Summer 2025 Transfer Window - hopes, speculation, rumours etc.

[cdbearsfan]

Yeah, but wages are still catastrophic.

[Dogtanian]

Yes, but that’s not PSR. With all the inflation of revenues they’ve been pushing, if we’ve allowed our wages to swallow all that up then that’s just incompetence.

[Dave]

Yes, but that’s not PSR. With all the inflation of revenues they’ve been pushing, if we’ve allowed our wages to swallow all that up then that’s just incompetence.

Is it? Next season our wages vs turnover needs to be 10% lower than this season, without Champions League money to help with the turnover side.

We've very clearly been trying to push this ratio as far as we can in the hope that it gets us the quality of player to succeed and get the money coming in.

It might not work, but I'm not sure incompetence is fair if it doesn't.

[Dogtanian]

I would say incompetence is exactly the word if we are currently being fined for breaching a rule, and then increase our revenue to get out of it, but then allow the wages to increase to cause another breach.

You can say that it’s a risk taken in the hope of Champions League, but if we think we are in a position where getting it is more likely than not and setting budgets in anticipation of it, again that’s incompetence.

And I do not believe that’s what we have done for one moment.

[ozzjim]

Pino would be perfect for us. Unai should know how to get him.

[eamonn]

Is he a good financial planner?

[pauliewalnuts]

What happened to that full back we bought from - I think - Arsenal and then sent out on loan?

[Hookeysmith]

Sousa? On loan somewhere like Plymouth and not ripping up any trees i think

[Dave]

I would say incompetence is exactly the word if we are currently being fined for breaching a rule, and then increase our revenue to get out of it, but then allow the wages to increase to cause another breach.

You can say that it’s a risk taken in the hope of Champions League, but if we think we are in a position where getting it is more likely than not and setting budgets in anticipation of it, again that’s incompetence.

And I do not believe that’s what we have done for one moment.

But our budget is going to be fluid depending on the circumstances.

If last summer and in January we decided that we're going to push our wages to near the maximum permitted (which we have) in the hope of bringing in another year of Champions League revenue, it was obviously with the possibility in mind that if it didn't work then that money would have to be found elsewhere i.e by selling a player(s) that we otherwise wouldn't have.

It's calculated risk, not incompetence. It becomes incompetence if we end up being thrown out of Europe as a result, but we're obviously going to fix it by selling whichever players we need to sell before that becomes a conversation.

[paul_e]

Take a step back and look at the numbers for wages.

In 23/24 it was reported as being 94% of turnover and around £250m but for 13 months. If we'd stood still that drops down to £232m because we're back on a 12month cycle. Looking at the ins and outs last summer I'd be amazed if our wage bill increased enough to get back to £250m, even with the big wages we added in January.

with a £360m turnover that is around 70% and well below the 80% that was the cap last season (and this is clearly why we felt confident enough to get Rashford, Asensio and Disasi in).

If we assume a loss of around £60m from dropping into the Europa (which seems fair) that means our target wage bill for next season is to get under £210m. Getting to that from where we are is probably doable without losing anyone we want to keep but, as I've said elsewhere, if we want to make signings on top we will probably need to go a bit 1in 1out on them. If we can use some of the lower wage players (like Garcia, Iling-Jr and Barrenechea) as squad filler options to add some depth and we let more expensive players go (like Digne) then that money can go towards filling the bigger gaps, like right wing.

[UK Redsox]

Sousa? On loan somewhere like Plymouth and not ripping up any trees i think

The Plymouth move didn't work out.

However, Lino was at Bristol Rovers for the second half of the season and made 25 appearances

[kippaxvilla2]

Pino would be perfect for us. Unai should know how to get him.

Him and Grigot in midfield would be grape.

[OCD]

If we assume a loss of around £60m from dropping into the Europa (which seems fair) that means our target wage bill for next season is to get under £210m. Getting to that from where we are is probably doable without losing anyone we want to keep but, as I've said elsewhere, if we want to make signings on top we will probably need to go a bit 1in 1out on them. If we can use some of the lower wage players (like Garcia, Iling-Jr and Barrenechea) as squad filler options to add some depth and we let more expensive players go (like Digne) then that money can go towards filling the bigger gaps, like right wing.

There's been a fair amount of talk linking us with younger players...which figures. If we reduce the average age of the squad, we most likely reduce our wage bill. So while we need to decide which of the more experienced players to move on and then replace those with young players who we believe Emery can turn into players that become better than the players they're replacing.

[ozzjim]

I think we're in a bit of transition though. Mings, McGinn, Watkins, Martinez, Digne are all 30 plus or will be during next season. 3-4 younger players to supplement the squad would be about right this summer to integrate and replace a couple of them next summer. Maatsen is clearly that plan 12 months be earlier at left back.

[eamonn]

I hope if its young and hungry, this version is better than the shit Lambert 2013-14 model.