Downing Completes Liverpool Transfer

[Surrey Villain]

1. Better he goes now, rather than a dragged out, summer long saga that distracts everyone at the club.

2. £20 million? Bite the hand off that.

3. This should mean £20 million EXTRA goes into the transfer kitty for Big Eck.

4. If Albrighton doesnt fulfill his potential or suffers from a 2nd season syndrome, we are in big trouble. A lot of weight on his shoulders now.

5. N'Zogbia is now a must buy as opposed to someone we would like to sign. Another wide player will be required, maybe from abroad, maybe Matt Jarvis or maybe to give a nice sense of symmetry we'll be linked to Aiden McGeady again (although he is probably out of our price range at this stage if it's true Zenit St. Petersburg want him.)

Already being reported in the Mail: "Alex McLeish has also earmarked Aiden McGeady as a possible target with reports the former Celtic winger is unsettled at Spartak Moscow."

[Mr Troll]

Totally predictable really. However, to make a £7.5m profit on the cowardly weasel is excellent. Lets get our signings in NOW so that we can have a productive pre-season.

Goodbye Stewart, you WON'T be missed.

[dave.woodhall]

20 million isn´t exactly "I´ll drive him there myself" money but it´s certainly not far off. If re-invested wisely, of course.   

[Mazrim]

The level of denial on this thread beggars belief.

How can selling two of our three best players in one summer be good for AVFC?

Why do most of you assume that all the Young and Downing money will be reinvested in the squad?

It’s clear what is happening here. O’Neill left because the Milner money was not being reinvested but used instead to service the Club’s debt, which was spiralling up towards the £100 million mark. Lerner had to use this money unexpectedly to buy Bent to get us out of the shit in January and has now recouped that money from the sale of Young. He was only willing to use some of it for a Keeper out of necessity.

This is why there have been no approaches for any players, because AM has to generate his own transfer funds.
 
And before you accuse me of re-hashing Mat Kendrick’s articles, see my previous posts on the ‘Lerner FFP’ thread and the ‘Summer Transfer Spend’ thread, which were both prior to Kendrick’s reports and tweets. (In fact I’m considering suing him for plagiarism!).

This is why the statements ‘Bent was bought with the Milner money’ and ‘The Ash money was used to pay for Bent’ are not conflicting statements!

Btw, my prediction on the ‘Summer Transfer Spend’ thread, of a net spend of minus £10 million is looking pretty good right now. In fact at the moment it’s looking like wild optimism.

I think you know I dont agree with a lot of what you're saying. But you havent been proven wrong yet either.
I hope you will be and I know you do too.

[Holtenderinthesky]

. If re-invested wisely, of course.   

This is the key.  Will it be?  And what is wisely?  Wisely to us as fans is not necessarily wisely to the owners of the club.

[Merv]

I would say Downing's value is at its absolute highest now, so from a purely pragmatic point of view, it's the best time to sell: two years left on a contract, still an attractive age for a new club, back in the England squad, off the back of a good season. We overpaid for him in the first place, at least we're making money on him.

[MarkM]

. If re-invested wisely, of course.   

This is the key.  Will it be?  And what is wisely?  Wisely to us as fans is not necessarily wisely to the owners of the club.

It already has been spent... Manager and his staff

[garyshawsknee]

If we can get in two quality players ( Parker,Nzogbia,etc) for the price of Downing,then its a good deal. We need four or five players who can go straight into the first team,so the next few weeks are vital,cause if we don't sign quality,the already large pressure on Mccleish,will only increase,and a iffy start could bring a meltdown to VP.

[Risso]

The level of denial on this thread beggars belief.

How can selling two of our three best players in one summer be good for AVFC?

Why do most of you assume that all the Young and Downing money will be reinvested in the squad?

