Winter transfer window

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I wonder mate.

I was thinking last night about whether the hierarchy are really primed for a big push this season. Are we on the verge unexpectedly in their eyes? Are we a year ahead so to speak? I suspect none of them planned on a deal like Le Fee. Are they suddenly sat on one or two options that could provide a boost but we need to bring in a bit of money? I always thought one player woupd go this coming summer, to boost the coffers to go again. It seems like that is the broad plan. I just wonder if we are considering going for it now, but need the money to do so.

Just speculation on my part. I would hate to lose Watson personally. I think the lad will be a superstar. But I could see the logic on the club side, pure profit now. Arguably with Mundle we have a ready made player in there. Maybe the £10m gets two elite level loans? Maybe it gets you a CF like Frigan.

It isnt how I would like the club to go. But I can imagine a world where they may think it is an opportunity to open discussions with Brighton again.

this is why I think if he would sign a new deal we’d be rejecting all bids and getting him on a 5 year deal. Hopefully this still happens.

I don’t believe for one second the regime are licking their lips at gaining £10m (or whatever the bid is). They’ll be disappointed he’s going. I think everyone associated with the club would rather he stayed and signed a long term deal.
 
Im saying IF we accept the bid I think it will be because we know he won’t sign a contract.

Im not saying he won’t sign a contract. And I’m not saying we’ll accept the bid.
Yeah I get what you mean now mate, probably agree. Thankfully I'm of the opinion he would be willing to resign should we give him a fair offer on the table
 
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I posted this OTR but I think it's worth posting here because sometimes we can get carried away with only seeing the club in a negative light when it comes to selling players.

I think the club have shown over the past few years that they'd rather keep and nurture talent. You've just got to look at the contract extensions we've done for some of our young, talented players. (We've only really sold Clarke, as an example of developing, then selling). We don't give players away or sell at the first opportunity.

I'd like to give the club the benefit of the doubt that with 18 months left on Watson's contract, that we'd offer him a favourable extension to stay. He's played about 5 first team games, so he's never going to be offered silly money at this stage and he'll be fully aware that SAFC is one of the best clubs at the minute for pathways for young talent.

If we are looking to sell, and if the £10mil bid is true (this is Nixon though) then I'd be asking why Watson doesn't want to stay as opposed to why the club are selling an asset with potential without really having the first team opportunities to show what he can do yet.

I think the club have been fantastic recently in bringing in talent, developing, staving off interest and not just selling.

So begs the question as to why this is rearing its head, unless Watson has indicated that he does, actually, want to leave, and not just see it as an opportunity to bash the club, cry 'asset stripping' or 'penny pinching' etc..
Well said
 
For context our last filed accounts had a turnover of £35 million, resulting in an operating loss of £9.7 million. That was to July 23.

£10 million is a very significant amount in this respect.

of course it is but across the squad weve got close to if not more than 100m in unrealised profit

yes we're at a loss but after this cycle of players id imagine we'd be annually profitable based on the buy sell model we have
 
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I can see us rejecting the Brighton bid and announcing a new contract for Watson just after the window closes.

No info, just a feeling.

Thinking about it logically, him and his family will probably talk to Jobes family and see how they managed Judes moves and you would be a fool to not listen to their experience. Then you look at Clarke now struggling at Ipswich and he probably has advice for Watson.
 
of course it is but across the squad weve got close to if not more than 100m in unrealised profit

yes we're at a loss but after this cycle of players id imagine we'd be annually profitable based on the buy sell model we have

As long as we’re in the championship that unrealised profit is limited though. We aren’t going to get the best value for our players until we go up and if we don’t sell to reinvest the chances of us going up are less.