January 2023 Transfer Rumours, Discussions and Done Deals Thread

[bob]

Maybe I'm too worried about FFP, forgive me.

[pablo_picasso]

To keep someone "at all costs" is stupid.

So is the idea that we should "stop selling our best players" without considering the consequences when we are in the best position we have ever been to repurpose the funds effectively.

Selling your best players means that you never move up a level.  Other players want to play with better players, not average shit that we have purchased 90% of the time.  Emi and Kamara are world class players, bring in more world class players to support them.

Not true.

We sold Grealish and moved.up a level.

No we didn’t. We purchased three players who have struggled for one reason or another & sacked the manager for not being able to get a team to work. Then got lumbered with Gerrard, got worse on the pitch, sacked him & now we finally appear to have hired an actual football manager who seems to know what he is doing. That had nothing to do with Grealish being sold.

So you're saying the three players we bought with the Grealish money have worked out improving the squad

What?

[AlexAlexCropley]

Bob's been on the Bailey's methinks

[Percy McCarthy]

To keep someone "at all costs" is stupid.

So is the idea that we should "stop selling our best players" without considering the consequences when we are in the best position we have ever been to repurpose the funds effectively.

Selling your best players means that you never move up a level.  Other players want to play with better players, not average shit that we have purchased 90% of the time.  Emi and Kamara are world class players, bring in more world class players to support them.

Not true.

We sold Grealish and moved.up a level.

No we didn’t. We purchased three players who have struggled for one reason or another & sacked the manager for not being able to get a team to work. Then got lumbered with Gerrard, got worse on the pitch, sacked him & now we finally appear to have hired an actual football manager who seems to know what he is doing. That had nothing to do with Grealish being sold.

So you're saying the three players we bought with the Grealish money have worked out improving the squad

What?

Yes, that confused me too.

[Drummond]

Bob's been on the Bailey's methIngs

...

[Legion]

Christ, this thread gives me a headache. A striker is a distinct possibility.

[bob]

To keep someone "at all costs" is stupid.

So is the idea that we should "stop selling our best players" without considering the consequences when we are in the best position we have ever been to repurpose the funds effectively.

Selling your best players means that you never move up a level.  Other players want to play with better players, not average shit that we have purchased 90% of the time.  Emi and Kamara are world class players, bring in more world class players to support them.

Not true.

We sold Grealish and moved.up a level.

No we didn’t. We purchased three players who have struggled for one reason or another & sacked the manager for not being able to get a team to work. Then got lumbered with Gerrard, got worse on the pitch, sacked him & now we finally appear to have hired an actual football manager who seems to know what he is doing. That had nothing to do with Grealish being sold.

So you're saying the three players we bought with the Grealish money have worked out improving the squad

What?

With Grealish money we signed some players

They struggled to begin with - this is not unusual

The managerial issues are linked but separate in my view

Fixed the manager issues

Players we signed with Grealish money come good

[pablo_picasso]

Bob's been on the Bailey's methinks

There are a couple on here who appear to have it intravenous drip straight into their frontal cortex…

[bob]

Now consider the scenario where we have a good manager and give him more money

[pablo_picasso]

To keep someone "at all costs" is stupid.

So is the idea that we should "stop selling our best players" without considering the consequences when we are in the best position we have ever been to repurpose the funds effectively.

Selling your best players means that you never move up a level.  Other players want to play with better players, not average shit that we have purchased 90% of the time.  Emi and Kamara are world class players, bring in more world class players to support them.

Not true.

We sold Grealish and moved.up a level.

No we didn’t. We purchased three players who have struggled for one reason or another & sacked the manager for not being able to get a team to work. Then got lumbered with Gerrard, got worse on the pitch, sacked him & now we finally appear to have hired an actual football manager who seems to know what he is doing. That had nothing to do with Grealish being sold.

So you're saying the three players we bought with the Grealish money have worked out improving the squad

What?

With Grealish money we signed some players

They struggled to begin with - this is not unusual

The managerial issues are linked but separate in my view

Fixed the manager issues

Players we signed with Grealish money come good

Have

they

“come good”

after

four

games?

[pablo_picasso]

Now consider the scenario where we have a good manager and give him more money

Not by selling our best players. Otherwise we are removing guaranteed & bedded in quality & replacing with players who might not fit or might not be suited to the taste of fish & chips, etc, etc. Replacing the known with the unknown for the sake of it just because we might be able to get a “buy one get one free” type bargain is not the way to build a squad. We take our known quality already at the club, & we add to them with other players of quality & hope they fit the club & take us forward.

But, I accept the point that giving a good manager (if Emery turns out to be one in the long term), should be a positive. As long as it doesn’t mean removing the only quality we already have.

[IFWaters]

Everyone who's played Football Manager knows what Bob is talking about. The famous "I had to sell Maradona to get the Benni McCarthy deal over the line" conundrum. It's just like real life.

[tomd2103]

I understand Bob’s logic but its not something the club should engineer, in fact the opposite should be the case. 

However, I do think there are occasions where selling a crown jewel is an opportunity to grow the club, it just has to be for stupid money or on the club’s terms.  For example, we arguably have too many CMs and too few wingers so could see a situation where McGinn is jettisoned if the price was right.  A more extreme example is Brighton; they’ve made it their USP to allow players to leave once agreed KPIs are achieved, consequently they can attract a higher calibre of player.

We've seen it before over the years though, that selling your best players creates a narrative that your team can be picked off and once one goes then others will be looking to move on as well.  Leicester have recently had some success after continually selling their best players, but it's starting to catch up with them now.  You need to keep your best players to convince  others that the club has serious ambitions.

It's a difficult one, as the only real way of keeping top players is to offer massive money (which is probably unsustainable) or play regularly in the Champions League (very difficult ask). 

[Sexual Ealing]

De Paul linked again. I can't say I was mad impressed with him in the World Cup.

https://twitter.com/AVFCLatam/status/1610033209248464897

[JUAN PABLO]

De Paul linked again. I can't say I was mad impressed with him in the World Cup.

https://twitter.com/AVFCLatam/status/1610033209248464897

Very Good player.  Would come straight into our team.




Another level