It’s clear what is happening here. O’Neill left because the Milner money was not being reinvested but used instead to service the Club’s debt, which was spiralling up towards the £100 million mark. Lerner had to use this money unexpectedly to buy Bent to get us out of the shit in January and has now recouped that money from the sale of Young. He was only willing to use some of it for a Keeper out of necessity.

This is why there have been no approaches for any players, because AM has to generate his own transfer funds.
 
And before you accuse me of re-hashing Mat Kendrick’s articles, see my previous posts on the ‘Lerner FFP’ thread and the ‘Summer Transfer Spend’ thread, which were both prior to Kendrick’s reports and tweets. (In fact I’m considering suing him for plagiarism!).

This is why the statements ‘Bent was bought with the Milner money’ and ‘The Ash money was used to pay for Bent’ are not conflicting statements!

Btw, my prediction on the ‘Summer Transfer Spend’ thread, of a net spend of minus £10 million is looking pretty good right now. In fact at the moment it’s looking like wild optimism.

I think you know I dont agree with a lot of what you're saying. But you havent been proven wrong yet either.
I hope you will be and I know you do too.

Too many Mazrims there, it's messing with my head man.

[Holtenderinthesky]

. If re-invested wisely, of course.   

This is the key.  Will it be?  And what is wisely?  Wisely to us as fans is not necessarily wisely to the owners of the club.

It already has been spent... Manager and his staff

With a bit leftover for McLeish's compensation package when he's sacked at Christmas.....

[Eigentor]

. If re-invested wisely, of course.   

This is the key.  Will it be?  And what is wisely?  Wisely to us as fans is not necessarily wisely to the owners of the club.

It already has been spent... Manager and his staff

With a bit leftover for McLeish's compensation package when he's sacked at Christmas.....

Plus the compensation paid to West Ham for poaching Sam Allardyce.

[Mazrim]

The level of denial on this thread beggars belief.

How can selling two of our three best players in one summer be good for AVFC?

Why do most of you assume that all the Young and Downing money will be reinvested in the squad?

It’s clear what is happening here. O’Neill left because the Milner money was not being reinvested but used instead to service the Club’s debt, which was spiralling up towards the £100 million mark. Lerner had to use this money unexpectedly to buy Bent to get us out of the shit in January and has now recouped that money from the sale of Young. He was only willing to use some of it for a Keeper out of necessity.

This is why there have been no approaches for any players, because AM has to generate his own transfer funds.
 
And before you accuse me of re-hashing Mat Kendrick’s articles, see my previous posts on the ‘Lerner FFP’ thread and the ‘Summer Transfer Spend’ thread, which were both prior to Kendrick’s reports and tweets. (In fact I’m considering suing him for plagiarism!).

This is why the statements ‘Bent was bought with the Milner money’ and ‘The Ash money was used to pay for Bent’ are not conflicting statements!

Btw, my prediction on the ‘Summer Transfer Spend’ thread, of a net spend of minus £10 million is looking pretty good right now. In fact at the moment it’s looking like wild optimism.

I think you know I dont agree with a lot of what you're saying. But you havent been proven wrong yet either.
I hope you will be and I know you do too.

Too many Mazrims there, it's messing with my head man.

I'm good Mazrim, he is evil Mazrim.
It's more exciting than James and Tom.

[Stu]

I agree with the club's statement about replacements being available. And that, in my opinion, is the most important action after our recent departures.

It is going to be an interesting few weeks at VP.

4 weeks until the start of the season. They need to get interesting really quickly.

[Neil Hawkes]

Fast forward a couple of seasons Hilts and see where this will have got them? I guarantee you not very far at all....

You guarantee that do you?  I'm not so sure.  But you can guarantee where selling your best players will get you: absolutely fucking nowhere.

It all depends who they are replaced with and how the replacements perform - lets wait and see eh?

[mazrimsbruv]

I agree with the club's statement about replacements being available.

Wow!

How astute is our Chief Exec? He's just sold our Player of the Season but he knows - just knows - that there are replacements available...out there...somewhere...