2023 Summer transfer window - hopes, needs, expectations and rumours.

[Bent Neilsens Screamer]

Gabri Veiga, what a misguided fool.

What’s happened? Very highly rated young player, who I’m surprised we haven’t been linked with.

Reported to be off to KSA, and getting lambasted by Toni Kroos for it.

Oh dear. Quite a coup for them. Still, likely he’ll be back in Europe within a few years.

[OCD]

The Donk is a decent player, if there's not an obvious better replacement out there I'd keep him. We have plenty of games and his physical presence is handy to have in the squad. I don't get any sense that Iroegbunam has surpassed him in Emery's thinking either.
 

Donk and Kamara can both play centre half, which might come in useful as the season progresses.

I know there is the whole Stevenage mistake, but shit happens. I honestly don’t think Donk has ever really let us down.

He was excellent in the Newcastle home game.

[AV84]

It'll be interesting to see any players who aren't basically retiring to Saudi try to come back to Europe. I know money is nothing to these sides but I wonder what kind of prices they'll be looking for if/when they start selling players. If a 21 year old heads over on a 4 year contact but decides after a year it's not for him (having banked millions in wages) will they be reasonable when it comes to asking prices?

[Dave]

The Donk is a decent player, if there's not an obvious better replacement out there I'd keep him. We have plenty of games and his physical presence is handy to have in the squad. I don't get any sense that Iroegbunam has surpassed him in Emery's thinking either.
 

Donk and Kamara can both play centre half, which might come in useful as the season progresses.

I know there is the whole Stevenage mistake, but shit happens. I honestly don’t think Donk has ever really let us down.

He was excellent in the Newcastle home game.

I'd definitely be considering him to be fourth / fifth choice centre-back rather than going out and spending £20m+ on a Mings replacement.

[Smithy]

No way we go in with the squad we have. What's our actual outlay so far this summer? £85 ish million? To add 4. Then from sales, £45 ish. So a net spend of £40m. When you consider we were already in a good place with FFP on the back of Jack and Chucky going, I reckon there's either a couple of decent signings on the way, or we're playing the waiting game on a couple of major targets.

I was also of this view, but it was pointed out to me that the benefit of the Grealish money ends this season.  FFP is a rolling 3 year calculation so the Grealish money is off our books from next season, However we will still have the transfers Watkins, Traore, Martinez, Cash,  Buendia, Digne, Bailey, Carlos, Coutinho, Duran, Dendonker, Moreno & Olsen in our FFP calc next season assuming they were all ammortised over 5 years.   So even though our net spend is not that high, from an FFP perspective it's more marginal that we think.

This is part of the reason why Chelsea could be SO screwed in the coming seasons.  They're absolutely fine this year, maybe even FFP positive, because they've sold Mount, Loftus Cheek and Ampadu for a combined £100m, which is pure FFP profit - all accounted for THIS year. 

But they'll be paying £15m a year in FFP terms for Enzo Fernandes until 2030! The same is true for all their other expensive signings.  People often seem to forget the transfers are amortised over the length of the contract for FFP.  After their spree in the last 18 months, Chelsea will start each of the next five or six years about £100m in the red as far as FFP is concerned.  That's before they buy or sell a single player.  Imagine having to sell a Grealish every year just to get back LEVEL in FFP terms.

A couple of years outside the top 4, and they are screwed.

[OCD]

It'll be interesting to see any players who aren't basically retiring to Saudi try to come back to Europe. I know money is nothing to these sides but I wonder what kind of prices they'll be looking for if/when they start selling players. If a 21 year old heads over on a 4 year contact but decides after a year it's not for him (having banked millions in wages) will they be reasonable when it comes to asking prices?

I think a lot of them will come back to Europe after 1-2 years. The younger players anyway. They'll have to expect European salaries though, and fees will be a compromise on what can be afforded by the buyers. The Saudi clubs generally haven't paid over the odds in transfer fees though so it shouldn't be too much of a problem.

[Lastfootstamper]

I'm happy with the donk, because we've got a manager that will neither try to wedge him into a role he can't play nor alter the set-up of the entire side to compensate for any shortcomings of the lad.

[AV84]

I think a lot of them will come back to Europe after 1-2 years. The younger players anyway. They'll have to expect European salaries though, and fees will be a compromise on what can be afforded by the buyers. The Saudi clubs generally haven't paid over the odds in transfer fees though so it shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Yeah, it's the wages where they're splashing the cash, but most of the signings aren't players they'll be thinking about selling back. If you've forked over 20 million in one season to a 21 year old and then he decides he wants to leave, you might be thinking about getting some of your money back. Although really it doesn't seem like running individual clubs as sustainable businesses is their goal with any of this.

