Summer Transfer Wish List

[voxy28]

There was a link on Michy Batshuayi... I think he is also on the list.

 

[TH1239]

Ousmane Dembele is arguably the biggest talent under-21 in the entire world. You're talking about a near Neymar clone here. It'd be a stunning transfer, along the lines of when Chelsea signed Hazard. If he wants to come to us, we should unquestionably do the deal.

Also, for people who keep talking about some sort of strict financial confines we have this summer, please understand that we are in phenomenal shape financially to spend heavily and significantly increase our wage bill. As I've laid out before, we currently have a wage bill that is likely well under 100 million pounds and our projected turnover next season will be upwards of 300 million pounds. As a comparison, when we earned CL in 2010, our wage bill was 90 million pounds (a 21 million pound increase from the prior year) and our turnover was 163.5 pounds. Even if you consider an automatic 20 million pound CL wage bill increase next season and even if we hand out 3-4 improved contracts on top of that to Kane, Eriksen, Lamela, and Vertonghen, you're talking about a wage bill that's sitting around 120-125 million pounds or so, which is about 40% of our projected turnover. We've tended to operate far above that percentage for years now (this past season's financials had us at just under 52%, which is lower than it's been in season's previous).

Also, this argument I see every once in a while here about how signing established players will upset the apple cart and lead to a cadre of players demanding pay rises simply isn't in line with reality. Did Alderweireld and Son upset our team dynamic? They both make very good wages, yet I haven't heard a single player complaining about being underpaid relative to them or Nabil Bentaleb, who has done little this season to justify his increased pay packet. Look all across the footballing world: some players make more than others. Players understand that is a reality of the sport. Neymar makes 77K a week per his leaked contract out today, but I don't see him going on strike because Barcelona pays Arda Turan more money. Payet makes more than anyone on West Ham's team, so did his new contract lead to a rush of others demanding similar pay rises?

Ultimately, I think Poch is going to be more aggressive this summer looking for upgrades and Levy will back him because our guaranteed revenues next year are simply going to be 100 million pounds more than this season. Doing something like buying Dembele for 20+ million pounds and loaning him back to Rennes may not have been something we'd be able to do two-three years ago, but with the increased revenues, we can probably take that chance now.

 

[Trix]

A few bits from Sunday....

We are looking to do business early to avoid the inevitable Premier league bidding frenzy, that will inevitably kick in as soon as clubs know their bargaining positions. Batshuai is looking very positive. We are very keen, and the player wants to come, so this is very much a case of watch this space.

Outfoings. MP is very happy with the squad and also what is happening at youth level, and barring the two out on loan we are not looking to actively move anyone else on, doesn't mean those on the periphery won't be allowed to leave if a good bid comes in. Plenty of work ongoing regarding contract renewals, but agents know CL gives a stronger position for negotiation, so I'd expect once we are confirmed these will start seeing a few more extensions go through.

All in all we will be fairly quiet, especially compared to those around us. IMO this is a great sign of where we are as a collective.

 

[millsey]

Ousmane Dembele is arguably the biggest talent under-21 in the entire world. You're talking about a near Neymar clone here. It'd be a stunning transfer, along the lines of when Chelsea signed Hazard. If he wants to come to us, we should unquestionably do the deal.

Also, for people who keep talking about some sort of strict financial confines we have this summer, please understand that we are in phenomenal shape financially to spend heavily and significantly increase our wage bill. As I've laid out before, we currently have a wage bill that is likely well under 100 million pounds and our projected turnover next season will be upwards of 300 million pounds. As a comparison, when we earned CL in 2010, our wage bill was 90 million pounds (a 21 million pound increase from the prior year) and our turnover was 163.5 pounds. Even if you consider an automatic 20 million pound CL wage bill increase next season and even if we hand out 3-4 improved contracts on top of that to Kane, Eriksen, Lamela, and Vertonghen, you're talking about a wage bill that's sitting around 120-125 million pounds or so, which is about 40% of our projected turnover. We've tended to operate far above that percentage for years now (this past season's financials had us at just under 52%, which is lower than it's been in season's previous).

Also, this argument I see every once in a while here about how signing established players will upset the apple cart and lead to a cadre of players demanding pay rises simply isn't in line with reality. Did Alderweireld and Son upset our team dynamic? They both make very good wages, yet I haven't heard a single player complaining about being underpaid relative to them or Nabil Bentaleb, who has done little this season to justify his increased pay packet. Look all across the footballing world: some players make more than others. Players understand that is a reality of the sport. Neymar makes 77K a week per his leaked contract out today, but I don't see him going on strike because Barcelona pays Arda Turan more money. Payet makes more than anyone on West Ham's team, so did his new contract lead to a rush of others demanding similar pay rises?

