Matt Pole is joined by Brighton & Hove Albion writers Derren Howard and Frankie Elliott, and Crawley Town expert Mark Dunford. Brighton & Hove Albion have learned their group stage fate for their first-ever Europa League campaign. We’ll take a look at Albion’s forthcoming opponents and assess their chances of reaching the knockout stage. Meanwhile, both the Seagulls and Crawley Town will be hoping to wrap up a few more transfer deals ahead of tonight’s deadline at midnight. We’ll run the rule over Brighton and Crawley’s deadline day so far, and assess their business during the summer transfer window.
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00:00 Welcome to a special episode of Sussex Sport Weekly podcast. I'm Matt Pohl and I'm joined
00:05 by Brighton & Hove Albion writers Darren Howard and Frankie Elliott and Crawley Town expert
00:09 Mark Dunford. Brighton & Hove Albion have learned their group stage fate for their first
00:13 ever Europa League campaign. We'll take a look at Albion's forthcoming opponents and
00:16 assess their chances of reaching the knockout stages. Meanwhile, both the Seagulls and Crawley
00:21 Town will be hoping to wrap up a few more transfer deals ahead of tonight's deadline.
00:24 We'll run the rule over Brighton and Crawley's deadline day so far and assess their business
00:29 during the summer transfer window. But first, as mentioned, Albion have discovered who they
00:33 will take on in their inaugural Europa League campaign. The Seagulls will take on former
00:37 European Cup winners Ajax and Marseille as well as Greek champions AK Athens in Group
00:42 B. What do you make of the draw Darren? Plenty for Albion fans to get excited about there.
00:48 Really good away trips on the cards for Albion. It's going to be really tough, tough games.
00:54 But the locations and the travel that the Albion fans are going to be hopefully experiencing
01:03 is going to be something to remember forever. For your first foray into Europe to Athens,
01:12 Amsterdam and then Marseille as well. It's what Brighton fans have been thinking about
01:19 when they first qualified for Europe and then to get these three draws are going to be great
01:24 occasions for the club and for the fans. But they've got a lot of work to do on the pitch.
01:31 As I said, some really, really tough teams and if they can get out of that group then
01:35 De Serby and the team will have pulled off some good performances and some good results
01:41 to get there. But yeah, it looked great. It looked good to see Brighton in the Monaco
01:47 as part of the draw. The camera panned to Paul Barber, the Brighton CEO and Paul Camillan,
01:55 the head of press, just as the draws confirmed. They were trying to contain their delight.
02:03 They were looking pretty cool. I think they carried it off quite well. But it was a great
02:06 occasion to see Brighton in the draw and an even better draw for them. And quite rightly
02:11 the fans are excited by it.
02:13 Is there any excitement by the fact that all three are, maybe less so AK Athens, but Ajax
02:19 and Marseille are all household names, Deren? Would it be a little bit different if they'd
02:22 managed to draw the team from Azerbaijan or something like that?
02:26 I think they'd still embrace the experience and you never know what you're going to get
02:30 as you go into the group stages of the Europa League. Because as you say, there's lesser
02:36 known teams and countries which perhaps don't have the rich football in history. It's like
02:41 you say that Ajax and Marseille all would have been the draw. But you have to be prepared
02:45 to come up against them and go to these places if you're in the Europa League. But yeah,
02:52 I think if you'd asked most Brighton fans, they would pick going to Amsterdam over. I
02:58 don't know, maybe I'm wrong, maybe I'm wrong. But I think there's some really tasty looking
03:03 ties for Brighton fans to get into.
03:05 What do you make of the draw, Frankie?
03:08 Yeah, for a fan it's a brilliant draw. I mean, I would add just on the Athens side of it
03:13 as well. I know Ajax is obviously a great team to be playing, as is Marseille. Athens
03:18 have got a really strong history in European football as well. If you look back to the
03:23 70s and 80s, they were always in the European Cup. They've always been the best side in
03:27 Greece and it's also the capital as well. It's a beautiful city to visit. But the history
03:32 in that team is long and actually quite chequered from European football. So it's three big
03:38 historic European clubs. On the footballing side, as I'm not a fan, you would be quite
03:44 worried because these are three teams, well certainly Ajax and Marseille, who have played
03:50 Champions League football and have got a lot of Champions League experience. So I mean,
03:54 even Ajax, I think they got to the final in 2016 of this competition and even the Champions
03:58 League semi-final in 2018. So in terms of picking up points away from home, I think
04:02 it's going to be very, very difficult. So I think the games at the Amex are going to
04:05 be critical in regards to how Brighton do in this campaign.