[pauliewalnuts]

I think Chelsea are walking a fine line, but they are exceptionally good at selling homegrown talent, which goes a very long way to keep them inside the rules.

Even this summer they've recouped £60m on Mount, £15m on Loftus-Cheek, £30m for Lewis Hall, that's more than a Grealish. They will also probably get £15m for Hudson-Odoi.

Then on non home-grown players they've managed to get most of their money back from Arsenal for Havertz (remarkably), and more money for Pulisic and Koulibaly.

As others have said, they are now going to have to walk a tightrope of always qualifying for the CL and moving on enough talent to hit the FFP figures.

I hope they crash and burn, obvs, but people do tend to focus on transfer fees outright and forget that it's more complex than that, it is a juggling act.

[itbrvilla]

No way we go in with the squad we have. What's our actual outlay so far this summer? £85 ish million? To add 4. Then from sales, £45 ish. So a net spend of £40m. When you consider we were already in a good place with FFP on the back of Jack and Chucky going, I reckon there's either a couple of decent signings on the way, or we're playing the waiting game on a couple of major targets.

I was also of this view, but it was pointed out to me that the benefit of the Grealish money ends this season.  FFP is a rolling 3 year calculation so the Grealish money is off our books from next season, However we will still have the transfers Watkins, Traore, Martinez, Cash,  Buendia, Digne, Bailey, Carlos, Coutinho, Duran, Dendonker, Moreno & Olsen in our FFP calc next season assuming they were all ammortised over 5 years.   So even though our net spend is not that high, from an FFP perspective it's more marginal that we think.

This is part of the reason why Chelsea could be SO screwed in the coming seasons.  They're absolutely fine this year, maybe even FFP positive, because they've sold Mount, Loftus Cheek and Ampadu for a combined £100m, which is pure FFP profit - all accounted for THIS year. 

But they'll be paying £15m a year in FFP terms for Enzo Fernandes until 2030! The same is true for all their other expensive signings.  People often seem to forget the transfers are amortised over the length of the contract for FFP.  After their spree in the last 18 months, Chelsea will start each of the next five or six years about £100m in the red as far as FFP is concerned.  That's before they buy or sell a single player.  Imagine having to sell a Grealish every year just to get back LEVEL in FFP terms.

A couple of years outside the top 4, and they are screwed.

I read Mudryk is also on an 8 year contract too.

[Malandro]

I think Chelsea are walking a fine line, but they are exceptionally good at selling homegrown talent, which goes a very long way to keep them inside the rules.

Even this summer they've recouped £60m on Mount, £15m on Loftus-Cheek, £30m for Lewis Hall, that's more than a Grealish. They will also probably get £15m for Hudson-Odoi.

Then on non home-grown players they've managed to get most of their money back from Arsenal for Havertz (remarkably), and more money for Pulisic and Koulibaly.

As others have said, they are now going to have to walk a tightrope of always qualifying for the CL and moving on enough talent to hit the FFP figures.

I hope they crash and burn, obvs, but people do tend to focus on transfer fees outright and forget that it's more complex than that, it is a juggling act.

They’ve admitted there have been some irregularities before they took ownership - I hope that is looked at.

[eamonn]

I thought Uefa had clamped down on contracts longer than 5 years after Chelsea were spreading all their January signings across 8 years but haven't they just done the same again with Caceido ?

[Percy McCarthy]

The Donk is a decent player, if there's not an obvious better replacement out there I'd keep him. We have plenty of games and his physical presence is handy to have in the squad. I don't get any sense that Iroegbunam has surpassed him in Emery's thinking either.
 

Donk and Kamara can both play centre half, which might come in useful as the season progresses.

I know there is the whole Stevenage mistake, but shit happens. I honestly don’t think Donk has ever really let us down.

He was excellent in the Newcastle home game.

And the home wins v Brentford & Man Utd.

[Dave]

I thought Uefa had clamped down on contracts longer than 5 years after Chelsea were spreading all their January signings across 8 years but haven't they just done the same again with Caceido ?

And a seven year one today for Deivid Washington.

[ADVILLAFAN]

I thought Uefa had clamped down on contracts longer than 5 years after Chelsea were spreading all their January signings across 8 years but haven't they just done the same again with Caceido ?

Think you can still sign a player to an 8 year deal, but your can only spread the cost over a maximum 5 year period.