FFP

[Chris Harte]

This FFP lark is getting bloody rediculous. Basically, the top 6 can spend what they like, stocked their youth teams with assets to sell. Upwardly mobile clubs have no chance of breaking it long term with one hand tied behind their back.

Protecting the status-quo is exactly what the Secret Footballer claimed was the purpose of FFP.

[Percy McCarthy]

So are we close to the FFP precipice having lost about £310M is the last 3 accounting years?

When did we sell Joe? We broke even that year didn’t we?

August 2021

Yes, and I think the accounts for that year showed a profit of £421,000.

The year before we made a loss of £37m.

Struggling to find where Aftab got his £310m loss from.

On the plus side (I think) we made a £99m loss the year before that which will (again I think) now disappear from the three-year FFP/P&S accounting period.

Need an accountant to pipe up here to stop me making a fool of myself.

Just for clarity, last three years P&L:

2020 - £99.5m loss
2021 - £37.3m loss
2022 - £400,000 profit.

Don’t forget Covid for those first two years especially.

[eamonn]

This FFP lark is getting bloody rediculous. Basically, the top 6 can spend what they like, stocked their youth teams with assets to sell. Upwardly mobile clubs have no chance of breaking it long term with one hand tied behind their back.

Protecting the status-quo is exactly what the Secret Footballer claimed was the purpose of FFP.

Dave Kitson? What would he know?!

[sid1964]

Looking at that Villa FFP article in the Athletic, it will be an interesting summer, to see what we decide to do.

FFP is all aimed at protecting the supposed "big 6"

[Ian.]

This FFP lark is getting bloody rediculous. Basically, the top 6 can spend what they like, stocked their youth teams with assets to sell. Upwardly mobile clubs have no chance of breaking it long term with one hand tied behind their back.

It does seem more and more obvious it had one objective in mind.

Maybe gone are the days a young local lad can dream to succeed at his local side as he’ll know he will have to be sold off. What a shame that it’s come to this.

[Dave]

Maybe gone are the days a young local lad can dream to succeed at his local side as he’ll know he will have to be sold off. What a shame that it’s come to this.

Foden / Saka / Ramsey / Alexander-Arnold / Rashford suggest that they still could.

Our current "one" in Ramsey isn't wildly different to say, our '96 League Cup final side. And we had to buy Taylor. So have things really changed that much? If you're good enough you'll probably play. If you're not, then you'll probably be sold.

[Risso]

Saying Saka's local to Arsenal is a bit like saying somebody from Dudley is local to Villa, but point taken!

[Sexual Ealing]

Saka's from Ealing, I think. If so, that's not a million miles from Bellingham being a 'local lad' for Blues, i.e. not really, but close enough.

[Dave]

Saying Saka's local to Arsenal is a bit like saying somebody from Dudley is local to Villa, but point taken!

Guess it's all relative. As a Warwickshire kid who considered himself "local to Villa" while growing up, I'm using a very generous 25 mile or so radius so that I squeeze in.

At least I didn't pick Martinelli.

[chrisw1]

We're running out of academy players who can be sold for a decent amount so I'm bracing myself for a departure of a big name in the summer.

I'm not.

Wouldn't be surprised to see Luiz move on for a big amount.

I would be.

Then you're naive.  Newcastle have reached their FFP ceiling and may have to sell to reinvest.  The likelihood is that at some point we will have to do the same.

[Monty]

Who would he go to? I don't know who has the money who'd want him for what we'd ask in order to make it worth it for us to sell. For want of a better sentence.

[chrisw1]

Who would he go to? I don't know who has the money who'd want him for what we'd ask in order to make it worth it for us to sell. For want of a better sentence.

I'm not saying we will specifically sell Luiz nor am I advocating it.  But I do think we will have some difficult player decisions to make in the next 12 months or so.

[Sexual Ealing]

Who would he go to? I don't know who has the money who'd want him for what we'd ask in order to make it worth it for us to sell. For want of a better sentence.

I'm not saying we will specifically sell Luiz nor am I advocating it.  But I do think we will have some difficult player decisions to make in the next 12 months or so.

I shudder to write this, but the one player we have that would command big money and could be replaced more cheaply with the least disruption to the team is...Martinez. Over my dead body.

[aev]

There really aren't that many non English clubs (and not many English clubs outside the sky 6) that have the ability to spend big on individual players.

Real Madrid, PSG, maybe Barcelona in a few years?

[Dave]

Who would he go to? I don't know who has the money who'd want him for what we'd ask in order to make it worth it for us to sell. For want of a better sentence.

As things stand right now, probably nobody - but there are lots of things that can change. There's talk that de Bruyne might go to Saudi Arabia in the summer, leaving Man City a big hole to fill in.

If we crash and burn this season and finish sixth, he might decide he wants out. If we finish second and he scores fifteen goals in the second half of the season then Real Madrid or PSG might decide to throw their entire budget at him.

There's also the does he / doesn't he release clause question which I don't think has ever been definitively answered. If it's £50m then I imagine lots of teams would be interested. If he doesn't have one then as you say, not so many will.