The situation with loans is out of control. There are teams with 2 full squads out on loan, plus a 23 team, plus a 18’s team. Then a 25 man first squad. They will have over 100 players capable of taking part in first team football at a reasonable level.
The only reason is simple. Monopolisation. It’s the same as what giant corporations do to corner their market. The league have failed to address it over a long period and the net result is lesser competitiveness in teams outside the little club, and of course a further inflation of fees to get the quality left over. It then promotes a very volatile market with clubs willing to act with less integrity with regard to transfer business. This is not complicated to solve. They don’t because they are too well paid by the current system. It’s the nature of embracing their world and mixing of big business with sport. The sporting aspect is a mere notion paid lip service to. You can whinge about how your club is not getting stuck into it but I’d prefer it was a more gentlemanly approach from all. Something which genuinely encourages sporting spirit. Naive of course.
Strangely the one guy you’d expect to love that world is Ashley. His unwillingness seems to be through bitter experience and also realising the games moved past his level financially pretty quick. He will sell us eventually and then buy a sleeping giant to turn a profit. However he will fund the club to the minimum impact on his personal fortune. We won’t ever generate enough to compete so we will continue on the hamster wheel. The takeover hopefully happens but the worry is can these new owners offer us anymore? The jump is massive. It needs serious money thrown at it.
It’s two fold. You need to invest in staff and infrastructure, while also money into transfers. One or the other is nothing. Because as Southampton almost found out, you can have a great foundation but if you have a bad season in players turnover you drop back to the pack immediately. The reverse is the same. Would I complain if we got taken over and a load of money got pumped at it making the jump? Nah I love seeing us win. However it doesn’t make it right. The disparity between wages in the leagues is nuts. The only ones who seem to truly benefit is players, agents and of course the big owners. The loan market is only part of it, but what can be viewed as a small part, probably has a much impact than first appears.