We all like to make brave calls in the transfer window, but this lot are different. Selling Raskin, Fernandez and Chermiti might raise cash, yet replacing what they bring is the real problem and it isn't straightforward.

Let’s start with Raskin. He’s got the tools, no doubt, but he’s patchy for us. When he’s on it, you see quality — but all too often those flashes last 20 or 30 minutes and then vanish. That inconsistency makes the argument for moving him on easy to understand. If we can turn him into funds for a more reliable performer, fair enough. But he isn’t a player who will shift the balance every week.

Fernandez is trickier. You can critique his errors — everyone makes them — yet he’s been our best defensive presence at times. He offers real value at set pieces, which we’ve missed. He’s still not the finished article, but losing someone who reads the game and gives you threat from dead balls would leave a hole. The worry is whether any of the names we’ve been linked with really replicate that mix of defensive presence and set-piece threat.

Chermiti is the proper dilemma. He cost £10 million and that carries expectations. If a serious offer arrives you have to consider it — an injury could wipe out his value overnight — but he’s not easy to replace. Shankland is 30 and hasn’t yet proved he can lead the line here long-term. Miovski hasn’t shown he’s the answer, and Naderi might be a useful piece but feels more like a supporting forward than a main man. Losing Chermiti without a clear replacement would bite.

At the end of the day the money question looms. Even if we banked £60–70m for all three, do we have a pool of ready-made, higher-tier signings to spend that cash on who’d give the same sell-on potential? I’m not convinced. Fans can bang on about selling for profit, but the football gap left behind matters. I’d keep one — Chermiti — for now, and try to build around him and a younger option rather than selling the lot and hoping for miracles.

Written by DJB_Ranger: 13 July 2026

Tags: transfers injury