04:09 And how do you think they'll get out of the group? As I said in the Stuttgart Sport Weekly
04:13 group chat, I pessimistically backed Brighton to finish third. Do you think that's, I mean,
04:18 it's a tough draw. Do you think they've got what it takes to beat Marseille and Ajax at
04:22 home and away?
04:23 I think at home they've got every chance because the Amex atmosphere, for what would be the
04:29 first ever European adventures for that stadium and that team, they could play anybody really
04:35 in some respects. They really could because it'd be such a difficult ground to go to.
04:39 I think they've got to look at third place as a good thing though, because as we said
04:41 before, third place means Conference League and that keeps that European bug alive, so
04:46 to speak. So I don't think third place is a bad thing. I think that's where they will
04:49 finish. But if they can pick up a result a point away from home, places like Marseille
04:55 and Athens particularly, then they've got a chance. But like I say, it's a very, very
05:01 difficult ground to go to. So I think in some respects, aiming for a top three finish, not
05:06 just a top two finish, is what the club should be looking at.
05:09 Mark, in terms of them playing Marseille and Ajax, as I said, the historical team that
05:14 have won the Champions League, can you tell us a little bit about their successes?
05:17 Well, when the draw came out, I really had a sort of sense of nostalgia because it was
05:24 sort of my sweet spot of when I was really into football at Champions League and that.
05:29 And I looked up when Marseille won it in '93 against Milan. They won 1-0. If you look at
05:36 the two teams that day, it was sensational. And Marseille had Fabien Barthez in goal,
05:43 Jocelyne Anglema, Eric Demeco, Basil Boli, who scored the winner, Frank Souza, Marcel
05:48 Desailly, Jean-Jacques Aydeli, Alan Bocsic, Rudi Völler, Abide Pele and Didier Deschamps
05:56 as captain. And the team they beat, I think, is arguably the greatest club side of all
06:02 time. Sebastiano Rossi, Tosotti, Maldini, Albertini, Costacurto, Berezi, Lentini, Rijkaard,
06:09 Van Basten, Donadoni and Massaro. I mean, absolutely.
06:13 It's not bad, is it?
06:15 Yeah. I mean, I know Marseille obviously aren't as strong as that, but just to have that in
06:20 your history and that always stands you in good stead. And then you look at the Ajax
06:25 side that won it in '95 as well.
06:27 Oh, ridiculous that team.
06:29 Again, beating Milan. Every single name, a household name. Van der Sar, Reiziger, Blint,
06:36 Rijkaard, De Boer, Seedorf, Fenedi, George, Edgar Davids, Ronald de Boer, Yari Littman
06:42 and Mark Overmars. And again, they beat Milan, which was pretty much the same side that went
06:48 in. It's just sensational. And I mean, just the fact that Brighton are playing, though
06:53 that level of club now is just dreamland. So great. And the fact that we as journalists
06:59 get to cover that kind of stuff as well. Just a dream for us as well, isn't it?
07:03 Really good.
07:04 Yeah, just got a real sense of nostalgia when that draw came out. Yeah. And it's going to
07:10 be a memorable one.
07:11 I think that's where the likes of... Sorry, Matt. Sorry.
07:14 That's all right. No, carry on.
07:15 Yeah, I was just going to say, I think that's where the likes of James Milner and Adam Lallana
07:20 and the Joel Veltmans, that's where they're really going to come into their own in this
07:23 squad. I think Joel Veltman, they got to the semi-finals when they were beaten by Tottenham
07:28 in just a few seasons ago. So I think having those three within the squad as well should
07:34 really help them prepare and, you know, foot for these games.
07:37 Do we also think that Brighton's group is, for better or for worse, the toughest group
07:42 in the whole competition? Because looking at it, I don't think you can pick a winner
07:47 out of those. Although I do think, as I said, Brighton will struggle.
07:51 It's definitely a group of deaths. They don't really happen in the sort of Champions League
07:54 or Europa League for us. But as you say, Brighton are probably, well, they have the least European
07:59 pedigree of all those sides in the group. But they're one of the strongest teams on
08:05 paper, so to speak, because last season, Serbia's football was some of the strongest in Europe.
