Who’s under contract?

Athers

Well-known member
Just wondering who’s definitely here next season?

Ekpiteta
Grettarson
Keshi
CJ
Stewart
Dougall
Virtue
Yates
Lubala

What’s the state of play of the likes of Maxwell, Husband, Turton, Thorniley and Ward? I know Garbutt & Madine are out of contract. Just trying to think where we need to strengthen (other than up top)
 
Thorniley will have a year left this summer, Robson will have two I think. Edit to add Robson will have a year plus an option this summer.

Ward Turton and Husband will all be out of contract as will Madine.

From memory Maxwell signed a two year deal last summer so will have a year left at the end of this season.

Plus factor in Gabriel and Ballard’s loans ending. When you think about it there’s a few holes to fill.

The squad cap will help us here some what as we’ll only need 4/5 quality replacements.

As for people to target, Dion Charles is out of contract this summer. If Accy don’t go up we need to be on the hunt for him.
 
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Something like this maybe. No idea how many U18s are on pro contract retainers apart from the ones mentioned below.

Loans end 31/5/21
Dan Ballard
Elliot Embleton
Jordan Gabriel
Ellis Simms

Contracts end 30/6/21
Cameron Antwi (one year option)
Liam Feeney
Alex Fojticek (one year option)
Luke Garbutt
Ben Garrity (one year option)
Brad Holmes (one year option)
James Husband (one year option)
Sullay Kaikai (one year option)
Gary Madine
Stuart Moore
Nathan Shaw (one year option)
Jack Sims
Ollie Turton
Grant Ward (one year option)
Adi Yussuf (one year option)

Contracts end 30/6/22
Keshi Anderson (one year option)
Rob Apter (one year option)
Ewan Bange (one year option)
Kenny Dougall
Marvin Ekpiteta (one year option)
Daníel Grétarsson (one year option)
Teddy Howe (one year option)
Chris Maxwell (one year option)
Demetri Mitchell (one year option)
Joe Nuttall (one year option)
Ethan Robson (one year option)
Oli Sarkic (one year option)
Kevin Stewart
Jordan Thorniley (one year option)
Matty Virtue

Contracts end 30/6/23
CJ Hamilton (one year option)
Bez Lubala (one year option)
Jerry Yates (one year option)
 
Here's my advice to Critch and the board on those contracts ending this year. (I won't be upset if they don't take it -- I'm used to it.)

Contracts end 30/6/21

Cameron Antwi (one year option) Take option
Liam Feeney Thanks and bye-bye
Alex Fojticek (one year option) Thanks and bye-bye
Luke Garbutt New contract
Ben Garrity (one year option) Thanks and bye-bye
Brad Holmes (one year option) Take option
James Husband (one year option) Take option
Sullay Kaikai (one year option) Conflicted - probably take option but possibly new contract in hope we can sell him.
Gary Madine New contract
Stuart Moore New contract
Nathan Shaw (one year option) Take option
Jack Sims Thanks and bye-bye
Ollie Turton Thanks and bye-bye
Grant Ward (one year option) New Contract
Adi Yussuf (one year option) Thanks and bye-bye

My thinking is this:

New Contract -- they're good enough to take us to the Championship next year and play in it.

Take Option -- take a serious look at them next year and decide whether they can play in the Championship. If not, offer new contract with a view to selling, or let them go as free agents depending on whether anyone is likely to pay for them. It's a shame for the youngsters, but we can't keep them if we're not using them.

Thanks and bye-bye -- self explanatory. Turton is the tough call here.
 
Here's my advice to Critch and the board on those contracts ending this year. (I won't be upset if they don't take it -- I'm used to it.)

Contracts end 30/6/21

Cameron Antwi (one year option) Take option
Liam Feeney Thanks and bye-bye
Alex Fojticek (one year option) Thanks and bye-bye
Luke Garbutt New contract
Ben Garrity (one year option) Thanks and bye-bye
Brad Holmes (one year option) Take option
James Husband (one year option) Take option
Sullay Kaikai (one year option) Conflicted - probably take option but possibly new contract in hope we can sell him.
Gary Madine New contract
Stuart Moore New contract
Nathan Shaw (one year option) Take option
Jack Sims Thanks and bye-bye
Ollie Turton Thanks and bye-bye
Grant Ward (one year option) New Contract
Adi Yussuf (one year option) Thanks and bye-bye

My thinking is this:

New Contract -- they're good enough to take us to the Championship next year and play in it.

Take Option -- take a serious look at them next year and decide whether they can play in the Championship. If not, offer new contract with a view to selling, or let them go as free agents depending on whether anyone is likely to pay for them. It's a shame for the youngsters, but we can't keep them if we're not using them.

Thanks and bye-bye -- self explanatory. Turton is the tough call here.
Agree, apart from:

Ward: Really not done enough for me, not all his fault been played all over the place and has never really got settled under Critch. We’ve got a very talented centre of Midfield now and if we’re sticking with 442 our main midfield outlet will come on the wing. We need pace there. Move on for me.