Ultimately, I think Poch is going to be more aggressive this summer looking for upgrades and Levy will back him because our guaranteed revenues next year are simply going to be 100 million pounds more than this season. Doing something like buying Dembele for 20+ million pounds and loaning him back to Rennes may not have been something we'd be able to do two-three years ago, but with the increased revenues, we can probably take that chance now.

Stadium

 

[McArchibald]

A few bits from Sunday....

We are looking to do business early to avoid the inevitable Premier league bidding frenzy, that will inevitably kick in as soon as clubs know their bargaining positions. Batshuai is looking very positive. We are very keen, and the player wants to come, so this is very much a case of watch this space.

Outfoings. MP is very happy with the squad and also what is happening at youth level, and barring the two out on loan we are not looking to actively move anyone else on, doesn't mean those on the periphery won't be allowed to leave if a good bid comes in. Plenty of work ongoing regarding contract renewals, but agents know CL gives a stronger position for negotiation, so I'd expect once we are confirmed these will start seeing a few more extensions go through.

All in all we will be fairly quiet, especially compared to those around us. IMO this is a great sign of where we are as a collective.

Thanks for sharing

I would have hoped for a bit more ambition, especially now we're in the Champions League again. We need to add more creativity going forward. Another Centre Half also wouldn't go amiss. And if Wanyama or Schneiderlin would become avaialable, why not?

But we definitely don't have to embark on a major rebuilding program. COYS

 

[Stamford]

Kante going to the scum according to Henry Winter. Shame

 

[dondo]

No, he isn't. Desptie Juve requiring high work ethic out of their forwards he just doesn't seem to want to press much. I think he's been a bit disappointing actually and I still prefer Llorente. Can't see why we made the switch.

Kante going to the scum according to Henry Winter. Shame

Would be a great signing for them, exactly the midfielder they have needed for years

 

[Ledleys Knee]

For the last 2-3 years big signings have been flopping all over the place, whilst organic growth has been prospering.

Big signings and big egos are the last thing we need to disrupt our harmony.

I'd be very happy if we did 3 transfers all summer - young CF in, Yedlin and Fazio out.

 

[Ledleys Knee]

Kante going to the scum according to Henry Winter. Shame

Leicester won't sell. The days of the sky 4 picking off players at will are gone, thanks to the tv deal

 

[Spurs 1961]

What I like about us at the moment is that we have several players who can take hold of games and shape them. Dembele, Lamela, Alli, Kane and Eriksen (though I think he has more to offer). I love the way Toby, Danny Rose and to a lesser extent Kyle impose themselves on games. Genuinely we must only look at players who are better than what we have so I can see there being very few deal but a lot of work behind the scenes with players in and bubbling under the first team squad

 

[sickboy_se]

young CF in.

Ashley?

 

[danielneeds]

Leicester won't sell. The days of the sky 4 picking off players at will are gone, thanks to the tv deal

Kante was already making noises when with the French squad that he may want to go though. Everything Leicester have done is based on team spirit, so if a player checks out mentally, they'll have a problem on their hands. I'm sure he'd fancy Arsenal, French players always do. Would take a massive fee though.

 

[Trix]

Kante going to the scum according to Henry Winter. Shame

They need to fill column inches somehow.Arsenal may well want him, but I doubt Leicester neither want or need to sell him, so why would they?

 

[TH1239]

Stadium

The Stadium is being financed with borrowed money that will be paid off over time. We are not going to take 100 million pounds of television and CL revenue and write out one giant check to pay down construction costs in the summer. No professional sports team operates a stadium or arena build in that manner, and Spurs won't either.

 

[millsey]

They need to fill column inches somehow.Arsenal may well want him, but I doubt Leicester neither want or need to sell him, so why would they?

Player power always wins. He's already pretty much said he wants to leave at the end of the season. 40 mill or an unhappy player, we know the outcome.

 

[millsey]

The Stadium is being financed with borrowed money that will be paid off over time. We are not going to take 100 million pounds of television and CL revenue and write out one giant check to pay down construction costs in the summer. No professional sports team operates a stadium or arena build in that manner, and Spurs won't either.