08:09 So it makes all four teams, and Athens will be, like I said, a tough place for teams to
08:14 go to. So all four teams have a chance of beating the other, especially when they play
08:18 at home. And that really makes it quite interesting football, because I think a lot of the times
08:22 when you watch Champions League football in particular, especially in the group stage,
08:25 you know the result. When Basel play Real Madrid or when PSG play, it's a pretty much
08:30 guaranteed win and they get through the group comfortably. All four teams. I mean, Ajax
08:34 could easily not, could not really, could not qualify. So it's a very exciting thing
08:38 for Brighton to be a part of, not just for Brighton fans, but I think fans of football
08:42 in general.
08:43 And finally, before we move on to the deadline day, chaps, can I get your predictions on
08:48 how the group will finish? Starting with you, Darren, how do you see it finishing at this
08:52 early stage?
08:53 Well, I'm quite optimistic actually already, because I just think that, I know these teams
08:59 are in the here and the now at the present, and Brighton are quite a long way down in
09:06 the project. I know they've lost a couple of players, but they have an established style.
09:11 So I really think they can attack this and, you know, even potentially top the group or
09:17 certainly get second. I'm confident they'll qualify from the group.
09:20 Mark, do you agree with Darren?
09:23 I do, yeah, mainly because of Dezerby. I think he'll be key in making the right decisions
09:30 at the right time in these group matches and that. Yeah, it won't be easy. I mean, have
09:36 Ajax, have they still got any of the De Boers playing for them? I don't know. I don't know
09:40 anything about them really anymore, which is to my detriment. But yeah, I'd like to
09:47 think Brighton can more than hold their own in it. Topping the group might be a bit of
09:51 a pipe dream, but certainly second, I think they can come. But yeah, I mean, like Frankie
09:57 said about Athens, I mean, people will see them as the minnows of the group, but they've
10:02 got rich history as well. So yeah, there's going to be no easy games for them. But Dezerby,
10:08 we know what he can do. So I think, put our trust in him.
10:12 Frankie, do we have trust in Dezerby?
10:13 Yeah, I would say Marseille, I think will top the group. I think they've built up quite
10:17 a strong side over the last two years. They should have got out of the Champions League
10:21 group last year if they didn't sort of bottle against Tottenham in the final group game.
10:25 And they started the season quite well in League One. So I think Marseille will finish
10:28 top. And obviously, Marseille is an incredibly tough ground to go to for any team. So I think
10:35 Ajax is not as strong as people make out. They didn't win the league last year. They've
10:39 lost an awful lot of players. Obviously, Kudas has gone this summer. I think they're in a
10:43 bit of disarray. I think Brighton have a chance against Ajax at home. And obviously, to go
10:47 to the Johan Cruyff ring will be an amazing experience. So I actually think I'm going
10:50 to be optimistic to say Brighton will come second. I think Ajax might finish third. I
10:54 think they're in a lot of trouble. And then Athens will finish fourth.
10:57 And do we know when the group stage fixtures are officially announced out of interest?
11:03 It just said to be confirmed very shortly when I looked earlier. So the dates are locked
11:09 in. But we don't know who they're going to play on what dates as yet. But we're hoping
11:13 to get those confirmed soon. I imagine a lot of the fans will be eager to see that so they
11:17 can organise their travel arrangements as well.
11:19 Part of the reason that Paul Cameron was at the draw today is because after the draw,
11:24 all the head of communications from each team, they go into a massive room and they have
11:29 to work out which fixture suits, which date. So they're currently at the moment deciding
11:35 the dates right now to make sure they interline with not interacting with Brighton, a massive
11:40 event happening in Brighton on a Thursday night, the Rugby World Cup in Marseille, for
11:44 instance. So all these things are being decided. So they're hoping to get it done by this evening.
11:51 We shall wait and see. But yes, moving away from Europa League, it's transfer deadline
11:56 day today and Brighton have announced a season-long loan signing of Barcelona and Spain star Anssi
12:01 Fati. How big of a curiosity is transfer, Deren? And where do you see him featuring
12:05 Bravado, Derby squad? We asked Will Huggle yesterday if he could imagine two years ago
12:09 Brighton signing a player from Barcelona and the answer was emphatically no. So they've
12:13 come a long way in those two years, haven't they?
