after season. If the deal was right and it suited us, we can't just turn our noses up at him simply because he is 32 in October. Age should only be a factor if their injury record is a concern or if the club are heavily relying on a profit for every player.

You mention Coker, I think he is a really good midfielder and definitely shouldn't be let go like some suggested on here, but I still don't think he is going to get us the amount of goals we need from an attacking midfield position. I think we just think he might because no other midfielder scores for us. It makes him seem more attacking than he actually is.

As much as our midfield has been a lot more dynamic and energetic, it's still lacked quality in the final 3rd. That dynamism in behind an attacking outlet like Rees could work.

 

[Scamps]

Charlie warren at Felixstowe quality player should be a football league player. He’s been watched by Peterborough and Bolton and us so one to watch

 

[kentblues]

I get what you're saying YB and we certainly have to be careful. I do also think we have to be mindful that every player has to be judged individually and not as a collective. The collective being 'older players'. Of course, Kightly, Milligan and Moncur are all examples of when it goes wrong, but that doesn't necessarily mean every player older than 30 is a 'no-go signing'.

There are several examples of when it does work. It all went down hill for Gateshead when Butterfield got injured. Doidge is FGR's top goal scorer. Henderson has still contributed 9 goals for Rochdale and he's 40 and Weston played an important part in Bromley's promotion in his mid-thirties. It's a squad game and that bit of experienced quality can make all the difference, especially in the final third.

Furthermore, Rees hasn't been sitting on the bench or been the scrapheap without a club with no preseason in his legs. He has played consecutively for years at this level. In that time, he has produced a big number of goals and assists. He knows this level inside out and has produced the goods season after season. If the deal was right and it suited us, we can't just turn our noses up at him simply because he is 32 in October. Age should only be a factor if their injury record is a concern or if the club are heavily relying on a profit for every player.

You mention Coker, I think he is a really good midfielder and definitely shouldn't be let go like some suggested on here, but I still don't think he is going to get us the amount of goals we need from an attacking midfield position. I think we just think he might because no other midfielder scores for us. It makes him seem more attacking than he actually is.

As much as our midfield has been a lot more dynamic and energetic, it's still lacked quality in the final 3rd. That dynamism in behind an attacking outlet like Rees could work.

Rees has an excellent injury record, consistently good on goals and assists, stats improving if anything, no fee and lives locally.

If we find ourselves in NL next year he could make a big difference to the goals for column.

If we go up then this will definitely be a ship that passed I think. If not subjects to wages and contract length it would make sense it seems to me. We shall see- wonder what the computer says…Shimperstats might have some interesting input…

 

[Danshrimper]

isn’t the problem with him he has a very good job outside football. Hence P/T suits him very well?

Fylde are full time. The issue/reason he hasn’t left them is that they pay him very well.

I think you’re thinking of Jack Cook at Wealdstone.

 

[amsemp]

Regardless of whether we’re in NL or L2 next season, Golding would be a huge signing and a real statement of intent, as would Pepple and Matt Dennis. I’d be over the moon with those 3, as they all have development and re-sale potential, but I think I’m being hugely optimistic unfortunately.

I also like the look of Jack Stevens from Solihull and Andy Dallas could be on our radar again. I wonder too if we might keep an eye on Tshimanga’s situation with him being transfer listed at Peterborough, but that seems massively unlikely.

Other than that, if we keep the squad mostly together, another CB (Goodliffe?), and either a LWB or a more attacking minded midfielder wouldn’t go amiss depending on where Kev sees LCP’s position long term. Hard to call at the moment though as we can’t start properly planning until after the playoffs really.

 

[amsemp]

I can’t say how much signing a soon to be 32 year old midfielder from a relegated side fills me with dread.

Our midfield picked up when we had the young legs and energy of Coker and KAF in the engine room in place of Cav, Moncur and Noor - and Cav and Noor are both younger than Rees. There’s a place for experience but we surely have that ticked off and don’t need a third experienced midfielder.

He might score goals but I’d rather we backed Oli Coker if we want a goalscoring midfielder. Coker has room to grow his game. I see Rees’ only going backwards.

Completely agree. Great player and would’ve loved him a few years ago. But his performances are surely only going one way from here on out.

 

[Scamps]

Top scorer in the country leaving ramsgate after they won the league. The next Ollie Pearce.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

I’d take a look at Mustapha Olagunju at Ebbsfleet. In a woeful Ebbsfleet side I thought he had a bit about him.

He’s still developing (spent a couple of months out on loan at Hemel this season) and looks a little raw but I think he’s the type of player our coaching staff could develop with time.

He’s athletic and moves well, a good height (6 ft 3) and looks comfortable on the ball. He’s got a decent pedigree as was at Huddersfield but is originally from the London area. At Ebbsfleet he’s used to playing out from the back and in a three.

Think he could improve the depth for all three centre-half spots with a chance to develop into more with time.

duck://player/XI0cw-BtFnY