TheBrownBottle

Agreed on all counts - and the new rules are weird; they even run March to March from what I can understand. The only small advantage from the new rules for us is that transfer losses can be amortised over those three years too - which should reduce the impact of getting shot of someone like Wissa for a fraction of what we paid.

He was a solid top division midfielder pre- and post-PL breakaway, which absolutely meant he could play. He was decent enough. He was decent enough crack tbf - anyone who was at SJP when he went in nets for Wimbledon could attest to that (and he wasn't that bad in goal really, even though we scored six that day). The thuggishness was absolutely in his game - though most of that side during that period were the same. He also wasn't as innately unlikeable as Dennis Wise, so there's that too. I very much doubt he'd be a top flight player today, mind.

Even the weird songs were absolutely shite, seemed to be a bunch of twats who'd never been to a match in their life 'Nayim from the halfway line' they weren't

Has to be Osula vs Man Utd for me, but I do love BDB's heeder

After three years it will - years 4 & 5 we'd be -£40m each season

We’d have a delta of about £27m available for transfers (assuming Leao’s and Woltemade’s wage costs balance out), less Leao’s signing on fee

I wouldn’t like to see Barnes go, but I’m also not convinced he’ll ever be more than a ‘super sub’ for a good side. He’s been pretty much the best finisher at the club since he joined, but he disappears from games much of the time. I wouldn’t be hopping up and down if the club decides to cash in - and I’d also be happy to see him in the squad opening day.

He feels almost designed for Serie A to me - I could see him being a massive hit there with the slower pace of the game married to that more tactical & technical style.

Never understood the ‘we have money to spend’ in Jan stuff. The only thing which dictates money available is the extant FFP rules in place - we’ve got 85% (+15%) of next year’s turnover available. Our turnover next year will drop off compared to this year’s- and even if you push it up to its maximum possible, you’ll be looking at roughly £360m-ish. Our current amortised transfer fees would be around £150m (the figure for 23/24 was £100m, our splurges last summer will have upped it by 50%), our wage bill is around the £250m mark (which includes for all the club’s wages, some of which will be deductible). Under the new rules we’ll be skirting somewhere between 85-100% of income next season. If the Gordon sale falls under the old FFP rules (which it should, as the new rules don’t start until 1 July) then any profit isn’t available. The Athletic is reporting it’ll be included in the new rules - then that’ll give £13m + Gordon’s wages for the summer. In other words, enough for perhaps two £30m players to be brought in. Last summer fucked us, the lack of Europe has hurt us, if the rumbling about difficulties securing a good FOS sponsor are true then that doesn’t help either. We’ve gambled and overstretched. I don’t think it’s the end of the world - I think a proper clear out is needed in any case. The bad moves last summer have hampered this summer, though.

We’re going to need more money than the Gordon sale for a rebuild - not that that means any specific player has to go, but it’s sell to buy.

Wish they’d sell DVDs or whatever of these shows, never get to see them, KK is always worth listening to

Yep, agree completely

Buying a player involved negotiation with both the selling club and the player - and negotiating with the player was what went wrong for much of last summer. I’m sure there will be a lot of incomings, and Wilson’s performance can be assessed at the end of the window (and next season), but I don’t think selling a player to Barcelona is the most difficult of tasks.

It’s not difficult, though - it’s easier to act fast when you’ve got a willing buyer and a player who’d jump at the move. Signing players is far harder - and if Gordon’s move is to go through before 1st July then I’m not at all convinced that this is a good thing; all of the transfer profit will drop into this financial year, so unless we’ve made an absolute arse of the books again, then it isn’t a good thing.

Spurs are wealthier than some of those clubs - NUFC and Villa are miles behind them financially

Yep - it’s pretty pathetic in all honesty. The commercial side of the club post-takeover has been really unimpressive (cue folks telling me what % it’s gone up by, as if Ashley hadn’t compressed it to a ridiculous degree).

Honestly, I thought the RWs before him and after him (Fox & Solano) were better. Fox was definitely more effective.

I’m perfectly fine with it not being a PIF-related company, but it all adds to the question marks over our gobshite-in-chief CEO, who has spent the best part of a year talking big but delivering little

I haven’t seen Vlachodimos play, but there’s been positive reports of his performances in Spain

Agreed on all points - which is why it’s still ‘jury out’ for me. Hopefully with a full season and another summer under the belt (and better support around him) he’ll be a massive hit.

One of the tiny, irrelevant bug bears of modern football for me is ‘when did midfielders start wearing the no.6 shirt’?

It definitely hasn’t helped - nor have the keepers this season. That is why it is ‘jury’s out’ for me. There is talent there, I’m not yet convinced he’s the long term answer - but I’d like to see what he’s like with a better keeper and a holding midfielder in front of him

Just my opinion, others exist. I don’t think a back line that’s as shaky as ours can describe its new CB as being a hit.

The Targett permanent signing is the only one I’d class as a failure. Wood didn’t fit us at all, but he ended up costing us almost nowt and helped push Burnley down under us (as well as covering for the injury-prone Wilson). Kelly looked shite when he played but within six months was a nice PSR boost. Targett was a bit of an eye-raising permanent signing; he’d done well on loan, but it looked unnecessary to make the move permanent. For me, the following would be ‘hits’: Trippier Burn Bruno Targett (loan) Isak Botman Pope Gordon Tonali Barnes Livramento Hall The following ‘qualified successes’: Wood Minteh (PSR success) Osula (cheap fee) Kelly (PSR success) The following ‘jury out’: That Greek keeper Woltemade Ramsay Thiaw Elanga (borderline - I’d be inclined to move to ‘failure’ And finally, ‘failures’ Targett (permanent) Ramsdale Wissa (even if he bangs goals in next season) It doesn’t look too bad, but it’s heavily front-loaded in terms of timescales

I think he’s said in the past that they’re the club he’d love to play for. Hard to see that happening at the minute. He was always a cold one, but he’s been hilariously badly advised by that absolute crook of an agent he has.