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Transfer rumours - summer 2021 edition

We need to get past that. We are (or should be) a net buyer of players and therefore the situation is to our advantage. Of course we are likely to have to accept lower fees for our outgoing players or even pay them off to help facilitate deals. Contrary to some of the opinion on here players very, very rarely want to stick around when they know they're not wanted. What they won't do though is make themselves worse off financially (and why should they?).

There are clubs all over Europe that have been absolutely financially decimated by the last year. French clubs for example will need to shed players just to reduce their wage bills. We can take advantage of that. The vaccine rollout is also likely to mean that we're back in stadiums properly next season so we'll also have a much better idea of our forecast revenue.

We could massively benefit from some owner investment right now (or if they haven't got the capital then the owners diluting their stake and allowing investment of transfer capital for equity n the club). Unfortunately even an optimist like me doesn't see any chance of that with our owners.
Reports during the summer was that we managed to make deals happen in part because we managed to negotiate heavily structured deals. Meaning we'll be paying more for those players in the years to come than us already the norm.

It's fair enough to say that we should be a net buyer of players, but that doesn't change our financial situation. We don't know what that situation will be come the summer, even less than we usually know which is already limited.

Optimism is good, but realistic optimism is more my cup of tea.
 
Reports during the summer was that we managed to make deals happen in part because we managed to negotiate heavily structured deals. Meaning we'll be paying more for those players in the years to come than us already the norm.

It's fair enough to say that we should be a net buyer of players, but that doesn't change our financial situation. We don't know what that situation will be come the summer, even less than we usually know which is already limited.

Optimism is good, but realistic optimism is more my cup of tea.

I agree, and sadly its seems to be lacking from some when it comes to how many players we SHOULD/Will sign.
 
Reports during the summer was that we managed to make deals happen in part because we managed to negotiate heavily structured deals. Meaning we'll be paying more for those players in the years to come than us already the norm.

It's fair enough to say that we should be a net buyer of players, but that doesn't change our financial situation. We don't know what that situation will be come the summer, even less than we usually know which is already limited.

Optimism is good, but realistic optimism is more my cup of tea.
The same will be true this summer as well, heavily structured deals will all be there to do. If we are struggling financially then just think what that means for 99% of clubs out there who don't operate the same sensible/unambitious (depending on how you see it) wage bill. Just think of those French clubs who, along with covid, have also seen their TV deal vastly shrink overnight for example?

You are right that, at present, we don't know what the situation will be come the summer. By the time the summer window opens though we'll have a good idea and we'll have a damn good idea by the closing month of the transfer window.

It will be a buyers market. Therefore as (one would hope) net buyers it should be to our advantage. For every player that we have to sell for a reduced fee or help facilitate the departure with a payout there will be a higher value markdown on a player that we are purchasing. Just as long as we're realistic (i.e. don't think we can buy at covid values while still selling at pre-covid values) then there is business to be done.
 
Reports during the summer was that we managed to make deals happen in part because we managed to negotiate heavily structured deals. Meaning we'll be paying more for those players in the years to come than us already the norm.

It's fair enough to say that we should be a net buyer of players, but that doesn't change our financial situation. We don't know what that situation will be come the summer, even less than we usually know which is already limited.

Optimism is good, but realistic optimism is more my cup of tea.

Yes, but it'll be the same for all clubs. Worse for French clubs given the TV right fiasco there.

And given we were in the midst of covid last summer, and the second wave was known about, I'm sure we didnt get overly aggressive with deals then. The bigger risk is for clubs which signed players in 2018-19 for high prices and with payments coming in 2020-22

I think the bigger impact for us won't be in signing players, it'll be in offloading players
 
The only good part of this summer should be the club will have line of sight to revenue streams again.

By August we hopefully will know enough to make informed financial decisions

I hope it's earlier than August or we'll be getting players in after the season has started again, we should know how close we are to all restrictions ending in June so if we do then we can assume full stadiums for at least half the season pending a winter surge.
 
Please elaborate more as I’ve never heard of him
Be great to hear some more about him

I just wanted to pretend like I was ITK so maybe we would buy him. He's a Senegalese forward for Club Brugge, still only 19 but 6'4" and quick. One for the future, probably a bit raw at the moment. Might be able to play cutting from the left as well as he is right-footed.
 
