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

[PaulWinch again]

Right, but it’s not really the league materially impacting us right now, it’s the UEFA ones. Now I don’t like it, but I don’t think UEFA are setting anything up to support the ESL breakaway teams.

[chrisw1]

UEFA are protecting all the established elite teams from new challengers doing what Man City did.

It's nothing to do with fair play or sustainability.  The rules are doing exactly what they were designed to and we get scooped up into the same net as any state-owned oil clubs.  How football has sleep-walked into this non-compete rule after 130 years of open competition, I'll never know.

The PL and UEFA should never be forgiven for taking this snapshot in time and trying to fix the current hierarchy in perpetuity.  Cloughie would turn in his grave.

[aev]

Right, but it’s not really the league materially impacting us right now, it’s the UEFA ones. Now I don’t like it, but I don’t think UEFA are setting anything up to support the ESL breakaway teams.

UEFA can probably just about stomach 6 English clubs pretty much blowing all the other European clubs out of the water financially (apart from 3 or 4 obvious exceptions), but wouldn't want any more (and I bet those 3 or 4 aren't wild about other clubs challenging their positions either).

[Dave]

Right, but it’s not really the league materially impacting us right now, it’s the UEFA ones. Now I don’t like it, but I don’t think UEFA are setting anything up to support the ESL breakaway teams.

UEFA can probably just about stomach 6 English clubs pretty much blowing all the other European clubs out of the water financially (apart from 3 or 4 obvious exceptions), but wouldn't want any more (and I bet those 3 or 4 aren't wild about other clubs challenging their positions either).

Whichever six / seven / eight English clubs end up in Europe can do that already, us included.

[Rigadon]

Right, but it’s not really the league materially impacting us right now, it’s the UEFA ones. Now I don’t like it, but I don’t think UEFA are setting anything up to support the ESL breakaway teams.

UEFA can probably just about stomach 6 English clubs pretty much blowing all the other European clubs out of the water financially (apart from 3 or 4 obvious exceptions), but wouldn't want any more (and I bet those 3 or 4 aren't wild about other clubs challenging their positions either).

Yep.  Bournemouth being able to potentially outspend Juventus isn't allowed.

[aev]

Right, but it’s not really the league materially impacting us right now, it’s the UEFA ones. Now I don’t like it, but I don’t think UEFA are setting anything up to support the ESL breakaway teams.

UEFA can probably just about stomach 6 English clubs pretty much blowing all the other European clubs out of the water financially (apart from 3 or 4 obvious exceptions), but wouldn't want any more (and I bet those 3 or 4 aren't wild about other clubs challenging their positions either).

Whichever six / seven / eight English clubs end up in Europe can do that already, us included.

Indeed, but the controls make it trickier for those outside the 6 to attract and keep the better players.

[Dave]

Right, but it’s not really the league materially impacting us right now, it’s the UEFA ones. Now I don’t like it, but I don’t think UEFA are setting anything up to support the ESL breakaway teams.

UEFA can probably just about stomach 6 English clubs pretty much blowing all the other European clubs out of the water financially (apart from 3 or 4 obvious exceptions), but wouldn't want any more (and I bet those 3 or 4 aren't wild about other clubs challenging their positions either).

Yep.  Bournemouth being able to potentially outspend Juventus isn't allowed.

Narrator: This summer Bournemouth have spent around twelve times as much as Juventus have on transfer fees.

[LeeB]

UEFA are protecting all the established elite teams from new challengers doing what Man City did.

It's nothing to do with fair play or sustainability.  The rules are doing exactly what they were designed to and we get scooped up into the same net as any state-owned oil clubs.  How football has sleep-walked into this non-compete rule after 130 years of open competition, I'll never know.

The PL and UEFA should never be forgiven for taking this snapshot in time and trying to fix the current hierarchy in perpetuity.  Cloughie would turn in his grave.

Yep.

It's not going to change either, however much we wail. I'm just about done with football, christ knows why I bought another season ticket.

[aev]

Right, but it’s not really the league materially impacting us right now, it’s the UEFA ones. Now I don’t like it, but I don’t think UEFA are setting anything up to support the ESL breakaway teams.

