[NoSkillz]

July 2019 - Transfer Window

Transfers OUT

GK - Fraser Forster - Derby - £2,500,000
MR - Keith King - Recreativo - £2,000,000
ST - Robbie Benson - Fulham - £1,600,000
AMC - Jose Manuel Jurado - Granada - £900,000
GK - Eduard Hanke - Las Palmas - £800,000
ML/AML - Ashley Young - QPR - £250,000

DL - Leo Creemers - Stade de Reims - Free
DC - Sam Barnett - Brentford - Free
MC - Benjamin Stumpf - FC Sochaux-Montbe - Free
ST - Lukasz Cichy - Melilla - Free
ST - Sam Holden - Crystal Palace - Free

DR - Conor Morrissey - Released
DC - Jeroen Simaeys - Released

I fetch my largest transfer fee ever in moving Fraser Forster to fellow Premier League club Derby. I feel I got a premium for him over his value simply due to the fact I'll have to play against him at least twice a year. He had a rough season with us, giving up 42 goals in only 19 appearances last year.

Keith King joined our club in 2014 and played five full seasons at MR/AMR. King, who has 83 international caps for Bermuda, played 124 league games for Dover, scoring 30 goals and adding 21 assists. He could have hung on as a backup here but he wasn't quite starter material at the Premier League level.

Robbie Benson, Jose Manuel Jurado and Ashley Young only played one season for Dover - Benson scored a few goals for us as a fourth choice striker but I got tired of his annoying penchant for diving. Jurado was one of the most skilled players we've ever had here at Dover, with flair to spare (ha) but at 33 years old, his declining skills and speed kept him from producing against the best players in England. Young, the English international, scored Dover's first ever Premier League goal but he was a non-factor too often on the left side of the park. Eduard Hanke was a backup keeper for us during our Championship season and a pretty good one, as he allowed only 11 goals in 9 starts. I loaned him out to Las Palmas in Liga BBVA last year and they liked him enough to buy him for 800K. That was an easy deal to accept.

Leo Creemers outplayed Bob Harris at DL last year, making it into our best eleven. However, he was a middling talent and I ended up selling him on a free to Stade de Reims. He leaves after two seasons at Dover, 32 league appearances and 1 goal. Defensive midfielder Benjamin Stumpf had loads of talent, great work ethic and was a tireless player but he simply didn't produce in his two years at the club. He played 23 scoreless games for us and leaves for France. Sam Barnett, Lukasz Cichy and Sam Holden are former U18 prospects that I deemed expendable.

Of the released players, the toughest to say goodbye to is perhaps one of the more under appreciated defenders I've had: Conor Morrissey. I picked up Morrissey in 2011, my second year at Dover. He was destined for our U18 squad but impressed so much during our preseason friendlies that I kept him on the senior team. Every year, there was another player brought in to challenge him but he always held off his competition. Over eight seasons at Dover, Morrissey played 215 games. He only scored one goal and it was a big one that's been noted here previously - he scored in the final game of our Championship season against QPR, helping us gain promotion to the Premier League. He wasn't here to score: he was a wonderful defender and enthusiastic tackler who routinely racked up the highest tackle totals on our team. Thank you Conor for your tremendous service to the club!

Jeroen Simaeys spent two years at Dover and leaves after 34 league appearances - he scored 2 goals and added 2 assists during his time with the Whites.

I'd loan out a number of young players who recently graduated from our U18 program or would be a surplus to requirements for our upcoming year: DC Michael Thompson, DR Jackson Ramm, MC Frankie Taylor, ST Roberto, MR Ismail Mkhize, DC Andy Brown, MC Stuart Rogers, AMC Aitor Zubizarreta, DR Rachid Diallo and DM Shaun Halsall all get loaned out to help their development.

With that all out of the way, it's time to start adding to our squad!