Right so you are aiming for a break even next year. That is while we are collecting £26 million parachute payment and potentially we can expect to collect £40 million plus in transfer sales (Fer, Caulker, Sterling, Austin).
Now I think that although you might not initially realise it you actually agree with me. With that initial £60 million windfall next year your aim is to break even. Does that mean that there is in fact room to keep on to some players that we want to keep or that we wont get our money back for, e.g. Sandro, McCarthy, Onouha and Phillips as I picked out earlier? Or do you want to sell all those players as well?
If we don't go up next year, we will make next to nothing in transfer sales and parachute payments goes down to £21m. So by your maths we would then have to find somewhere around another £40m in cuts?!
So the math just doesn't add up which is why in reality I think you agree with me. Now I think you are inherently cautious so you seem anti- the element of gamble that spending money on players brings but even our recent experience shows that if we target players 25 and under there transfer values there is a fair chance you'll get at least your money back and within this some will make a profit and some might even multiply that.
A league one player or championship player with only a year left on his contract who doesn't play up front and you wont need to spend anywhere close to the £4million figure we've been using. I'm not saying every signing will be that much and we'll hopefully be able to pick up at least a couple of good out of contract players for free.
With the one off windfall that comes in having saleable assets like Fer, Caulker (weird to say but true), Austin and by default Sterling we need to capitalise on that to make ourselves in a better short and long term position. Because we have a few saleable assets it's important that it isn't a fire sale so that we ensure we get the right amount of money for those players. Look how well Norwich did selling Fer and don't forget Mutch and Caulker came from a Championship side. If you are setting out from a position that everything most go you will lose out millions and millions on fees that could have been reinvested in signings/wages.
Think i've made myself clear that think we need to /have use the one off windfall of transfer sales and finite parachute payment to keep a core spine of the team then add to that with £15m of new signings along with a couple of free contract players. Also pointed out core players I would keep.
Would help if you made yourself clear about what is the core of players you would keep? And how much of a budget for transfers you would allow?
Also would be interested to know whether you would sell players like Caulker and Fer for a loss?
Underneath it all I'd be surprised if our opinions are that different considering the one off windfall we can use this year and the amount of dead wood who's contract is running out anyway
