- Jul 17, 2008
- 14,852
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I'm writing this on the presumption that we haven't signed anyone else as it's 11pm and no real news of anyone coming in.
We've spent around £110 million this summer and broken our transfer record fee 3 times. We've also recouped pretty much the same amount making £85 million out of one very special player. We have effectively sacrificed a one man team for a squad of players. We've also managed to keep the wage bill even, perhaps even reducing it. Personally, I think that's a magnificent bit of business.
Now there are those that will say that Levy hasn't done enough because we have actually made a net spend. I think those people will be the ones that will be never satisfied with Levy or the way we handle transfers. We could have easily bought half the amount of players and not made any replacements, and in the past we have done that.
I'm very happy with the business we've done. We've added real quality to the team and depth, but now is when the real work begins. I don't believe that we have the time to wait for the players to gel as the stakes are so high. It's going to be a real test for AVB to get these boys working together. I was never under the assumption that we'd be in for a title challenge as we've still got a long way to go, but we are a step closer to achieving a top 4 finish, IMO, as long as we get this team working together.
Yes, we've still got areas we need to strengthen but this is always the case for any team. Look at Arsenal. They've made a phenomenal signing in Ozil, probably the best player to come to the Premier League this window, but all they've done is strengthen a position they're already strong in. They haven't addressed their real issues and, as a result, are still some way off being a title challenging team. We can't address every single issue in one window, however we have addressed most of them. Striker, wingers, midfielders, centre back.
I would like to see who people think will be our signing of the summer. For me it's a toss-up between Eriksen and Lamela but I've gone for the Dane as I think he'll settle in quicker and will provide that much needed creativity that we're lacking. Franco Baldini has also been a significant signing, we've really missed a man like him in charge of our transfer dealings.
Despite a very quiet deadline day this has been a great window and I'm really looking forward to seeing what we can achieve this year with such a promising young team. COYS!
We've spent around £110 million this summer and broken our transfer record fee 3 times. We've also recouped pretty much the same amount making £85 million out of one very special player. We have effectively sacrificed a one man team for a squad of players. We've also managed to keep the wage bill even, perhaps even reducing it. Personally, I think that's a magnificent bit of business.
Now there are those that will say that Levy hasn't done enough because we have actually made a net spend. I think those people will be the ones that will be never satisfied with Levy or the way we handle transfers. We could have easily bought half the amount of players and not made any replacements, and in the past we have done that.
I'm very happy with the business we've done. We've added real quality to the team and depth, but now is when the real work begins. I don't believe that we have the time to wait for the players to gel as the stakes are so high. It's going to be a real test for AVB to get these boys working together. I was never under the assumption that we'd be in for a title challenge as we've still got a long way to go, but we are a step closer to achieving a top 4 finish, IMO, as long as we get this team working together.
Yes, we've still got areas we need to strengthen but this is always the case for any team. Look at Arsenal. They've made a phenomenal signing in Ozil, probably the best player to come to the Premier League this window, but all they've done is strengthen a position they're already strong in. They haven't addressed their real issues and, as a result, are still some way off being a title challenging team. We can't address every single issue in one window, however we have addressed most of them. Striker, wingers, midfielders, centre back.
I would like to see who people think will be our signing of the summer. For me it's a toss-up between Eriksen and Lamela but I've gone for the Dane as I think he'll settle in quicker and will provide that much needed creativity that we're lacking. Franco Baldini has also been a significant signing, we've really missed a man like him in charge of our transfer dealings.
Despite a very quiet deadline day this has been a great window and I'm really looking forward to seeing what we can achieve this year with such a promising young team. COYS!