Peterborough United chairman Darragh MacAnthony talks transfers, expectations, finances and ownership issues in revealing Twitter conversation

The #UpThePoshSpaces event received over 2500 listeners and was excellently hosted by John Verrall and Harry Anders.

So, what do we now know?

Squad building

Firstly, it was made clear that this summer is to be called a retooling, not a rebuild but Posh have made a strong start in landing long-term and first-choice targets Archie Collins, Ryan De Havilland and Romoney Crichlow.

An effort was made to sign Collins in January but the club were told he had eyes on the Championship but a deal was resurrected; for more than £500,000 but less than £1m. He has already been described by Darren Ferguson as a ‘Rolls Royce.’

Posh are still looking to sign a left-back, right-back, a goalkeeper (likely to be 26-28) and a forward. The right-back will not be Josh Emmanuel though.

Those who hope to see the club re-sign Nathanael Ogbeta were given a boost. The former loanee has had an operation this summer. The chairman said: “He’ll be back in September time. At the moment, we’re in to rush to sign a left back, you can put two and two together there

"We’re happy to have Harrison and some of the younger ones filling in until then.”

The club are, however, expecting to end the window with both Ronnie Edwards and Jonson Clarke-Harris having left but neither move is thought to be close. Dan Butler is also in talks to leave in the coming days, while Posh are also in talks to bring in two loans from a higher level with the hope of signing them permanently next year.

No more midfield arrivals are expected unless an acceptable offer for Jeando Fuchs is received, at which time a midfielder with similar bite would be found.

Joel Randall is expected to be used in the number ten role and has been like a new man since Collins arrived, according to Ferguson.

MacAnthony described Randall’s first two years as “one of the biggest disappointments in my 17 years” but still backed the 23-year-old to be able to become one of the best players at League One level.

Two championship clubs have made enquired about Harrison Burrows but the club intends to keep him and offer and begin talks about a new deal next week. Similarly, enquiries but no firm offers have been received for Frankie Kent.

MacAnthony envisages Burrows playing at left-back until a new one is signed, which the club are in no rush to do.

The club do have a spare room booked at St George’s Park next week should it be required by a new arrival...

What about the youth?

The club’s young players are expected to play a big role and the likes of Will Blackmore, Emmanuel Fernandez, Charlie O’Connell and Kai Corbett will not only be around the first team but be given an opportunity to prove their worth in pre-season. Do not expect a number of experienced players to arrive in the window.

Blackmore will be given pre-season to earn the number one shirt with Posh looking to bring in another ‘keeper to compete with him in July.

Even David Ajiboye will remain around the squad after impressing in training during the play-offs after returning from loan at Sutton.

MacAnthony was full of praise for a number of youngsters. He said: “Will is a superb talent with his feet and as a shot-stopper. He’s a great character, super talented and we will take our time to bring a goalie to compete with him.

“I love Ricky, I’m not happy with his progress, he should be playing far higher than us. He has every attribute to destroy teams. If he stayed fit and played ten games in a row, he’d be unplayable.

“Manny (Fernandez) has come back in the best shape he’s been in years. If he gets out of his own way, the sky is the limit. He reminds me of Santos, who we all gave up on too quickly.”

On highly-rated Ben Arthur: “Everything is going to plan. People need to relax on that. There’s a contract with his dad and he's training with the first team

"Absolutely there’s a chance he could play for the first team this season. He’s going to have a great career at Posh. The sky is the limit for him and we’re the best place for him to be.”

Style

Darren Ferguson is looking to implement a style that involves playing out from the back. Many of the new arrivals are versatile, adept at playing in a 4-2-3-1, 4-3-3 or a three at the back.

As well as Kabongo Tshimanga being given a chance, Posh will also look to use both Ephron Mason-Clark and Ricky-Jade Jones as strikers.

MacAnthony said: “Both have the talent to score 20 goals in League One all day long.”

Expectations

“The expectation with me is always the same. Darren wants to play it down, we don’t want to put too much pressure on the young players but the expectation with me is that we will always be competitive in this league.

“My expectation is to watch good football, win football games and have a chance. I can’t watch our team feeling like we haven’t got a chance.

"We’re giving the youngsters a chance this year, some of them are going to fail, some are going to have disasters, some are going to be superstars. I don’t know if we’ll get in the top six but we’ll have a chance because I’ll put my money where my mouth is and the manager is very good at this level.”

Finances

“We spend far too much money; in the last two years we’ve spent over £13m in each. We’re cleaning that up. To be a good League One club we need to bring in £9m and spend £11m. That’s a £2m loss offset with one big sale.

“At the moment, we’re bringing on £8.5m and spending £13m, that’s ridiculous for a club our size. That’s the gap I have to close. Over the next few years, I want to get us into a position where our debts are £4m of £5m, compared to what they are now while still having a competitive team.”

Ownership

MacAnthony and Jason Neale have taken over as joint CEO’s following the David Paton shenanigans that landed the club with a suspended points deduction.

Both are hopeful of a positive resolution to the current receivership the company that owns the club’s ground is in.

MacAnthony said: “I can’t speak for Randy but we’re resolving the issues with his fund, talks are ongoing and very promising.

"Randy and I haven’t had a relationship for eight months, which is sad but that’s nobody’s fault, that’s just the world. I wish him all the best.”

On the stadium, the club are expected to consult fans over whether the DeskGo Stand should become the new home end instead of the London Road End.