12:15 They have come a long way. If you look at just this day in isolation, you know, they've
12:20 been in the Europa League draw and then signed a player from Barcelona. It's quite an upward
12:26 curve that Brighton have been on for the last 10 years or so. But yes, he looks as
12:32 though he's going to be a really good addition to the squad. He's a great replacement for
12:39 Julio and Cisso. So it's a loan deal for the season, as you say, with no option to buy.
12:44 So he's contracted with Barcelona until 2027 and they've got no plans to sell him at the
12:51 moment. It's something crazy like a billion pound release clause as well in his contract.
12:56 I think even Tony Bloom would struggle to match that. But it's going to be for one season
13:02 only. So it's going to be a case of, yes, let's try and get the best out of him whilst
13:08 he's with Brighton. Because then Cisso is going to be missing for all of the group stages
13:13 at least for the Europa League. He's hoping to be back in about four months' time. So
13:20 it's brilliant that they can get a player of Anselm Stati's calibre to come in and fill
13:26 the gap that Cisso has left and hopefully add a little bit more on top of that as well.
13:31 He's an absolute class act. He's a Spanish international, one of the most highly rated
13:37 young players in Europe. It's unlucky not to be in the Barcelona team really. He's always
13:43 been first sub or second sub. So he's been in and around the team last season so much,
13:49 but he just couldn't get ahead of the likes of Lewandowski as well up in the attack.
13:55 So yes, he's going to be a really exciting addition and a lot of the credit has been
13:59 going to Di Zerbi. Apparently he spoke to Tottenham on Wednesday, was considering Tottenham's
14:05 bid but then he spoke to Di Zerbi and that swayed him really. So it's the style of football
14:11 that Di Zerbi played and the charm that he possesses as well that sealed the deal. So
14:17 yes, very exciting for Brighton.
14:20 One of my favourite tweets today was Steve Alliston, who's the Crawley Town Chaplain.
14:28 He's obviously a Brighton fan and he's sort of echoing what Will Huggles said yesterday
14:32 when it was announced the signing of Ansu. I was excited about us signing Gary Hart in
14:38 1998 from Stansgate for £1,000 and a set of tracksuits. We've come a long way. So I
14:44 quite enjoyed that today. But yes, it's incredible, isn't it?
14:47 It's the person who Barcelona basically made heir apparent to Lionel Messi, isn't it? And
14:51 now he's playing for Brighton. It's crazy, isn't it?
14:55 I think they're going to pay 80% of his wages while they're there. Apparently he's on about
15:04 just under £200 a week at Barcelona. So Brighton have apparently agreed to pay 80%. This was
15:12 the report of that. So that works out about £160.
15:17 I was going to ask you, Frankie, but is the season-long loan move for Fatih a win-win?
15:23 And as Darren mentioned there, the 80% wages, is that a concern for someone who has had,
15:28 we discussed this on the last podcast, quite a big history of knee problems? Or am I being,
15:34 again, pessimistic and miserable?
15:35 No, I think you have to be slightly pessimistic because sometimes in football it can be too
15:40 good to be true. Why are Barcelona letting, you say all the things there, he was given
15:47 Lionel Messi's number after he left. He was seen, he's been widely regarded as one of
15:52 the best young talents in football. The Spain national team rating very, very highly, he's
15:57 got a billion pound release clause in his contract. He's coming to Brighton, that's
16:02 amazing. But why? Sometimes those things don't add up. And the worrying thing you would say
16:07 is the knee problems, because he only started 12 games last year. They preferred to play
16:12 Gavi in front of him, who is normally a central midfielder, they played him left wing. He
16:17 can play everywhere across the front line, but doesn't really know his best position.
16:21 He used to play up front, now he's been playing out left, he can play on the right. There's
16:24 a number of factors in there that could mean it doesn't work. Also, you've got the fact
16:31 that this is a superstar, Brighton's first ever superstar player coming and playing with
16:35 players that aren't superstars. How does he cope with that? How does he react to that?
