click and find out! But I think you should post your links in fairness as I have done with mine so we are all on the same page...
33% of the way through the window and very little in way of rumors or signings but personally more worried about outgoings... Does any other squad have as much of the dead wood we are carrying at present. In the squad I count 8 players who I don't think have futures at the club past this season and another 4 out on loan who need to be cleared off the wage bill (12 senior players in total) plus any token transfer fees that we could bring in. Karius - 10k Gillespie - 10k Manquillo - 35k Dummett - 35k Lacselles - 40k Dubravka - 40k Ritchie - 45k Krafth - 55k Total - 270k p/w Add to that list above - Hayden, Fraser, Hendrick and Lewis - who we will be contributing towards as well and we are wasting well over £300k PER WEEK on players that, bar Lacselles and Dubravka, haven't player much part and aren't really needed. To put that into context - that's 2x Bruno's wages (if his £160k p/w are to be believed) we are pissing up the wall A WEEK for very little in return.
Not sure what the arrangements are for wages with those loan deals you've mentioned, but we also have Minteh, Kuol, Ashby, Watts, plus about another 5 or 6 young lads out in loan too. I know it won't be big wages for them, but it all adds up in terms of FFP. Hopefully some of those are being covered (or at least partially) by the other clubs.
The reports are including infrastructure spending, not just player trading, so it's not as dramatic as it sounds. Over 100 new staff recruited too apparently. The foundations are being put in place.
Calvin phillips may be a step in the right direction. If we get the best out of him he could be a CL quality player. Solanke would be a strong sign of resigning ourselves to mid table mediocrity. Solanke may be on good form but he's potentially just another chris wood. I don't think a striker should be our priority. I think a good right winger should be. I think the only reason we haven't signed one is because we're so confident in trippier creating that we can just play Almiron to harass players, defend and make runs to make space for tripps, but long term we need a RW.
Here's the interview so people can decide for themselves rather than listening to Hope's ultra negative **** stiring.
We're not in a position to get rid of the likes of Longstaff or Lascelles any time soon. They're both good squad options. Longstaff will be here for at least another 2 season. Lascelles is our 3rd choice CB. I don't want to see Burn at CB again.
I think a striker is a priority,Wilson is in Dubai sunning himself again and Isak is prone to the odd injury!
Not really. You can spend on 'club development' outside of impacting FFP - training facilities, infrastructure, stadium, etc. And our owners have those funds, so not a problem. It's clear we'd overspend in those areas. The problem is they can't just hand in another £billion directly for the transfer kitty. Selling big players would of course help provide funds for new players, but I really don't think the club are in a hurry to wheel & deal like that.
For a start we just need to offload the likes of Fraser, Hendrick, Hayden, Lewis once and for all. Get them off the books, even if it's free transfers, just to not be paying their wages. I can't see any sales of actual squad players this January, just because we've been so light due to injuries. IF someone comes in with a big bid, then I'm sure we'll listen. But my bet will just be stability this window - keep a full squad, as players start to return from injury. We might add one or two, probably on loan. Then reassess in the summer.
Longstaff won’t be and can’t be sold, be that now, or next year. He counts as home grown through the academy. Which you need 4 for European squads or you lose a spot for each one you don’t have. At the minute that’s Dummet, Anderson, Longstaff and quite possibly Miley???? That’s why 2 of them are still here. No amount of wishing them away (harshly) is going to change that.
