More transfer rumours

[Holmesy]

10 hours ago, Nine said:

Sterling and Bellingham?  There is going to be some twisting when we don’t sign any well established ‘big’ names this summer isn’t there?

I'd consider both Trippier and Bruno big names. They're perhaps not the biggest names but if we sign 4-5 more players of that calibre i'd be absolutely delighted. 4-5 quality players who really want to be here, at between £20-30m each would be spot on.

If people expect us to shatter our wage budget and splash out ridiculous money on the likes of Sterling, they're sniffing glue.

[macphisto]

6 hours ago, Stottie said:

With Mbappe and Pogba walking and PEA buying out his contract, I think things may be changing in the transfer market. Salah and Rashford are set up to walk in summer 2023. Player power has always existed, but perhaps not to this level.

 

If the aim is Top 6-8, I don't think we need big names just yet. With the current focus on sportswashing in football due to Abramovich, it may be wise for the club to keep a lower profile and build through reasonable investment and undoing the competency gap that developed under Ashley. Harry Kane for example would vastly improve us as a team, of course he would, but at this point, three-quarters of the headlines would be "murderers trying to buy the league". For all the claims about sportswashing, I think the biggest objections people had to Chelsea and Man City were about unfair competition. Anything that can be claimed on that front will amplify the new-found concern about sportswashing.

 

It didn't get many headlines, but the club has signed up with Statsbomb, the data analytics people. With the people Howe is putting in place, and the clear success we had in January, I have faith in the club finding good players who are not necessarily high profile. Good enough for Top 8 at least. We've just managed a third of a season of Top 6-8 form with a bottom six striker who hasn't even been on form.

I think we'll get sportswashing thrown at us no matter what we do so I wouldn't worry about it. I actually think the likelihood of Chelsea being taken over by Americans and the promotion of Fulham which could potentially see 11 of the Premier League clubs under American ownership next season is a serious threat. It's the Americans, in my view, driving changes to limit spending so I'd spend as much as we can, sensibly, whilst we can as you don't know what changes are around the corner. 

 

It is great to have Statsbomb in place but I'd be amazed if most American owned clubs are not already all over the use of data analytics to help identify players so I'm not sure if Statsbomb is more keeping up with the competition or being ahead. 

[The College Dropout]

4 minutes ago, Holmesy said:

I'd consider both Trippier and Bruno big names. They're perhaps not the biggest names but if we sign 4-5 more players of that calibre i'd be absolutely delighted. 4-5 quality players who really want to be here, at between £20-30m each would be spot on.

If people expect us to shatter our wage budget and splash out ridiculous money on the likes of Sterling, they're sniffing glue.

Trippier turns 32 this year.  The Bruno deal is worth up to £40m and he signed when relegation was a huge possibility.  
 

It’s reasonable to expect bigger transfers which will come with bigger wages. I use Raphinha as an example - he’s a £60m player easily. He’ll also look to earn 150k minimum just based on the fee we spent.  Even Ismailia Sarr, 40m+ 120k+ wages.  
 

We are building towards a top 4/6 team. What should stop us getting there next season is a lack of depth but we should sign players we think can play at that level. We have with Bruno and Trippier so far. 

[The College Dropout]

While I want us to spend big, I expect it will be big in either wages (Pogba just an example) or fee (Raphinha just an example). But not both (Sterling for example)

[The Prophet]

Linked with Sarr in the Sun (I know, I know). He'd be a decent addition in a problem position.

[macphisto]

12 minutes ago, Holmesy said:

I'd consider both Trippier and Bruno big names. They're perhaps not the biggest names but if we sign 4-5 more players of that calibre i'd be absolutely delighted. 4-5 quality players who really want to be here, at between £20-30m each would be spot on.

If people expect us to shatter our wage budget and splash out ridiculous money on the likes of Sterling, they're sniffing glue.

The £20-£30 million bracket doesn't get you much in general and is a very risky price zone where you'll hit as much as you'll miss. People keep on mentioning Trippier and Bruno but never quote Willock and Wood. Willock is alright but he's nothing special. 

 

It is worth looking at the transfer fees for the 2021/22 season, there's not many players in the £20-£30 million zone who would be an upgrade on where we are. 

 

This is not to say we can not be smart in our recruitment by targeting unknowns, free transfers and clauses in contracts but at the end of the day as a team we have to start looking at a few £50+ players to raise the standard of the team.

[buzza]

I reckon we could pick up some great players at decent prices:

let´s go back to city for Nathan Ake, he hasn´t played at all and is highly thought of. Or lloyd kelly from the championship, doubt either would be more than 20/25M... Christensen and rudiger at chelsea on frees, but doubt they would come!

 

Fernandinho is out of contract in the summer, old, but a 100% upgrade on jonjo. Pascal Gross at brighton also out of contract, a good attacking midfielder. Jesse Lingard could be a great bet as long as he doesn´t want mental wages.

 

Nekethia and origi out of contract in the summer for front line players.

 

[RodneyCisse]

11 hours ago, cubaricho said:

 

Not sure anyone actually thinks we'll be signing that "level" of player, do they?

We’re years away from anything like that. Some of our best signings might not even be playing at senior level yet.

[The College Dropout]

I

19 minutes ago, macphisto said:

The £20-£30 million bracket doesn't get you much in general and is a very risky price zone where you'll hit as much as you'll miss. People keep on mentioning Trippier and Bruno but never quote Willock and Wood. Willock is alright but he's nothing special. 

 

It is worth looking at the transfer fees for the 2021/22 season, there's not many players in the £20-£30 million zone who would be an upgrade on where we are. 

 

This is not to say we can not be smart in our recruitment by targeting unknowns, free transfers and clauses in contracts but at the end of the day as a team we have to start looking at a few £50+ players to raise the standard of the team.

