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

[SuffolkShrimpers]

Carlisle have signed centre back Morgan Feeney. 26 years old and played 36 league 1 games last season. I bet he will be on a big wage.

He was awful last season, one of the worst defenders for Shrewsbury

 

[SuffolkShrimpers]

Justin Rees has really set the cat amongst the pigeons with his "go for title" comment

I knew it as soon as I read it ... Ridiculous statement considering so many fans will take this as gospel and will demand our players and staff should be bringing us a league table

It’s not that, it’s make the fans want to see our budget increase too.

 

[stewart]

Chesterfield ain’t the Essex riviera View attachment 37500

wen they going to plant the rice !!!

 

[Leigh_Seasider]

Justin Rees has really set the cat amongst the pigeons with his "go for title" comment

I knew it as soon as I read it ... Ridiculous statement considering so many fans will take this as gospel and will demand our players and staff should be bringing us a league table

I don’t see anything wrong with ambition

 

[It'sGrimUpNorth]

Me neither. I can’t see why anyone would think our chairman stating that he wants us to go and win the league is a ridiculous statement.

 

[It'sGrimUpNorth]

We've signed nobody and missed out on top targets. There is a signing that should be announced this week but I'm not enraptured by it. We are several players short of contention and we won't get what we need by browsing in the bargain racks with a few days left to go before the season starts.

We’ve signed nobody…..yet!

I bet you’re a nightmare to get to sleep on Christmas Eve.

 

[Holy Joe]

Justin Rees has really set the cat amongst the pigeons with his "go for title" comment

I knew it as soon as I read it ... Ridiculous statement considering so many fans will take this as gospel and will demand our players and staff should be bringing us a league table

Especially when they then ignore subsequent more restrained messages

 

[Blues4LifeDan]

Especially when they then ignore subsequent more restrained messages

Justin was clearly in a euphoric, resolute mindset, coupled with some slight intoxication when he made that defiant statement. He then probably sobered up, took a step back, spoke to the rest of the consortium, and realised he'd overstated our intent. To his credit, he came out and reigned in the expectation by stating 'how tough' it was going to be. Unfortunately, many fans will ignore that and only remember the original statement, however unrealistic it was.

The fact is, we've lost Golding and Goodliffe. Our strike force already didn't score goals and we may still lose some key players to clubs higher up. York got 96 points with their squad and are adding even more depth.

This process is going to take time. There is so much to sort out off the pitch. People forget the lack of trust in the game towards us. That doesn't get rectified overnight. If I was a selling club, I'd want the money up front, as opposed to installments like most clubs do. I'd look at Southend 's owners and think, "That club was an absolute pit, they are losing millions each year, those owners could walk away tomorrow, I want our money now". Other clubs don't have to deal with that. This is a huge boat to turn around.

 

[OldBlueLady]

To be fair we don't know with Cashman, that something didn't show up to cause us to dither on signing him. The real test will be on what targets we do or don't get in next. Once we get one statement signing in, as in - we're serious about looking to get out of this league - others may follow as they will see we have ambition. As others have said no point buying another bunch of NLS/NLN players 'for the future' who may or may not click. We need better than what we have. IF we are serious about promotion.

I am reliably told that Cashman was a very real prospect but there was some dithering about a fairly insignificant sum of money which allowed Crawley to come in and snap him up.

If COSU want to get promotion in the coming season, they've got to be a bit sharper with decisions and give Kev the players he wants as long as they're at the right price (Cashman was).

 

[Strykr]

Justin Rees has really set the cat amongst the pigeons with his "go for title" comment

I knew it as soon as I read it ... Ridiculous statement considering so many fans will take this as gospel and will demand our players and staff should be bringing us a league table

Yep, rush of blood to the head.

Im a bit sad that we arent making big signings but not exactly surprised. Cosus ethos is sustainability, and maher, still and co's ethos is to develop lower league talent, utilise for our benefit and flip for profit.

At least over the next few years until improvements to the ground and income is increased and the deficit reduced.

think people (including myself) need to temper expectations for the next few years.

 

[Leigh_Seasider]

I am reliably told that Cashman was a very real prospect but there was some dithering about a fairly insignificant sum of money which allowed Crawley to come in and snap him up.

If COSU want to get promotion in the coming season, they've got to be a bit sharper with decisions and give Kev the players he wants as long as they're at the right price (Cashman was).