16:39 Is he going to follow the team ethos, so to speak? So all those factors are there and
16:45 we'll have to wait, that's a wait and see scenario. But on the flip side of that, all
16:50 those things I just said about him being one of the best young talents, being linked to
16:54 Messi, all those sorts of things, if they come true, Brighton's got that to watch, which
16:58 is, you can't really get your head around. When he was given the number 10 shirt, Brighton
17:04 were just trying to stay in the Premier League. Two years down the line, he's competing for
17:09 a spot in the Albion first team. People are saying, where does he fit in? Which is a mental
17:15 thing to be saying about someone of this calibre. So you've got to stay on the exciting thing
17:19 because if it works, it really strengthens Brighton as well. In regards to the Serbies
17:25 attacking football, creating lots of chances, having Fati on the end of those, the number
17:30 of goals they could score and he could score on this team, let's not forget, he chose this
17:34 team because of the Serbie start in football. If he slots in well, he could score a lot
17:39 of goals in this fight. So yeah, you've got to be wary because you never know how it will
17:46 work. These deals sometimes don't work, as I said yesterday, Renato Sanchez, Sottswansi
17:51 was a disaster. So we don't know, if it does work, it could really work and it could really
17:57 help Brighton, both the Europa League and the Premier League as well.
18:00 Well, again, losing Renato Sanchez is kind of like a warning. The one that sticks in
18:04 my mind is when Radamel Falcao went to United on loan from Monaco.
18:08 Absolutely. When those loan moves come in towards the end of the window, it's normally,
18:14 not in this situation, it's normally weeks of desperation because it's like, we need
18:17 to get somebody in. It's not in this case, it's an extraordinary case. But you just have
18:22 to ask these questions because, like I said, these things don't happen for no reason. But
18:30 as the Serbie was saying today at his press conference, if he can get his full potential,
18:36 Brighton have a potential world-class player in this, which is amazing.
18:39 Moving away from Anssi Fati, Deron, are we expecting any more new faces in at Brighton
18:45 or are we expecting a quiet few final hours of the deadline day?
18:50 I think now that the Fati deal is over the line, I don't think there'll be too many more.
18:57 I'd be surprised if there is another arrival. There has been some talk of ML Smith-Rowe from
19:03 Arsenal, but I can't see that happening now, to be honest. I think that may have been a
19:08 back-up if they couldn't have got this loan deal over the line. So, no, I think that would
19:15 probably be about it in terms of incomings. I think if you look at it on the whole, they have
19:22 recruited well this summer. The likes of Mahoud, Milner, Strempton, that midfield, they've got
19:30 Igor Julio, the left-sided defender, Bart Verbruggen, the goalkeeper as well, and then
19:36 João Pedro as well. You've got Simon Odinga, who's come in from loan after a great loan as well. So,
19:42 I think overall it's been a really solid transfer window in terms of incoming.
19:46 Obviously, they've lost Caicedo, which Carlos Boliva should cover his loss there, and Alexis
19:54 McAllister went as well. But overall, I think a pretty good transfer window. It should set
20:02 them up quite nicely for the Premier League and the Europa League.
20:04 Frankie, on the reverse of that, are we expecting any more players to leave,
20:08 Brighton potentially? I've seen that Steve Nelzaty has been linked quite heavily with a move to,
20:13 was it Everton Wolves or a European club? I can't remember which two at the moment.
20:16 Yes, so that is the main one. From what Dzerbi was saying, it wasn't confirmed, but it looked
20:23 very much like, not to say he wasn't wanted per se, but he was more than welcome to let him leave.
20:31 So, I imagine that would be a late window move. In the last couple of hours, I imagine that would
20:36 be completed. So, he will be gone. Fakundo Buenote is going to stay. Dzerbi was praising him
20:43 very highly today in his press conference, comparing him to the likes of Antoine Fati
20:47 and saying he has the potential to be world class. So, I imagine he'll be a much more
20:53 stronger part of the first team plans than any of the other players on the fringe of the Brighton
20:57 squad. So, that's good news for him and obviously for Brighton fans. Obviously, in Caicedo's injury
21:03 last week means that Buenote might have more of a chance of getting into the side over the next
21:07 couple of months. But I think Brighton have done really well. If you look at today in particular,
21:12 obviously you had Fati come in, but selling the canister in Caicedo, I know Caicedo was a couple
21:17 of weeks ago, selling them before they got to this period, I think it's done them the world of good.
