I consider myself aligned in a very similar fashion.
Totally get it - it can and will vary.
I would say I am too - and I very much understand that mind-set. I often hear the "we don't spend" narrative (and we have had a couple of underwhelming windows, for sure) and I typically never really hear a particular, or even approximate amount that people would aspire to and/or be "fine" with, so was curious - and chose money as the metric as "expenditure" is so-often the word affiliated with us, or the lack thereof.
In a similar vein, I often hear Reds speak at great length saying how much they hate financial doping and player-hoarding, but also asking us to "go big" - and I often wonder what they consider to be the "line" as it were between being ambitious and following a policy of "if you can't beat them, join them" if you like. Not asking for you or anyone else's thoughts on that at the moment, mind. Potential headache of a topic that I currently have no appetite for. I hate the idea (as a general principle) of multi-club ownership - I think it's poor for the wider game - yet know we'll end up having to do it to be competitive - and it makes me uncomfortable.
Very similar mode of thinking for me as well - I think where a few posters and I clash heads is the
extent of this mindset, ie they think I want to "cut corners" and "scrimp" at
every available opportunity whereas the reality is I just want to see good business done, though sustainably as often as possible. I've said before for example that (with the gift of hindsight, granted) that if Alisson had cost £95m and Van Dijk had cost £100m nobody would mind, because they still would have been good value for it. I often wonder if those had been the fees and thus we had spent more (net) in that window, would the complaint about recouping so much from the Coutinho sale even be an issue.
With some of the above said, I thought I'd cast back to last Summer. Fees are approximate -
Main ins
Szoboszlai - £60m
Gravenberch - £34m
Mac Allister - £35m
Endo - £16m
Spent approx £145m
Main outs
Henderson - £12m
Fabinho - £40m
Recouped approx £52m
Approximate net spend from main transfers -
£93m - though I could be forgetting a big sale or big buy, which would be a bit embarassing
With (from within) Quansah replacing Matip (Quansah is nowhere near as good yet, but will have a longer career at 21 than Matip will at 33 - and will hopefully be available more often being a good future-proofing exercise and Thiago (incredible footballer to watch) and his poor injury record/reasonably high age relative to football coming off the wage bill. I'm of the opinion that the money that was coming out of the club each week on Thiago could be better spent, though would emphasise that isn't the same as finding as
talented a player.
Anyway - I think that was a
good window and a net improvement in what I might call "availabilty x ability" - if such windows were more common than the weaker windows. Perhaps a level that, dare I say it, most would be happy with? That's an open question I guess.
To paint it another way, had Zubimendi joined (I'll acknowledge it's an absolutely moot point, seeing as he didn't) for £51m we would have spent (not net, granted)
£196m on our midfield within a roughly 13-month period. That's very respectable - and we were
one transfer away from that. I'd be much more understanding of general anti-FSG sentiment if we were three transfers away, for example. I just don't think we are
that far off as to merit the extent of (some of) the vitriol, but might be placing too much faith in the squad.
Oh and I still want transfers
So yes, Slot and team have a job on their hands. That’s what he’s paid for. It’s going to be very interesting to watch.
Originally Posted by Insidious
I consider myself aligned in a very similar fashion.