UEFA can probably just about stomach 6 English clubs pretty much blowing all the other European clubs out of the water financially (apart from 3 or 4 obvious exceptions), but wouldn't want any more (and I bet those 3 or 4 aren't wild about other clubs challenging their positions either).

Yep.  Bournemouth being able to potentially outspend Juventus isn't allowed.

Narrator: This summer Bournemouth have spent around twelve times as much as Juventus have on transfer fees.

But they probably couldn't if they were in Europe, unless they flogged all their better players (which they have done this year), which would make it pretty tricky to get into Europe...

[paul_e]

It's not so much that they've intentionally taken a snapshot. It's that they've tied everything to commercial revenue, making it very hard for clubs to bridge that gap, especially when they then add all sorts of rules to stop teams from finding 'creative' solutions to increasing that revenue. It means teams with the biggest sponsorships have a built in advantage and you get those big sponsorships by being in the champions league, so it becomes cyclical.

[Nev]

UEFA are protecting all the established elite teams from new challengers doing what Man City did.

It's nothing to do with fair play or sustainability.  The rules are doing exactly what they were designed to and we get scooped up into the same net as any state-owned oil clubs.  How football has sleep-walked into this non-compete rule after 130 years of open competition, I'll never know.

The PL and UEFA should never be forgiven for taking this snapshot in time and trying to fix the current hierarchy in perpetuity.  Cloughie would turn in his grave.

Yep.

It's not going to change either, however much we wail. I'm just about done with football, christ knows why I bought another season ticket.

Same.

We used to be able to wail/protest/grumble about tight fisted owners but this is a different level altogether. We and others are being forced into an existence useful only for certain teams to have someone to play against. Cup wins are OK, as is lower level European qualification and the occasional foray into the CL but any long term success is not for us.

[Rigadon]

Right, but it’s not really the league materially impacting us right now, it’s the UEFA ones. Now I don’t like it, but I don’t think UEFA are setting anything up to support the ESL breakaway teams.

UEFA can probably just about stomach 6 English clubs pretty much blowing all the other European clubs out of the water financially (apart from 3 or 4 obvious exceptions), but wouldn't want any more (and I bet those 3 or 4 aren't wild about other clubs challenging their positions either).

Yep.  Bournemouth being able to potentially outspend Juventus isn't allowed.

Narrator: This summer Bournemouth have spent around twelve times as much as Juventus have on transfer fees.

But they probably couldn't if they were in Europe, unless they flogged all their better players (which they have done this year), which would make it pretty tricky to get into Europe...

The narrator bit did make me chuckle, but yes, it's rigged and for the reasons people are pointing out.

[kippaxvilla2]

No Aston Villa are closing in on….posts.

[algy]

I’m clinging to the hope that we are playing a super smart game. On deadline day we will reveal a massive war chest and swoop on all those “yellow sticker” bargains.

Monchi going up and down the elite footballer aisle with his shopping trolley pretending to window shop for Nicolas Jackson when actually he’s just stalking the girl who’s yellow stickering the stuff and plans to take them off her trolley just before she gets to the reduced to clear shelf.

We’re playing 4D Supermarket Sweep

[LeeB]

UEFA are protecting all the established elite teams from new challengers doing what Man City did.

It's nothing to do with fair play or sustainability.  The rules are doing exactly what they were designed to and we get scooped up into the same net as any state-owned oil clubs.  How football has sleep-walked into this non-compete rule after 130 years of open competition, I'll never know.

The PL and UEFA should never be forgiven for taking this snapshot in time and trying to fix the current hierarchy in perpetuity.  Cloughie would turn in his grave.

Yep.

It's not going to change either, however much we wail. I'm just about done with football, christ knows why I bought another season ticket.

Same.

We used to be able to wail/protest/grumble about tight fisted owners but this is a different level altogether. We and others are being forced into an existence useful only for certain teams to have someone to play against. Cup wins are OK, as is lower level European qualification and the occasional foray into the CL but any long term success is not for us.

Yeah, and we as fans are being forced to pay ever increasing sums to watch this charade.

I remember me and our kid being disgusted at having to pay £7 to stand at Selhurst Park in 1990, that would be the princely sum of £20 today.