21:21 If you look at Fulham today, obviously they're losing Gilles Pellini to Bayern Munich. That's
21:25 a really big player to them. So, you know, fantastic player. To lose him in a three or
21:29 four-out is going to create such panic in your structure of your team and how you're going to
21:34 get somebody in and how does it fit into the side. Brighton have really done well to avoid that by
21:39 selling their big players. And Zate, if he goes or stays, is not going to make too much of a
21:45 difference in that sense. So, I think Brighton have played the window brilliantly because they
21:48 knew they were going to have to sell players and they've done it in the right way and got the best
21:51 price for them as well. Last two questions on Brighton. Darren, we've kind of touched on it
21:56 there. How would you rate their transfer window if it chose to die out at ten?
21:59 Sorry, Chuck. I'd give them an eight. I think it was inevitable that
22:09 Caicedo and McAllister were going to leave. And I think how they've coped and adapted around that
22:17 is very good as well. The goalkeeper that they've brought in as well, Bart Verbruggen, I think
22:22 he could potentially be an upgrade on Robert Sanchez. I know he let Brian on his debut,
22:27 but I think you'd struggle to put him at fault for any of those. So, I think he will go on to be a
22:34 very good keeper. So, yeah, I think a really good transfer window for Brighton.
22:41 And what about yourself, Frankie, finally on Brighton?
22:43 Yeah, I think it's been a really, really good window. If you have to accept that you're losing
22:51 your two best players, they've done it very well. They've got the best deal for that. Like I said,
22:56 they managed to get it done early. They managed to get a lot of money forward.
22:59 And they've managed to bring in replacements as well. So, they've done really well on that front.
23:03 I think the only negative you would say in that, and this is due to the size of Brighton and the
23:07 financial capers they have, they probably haven't replaced them with players that can go in straight
23:12 away. Caicedo was so important last season and Carlos Belver is not quite there as yet. And
23:19 obviously with Mo Dehood, that's going to take some time for him to adjust and probably get
23:23 a match fit as well. So, they're not where they were when Caicedo and McAllister were up in club
23:27 and that's the only hindrance. But in regards to the recruitment of, they've got enough depth now
23:32 for both Premier League and Europa League, that's a massive tick. They've brought in players that
23:36 are a step above the players they used to bring in before they got into Europa League, that's a
23:40 massive bonus. And they've signed one of the most, their best ever signing at the end of the window
23:45 as well. So, I'd actually go a bit higher, I'd say it's a 9 out of 10 for me.
23:49 Well, moving on to the whole of activity that is Brighton to Crawley Town, Mark Dunford,
23:54 is anything at all happening on transfer deadline day at Royal Football Stadium?
23:59 Currently, no. We're expecting them to bring somebody in. But yeah, so far, quiet, the only
24:09 hint I've had from the club is that they're hoping something will happen, but there's nothing
24:13 concrete yet. So, the rumours are that Cimici Eze will be coming in, 21-year-old brother of Eberice
24:20 Eze from Crystal Palace. He's a forward, they obviously need a forward after Telford leaving.
24:26 But yeah, that's the only one. I mean, they did bring in the Chesterfield answer to Ansu Bhatti
24:33 in Lauren McGuire, but they brought him in, was it yesterday or the day before, on loan from
24:40 Chesterfield. A decent signing, Shaw's up the back, which is good. And obviously, Dion Conroy
24:48 missed a defeat at Swindon on Saturday, the heavy 6-0 defeat. Whether that's a bit of...
24:55 Because he's only on loan until January, whether that is... Dion Conroy had a big injury at the
24:59 end of last year, he was out over the summer. So, whether there's a repeat of that, I don't know.
25:05 But yeah, I think they do need to bring in someone. But yeah, so far what I've got from
25:12 people is that Eze's the only one that really people are talking about. But I mean, last week,
25:17 we were all shocked when Dom Telford left. So, who knows, there might be a shock signing,
25:21 I predict, at about quarter to midnight tonight when I turn my computer off.
25:25 Going back to Laurence McGuire, Mark, what's the general reaction been to him signing?
25:34 Does it seem like he's going to be a star or it just sounds like he's going to be another body
25:37 from what I gather?
