Summer Transfer Thread and Gustavo Cisneros Type Rumours.

[Ian.]

We've spent longer in the Premier League, so obviously we've spent more.

Leeds spent £96.1m last season, net, compared to the momey they spent in their summer prior to promotion.

They didn't have a squad to replace either. They've spent money and unsurprisingly benefited from it. What a shocking conclusion.

All true but the season before (19/20) they spent zero, relied on loans and had to sell to stay afloat. The season before a net spend of just under £4m. Whichever way you look at it, Bielsa has done a fantastic job there. Whether they can continue this season is another matter, their squad may be too small but that's how he prefers it.

Bielsa's done a great job, yes. I just don't know what it has to do with us or Dean Smith. Klopp's done a brilliant job, as has Brendan Rodgers. Still means nothing to Villa.

I was thinking the same. What’s Bielsa’s got to do with us?

[chrisw1]

We've spent longer in the Premier League, so obviously we've spent more.

Leeds spent £96.1m last season, net, compared to the momey they spent in their summer prior to promotion.

They didn't have a squad to replace either. They've spent money and unsurprisingly benefited from it. What a shocking conclusion.

All true but the season before (19/20) they spent zero, relied on loans and had to sell to stay afloat. The season before a net spend of just under £4m. Whichever way you look at it, Bielsa has done a fantastic job there. Whether they can continue this season is another matter, their squad may be too small but that's how he prefers it.

Bielsa's done a great job, yes. I just don't know what it has to do with us or Dean Smith. Klopp's done a brilliant job, as has Brendan Rodgers. Still means nothing to Villa.

I was thinking the same. What’s Bielsa’s got to do with us?

Nothing.  But when discussing a managers sucess people look for comparisons.  Bielsa has done very well, some will argue better than Smith.  There's also a load of managers who have done worse. 

People can judge Smith on his own merits.  I think he's done ok.  He's had a fuck-tonne of money and one of the best players in the league to help him, but even so in my view he deserves to carry on the project.

[dave.woodhall]

When we got promoted it would have taken us over £60 million just to keep the same team together.

[Ian.]

How many other teams that gave got promoted through the play-offs, managed to stay up?
That season we were barely good enough for a top six finish until that magnificent run of games. We had to spend a lot to re-build, we had no choice. We always knew to progress we’d probably need more signings the following season.

Smith has done a fantastic job so far, credit where credits due.

[robleflaneur]

This is more about Smith than transfers.I can't think of a player who has regressed under Smith.Elmo,El Ghazi and Conor nailed down places in the Championship side and Whelan had a part to play when most of us thought he was finished.
Hause wasn't well regarded by the Wolves fans,Brentford fans thought that Konsa's signing was a bit premature.Eddie Howes couldn't find a place in a leaky defence for Mings.How Howes ? Shades of Cahill and Knight.
The last 3 you might file under Terry but Smith helped to make  that Citeh player worth £100m. .In the first season we were crippled by injuries to very important players,Heaton,McGinn and Wesley but with relegation looking likely ,Smith and more importantly the players didn't panic.
Most buys have been good value,how much are Watkins and Konsa worth ?
Even lesser lights like El Ghazi and Nakamba have kept their value.
Flops only a few and minor ones,Kalinic ,Engels and injury might have scuppered a true assessment of Wesley.
The manager deserves a lot of credit.

[JD]

This is more about Smith than transfers.I can't think of a player who has regressed under Smith.Elmo,El Ghazi and Conor nailed down places in the Championship side and Whelan had a part to play when most of us thought he was finished.
Hause wasn't well regarded by the Wolves fans,Brentford fans thought that Konsa's signing was a bit premature.Eddie Howes couldn't find a place in a leaky defence for Mings.How Howes ? Shades of Cahill and Knight.
The last 3 you might file under Terry but Smith helped to make  that Citeh player worth £100m. .In the first season we were crippled by injuries to very important players,Heaton,McGinn and Wesley but with relegation looking likely ,Smith and more importantly the players didn't panic.
Most buys have been good value,how much are Watkins and Konsa worth ?
Even lesser lights like El Ghazi and Nakamba have kept their value.
Flops only a few and minor ones,Kalinic ,Engels and injury might have scuppered a true assessment of Wesley.
The manager deserves a lot of credit.

Totally agree with this.

[Sexual Ealing]

And me.

