Cf

I know it's game playing and all that but Isak should feel personally insulted by that offer, especially given what they just spent on an unproven striker.

Can people stop saying "it's a world cup year". I doubt Isak particularly cares compared to the $$$ he's chasing and he'll be the first name on the team sheet regardless.

Seems wild that you play Traitors based on this thread

SLAMS SHUT

I can't make my mind up between give him a new contract with a big (175+) release clause in it and attempt to reconcile vs just let him rot in the reserves for 3 years.

This is taking City almost as long as it took us.

Total squad wage cap. Same value for each club in the league. PFA don't want it but I don't think the solution is any more or less complicated than that.

If Isak is planning to leave next summer whether we offer him an increase in salary or not then why exactly would we offer him more money?

With the benefit of hindsight it was probably better for both parties if Ashworth said no to Man Utd.

And maybe this was the plan. Of our "top quality" targets see which we can get in. And based on how that went (we did get Elanga) we can move onto other targets.

Yes. True of most teams mind, but probably us more than most.

There was definitely more media and forum oxygen spent on the deal than there will have been at club level.

They were undoubtedly good signings from a footballing point of view and will be instrumental going forward. But even a couple of seasons on their prices look quite modest compared to what they'd be today (as in if they were 2 years younger not that they've had 2 years with us). And we've all seen how much PSR pain we had to endure from them (+ the others).

But their valuation is £whatever you offered + £whatever else we think we might get out of the cartel now they know what you offered. What are the PSR limits? £105m over 3 years is it? And it hasn't been adjusted up since it came in? The current prices going around are insane. Even the prices we've offered e.g. for Ekitike have me wondering how we're going to handle it. The price inflation along with the cartel being the only ones who can handle it is entirely by design and it's not a club we're in.

Wrong thread but I'll reply anyway. I can see this sort of approach biting tech companies hard. The amount of tech debt that's going to be introduced into code bases by it and the smaller pool of devs who actually knows what the code is supposed to be doing will hit breaking point.

It's not a hypothetical though, it's what is happening. I'd say our offers have been more than fair but prices are getting inflated and inflated year on year by the only clubs who can afford to pay them. There is definitely an argument we should be looking elsewhere but what that ultimately means is players who a) aren't as good, or b) have potential but more of a risk. We probably want a certain amount of b) anyway but given we are in the CL now then a) isn't as palatable. And again, even if we bid £40m for Trafford we could still be in a spot with Burnley dragging their feet, the difference being of City say nah we're on the hook for £40m rather than £30m.

But the issue is your Chelsea's, Man City's, etc are throwing silly money around and selling clubs know this so if there's a hint any of them are remotely interested then it's best to knock back any initial offers to see if you can get more from them. In the Trafford case if we went up to £40m we might find ourselves in the same situation. Burnley just go to City and say what we've bid and if they want him back now's the time to act. Burnley would rather City buy him I imagine as I assume that would negate the sell on clause.

The whole concept of sell on clauses, buy back, release clauses, etc, etc, all needs a good looking at. Gives a ridiculous amount of power to the cartel clubs.

I don't really get people blaming the club here. Deal was basically done at £30m. Then Burnley decided to go actually we want another £10m and we told them to fuck off. We just simply aren't in a position to overpay. The cartel clubs are. And selling clubs know it. I'm not sure there's much more to it than that.

Sounded chipper enough but definitely sensed some frustration at current lack of transfer business.

Vote Tory. They have a strong record on the economy.

Can we not just pay him on the sly outside the club?

Yeah that's where I'm at with it. If this is the plan they're just telling Ekitike he's their second choice and they see him as a pawn in getting their first choice. He should be telling them to get to fuck.

The horsie ones can jump over the non horsie ones therefore 3D.