I just read this snippet and quote from Huw Jenkins on the BBC site: The chairman, who has helped turn Swansea into one of the best run Premier League clubs, stressed Laudrup will not be given a set budget to work within in January. Any potential new signings and the size of the fee with judged on merit, he said. But Jenkins acknowledged that the transfer policy has altered slightly over recent months as the club target players with pedigree rather than just potential. "At this level of football they've got to be 100% ready," he said, referring to Michu and Pablo Hernandez as players who arrived with experience of playing in Spain's top flight. "While it's great signing players with promise, everybody expects results, week in, week out." It's a statement that makes great sense I suppose - and wouldn't it be lovely if every Michu only cost £2m! - but it got me thinking about whether our own recruitment policy would be changing come the January window. There's no doubt we bought pedigree in the summer but we also bought potential. Do you think it will be strictly pedigree only in a few weeks time?
Options are pretty limited in January at the best of times. I don't expect potential will be an issue, anyone we buy or bring in on loan has to be ready to do a job - in defence or between the sticks.
I think we definitely bought more in terms of potential than pedigree in the summer. We certainly need someone who can do a job in defence, but there's nothing really wrong with buying for potential if they can also do a job now. Gazzaniga and Clyne were certainly signed for their potential and both of them are first-team players, Clyne impressively so. On the other hand Boruc and Davis were signed for their experience and haven't really figured much. I think as hotbovril suggests, Swansea got some bargains in the summer and they probably won't be able to afford to bring in much more pedigree.
Gazzaniga is a first team player but you failed to mention he is in on default at he is out of his depth but there is no one to effectively replace him, I would rather we purchased potential fulfilled. Why do you think that Swansea will not be able to buy in more quality? They have already done it why not again?
Yes and no. Clyne has the potential to improve but he was signed to be our first choice right back, and that's part of the reason he chose to come here. There aren't too many players in that mould though. Gazzaniga was signed because of his potential to develop and that shows. He started fairly well but his performances have dropped away and plenty of people think Boruc (who to be fair was signed at least partly because he was out of contract) should be playing ahead of him. Davis was signed to provide experience and competition in the middle of the park and has done that. Ideally your squad should mix potential and experience. Right now we lack top level experience and I think we should look to rectify that.
I completely agree but pedigree costs money. How much do you want to spend? Clyne was signed to be a first-team player, absolutely, but not because he has pedigree — he doesn't! This was exactly my point, he's proven to be much more valuable than the players we signed for their experience. I didn't say anything about quality, I said they won't be able to afford much more pedigree. They will do very well indeed to repeat their summer signings and I personally don't believe they can do it.
Clyne was definitely purchased to be our first choice. He didn't have pedigree at this level but he was certainly well ahead of the "potential" category and is demonstrating that now. Yoshida certainly should have fit into the pedigree category as an experienced international in a decent international team but is getting found out. Rodriguez is still very much potential only, Mayuka we haven't seen enough of and Ramirez requires no clarification! I won't reopen the goalkeeper debate here. So, I would say that most of our spending leaned towards pedigree rather than potential. In January is suspect that it will need to be pedigree all the way but it will cost a fortune.
Well if you imply we wont or cant spend money like some others are prepared to do then we have to go the Swansea road? You state they probably wont be as successful again in this method so what chance do we have?
So in short we have completely and utterly gambled up our premiership future on potential? At least we all soon shall be singing from the same hymn sheet, is this good enough for a club of our ambition? A £30 million gamble?
I disagree. Yoshida and Mayuka have international experience but no experience of playing in a top league so they can't really be put in the pedigree category along with Michu and Pablo Hernandez.
It is normal that what you want, what you expect and what you get, are different for a lot of reasons, much of it completely outside of your control.
That's not what I said at all is it? Nice to see you still don't actually respond to what has actually been said. Well on that basis, only Ramirez ticks the pedigree box and I suppose you are right! That would make our spending 50/50 between pedigree and potential. I was including Yoshida and Clyne in the pedigree side of the equation as they were signed to go straight into the team and not just because they had potential for the future.
Davis and Boruc have played in top leagues in England and Italy respectively, so they count as pedigree too, but as I said they haven't really contributed. I would put Clyne in potential in spite of him clearly being signed as first-choice right-back. That's the basis of my argument that our 'potential' signings have contributed more than our 'pedigree' signings really. As Saintdon says though, you never know exactly what you'll get.
I've said it before, but I think Sylvain Distin is going to be on his way out of Everton. His contract expires in the summer and is unlikely to be renewed, so he'll probably be pretty cheap with six months left on it. He's been playing in the Premier League for 13 consecutive seasons, so that's exactly the kind of experience we're looking for. I know he played for Pompey for a bit, but surely we can overlook that? The January transfer window should never be used to change half of the team. That's how you get yourselves relegated. We need one or two smart signings and no more.
He's a good player, I wouldn't be at all disappointed if we got him cheaply, the fact Everton are letting him go does suggest his best days are behind him though. I agree that one or two signings are all that's required, or warranted.
Agree with both Joe and PTF. Just tweaking not wholesale change is whats needed. Distin would fit the bill. We've had ex Pompey players before.
Having played in a top League is entirely different to be being respected in one, how many players have played in the top flight and have been woeful? Jimmy Traore won the champions League with Liverpool as an example.
