Gary O’Neil cut a quietly upbeat figure as he ran through team news and the state of his squad ahead of Sunday’s game, a week that feels like the start of something rather than a checkpoint.
The injury bulletin was mixed. Florentino Luis is edging closer.
“We're hoping Florentino will be back around it,” O’Neil said, stressing that the midfielder still has “a bit of work to do” but is “improving well”. The tone was optimistic, but not reckless.
Elsewhere, the absentees remain familiar. Azor Matusiwa will miss out again, still short of a return. Jack Taylor is also sidelined, while Jaden Philogene has been ruled out of the weekend entirely.
“Hopefully we will get some better news next week,” O’Neil admitted, “but this week he will miss out.”
Even with that list, the head coach likes what he sees.
“Really pleased with where the group is at, we're in a good place.”
Palacios primed for debut
The headline act this weekend is likely to be Exequiel Palacios. The new signing, decorated at both club and international level, is expected to be involved straight away.
“Yeah, I'm sure you'll see him on Sunday,” O’Neil said. “He's a talented boy and has obviously had some huge success over the past few years [with] club and national level. An incredible signing by the football club.”
The excitement around Palacios folds neatly into a broader theme: this has been a statement summer. O’Neil spoke with clear pride about the collective effort behind the scenes to reshape the squad and sell the club’s project to players from different markets.
“[After] the work that went in from everybody all summer to try to attract people to the project and what we are trying to build, you can feel the belief around the place just constantly growing and constantly improving.”
Ambition backed by the board
If there was any doubt about the club’s direction, O’Neil moved quickly to clear it.
“The ambition that this place has, the support that they give coaches and the direction of travel, is something that, as soon as it came around, I knew I wanted to be part of.”
He pointed to the calibre and profile of arrivals as proof. Proven Premier League performers like Issa Diop and Sasa Lukic have come through the door, joined by recruits from across the globe.
“To attract some of the players that we have – proven Premier League players in Issa and Sasa, and some players from all around the world – I'm really grateful for the owners' backing. I know they are committed to making this club as special as they can.”
For O’Neil, this has already been “a fantastic summer for the club”. The challenge now lies beyond the training pitches and the boardroom.
He wants the stands to mirror the dressing room.
He urged supporters to “carry the excitement” with them for as long as possible, to turn optimism into atmosphere and atmosphere into points.
Transfer window not done yet
One name continues to swirl around the club: Tammy Abraham. A loan move from Aston Villa has been heavily discussed, but O’Neil batted away any suggestion that a deal is close.
“No update, as far as I am aware. Sounds like you're further along with that than I am. Nothing to report on that.”
That line drew a clear boundary. The interest is real, the finish line is not.
Even so, the door remains open. O’Neil made it clear the recruitment drive is not over.
The club are “hopefully not finished” in the market and are “still working hard to try to improve the group”.
A squad already reshaped by an “incredible signing” in Palacios, reinforced by Diop and Lukic, and fuelled by an ownership willing to back its manager, is still looking for more.
If this is the platform, what does the final version of this team look like when the window finally slams shut?