Yes and there’s young English players available in that €15-30m range. 
 

But to really push us up the league you’ll want at least a couple big jumps in quality and that’s €40m+ a pop. 

 

20m-30m is landing Mwepu, Bailey, Ings, Guehi, Mykolenko, Digne, Dan James, Daka, Soumare, Willock, Buendia, Gil, Emerson Royal, Vlasic. A real mixed bag. 
 

40m+ you get your Diaz, Konate, Torres, Lukaku, Bruno.  Odegaard & Zouma about 35. You get more pedigree at a younger age at that price point typically. 

[The College Dropout]

28 minutes ago, buzza said:

I reckon we could pick up some great players at decent prices:

let´s go back to city for Nathan Ake, he hasn´t played at all and is highly thought of. Or lloyd kelly from the championship, doubt either would be more than 20/25M... Christensen and rudiger at chelsea on frees, but doubt they would come!

 

Fernandinho is out of contract in the summer, old, but a 100% upgrade on jonjo. Pascal Gross at brighton also out of contract, a good attacking midfielder. Jesse Lingard could be a great bet as long as he doesn´t want mental wages.

 

Nekethia and origi out of contract in the summer for front line players.

 

The Chelsea boys are a different level but the others are squad fillers and short term measures. That shouldn’t be the bulk of our business.  
 

Butlike Origiw and Nketia - unless we would look to pedal Wilson or Wood I wouldn’t want them.  You would want a more solid calibre of attacker like a Tammy Abraham. That’s £60m. 

[AyeDubbleYoo]

We need a top striker who’s almost guaranteed to be fit every week. Loadsa money.

[Papavasiliou]

Andy Brassell makes a good point about the state of players leaving for free these days. It's all due to how much the wages are costing.

 

Take Juve and Dybala for example. Yeah they could offer him a new contract and yeah he'd probably take it. But if he wants a million a month for 4 years that's £48mil they're spending on him. They're basically gambling on being able to spend that money on somebody cheaper who won't be injured as much.

 

They're not arsed about renewing so they're able to sell him because the way they look at it he's already turned down moves previously so there's a good chance he ends up running down that new contract again.

[The Prophet]

While we need another option up top, I think we can gamble on potential. Not many sides have a prolific forward these days. Maybe Liverpool and Spurs? 

[madras]

1 hour ago, AyeDubbleYoo said:

We need a top striker who’s almost guaranteed to be fit every week. Loadsa money.

Alternatively a good enough squad to rotate now and again, also to he able to vary formation/tactics as and when.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

Both fair points. TBH the wide players are almost as important in the modern game. 

[joeyt]

Reckon we'll go for that young lad from Reims again in the summer

[madras]

1 minute ago, joeyt said:

Reckon we'll go for that young lad from Reims again in the summer

Anyone been keeping check on him since January ?

[SUPERTOON]

4 minutes ago, joeyt said:

Reckon we'll go for that young lad from Reims again in the summer

I wouldn’t, he supposedly needed a lot of convincing to join.

[joeyt]

Just now, SUPERTOON said:

I wouldn’t, he supposedly needed a lot of convincing to join.

 

Understandably so, we weren't in a very good position at the time. The summer will be different

[joeyt]

We're cutting off our nose to spite our face if we don't go for players that didn't want to join in January

 

 

Edited March 29, 2022 by joeyt

[madras]

7 minutes ago, joeyt said:

We're cutting of our nose to spit our face if we don't go for players that didn't want to join in January

Very much doubt that would come in to it.

[Kid Icarus]

10 minutes ago, joeyt said:

We're cutting of our nose to spit our face if we don't go for players that didn't want to join in January

 

Aye it's getting a bit 'if you can't handle me at my worst, you don't deserve me at my best' at times

[sugoinufc]

Dolberg and Eriksen please

[Holmesy]

2 hours ago, Papavasiliou said:

Andy Brassell makes a good point about the state of players leaving for free these days. It's all due to how much the wages are costing.

 

Take Juve and Dybala for example. Yeah they could offer him a new contract and yeah he'd probably take it. But if he wants a million a month for 4 years that's £48mil they're spending on him. They're basically gambling on being able to spend that money on somebody cheaper who won't be injured as much.

 

They're not arsed about renewing so they're able to sell him because the way they look at it he's already turned down moves previously so there's a good chance he ends up running down that new contract again.

Hopefully the era of the last big pay day-type moves is over now. Teams seem more prepared to let players in the latter years of their careers leave rather than offer them another big contract and it could set a new precedent. It used to be thought that players peaked at 28 but the athletic demands of the PL, for example, means players are at their most valuable between 20-26/7 and probably their most motivated as well, so that's rightly when they should be earning the biggest salaries of their careers. It's not really worth risking a 4 year contract for most 29 year olds, on multiple hundreds of thousands per week these days (unless you're PSG who play in a farmer's league week i week out). The likes of Salah might be an exception but even then, Liverpool don't look like they're going to bow to his demands. Interesting times!

[The College Dropout]

I think it’s rather the fees are so large it makes big moves difficult. if a player wants to move it’s best to run down the contract and secure a massive wage.  
 

Alaba & Courtois got a big payday joining Real.  Rudiger will get a big payday and so will Mbappe. Mbappe’s impossible to sell with 2+ years on his contract.
 

Salah is doing the right thing for himself. Liverpool will be offering to make him the highest paid player at the club but he rightfully wants to be one of the highest paid players in the league.  
 

 

Dybala is not a consistent performer. Neither is Pogba. It’s easier to let them run down their contracts. As you say because of the wages they become unsellable because they’ll take a step down and the buying club won’t be able to afford the wages nor a fee.