FFP

[paul_e]

I'm assuming Bizot and Guessand are on similar money to Olsen and JJ.

We were supposedly paying Olsen £50k per week, Bizot was on £10k per week at Brest so while we've probably upped that I imagine we're saving quite a bit there.

I agree, but the talk on the internet at the time was that Guessand was getting £90k so the saving on Olsen>Bizot gets largely eaten up by JJ>Guessand, that's why I paired them.

[Somniloquism]

Would Nice be paying that much a week?

[Dave]

I'd assume that's us paying him around three times what he was getting at Nice

[paul_e]

I'd assume that's us paying him around three times what he was getting at Nice

Yep, that's what was reported when he signed at least.

[aj2k77]

£90k p/w a week for an untried French league player who has had 1 good season doesn't seem good value to me.

[Dave]

£90k p/w a week for an untried French league player who has had 1 good season doesn't seem good value to me.

It's a fair point. But he's an untried French league player who we wanted to sign who was being offer £200k per week to play in Saudi Arabia. So while we weren't going to be paying him as much as he's been offered to play in the desert, there's probably an amount we needed to get to for him to turn down that sort of cash elsewhere.

[martin o`who??]

I'd like to see a budget cap on premier league clubs - exactly like they have in Formula 1. Bearing in mind that the vast majority of the astronomical income of these clubs is spent on players wages and greasing agents up it would drive down wages accordingly. Who cares that Premier league clubs could no longer go out and buy up all the best players in europe etc - horror of horrors - they might even have to start utilising their youth systems again. Lets face it, did anyone lose any sleep when we were winning the league/European cup etc that we didnt have the best players in Europe while we were doing it - no they didnt. As long as the cap was imposed across the whole PL we would see a a gradual reduction in costs that should filter through to the paying supporters who actually go to the games who currently pay the most expensive ticket prices in Europe. Whether its ticket prices, TV subscriptions or the myriad other revenue streams the clubs enjoy, most of that money disappears out of the game forever and it isnt coming back. Our football is just a product for television and regardless of its marketability is increasingly disconnecting from the country it is played in.

[aj2k77]

£90k p/w a week for an untried French league player who has had 1 good season doesn't seem good value to me.

It's a fair point. But he's an untried French league player who we wanted to sign who was being offer £200k per week to play in Saudi Arabia. So while we weren't going to be paying him as much as he's been offered to play in the desert, there's probably an amount we needed to get to for him to turn down that sort of cash elsewhere.

Then let them pay it. It just seems to me that for that kind of money it's a big risk on that profile of a player. Especially when you are under constraints. If there were no rumour of Saudi mega bucks is it the type of player you'd expect to be paying £90k a week?

For me no.

[Dave]

£90k p/w a week for an untried French league player who has had 1 good season doesn't seem good value to me.

It's a fair point. But he's an untried French league player who we wanted to sign who was being offer £200k per week to play in Saudi Arabia. So while we weren't going to be paying him as much as he's been offered to play in the desert, there's probably an amount we needed to get to for him to turn down that sort of cash elsewhere.

Then let them pay it. It just seems to me that for that kind of money it's a big risk on that profile of a player. Especially when you are under constraints. If there were no rumour of Saudi mega bucks is it the type of player you'd expect to be paying £90k a week?

For me no.

I don't know enough about him to judge whether I'd expect to pay it or not. Offering Kamara nearly double that amount was probably a risk as well.

However players coming in from the Premier League are going to be earning even higher wages. If we finish sixth and want to buy players that we think will keep us there or push us higher, they are inevitably going to be players that someone will be paying high wages to. If it's not us, then it'll be somebody else.

So who are these players that improve a sixth placed team in the Premier League (without it being "a big risk") but aren't expecting to be paid those sorts of wages?

[aj2k77]

There is the problem. I don't think he's going to improve a top 6 premier league team so I don't think we should have spent the money we do have on him. I could be wrong, and I'm aware every transfer is a risk and everyone costs a lot but some of our wages being paid out are out of control. £90k on Dendoncker is ludicrous. Pedro went to Brighton and was on £50k p/w. He's the sort of signing we'd make and he'd be instantly on £100k plus. I don't think we're savvy enough negotiating wages and our wages to turnover shows that.

[ozzjim]

I agree on the negotiation point. We seem a very soft touch on wages, when you look what players are on elsewhere. Spurs' squad, on paper, is probably better than ours still and they are paying much less out on wages, the likes of Poro is only on £70k a week in comparison to Dendonker at £90k is mad.

Hopefully though with Digne and Mings taking cuts were starting to manage it a bit. I am not sure I believe Guessand is on £90k a week either.

[Drummond]

So, given the SCR and PSR stuff, how would it work if we were to incentivise players by agreeing signing-off bonuses instead of mega salaries? Let's say, instead of giving Kamara £200k pw for 5 years, we gave him £100k pw. Then, when he left we pay the difference? I know that's a lot (£26m) but if it's not to be paid this year, then it wouldn't be countable this year?

I'm probably over-simplifying, or missing a key point, but if it were to be calculated as a bonus rather than salary, could it help? I know the issue would be kicking the can down the road to bite us in the future, but is it a gamble worth taking?

[ozzjim]

Chelsea pay huge sign on fees and long contracts which they pay off when they leave (or the difference) to keep the wages low.