Emi Martinez

[PeterWithesShin]

Football needs financial rules, how those rules can be done to keep things as competitive as possible is the big question.

[cdbearsfan]

It either needs complete NFL style regulation with salary caps and revenue sharing, or to go full Wild West and let clubs spend what they want. Any rule that protects the established elite while preventing competition is the worst of both worlds. Clubs at all levels must be allowed to vote on significant changes, not just twats like Juventus and Man U.

[Drummond]

Well, Oddschecker have faith in us keeping him;

https://x.com/oddschecker/status/1929550364203700526

When I checked earlier we are 2/1 and Atletico could be had for the same price. Any Saudi at 10/3 with Barca and ManU at 4/1.

[paul_e]

Football needs financial rules, how those rules can be done to keep things as competitive as possible is the big question.

the idea the premier league are looking at of tying wage caps to the revenue of the poorest team is a step in the right direction but only if it's 3x or less. It's still a massive advantage but at least it puts some sort of limits in place that are controlled by the smaller sides.

[PeterWithesShin]

You can't do anything NFL style in a sport that's multi country. That's the big problem with financial rules. And if you go wild west then state owned clubs will just destroy everyone, more states will be tempted to join in as there's nothing to stop them and other clubs will fuck themselves up trying to have any chance.

I'm all for the rules changing a bit, I have no clue what to though.

[cdbearsfan]

Ban state owned clubs then. Job done. And there are plenty of multi-country leagues. Just have salary caps based on nett. Clubs from low tax countries would be required to pay a proportionate sum back into a kitty which would be shared between all the clubs, so you don’t have nonsense teams like Monaco having an unfair advantage.

[PeterWithesShin]

You don't have any in the same way you do with UEFA. We all want a fantasy world where everything is fair, but that's never happened and never will in any walk of life so we have to deal with realistic solutions.

[chrisw1]

Whoever we get will be a downgrade. That's the entire point of the rules.

No it isn’t. It’s a consequence of them but not the point. I know it’s semantics but it’s a pet peeve of mine 🤣🤣.

It's the point.  Designed to make it impossible for clubs to compete with the established elite, voted for by clubs fearful of losing their own place in the pecking order.

[UK Redsox]

It either needs complete NFL style regulation with salary caps and revenue sharing, or to go full Wild West and let clubs spend what they want. Any rule that protects the established elite while preventing competition is the worst of both worlds. Clubs at all levels must be allowed to vote on significant changes, not just twats like Juventus and Man U.

It's always seemed weird to me that the most capitalist country in the world has sports systems that border on communist.
I find this a great way to wind up the Colonials when I'm over there.

However, I wait until I know them quite well before starting such conversations

[cdbearsfan]

At least wait until you know whether they're armed, mate. 🙂

[Dave]

Replacement is going to be very interesting. Considering we are on a shoestring this summer, I can see it being a big come down. Wouldn't be shocked if it's a bosman and a cheap but experienced to compete with them. Just not Ramsdale. Ever. Please villa.

The only two keepers of the right sort of profile that are out of contract are Alex Meret at Napoli and Walter Benitez at PSV.

Neither would be a terrible idea if the finances took us that way.

We're bollocksed for wages. Surely we'd be better off taking a hit on a transfer fee than paying a Bosman an astronomical salary?

The internet tells me that Meret currently earns around £50k per week, Benitez around £27k per week, and Emi £150k per week.

I don't think anyone we bring in as a potential Emi replacement will be doing it for room and board.

No, but there's still quite a big difference between 27k, 50k and 150k per week.

I don't follow. I thought your point was that anyone signed on a Bosman was going to command stupid wages so we should be buying someone for a transfer fees instead, and by implication we wouldn't be paying them stupid wages?

The flaw being that not all players at the end of their contracts command equivalent wages when they choose their next club.

Robin Olsen will probably not be getting the same wages next season as Trent Alexander-Arnold.

And neither of the two keepers I mentioned would be earning anything close to what we're currently paying Emi.

[AV84]

What's happened to the Chevallier guy? I thought we were half way to making that one happen.

[PaulWinch again]

What's happened to the Chevallier guy? I thought we were half way to making that one happen.

Nothing is going to happen unless Emi is basically gone.

[Dave]

Club World Cup transfers need to be done by next Tuesday.

If Emi's off to Atletico (as per the betting), there wouldn't be much point doing it any later than that.

So it'll either be this week, much later in the summer or not at all.

[Flamingo Lane]

Brentford don't sign poor keepers. We have missed out on Kelleher.