Hmm yeah as I feared. That would’ve been a real signal to the other teams in the league getting a player of that quality. Shows we can improve without breaking the bank also. Let’s hope we’ve got other similar players in our sights!

 

[Tampa Blue]

If COSU want to get promotion in the coming season, they've got to be a bit sharper with decisions and give Kev the players he wants as long as they're at the right price (Cashman was).

With so many members of COSU, though not all on the Board, you have to wonder if this will work against us by getting required agreements in quick times?

Hopefully this won’t be the case and KM will be able to sign his prioritised players.

 

[Colchester and proud!]

Give it another couple of weeks and many EFL players will stop being paid by their clubs as their contracts expire at the end of June, they will be more keen to lower their demands when the salary stops coming in!

 

[L0311 Liberty Shrimper]

Didn't Justin say "Attack the league" rather than "go for the title".

I have no problem with him saying either and it's great to hear the enthusiasm and passion. But there is a difference in the wording.

 

[Leigh_Seasider]

Didn't Justin say "Attack the league" rather than "go for the title".

I have no problem with him saying either and it's great to hear the enthusiasm and passion. But there is a difference in the wording.

"We want to be back in that EFL. We should all be driven by this disappointment to attack next season and be chasing the top honours rather than jumping in there [the play-offs] on the final day."

I have absolutely no issues with it. Neither should Kev or any of the players! It's not an ultimatum.

 

[Mad Cyril]

Rumblings we (Chesterfield) are in for GSM - has anything been mentioned on the southend side of things or just rumours at this point?

If true and most importantly can he DEFEND? Jeff King scored loads for us in the National League but ultimately was found out in League 2 as he couldnt defend.

The important thing to know is that he has a look that never went out of style in Chesterfield.

 

[Smiffy]

Nothing wrong with JR's statement whatsoever. It's good to see some real positivity.

However, the people and procedures in place behind the scenes should support and allow Kev to build a side capable of "attacking next season" and "chasing top honours". From what has been said by a number of reliable posters on here, that does not appear to be the case right now. If anything the whole thing has been a bit of a hindrance.

This needs to change very quickly indeed, or COSU will not only have an angry gaffer, but 7,000+ fans that will vote with their feet and wallet..

 

[rigsby]

Got to to love the summer madness of the Zone. We demand EFL standard players then get upset when we target them but they sign for an EFL club.

Sutton were tipped by a few on here last year with their impressive early signings. They failed so badly they are having to do the same this summer. Others warned how FGR big spend would see them stroll into L2. If not them then York.

The fact is we had good second half of the season with some excellent signings. As Yorkshire pointed out they have passed the bottle test with our three play-off games. We don't have to rush because we only need 4/5 signings. I for one don't care if that takes until October because its quality rather than quantity that gets you promoted. As this season proved....Don't judge at the end of September wait until May.

 

[Shrimper]

Nothing wrong with JR's statement whatsoever. It's good to see some real positivity.

However, the procedures in place behind the scenes should allow Kev to build a side capable of "attacking next season" and "chasing top honours". From what has been said by a number of reliable posters on here, that does not appear to be the case right now. If anything it's been a bit of a hindrance.

This needs to change very quickly indeed, or COSU will not only have an angry gaffer, but 7,000+ fans that will vote with their feet and wallet...

And no amount of being told to be patient will quell that. Every extra year we stay in this league is a misery

 

[kentblues]

"We want to be back in that EFL. We should all be driven by this disappointment to attack next season and be chasing the top honours rather than jumping in there [the play-offs] on the final day."

I have absolutely no issues with it. Neither should Kev or any of the players! It's not an ultimatum.

No- but straight away no doubt Kev will be thinking give me the tools and I will deliver, and some of our supporters will, if he doesn’t get that support, still be posting on an endless Maher Out thread trying to get everyone sacked if we aren’t at least top 3. After all expectation will be we are aiming for top spot.

Some motivations are better kept in house, or at least be aware of raising expectations amongst the fanbase inconsistent with the financial realities.

That all said at the moment we don’t know who we will bring in, and only then we will know how realistic any outcome is likely to be. We should then judge outcomes accordingly.

I don’t think Kev will be trying any more or less to get automatic promotion based on these comments, and by extension the players.