Summer transfer thread

[reddownunder]

Fabio Silva: Wolves sign Porto striker for club-record fee
Wolves break their transfer record to bring in highly-rated 18-year-old in deal worth £35m, eclipsing the £30m spent for Raul Jimenez in 2019

Wow ok

I like seeing every other club spend money! D

I get your point but £35 million for an 18 year old striker with a grand total of 1 league goal to his name is a very risky punt

[Insidious]

I get your point but £35 million for an 18 year old striker with a grand total of 1 league goal to his name is a very risky punt

That's just over half of Alisson's fee, or almost half of Van Dijk's.

Or 25% of the combined fee for the pair. If he gives them 8-10 years and bangs the goals in (or is sold for big money) then fair enough but you definitely want to know what you're buying into when dropping that kind of money.

[redebreck]

Well one thing is for sure, this season will prove if FSG was right not to invest much at all last few seasons
We shall see.

Have a bad feeling but that's just me we'll probably win everything

We either stay on top or fall down after failing to invest and freshen up a bit while on top, with other clubs getting better (on paper so far)

and like I said it's been a few seasons now.

I think it's pretty damn important when you're on top to stay there, and it's been so long for us since we've been in this position, to not invest yeah.. hopefully it won't matter.

Stinks of complacency

How far do you want to go? A bargain basement LB from Greece and 3 kids from around Europe.
This after a couple of windows of non purchase and loads and loads of revenue coming in, especially the CL and title winnings.
Rest on your Laurels, fall on your Arse.

Yes Bali - within reason.. Not saying we chuck in all the youngsters but I don't think relying on the same few players to constantly perform is viable. Makes me nervous as they have been over used already

Either we go out and buy reinforcements OR promote from within - so far we haven't really seen either.. Nobody likes to see a player come through the ranks more than me but Klopp seems reluctant to give anyone a genuine prolonged go.. Ideal world would be a bit of both.

To be fair Curtis Jones is more than ready to come in and play the number of minutes Lallana has played over the last couple of seasons and equally as well. If Wij goes then Thiago again should be a good replacement but no way on Earth is Neco Williams ready to play in the Prem.
We’re also short of one experienced international central defender since Lovren left so that’s another position that needs cover.
As for the front 3, any long term injury there and we are seriously goosed.

So if we lose Virgil, TAA or one of the front three for any length of time I seriously fear for our season because the competent back up is just not there.

Back in my day, we could manage to compete for more than one trophy per season. Squads didn't get so knackered back then, I can't explain why.
Our current squad should in theory be capable of competing for at least two major trophies, perhaps including FA Cup or League Cup. Judging from recent seasons we don't have the depth available to do so. If we did, it might push the "starting XI" and provide competition.
I believe we need just a little more quality in the squad, to improve us. If it doesn't happen, I just hope we don't burn out.

[ianlfc]

I get your point but £35 million for an 18 year old striker with a grand total of 1 league goal to his name is a very risky punt

He must be one hell of a prospect.
I remember Monaco spent £25 million on 17 year old Italian Pellegri couple of seasons ago .That punt from Monaco hasnt worked out and last season he never got an appearance so it's a huge gamble for Wolves.

[Insidious]

Can't help but feel that a "roll of the Dice" like that is bonkers, unless they (behind closed doors) know they will be selling someone for a decent wedge/getting some player wages off the books and such.

We haven't got a clue about whether or not future revenue streams are 100% water-tight in terms of guaranteed income? Whether or not contractual percentages from TB stations could go down and if so, by how much? Could any foreign stations pull the plug for a spell due to decisions made by Board-of-Directors and so on.

There's been a huge Chinese TV deal cancelled, which equates to a loss of over £500m to the Premier League. Assuming that this is an even split across all teams (we don't know, but the club probably do) then that's a £25m loss to us.

Sky and BT contracts came under dispute at the end of 19/20 - could they again if there is a second lockdown early into the season due to fans being reintroduced? What happens then financially? Is the League null-and-voided if a lockdown occurs before the halfway-point? If the Champion's League gets tanked, do the affiliated sponsors pay out? If they claim they don't have to pay up due to "act of God" and clubs consider legal action, how much is lost at the Courts should a case against UEFA or whoever be lost? If there's no televised exposure for a spell, do commercial partners pull the plug for a year and/or cancel contracts for future seasons until there's a vaccine? Does Anfield continue to go without the gate receipts (that we are already missing out on each time we play at Home behind closed doors, £3m a go) and does that have subsequent ripple effects?

It seems a reasonable time to sit tight and assess the market. Take the unforeseen and unpredictable future and mix getting quality-in-depth/sorting-the-future-out with the front three and Werner. Werner would have been ideal, especially as he would have been a non-African player in a season where AFCON was due. He would have had time to integrate into the side and be ready by January of 2021 to assist Firmino and another (Taki/Origi/Shaqiri/Brewster?) in keeping our front three potent enough to get us through until Salah and Mane return.

The AFCON dilemma has been pushed back a year, which is also a further year of Governments, Councils, Hospitals, private businesses and those working on a vaccine etc getting to grips with Covid-19. If everything works out best-case-scenario, then we should be well prepped for the Summer market after 20/21 concludes to ensure we don't allow stagnation going into 21/22. If things don't work out as we had hoped, our shrewd control of the purse-strings will mean we aren't forced into a fire sale of star players as we will be able to continue to pay ours - which is bound to be important to our Manager, given that his biggest problem in Germany wasn't the buying of players, but the keeping of star players already at the club.

I know circumstances were a little different, but if we look at how long we held onto Torres or Suarez (not very, think it was 3 and a half seasons for both) then we of all of the bigger clubs should be able to appreciate how great it is not having our best linked with (solid, non-tabloid) rumoured moves away to our competitors.

[Steveo]

Yes again some logical conclusions reached for these testing times but you could flip it all 180 and be just as close to the right path. Both opposing views would involve risk wouldn’t they?

Sit tight and allow your rivals to close the gap - or in Wolves case potentially - forge ahead...and you miss the boat...look like a fool. OR blow your load on improving the team, the global situation worsens and you also look like a fool. Football is a gamble. Nothing has changed on this front - risk is just ramped up right now.

In short and for every club - sitting tight holds as much potential for pitfall as not doing so.

On the Torres/Suarez front - again you are right the circumstances were indeed different - also both were out on their own in terms of stand out quality - especially Suarez.

I still doubt we would find it so easy - even now - to hold onto an equivalent. Let’s see what happens with Mané.. I am nervous on this already. If he starts to look like he is pulling away - another level to the rest.. Don’t even want to contemplate

[ianlfc]

The money we're talking now is unbelievable. We bought Torres for £26.5 million in today's market you would be talking £126.5 million. That sort of money would put most clubs lights out if it doesn't work out.

[Steveo]

Yep - the Neymar fee killed the market for mere mortals. The gamble now is really only for the sodding petrodollar clubs.

[ianlfc]

Yep - the Neymar fee killed the market for mere mortals. The gamble now is really only for the sodding petrodollar clubs.

And that's the gamble for the so called selling clubs, Speculate to equmalate. Delboy rules !!

[Steveo]

And that's the gamble for the so called selling clubs, Speculate to equmalate. Delboy rules !!

It is indeed.

Bonnet de douche me old mucker..