Seems like we want Zaha or Balde, why are we after this rubbish?
Yeah, that’s a given, although I’m pretty sure the club’s definition of a ‘budget’ is very different to the way the media usually paint it, and is more about how much we can afford to add to our *annual* operating costs, rather than simply subtracting agreed transfer fees from a starting pot. (If we signed a player for 30m on a 5yr contract worth 70k/wk, for example, then it would only account for about 9.6m of that 40m increase in operating costs, i.e. 6m in repayments every year over the next 5 years + 3.6m/yr in wages).
It’s still a pretty measly sum for a club of our size to be working with, and we certainly won’t be shopping at the 80-100m+ end of the market, but it’s not quite as bad as the rags and the click-bait sites would like us to believe either.
We know there’s been confirmed bids for Martinelli (6m), Tierney (15m) and Saliba (22m) - if you chuck in wages on top of the fees then we’re already miles past that 40m figure (and two of those figures are just opening bids), so something clearly doesn’t add up there.
Last edited by I am invisible; 29-06-2019 at 02:18 PM.
Makes for good headlines, though, and gets a reaction, which I guess is the point.
I reckon we can probably get 3-4 deals done at the 20-30m / 70k-a-wk mark (with maybe a nominal deal or two like Martinelli chucked in for good measure). Getting it done might involve a bit of a juggling act, as anything we bid for player A will affect what we can bid for player B (or what we can offer existing player C on a contract extension, etc), but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if several deals suddenly all drop at the same time, once we find that balance.
I’m not expecting anything stellar here - pretty much more Guendouzi- or Torreira-like signings, i.e. young players of immense potential who are already operating at first-team level, or smart buys in the 22-23 year old age bracket (plus a good shot of internal promotions). That’s absolutely fine with me though - as long as everyone is a) good enough, b) a proper fit for a role that the team needs, and c) on sensible wages then I’ll be happy with our business. What I’m desperate to steer clear of is players like Carrasco and Rabiot - that mix of sky-high wages and questionable attitude feels like everything we should be avoiding like the plague right now!
Last edited by I am invisible; 29-06-2019 at 05:08 PM.
As expected, Spurs have apparently agreed a £55m plus add on fee (which seems to be the ‘in thing’ now) for that Bele player.
He might get to visit the training ground this time.
Not read it yet, but here are Swiss Ramble's thoughts on our current financial situation:
https://twitter.com/SwissRamble/stat...83489103945728
We are apparently in talks with Yacine Brahimi. According to Sky.
A 29 year old freebie.
Not a pot to piss in.
Sounds like he’s a direct winger though so might be of some use.
Bumped into a colleague, fellow Gooner, who said that he's heard we are about to release some very poor financial results - a combination of a loss of CL money and poor transfer/contract management, I imagine.