Kai Kai: Pretty much word for word the same as Ward. Anderson is virtually the same player for me. Can’t have luxuries in League One. (Or the Championship 😜)

Turton: I’d offer him another one year deal. Don’t think we’ll be able to get Gabs back as he’s just a level above. Turton hasn’t done too much wrong, Gabriel is just too good to drop.
 
Agree, apart from:

Ward: Really not done enough for me, not all his fault been played all over the place and has never really got settled under Critch. We’ve got a very talented centre of Midfield now and if we’re sticking with 442 our main midfield outlet will come on the wing. We need pace there. Move on for me.


Kai Kai: Pretty much word for word the same as Ward. Anderson is virtually the same player for me. Can’t have luxuries in League One. (Or the Championship 😜)

Turton: I’d offer him another one year deal. Don’t think we’ll be able to get Gabs back as he’s just a level above. Turton hasn’t done too much wrong, Gabriel is just too good to drop.
I would have agreed with you about Ward in the Grayson era however this season he has been one of our most consistent performers and definitely deserves the option activating at the very least.
 
I
I would have agreed with you about Ward in the Grayson era however this season he has been one of our most consistent performers and definitely deserves the option activating at the very least.
Yeh, like I say very consistent and steady, I just think we have two if not three better options of that in Dougall Stewart and Virtue. People might disagree with Virtue and I wouldn’t loose sleep over it.

But I just think if Critch is sticking 442 Ward doesn’t have the pace or attacking nouse to get past a full back. So just don’t see where he fits. If there were no squad cap, yeh maybe keep him on, but think we’re just going to have to get sensible.
 
Agree, apart from:

Ward: Really not done enough for me, not all his fault been played all over the place and has never really got settled under Critch. We’ve got a very talented centre of Midfield now and if we’re sticking with 442 our main midfield outlet will come on the wing. We need pace there. Move on for me.


Kai Kai: Pretty much word for word the same as Ward. Anderson is virtually the same player for me. Can’t have luxuries in League One. (Or the Championship 😜)

Turton: I’d offer him another one year deal. Don’t think we’ll be able to get Gabs back as he’s just a level above. Turton hasn’t done too much wrong, Gabriel is just too good to drop.

Sometime fans have an irrational regard or disregard for a player. I really like Ward. He's always calm on the ball when others are getting a bit frantic. He does decent passes to the strikers when they're available. Maybe too many back passes, but if we keep possession that's a good thing. Keep for me.

Kaikai drives me mad. When he's good he's very very good, and when he's bad he's horrid, (like the nursery rhyme). Last chance saloon for him next year.

Turton -- he's a useful all round player that managers like to have on the bench, but not quite good enough to get us to the Championship. (Possibly an irrational dislike.) I think we can recruit better in the Summer transfer window.
 
Agree, apart from:

Ward: Really not done enough for me, not all his fault been played all over the place and has never really got settled under Critch. We’ve got a very talented centre of Midfield now and if we’re sticking with 442 our main midfield outlet will come on the wing. We need pace there. Move on for me.


Kai Kai: Pretty much word for word the same as Ward. Anderson is virtually the same player for me. Can’t have luxuries in League One. (Or the Championship 😜)

Turton: I’d offer him another one year deal. Don’t think we’ll be able to get Gabs back as he’s just a level above. Turton hasn’t done too much wrong, Gabriel is just too good to drop.
I totally agree with that. Even though I have called Turton on many occasions as you say without Gabriel he is a decent backup and squad player.
 
Sometime fans have an irrational regard or disregard for a player. I really like Ward. He's always calm on the ball when others are getting a bit frantic. He does decent passes to the strikers when they're available. Maybe too many back passes, but if we keep possession that's a good thing. Keep for me.

Kaikai drives me mad. When he's good he's very very good, and when he's bad he's horrid, (like the nursery rhyme). Last chance saloon for him next year.

Turton -- he's a useful all round player that managers like to have on the bench, but not quite good enough to get us to the Championship. (Possibly an irrational dislike.) I think we can recruit better in the Summer transfer window.
Yeh I can go either way on Turton, a solid squad player but like you say if we can recruit better it’ll be Cheerio and thanks for the memories.

I totally agree, I like Ward as a player, can’t disagree he’s calm and controlled on the ball, but just think we have that already in Dougall and Stewart, if we’re having 2 central midfield positions you’d think, Stewart, Dougall, Virtue and hopefully Antwi will take these spots. As I say not sure where that leaves Ward, I’d rather we spent his wages on a pacy winger to compliment CJ on the other side. I say this with a a 20 man squad in mind as you can’t just have scores of central mids in the books playing 1 in 5 games unfortunately.

But if we do ultimately keep him on I’d be happy.