We aren't going to use it buying lots of new players either

 

[TH1239]

For the last 2-3 years big signings have been flopping all over the place, whilst organic growth has been prospering.

Big signings and big egos are the last thing we need to disrupt our harmony.

I'd be very happy if we did 3 transfers all summer - young CF in, Yedlin and Fazio out.

Was Toby Alderweireld a big flop? Many here thought he was an unnecessary purchase (you even posted that "Fazio is an awful lot better than Alderweireld", yet he is arguably the biggest reason for our major turnaround this season. Had we listened to you, where would we be right now? What about Eriksen, Lamela, Dembele, Vertonghen, and Lloris, who cost us a combined 75 million pounds. Were they all flops, too?

This idea being pushed by some here that we should sign no one because we have some young players who are guaranteed to improve is totally misguided. I mean, has anyone learned a thing from the Bentaleb and Mason hype trains being derailed? There's no guarantee that players will stay fit or improve from one year to the next. Look at Chelsea this season. Where is the development of Matic, Hazard, Zouma, and Courtois? If Leicester didn't go out and take a risk by buying both Kante and Okazaki, they'd nowhere near the title right now, either.

The good news is that the club isn't going to follow the doing nothing approach being advocated by some and in Pochettino's own words they will look to strengthen via transfers based upon the shellacking the squad was given against Dortmund.

 

[millsey]

Was Toby Alderweireld a big flop? Many here thought he was an unnecessary purchase (you even posted that "Fazio is an awful lot better than Alderweireld", yet he is arguably the biggest reason for our major turnaround this season. Had we listened to you, where would we be right now? What about Eriksen, Lamela, Dembele, Vertonghen, and Lloris, who cost us a combined 75 million pounds. Were they all flops, too?

This idea being pushed by some here that we should sign no one because we have some young players who are guaranteed to improve is totally misguided. I mean, has anyone learned a thing from the Bentaleb and Mason hype trains being derailed? There's no guarantee that players will stay fit or improve from one year to the next. Look at Chelsea this season. Where is the development of Matic, Hazard, Zouma, and Courtois?

The good news is that the club isn't going to follow the doing nothing approach being advocated by some and in Pochettino's own words they will look to strengthen via transfers based upon the shellacking the squad was given against Dortmund.

I don't think there's anyone we can buy who will get into the starting X11 come first game of the season next season. Who on earth would you replace? It's about buying players who will fight for a place in the team. Basically back ups at right center back, center mid and center Fwrd.
That's it

 

[voxy28]

A few bits from Sunday....

We are looking to do business early to avoid the inevitable Premier league bidding frenzy, that will inevitably kick in as soon as clubs know their bargaining positions. Batshuai is looking very positive. We are very keen, and the player wants to come, so this is very much a case of watch this space.

Outfoings. MP is very happy with the squad and also what is happening at youth level, and barring the two out on loan we are not looking to actively move anyone else on, doesn't mean those on the periphery won't be allowed to leave if a good bid comes in. Plenty of work ongoing regarding contract renewals, but agents know CL gives a stronger position for negotiation, so I'd expect once we are confirmed these will start seeing a few more extensions go through.

All in all we will be fairly quiet, especially compared to those around us. IMO this is a great sign of where we are as a collective.

I hope we replace caroll with a good defensive minded midfield player. Maybe we can try for Kovacic since he is rotting in Madrid bench.

 

[Everlasting Seconds]

I think people are forgetting there is a wage structure to adhere to...

CL football isn't the be all end all in acquiring players.

IIRC, wage structure was changed maybe 1 or 2 or even 3 seasons ago.
No absolute wage cape on individual level, but an overall cap on the total wage expenditure, with room for various ways to spend the total allocated funds.

I don't think there's anyone we can buy who will get into the starting X11 come first game of the season next season. Who on earth would you replace? It's about buying players who will fight for a place in the team. Basically back ups at right center back, center mid and center Fwrd.
That's it

Agreed.

I hope we replace caroll with a good defensive minded midfield player. Maybe we can try for Kovacic since he is rotting in Madrid bench.

I hope we replace one of Mason, Carroll and Bentaleb. I have no preference between them, but one must leave to make room for somebody we will actually be able to use.

As far as I am aware, Carroll's contract expires in the summer and since there has been little news of am extension, I would imagine he won't be here next year.

IMO, I would guess there was an option on his last contract, and that said option has been already executed. I say that because it's the only thing that makes sense. Let's not be too bombastic about this, shall we?