LOFC-CM-CH11 | S3 Summer Transfer
After narrowly missing promotion, Leyton Orient strengthens its squad for the Premier League. Strategic departures free up funds, leading to key British talent acquisitions like Carpenter and Warner. The unexpected £60M sale of Harry Myers allows for further investment in players like Tom Watson, Samuel Amo-Ameyaw, and Alex Matos. A last-minute transfer for Jayden Meghoma brings Archie Brown to bolster the defense. The team is now ready for the Championship challenge.
Chapter 11: Season 3: Summer Transfer Window – Building for Glory!
Introduction
After the heartbreak of narrowly missing out on promotion last season, it became unequivocally clear that major moves were needed to bolster our squad. The board’s expectations, as laid out in our Season 3 Prologue, are sky-high: automatic promotion to the Premier League and a deep run in one of the domestic cups.
With such ambitious targets, Inzaghi knew the summer transfer window would be crucial in shaping our destiny.
Strategic Departures: Making Room for Progress
We kicked off the window by offloading players we didn’t envision having a long-term future at our club, ensuring we freed up wages and generated funds for new blood.
Alessandro Florenzi is one such example. While he was exemplary during our first season with the O’s, his ability quickly dropped off. His pace and agility simply couldn’t keep up with the speed of the Championship, leading to our right flank becoming an obvious weak spot on several occasions.
We managed to find him a taker in KRC Genk for £1.26M. We wish him all the best in his retirement.
Krisztofer Horváth is another case in point. Halfway through last season, our coaching staff tabled a report on player development, and Horváth was marked as having reached his peak ability. He had been an important backup, capable of covering several positions in midfield. However, his rating of 72 wasn’t close to what we believed was needed for a charge for the Premier League.
We managed to find him a taker in RCD Mallorca for £5.21M. We are sure he will continue to shine bright in Spain.
Beyond these, we also announced the departure of two academy products. They generated another £2M in revenue, further boosting our transfer coffers for the intense summer ahead. These transactions provided us with additional funds as we headed into the summer transfer window.
The Transfer War Chest and Our Strategic Approach
As July arrived, we were informed of the full transfer budget: a solid £20M to acquire the additions we needed. After a thorough review of our squad, Inzaghi and his team believed that what we needed were not necessarily ready-made superstars, but rather additions who could develop quickly within our system and make a significant impact in the near future.
Crucially, we also had to keep a close eye on squad registration constraints. As outlined in our Custom Rules, we had already used up four of our five foreign player quotas. With these four foreign players being crucial to our success, we were determined to retain them. This meant we had to focus our scouting efforts primarily on local players with high potential.
Samuel Amo-Ameyaw, Toby Warner, Archie Carpenter, and Alex Matos were top of our initial scouting list. We dispatched our scouts to gauge their interest in a move, carefully calculating our steps to bring them over to Brisbane Road.
- Carpenter and Warner were two particularly interesting picks. They are new-generation players from the youth academies of Chelsea and Fulham respectively.
- Carpenter is a 72-rated RB at 18 years old. He boasts great physical and movement stats – exactly what we needed down that flank. We managed to secure a deal at £11.1M.
- Warner is a 68-rated CB, also 18 years old, with great stats in heading and other physical attributes. We managed to secure a deal at £3.9M. Both were not necessarily cheap, but they were necessary investments to fill the void left behind by Florenzi and strengthen our backline.
The Harry Myers Bombshell!
Just as we were settling into our transfer rhythm, lightning struck! Aston Villa contacted us regarding Harry Myers, our top academy product. They were prepared to pay the whopping £60M release clause to bring Myers to Villa Park!
Myers had grown to become our first-choice right-sided inside forward last season. At a 77 rating, he was scoring vital goals and providing crucial assists. But the temptation to move up to the Premier League ahead of us was immense. The contract was signed, leaving a massive hole in our midfield and attacking plans.
Seizing the Opportunity
With the £60M in hand, Inzaghi decided to push for British talents not originally on his immediate scouting list.