I just wanted to pretend like I was ITK so maybe we would buy him. He's a Senegalese forward for Club Brugge, still only 19 but 6'4" and quick. One for the future, probably a bit raw at the moment. Might be able to play cutting from the left as well as he is right-footed.
Cool
I’ll keep an eye out for him
I’m a sad geek really and I always like to see the younger newer players coming across Europe
 
The same will be true this summer as well, heavily structured deals will all be there to do. If we are struggling financially then just think what that means for 99% of clubs out there who don't operate the same sensible/unambitious (depending on how you see it) wage bill. Just think of those French clubs who, along with covid, have also seen their TV deal vastly shrink overnight for example?

You are right that, at present, we don't know what the situation will be come the summer. By the time the summer window opens though we'll have a good idea and we'll have a damn good idea by the closing month of the transfer window.

It will be a buyers market. Therefore as (one would hope) net buyers it should be to our advantage. For every player that we have to sell for a reduced fee or help facilitate the departure with a payout there will be a higher value markdown on a player that we are purchasing. Just as long as we're realistic (i.e. don't think we can buy at covid values while still selling at pre-covid values) then there is business to be done.
Heavily structured deals for the players we actually want is certainly one possible outcome.

Is getting fees we can live with for outgoing players thus generating funds for incoming is also certainly a possible outcome.

I also think there are other possible outcomes and that it's just too early and too difficult to know.

Number of players is a different story. It's easy enough to pinpoint 6-7 positions or roles where we would benefit from signing the right player, first team and squad players included. But what if the CB the manager really wants would eat up 70-80% of our "transfer budget". Do we sign that player accepting that there will be other positions where we can't strengthen or do we sign that one player?

Predicting how much we can spend is difficult. Predicting how many players we can or should sign even more so.
 
Heavily structured deals for the players we actually want is certainly one possible outcome.

Is getting fees we can live with for outgoing players thus generating funds for incoming is also certainly a possible outcome.

I also think there are other possible outcomes and that it's just too early and too difficult to know.

Number of players is a different story. It's easy enough to pinpoint 6-7 positions or roles where we would benefit from signing the right player, first team and squad players included. But what if the CB the manager really wants would eat up 70-80% of our "transfer budget". Do we sign that player accepting that there will be other positions where we can't strengthen or do we sign that one player?

Predicting how much we can spend is difficult. Predicting how many players we can or should sign even more so.

I think CB is such a key position that having 1 top level player there can really affect the whole team. They give confidence to the defence which in turn provides confidences to the rest of the team and top ones also tend to be phenomenal leaders who can rally a team.

Look at the impact someone like Dias is having or VVD or Terry etc, they set the tone for the whole team.
 
Heavily structured deals for the players we actually want is certainly one possible outcome.

Is getting fees we can live with for outgoing players thus generating funds for incoming is also certainly a possible outcome.

I also think there are other possible outcomes and that it's just too early and too difficult to know.

Number of players is a different story. It's easy enough to pinpoint 6-7 positions or roles where we would benefit from signing the right player, first team and squad players included. But what if the CB the manager really wants would eat up 70-80% of our "transfer budget". Do we sign that player accepting that there will be other positions where we can't strengthen or do we sign that one player?

Predicting how much we can spend is difficult. Predicting how many players we can or should sign even more so.
Then you have to be clever with the other signings.... take free transfers to strengthen other positions (Schar and Thauvin for example).
 
Then you have to be clever with the other signings.... take free transfers to strengthen other positions (Schar and Thauvin for example).
Sure, if those players are available for an acceptable fee. There are quite a few issues associated with going for these players now. Like will Mourinho still be our manager come the summer, would a potential new manager want them as a signing. Would a free transfer CB be a good partner anyone, or does him fitting in require us to sign a particular type of CB come the summer further limiting our options. How would free transfers now impact squad morale for the rest of the season.

There is a good argument to be made for waiting to get the more expensive, most crucial parts of the puzzle sorted out first, like we did (imo) before this season. But that too comes with a downside of course as potential bargains might no longer be available.
 
Sure, if those players are available for an acceptable fee. There are quite a few issues associated with going for these players now. Like will Mourinho still be our manager come the summer, would a potential new manager want them as a signing. Would a free transfer CB be a good partner anyone, or does him fitting in require us to sign a particular type of CB come the summer further limiting our options. How would free transfers now impact squad morale for the rest of the season.

There is a good argument to be made for waiting to get the more expensive, most crucial parts of the puzzle sorted out first, like we did (imo) before this season. But that too comes with a downside of course as potential bargains might no longer be available.
Hence why a DoF is so important and our club is held back without one....
 
Were you guys impressed by Tarkowski and Mee today, or are you thinking Burnley were wide open and the centre backs too exposed?
 
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