[Demitri_C]

I think in the summer we should try get Bellingham. I couldnt care less if he is a blose fan. Regardless if he is a blose fan or not money talks and if we are progressing challenging for europe he would come.

[Rigadon]

Money only talks until money+CL shouts. 

[ozzjim]

I think in the summer we should try get Bellingham. I couldnt care less if he is a blose fan. Regardless if he is a blose fan or not money talks and if we are progressing challenging for europe he would come.

Unless we are in the Chumps League, we won't get anywhere near Bellingham. He will go to a top 4 side, my bet is Liverpool to replace Wijnaldum

[frank black]

I think in the summer we should try get Bellingham. I couldnt care less if he is a blose fan. Regardless if he is a blose fan or not money talks and if we are progressing challenging for europe he would come.

Not a hope in hell

[N'ZMAV]

I think in the summer we should try get Bellingham. I couldnt care less if he is a blose fan. Regardless if he is a blose fan or not money talks and if we are progressing challenging for europe he would come.

doubt Bellingham would leave a massive club playing in Champions League for a mid-table Premier League club.

[London Villan]

If Joe had stayed he is exactly the player we should have been chasing. He is exactly what we need in midfield. He'll end up at man u, man city or Chelsea next summer.

[RamboandBruno]

This is more about Smith than transfers.I can't think of a player who has regressed under Smith.Elmo,El Ghazi and Conor nailed down places in the Championship side and Whelan had a part to play when most of us thought he was finished.
Hause wasn't well regarded by the Wolves fans,Brentford fans thought that Konsa's signing was a bit premature.Eddie Howes couldn't find a place in a leaky defence for Mings.How Howes ? Shades of Cahill and Knight.
The last 3 you might file under Terry but Smith helped to make  that Citeh player worth £100m. .In the first season we were crippled by injuries to very important players,Heaton,McGinn and Wesley but with relegation looking likely ,Smith and more importantly the players didn't panic.
Most buys have been good value,how much are Watkins and Konsa worth ?
Even lesser lights like El Ghazi and Nakamba have kept their value.
Flops only a few and minor ones,Kalinic ,Engels and injury might have scuppered a true assessment of Wesley.
The manager deserves a lot of credit.

Totally agree with this as well.
The other thing that is always thrown at Smith is the G factor and how we’ve gone on long winless runs without him under Smith. On the face of it you can’t argue with it, the results and facts point to this. But I would argue firstly, any team losing a true world class player would suffer, unless your a Man City. But taking a Salah out of Liverpool, despite their other resources would impact them, Spurs in the past have never done that well without Kane, although this may change this season, Chelsea haven’t been the same side without Kante.

Secondly and nearly always missing from the smith is nothing without Grealish discussion, is how good was Grealish on a consistent level until Smith came along. Ok he had injuries as ever, but in those first couple of years in the championship, can anyone seriously remember Grealish putting in a run of consistently good games, cuz I was there and I can’t. Is it really a coincidence that Grealish became this player under smith. Or are the smith decriers really saying that the admittedly hugely talented Grealish just came good of his own accord around about the time smith took over and how lucky was that for smith.
There is no doubt having Grealish really helped smith and it will be a challenge for him going forwards, but there is also no doubt in my mind that the benefit was mutual and we and Grealish has much to be appreciative of smith, for his development of said ratboy.

[sickbeggar]

As Dave says above, it would have cost 60m to keep that promotion team together which is actually pretty funny when you think about it.

Looking at the players who left, nyland's probably had the best time of it ending up at Bournemouth. Most of the rest never played again or spent their time in the reserves a few levels down from us or abroad. I'm very grateful to them for getting us up so i'm not gloating at their demise but it was plainly not even a viable team for the championship.

The other factor is in hindsight we now know ratboy would have been off at the drop of the hat. If we hadn't have gone up that season, he would have been off, and we'd have been stuck in the championship with undoubtably nowhere near 143m to replace him and the rest of the team. Probably a 30m cheque would have got him. And again if we hadn't stayed up in our first season, No ratboy. So 143m spent and a wages bill for 14 new players in the championship

End of the day criticism of Smith is totally valid. I think most of us are looking at this season and wondering and worrying what he's gonna do with formation/tactics when he eventually gets a full team to pick from, but I think as time moves on and maybe Simth moves on in the future, people will realise more how important the last few years were for us. Even if we become a bog-standard higher mid-table Premiership team, we probably wouldn't have even been that if Bruce had stayed on for another season.