25:38 I think so, yeah. I think he is going to be another body. I mean, he obviously can play. I
25:43 think he's quite highly rated at Chesterfield. He's still quite relatively young, the younger
25:48 brother of Harry Maguire, obviously. But yeah, it's not a signing that excites the fans. But
25:56 I think the fans at this point are just glad to see another body in the squad. Because although
26:02 they had that brilliant start the last two games, although they absolutely battered Gillingham and
26:07 lost, Saturday they did not batter Swindon and lose 6-0. So, I think the people were... because
26:14 there was two or three changes to the team that played Swindon and I think it kind of exposed the
26:20 depth of the squad a little bit. So, yeah, I think if they can bring in a couple of extra bodies
26:26 today, whether it be on loan or permanent signings, I think it will be a good thing and it will excite
26:32 the fans a little bit more. You've mentioned Don Telford there. So, obviously, Reds crying
26:37 out for a striker. But are there any other positions that need sorting? No, I don't think
26:41 so. Because assuming they can keep the injury, keep clear of injury, it is the striker that is
26:49 the problem. And that has been a problem for quite a few seasons. They've never had that 20,
26:54 25 goal a season thing which is going to shoot them up the table. And that's why they've been
26:59 where they've been in the last few years. I can't remember the last proper goal scorer they probably
27:05 had was James Collins a few seasons back, the Republic of Ireland striker who went on to play
27:09 for Luton as they went up the leagues. So, yeah, I think the striker is what they need. But I think
27:17 we've said it before. If there was a 20 goal a season striker, somebody has already snapped them
27:23 up or they wouldn't be available at this point unless they unearth a loan signing like Anesse
27:29 from Crystal Palace under-21s who can come in and surprise. I remember they did it with Carlan...
27:35 What, Herden-Grant?
27:38 Herden-Grant from Charlton. They brought him in. This was the second half of the season and he was
27:43 absolutely brilliant. And he came in and then he was signed by Huddersfield from Charlton. And he
27:48 played in the Premier League. So, maybe Anesse, someone like that, will come in and do that for
27:53 Crawley. But you're not going to get a 28-year-old, 30-year-old experienced striker to come in and get
27:58 you the goals you need at the moment. At this point of the transfer window, I wouldn't have thought.
28:02 But they definitely need extra support up front. Danilo Orsi, he's looked really good.
28:07 But he's not going to score goals and goals and goals. Yeah. So, and to be fair, Dom Telford
28:14 never scored goals and goals and goals. He scored 15 goals last year. He played 47 games and the
28:21 season before he'd scored 25. But before that, he'd never scored more than about 10 in a season.
28:26 So, he's not the prolific striker that maybe Wagmey and Crawley tried to make him out to be
28:32 when they signed him, kind of thing. So, but yeah, who knows? It'll be interesting to see if they do
28:37 get the younger Eze. If he's anything like his brother, he's going to set the Broadfield Stadium
28:42 alight, isn't he? So, let's hope so. Fingers crossed. Well, it's either that or Thomas
28:46 Verheid, Mark. Do you reckon he'll come back? Yeah, Thomas Verheid. They go, we always talk
28:50 about needing a big striker. They got the big striker and it sounds like he was useless. So,
28:53 yeah. But he's done very well back in his homeland, hasn't he? So, yeah.
28:57 Yeah, he was a lovely bloke, but yeah, didn't quite fit.
29:01 Being polite, I think. Would you be worried if you were a Crawley fan and they didn't address
29:07 this or bring in a new striker, Phil? Well, if I was a Crawley fan, I'd be worrying all the time
29:13 because that's what they appear to do. But yeah, I think there would be a slight concern because if
29:21 they go to Stockport tomorrow and, I mean, I think they might pick up a draw or something at
29:27 Stockport. I can't remember what I said. I know I wasn't on the podcast yesterday, so I didn't
29:31 predict. But I think they could go there and get a draw maybe. For Stockport, I haven't had the
29:35 best start. If it's a nil-nil draw, that's three games on the trot where they haven't scored a goal
29:40 in the league. And then, yeah, you start to worry. So, yeah, no, it is a bit of a concern. And I
29:48 think fans, if they don't bring anyone in, will inevitably moan about that. And as soon as they
29:53 go a game without scoring a goal again, they will just put it down to that reason solely. So,
30:01 yeah, they need something. Sorry, finally, I've been so obsessed about Crawley Town Strikers,
30:06 Mark, but is there a worry about their strength in depth? Because that was it, Orsi,
30:10 Lollos, and is that it? Or have I forgotten anyone? No, I mean, you've got Harry Forster,
30:15 who came in from Bromley. He impressed during pre-season but then had an injury. And he's made
30:20 a couple of substitute appearances. But he will, I imagine, a fully fit Harry Forster will be
30:26 part of that three going forward, maybe replacing where Dom Telford was playing just behind.
