Stuart:
Lots of work goes on behind the scenes in a transfer window that fans don’t see.
How would you assess this window? Busier than usual? Least predictable?
Phil;
In two halves, the first half was quiet and the last four weeks super super busy
Stuart:
Did any of the deals give you and the team the most satisfaction …. why?
Phil;
Thiago – was done very early and nobody knew about it!
Stuart:
Was any deal a particular surprise or most unexpected?
Phil;
Gustavo was most unpredictable as we were dealing with clubs / agents in Brazil
Stuart:
Were any of the deals particularly unpredictable to get over the line?
Phil;
See above on Gustavo!
Stuart:
And was there one deal that was more frustrating than any others?
Phil;
Archie Gray
Stuart:
There are always lots of rumours about players we are interested in or clubs interested in our players – what % would you say are accurate?
Phil;
No idea, I don’t see all the rumours
Stuart:
We all understand that you’re playing 4 dimensional chess with transfers – any sense as to how long we have been tracking the targets we signed? And were any just very opportunistic, like Pontus a few years ago, serendipitous?
Phil;
We tracked Thiago, Jayden and Sepp for a while. Carvalho and Nunes came up during the window
Stuart:
Has this window been any different to previous windows in terms of bargaining power and influence for agents and players?
Phil;
Not really. We weren’t in a strong position on Ivan.
Stuart:
Reading the headlines alleging different details, the shape of deals seems to have evolved – longer/more reliance on add ons, etc., has this been the case for Brentford
Phil;
No.
Stuart:
How disruptive were the euros to your planning for transfers?
Phil:
Not at all.
Stuart:
What factor do you sense that Profit and Sustainability has had on the transfer window for the sport as a whole and deals?
Phil;
Yes – it created a pressure point around 30th June (Ed: See note below) . And in general, budgets have been cut across the board. Less spent this window than in the past, and clubs now just went younger players, which is encroaching into our USP.
From start to finish in the window that started slow and finished differently
Editor’s note – the 30th June is the pressure point for clubs for the Profit and Sustainability rules, so deals done by then to be included in calculations for that period – which Forest failed to do with Johnson and had points deducted.