Kai Kai, hmmm just think his time with us is up. Think he’s really talented, but the comment generally on him is, when he turns it on he’s great. That’s true, but he’s been turned off for as long as I can remember now. It’s a shame really.
 
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I see Ward as a right winger and backup for CJ. He can't be used instead of Stewart or Dougall who are defensive mids, and only in an emergency in place of Virtue who I see as an attacking centre mid by trade.
Yeh that’s fair enough really, if that’s his role Id have no problems with it.

Wonder if he’d signed a contract knowing that’s his role. Possibly.
 
I see Ward as a right winger and backup for CJ. He can't be used instead of Stewart or Dougall who are defensive mids, and only in an emergency in place of Virtue who I see as an attacking centre mid by trade.
He has always played right wing. Critchley seems obsessed with playing people out of position. Virtue who we all know is a centre mid, yet he has been playing him right wing, he tries Ward in centre mid, plays Husband central defence when we have had a central defender on the bench. Play everyone in their preferred positions and let’s see what happens, he may be surprised.
 
Here's my advice to Critch and the board on those contracts ending this year. (I won't be upset if they don't take it -- I'm used to it.)

Contracts end 30/6/21

Cameron Antwi (one year option) Take option
Liam Feeney Thanks and bye-bye
Alex Fojticek (one year option) Thanks and bye-bye
Luke Garbutt New contract
Ben Garrity (one year option) Thanks and bye-bye
Brad Holmes (one year option) Take option
James Husband (one year option) Take option
Sullay Kaikai (one year option) Conflicted - probably take option but possibly new contract in hope we can sell him.
Gary Madine New contract
Stuart Moore New contract
Nathan Shaw (one year option) Take option
Jack Sims Thanks and bye-bye
Ollie Turton Thanks and bye-bye
Grant Ward (one year option) New Contract
Adi Yussuf (one year option) Thanks and bye-bye

My thinking is this:

New Contract -- they're good enough to take us to the Championship next year and play in it.

Take Option -- take a serious look at them next year and decide whether they can play in the Championship. If not, offer new contract with a view to selling, or let them go as free agents depending on whether anyone is likely to pay for them. It's a shame for the youngsters, but we can't keep them if we're not using them.

Thanks and bye-bye -- self explanatory. Turton is the tough call here.
Teams in League One don’t sell players for a fee anymore (or at least for nothing more than nominal) If KaiKai a new contract it’s because he will be playing week in week out. As for Stuart Moore.. if you remember the Luton playoff I wouldn’t trust him to catch covid at a party full of people who actually have covid.

Other than that I agree !!!
 
I think the club will but personally I wouldn’t even activate the 12 month extension in Kai Kai’s contract,I’m not saying he’s a bad player because he’s shown what he can do but that’s once every 10 games and overall he’s not been good enough and I’d prefer to free up his wages for someone who can make more of an impact in games.
 
Something like this maybe. No idea how many U18s are on pro contract retainers apart from the ones mentioned below.

Loans end 31/5/21
Dan Ballard
Elliot Embleton
Jordan Gabriel
Ellis Simms

Contracts end 30/6/21
Cameron Antwi (one year option)
Liam Feeney
Alex Fojticek (one year option)
Luke Garbutt
Ben Garrity (one year option)
Brad Holmes (one year option)
James Husband (one year option)
Sullay Kaikai (one year option)
Gary Madine
Stuart Moore
Nathan Shaw (one year option)
Jack Sims
Ollie Turton
Grant Ward (one year option)
Adi Yussuf (one year option)

Contracts end 30/6/22
Keshi Anderson (one year option)
Rob Apter (one year option)
Ewan Bange (one year option)
Kenny Dougall
Marvin Ekpiteta (one year option)
Daníel Grétarsson (one year option)
Teddy Howe (one year option)
Chris Maxwell (one year option)
Demetri Mitchell (one year option)
Joe Nuttall (one year option)
Ethan Robson (one year option)
Oli Sarkic (one year option)
Kevin Stewart
Jordan Thorniley (one year option)
Matty Virtue

Contracts end 30/6/23
CJ Hamilton (one year option)
Bez Lubala (one year option)
Jerry Yates (one year option)
62 Mode On:

Get rid of all of them Div 2 players at best. Get rid of manager whilst your at it,
 
He has always played right wing. Critchley seems obsessed with playing people out of position. Virtue who we all know is a centre mid, yet he has been playing him right wing, he tries Ward in centre mid, plays Husband central defence when we have had a central defender on the bench. Play everyone in their preferred positions and let’s see what happens, he may be surprised.
I wonder if Critchley read this and thought, I’ll give it a try.
 
Ollie Turton definitely should be retained...end of....too many FIFA( whatever effing version it is now) managers on here😉
 
We will be looking at different targets being a Championship club and all that 😉

Make a swoop for the Williams brothers at Liverpool and Liam Delap from City
 
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