30:31 You've got, like you say, Clyde Lollos and Danilo Orsi. Adam Campbell can play up top.
30:37 He scored a few goals for when he was at Gateshead and that. But, yeah, you've got
30:44 Jed Brown is listed as a forward. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. He'll get you some views on YouTube,
30:52 but whether he's going to score you 20 goals, I don't think so. And that's no disrespect to him.
30:58 That sounded very dismissive of him. But yeah, he hasn't really had a chance yet to impress.
31:05 But there's probably a reason for that. So, yeah, so, yeah, it is a big... I mean, yeah,
31:10 if Orsi, Forster, Lollos all get injuries, I mean, what do they do? Yeah, what do they do?
31:18 Yeah, what do they do? You've got that idea of Yamo as well, who, again, I saw when he came on,
31:23 when he was on trial at East Grinstead and he looked good and Scott Lindsay was raving about
31:28 him. But we haven't seen him have a chance yet, whether I don't know if there's injury to him or
31:32 not. But maybe he is like one of these people that's going to play and then suddenly it's like,
31:38 well, where were they hiding him kind of thing? And that's maybe that's what Scott Lindsay is
31:42 going to do, unleash him on if they don't get anyone else in. So, yeah, strength and
31:47 depth is a concern. We're certainly up top for Crawley Town, I think.
31:52 And finally on Crawley Town's transfers, Mark, how would you rate their window so far?
31:56 Well, it's been a strange one, hasn't it? Because they've literally changed their whole squad
32:02 pretty much. Again, yeah, so the second season on the trot. I think the star sort of signings,
32:10 Liam Kelly, certainly in midfield, has looked really good. We're on with Jay Williams as well,
32:16 the sort of in the centre of midfield, those two. Liam Kelly is just an absolute workhorse,
32:20 covers every blade of grass. And yeah, Jay Williams is just sitting there in that defensive
32:26 midfield, rather than play up and looks really good. I think he's been really impressing the fans.
32:30 And then you've got a lot of good players who maybe squad player Adam Campbell, he's come on
32:36 as Upson, impressed. Will Wright has looked good as well, and he's going to be
32:40 in dead ball situations as well. We saw on the first day against Bradford when he scored the
32:45 free kick, the one in the game, I think he's going to be... If he can get 10 goals this year
32:51 from a defensive point of view, from dead balls and assists as well, the way he delivers the ball,
32:57 that could be interesting. But it's probably, if they can get a striker in today, a decent... Well,
33:04 you're going to get any striker in today, I think you'll give it a good eight out of 10.
33:09 But at the moment, it's probably seven, seven and a half out of 10 for Crawley. I think Lindsay
33:13 would have probably liked a bit more firepower up top. And I'm sure they're trying, but it's just
33:18 who's available and attracting them to Crawley Town as well.
33:22 Frankie, as the manager of AFC Vardini's reserves,
33:27 are you on the blow to anyone trying to wrap up any deadline day deals?
33:30 No, we're all good. We're all good. We managed to secure all our signings before this. They
33:36 were much more organised squads. Matt Wharton, our top scorer from last season, said he was going
33:41 to retire at the end of last season. But Sweet talked him into it a couple of pints and he's
33:46 back for this season as well. So all those allegations of him joining the vets team is not
33:50 true. So we're not going to see him turn up in a car park, hanging out his car, begging for a
33:55 mute to QPR or anything like that. Oh, no, he does that most Fridays. But
33:59 he will... No, it's no different from normal. But three wins from three so far.
34:04 So you say he's a striker, Frankie. Will Scott Lindsay be in his driveway trying to get him to...
34:10 That may be more likely.
34:12 I think that's how Deserby got fatty as well, a couple of pints in the local pub.
34:17 A man after my own heart. That's what I'd say. Well, brilliant. Thank you very much for your
34:23 time, chaps. Yeah, you can catch up with all the latest transfer news on
34:28 sassexworlds.co.uk/sport as the deadline day ticks over. Thank you very much for joining us and we'll
34:36 see you for our regularly scheduled Sassex Sport Weekly podcast next Thursday.