Summer transfer madness thread

[cdbearsfan]

I'm not sure you're treating this issue with the gravitas it deserves.

[UK Redsox]

"Villa were shite today."
"Which one? SC, Mohun Bagun, the French pop group?"
"..."

Pelsall

[UK Redsox]

You say Seltic I say Keltic.

This could start all Manor of problems

[Steve67]

Telegraph and Mirror reported a cash freeze and sell to buy for Bruce for next season according to newsnow. Due to FFP apparently.

[wittonwarrior]

Telegraph and Mirror reported a cash freeze and sell to buy for Bruce for next season according to newsnow. Due to FFP apparently.

mi

Bruce might well be better working to a budget rather than given the green light to spend spend spend.  So far with the exception of Taylor he hasn't raised the bar with his buys.

[ozzjim]

A few things struck me about that. First, good that we will use the loan market more. It is the best way to get good players in this division, Atsu at Newcastle was a prime example. Using our 4 loans is a must as they are free hits at getting premier league players into the squad. Secondly, there are some very decent free transfers out there. Finally, I reckon we have around 20-25m in sales to make, that will be more than enough money to give Bruce. We need a couple of keepers, a winger, a holding midfielder and a fast forward. Most of those can be found free or on loan. Spending fortunes did not work last season. Round et al have had a year to get this summer right. Players like Marley Watkins on a free look useful, and I am sure there are many more on frees that are worth looking at while we sell others.

[Steve67]

Our squad is way too big anyway. Around 35 or so with the loaned out players. Get rid of as many as possible with only a handful really likely to beat a cull, if it's a cull we need. Chester, Jedinak, Kodjia, (hopefully a resurgent) Hourihane and Lansbury, Bree, Taylor. After that, I wouldn't care too much if the bones of the rest were picked on by other clubs.

[Ads]

Well the money was fun while it lasted.

Disastrous news that we won't be investing.

[VinnieChase84]

Well the money was fun while it lasted.

Disastrous news that we won't be investing.

Hardly a disaster. We will still spend £20-25m this summer IMO. We have almost an entire side out Loan that can generate cash. Article is already outdated as we have just got £2.5m for Sanchez. Plus other players like amavi (£10m), Richards and elphick to leave too.
I'm quite comfortable at the thought of us spending the above on 4 players and also
Using our 4 loans. Johnstone for another year, Tammy Abraham possibly? Then free transfers like Watkins from Barnsley.
Despite our league position we still have a strong squad who should be good enough for play offs at least even with no investment

[wittonwarrior]

Well the money was fun while it lasted.

Disastrous news that we won't be investing.

Hardly a disaster. We will still spend £20-25m this summer IMO. We have almost an entire side out Loan that can generate cash. Article is already outdated as we have just got £2.5m for Sanchez. Plus other players like amavi (£10m), Richards and elphick to leave too.
I'm quite comfortable at the thought of us spending the above on 4 players and also
Using our 4 loans. Johnstone for another year, Tammy Abraham possibly? Then free transfers like Watkins from Barnsley.
Despite our league position we still have a strong squad who should be good enough for play offs at least even with no investment

Amavi  10 million - at the moment not worth bus  fare home - on paper would love Tammy Abraham, problem is would we  play to his strengths

[Ads]

The article states we have to reassess the plans. If we're waiting on selling a load of tat then clubs with money will.pick the cream and we will be left gubbing around.

We tried this nonsense in the big boys league. I don't need to say more as to how well that turned out.

Yes, we cannot retain a load of none contributing rubbish, but why do we care about a possible sanction that may take place at the end of the season after next? We're not going to he here- unless we stop investing in the squad.

Welcome to 2nd Division obscurity. So much for the Doctor being a gazillionnaire.

No spinning can make this news look anything other than awful.

[Gareth]

The article states we have to reassess the plans. If we're waiting on selling a load of tat then clubs with money will.pick the cream and we will be left gubbing around.

We tried this nonsense in the big boys league. I don't need to say more as to how well that turned out.

Yes, we cannot retain a load of none contributing rubbish, but why do we care about a possible sanction that may take place at the end of the season after next? We're not going to he here- unless we stop investing in the squad.

Welcome to 2nd Division obscurity. So much for the Doctor being a gazillionnaire.

No spinning can make this news look anything other than awful.

Couldn't disagree more, the Dr's wealth has nothing to do with it & it doesn't need to be 'awful' news...the business can only lose a certain figure over a certain period of time, that's the rules that at this time we should be working to stay within.

The article, as ever has a headline to look dramatic, the basic drift was books need to be balanced, that doesn't need to mean you have to sell a player on Monday to buy one on Tuesday it is balancing over the entire window.

Whose to say that stories like that aren't leaked so that the clubs we are dealing with don't continually think they can pull our pants down fee wise - example would be if for instance Bruce wanted Flint from Bristol City, we call & Bristol think we paid 11m for Kodjia so they want the same again...this tells them that won't happen.

As for departures, Bruce should be fully working on shipping out deadwood and if that is going to affect his budget all the better, he wants his own players then get the Amavi / Veretout / Gil / Elphick / Bacuna / Richards etc through the exit door....

This attitude that we have to keep throwing more and more money at it isn't necessarily the way forward.

[ozzjim]

And how many articles did Xia rubbish that were believed on here last year.

I reckon, as ever, the truth will be somewhere in the middle, but 15m ish spent this summer should be enough. We already have a pretty good squad as it is, Johnstone coming back on loan gives a bit of continuity at the back which is good. We then have Chester, Taylor, Bree and maybe need an upgrade on Baker, but have a solid unit there. Samba as backup is no worse than Elphick who I think will go.

Amavi, Richards and Elphick to go from the defence. Maybe then a loan in of a versatile defender across centre half and left back. 12m ish in.

Midfield wise we are desperate for another holding midfielder. Ledley at Palace is out of contract, and played well with Jedinak, knows Taylor and would be worth a shout. George Boyd on a free from Burnley out wide. Watkins from Barnsley. All would improve our options, which are already pretty good and then have Green to come back in when fit, who I think will be a huge player for us next season. Tsishbola might be worth another opportunity if he impresses in pre-season. Centrally Hourihane, Lansbury and Jedinak are all good players.

Sell - Veretout, Gill, Gardner if a decent offer comes, Sachez - 10-15m income.

Forwards - we can't give Gabby away, Kodjia will be out till maybe October but is excellent. Hogan, with a pre season and a couple of wide players around him will come good I am sure, he has good movement and makes so many runs.  McCormack is a complete unknown, but if he knuckles down and is in shape is a very decent footballer and could play behind Hogan easily. Davis also looks like he is ready to come on and be a useful player. So striker wise, short of getting a cheap target man we are pretty set. We need some pace out wide desperately though. Adomah and Grealish are useful but not much more, we could do with a player that will stretch teams and take the game to them. It is where I would look to spend decent money. Getting pace into the side.

Overall though, even without additions, I would look at our squad and expect a minimum of the play offs after a pre-season and Bruce having had this season to work with them. And I think he will be of the same opinion. We need to find a way of getting the best from Hogan and Hourihane. Do that, we will be flying, and I though there were signs with Hourihane against Brighton that it was coming. Not spending fortunes, but getting 2-3 loans and 2-3 frees that are right and we will be up next season.

[Ads]

Football is always a business when times are hard. We will run our club as business, meanwhile.our competitors stride ahead.

Good.luck with competing with Boro, Hull and Sunderland for players while we run our business and wait on selling garbage l, if we can, before we buy somebody.

[PeterWithesShin]

January showed you don't have to spend a fortune to improve your squad, just spend your money sensibly and no more Gategate type purchases.