Tom Watson (£5.5M)
Tom Watson was the pick. Watson was at Sport-Club Freiburg at the time of our approach. He was eager to return to British football, the league he grew up wanting to play in. We managed to confirm a deal at £5.5M.
Tom Watson is a 20-year-old winger (LM/LW/RM) with an overall rating of 71 and a potential of 81. He’s right-footed, 190 cm tall, and has a lean body type. His standout attributes include pace (Acceleration 85, Sprint Speed 87), dribbling (72), and agility (72), making him effective in wide attacking roles. He has the “Whipped Pass” and “Quick Step” PlayStyles, favoring attacking roles on the wings.
Alex Matos (£3.9M
Alex Matos, a 21-year-old right-footed player with an overall rating of 71, was at Deportivo Alavés. Valued at €3.8M with a wage of €3.6K, Matos brings PlayStyles like Pinged Pass and Long Ball Pass, and boasts notable strengths in Stamina (78), Strength (79), Aggression (87), and Dribbling (78).
Samuel Amo-Ameyaw (£2.6M)
Samuel Amo-Ameyaw is a 20-year-old right midfielder (RM) at QPR with an overall rating of 69 and a potential of 76. He’s left-footed with a lean body type. His standout attributes include pace (Acceleration 84, Sprint Speed 85), dribbling (77), and exceptional balance and agility (both 84+). He needs to improve his physical strength (34) and defensive skills (35).
Tyreece Simpson
To provide crucial backup up front, we brought in Tyreece Simpson from Stevenage for a cheap £500K. Although not a top-tier striker (66-rated), his attributes in Pace: 84 (Acceleration 81, Sprint Speed 87) and Physical: 77 (Strength 84, Jumping 82) will help us unlock some difficult games by having a powerful presence up front.
Departing players
In the same period, offers also came in for Luca Lipani, James Wilson, and Dominic Ball. Inzaghi decided to let each of them go, as game time for them was not guaranteed given our strengthened squad.
| Player Name | Team To Name | Total Deal Value |
|---|---|---|
| Luca Lipani | Burnley | £7,600,000 |
| James Wilson | St. Louis CITY SC | £3,000,000 |
| Dominic Ball | Cercle Brugge KSV | £700,000 |
Deadline Day Drama:
The Jayden Meghoma Departure
With these significant transactions complete, we were quickly approaching deadline day. It was a deadline day that held one final surprise for the O’s! VfB Stuttgart came in and offered Jayden Meghoma a transfer by paying us the full sum of £3.8M in his release clause. Meghoma agreed to the transfer, which will set him up to play in the German top flight this season.
This caused some worries among the dressing room. Meghoma was our main player at LB, and we had big plans for his development. This sudden departure pushed us to make some quick moves in the market to secure a good option on that flank before the window slammed shut.
The replacement and upgrade
In comes Archie Brown from Celtic for £13.7M!
Archie Brown is a 24-year-old primarily LB, also capable at LM. He is 190 cm tall and weighs 86 kg. His key attributes are Pace: 84 (Acceleration 79, Sprint Speed 89), Physicality: 78 (Strength 80, Stamina 80), Defending: 68, Dribbling: 69 (Ball Control 79, Dribbling 74), Passing: 64 (Short Passing 74).
Archie Brown stands as our biggest signing since we started the journey, bringing vital experience and quality to a crucial position.
Ready for the Challenge
What a transfer window it has been! We’ve navigated a complex landscape of departures, unexpected opportunities, and strategic acquisitions. Inzaghi has meticulously shaped a squad that is not only deeper and more talented but also perfectly aligned with our tactical vision and the stringent squad registration rules.
The focus now shifts entirely to the pitch. With a revitalised squad, brimming with potential and a blend of youth and experience, the O’s are more ready than ever to tackle the Championship and push relentlessly towards our ultimate goal: Premier League glory! The dream is alive, and we’re determined to make it a reality. Bring on the season!
Transfer records
