Who To Keep & Who To Go...

[Esox Lucius]

Stats with Lumley in goal were 22 scored and 23 conceded which includes 3 on his debut, 3 when Rovers lost a player early to a red card and 4 each in the last 2 games against Millwall (P.O. team) and Peterborough. He kept 8 clean sheets and conceded 1 goal in six games. He was ever present since joining them, a total of 19 games.

[ZENITH R]

I think we'd be lucky to get more than 5m for Smithies. As far as buying clubs are concerned he's a Championship keeper. We paid about 4m for McCarthy from memory and he was highly rated.

And where is he now? (It was a rhetorical question - he's at Southampton - a year into his contract and only two (first team) League cup appearances to his name.)

Proof positive that while moving clubs might be good for the bank balance, it is a huge risk from a football POV.

[Esox Lucius]

Relatively inexperienced 23 year old English GK for £30m?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39980308

[deadendjob]

Relatively inexperienced 23 year old English GK for £30m?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39980308

Apples and oranges. Pickford had an excellent season in the top flight making 132 saves in 28 games. I'm not saying that Smithies isn't capable, but theres a major difference playing against Sanchez/ Kane/ Lukaku to Glen Murray / Gayle and Chris Wood.

[Esox Lucius]

That's only 4.7 saves per game, I would hazard a guess that Smithies had similar to deal with. Pickford wasn't playing Kane, Lukaku & Sanchez every game either, he must have had two games against 'boro where he was sat in his six yard box doing a crossword.