ITK Discussion The Daily ITK Discussion Thread 3rd January

[jurgen]

If we don't pay the wages or the big agent's fees - and I can imagine dear leader having thrown a few 'curveballs' at agents as well as chairmen in the past - there's probably lots of people who don't feel particularly obliged to push players to us.

 

[Metalhead]

It's not always about wages. Agents fees and their affiliations with clubs/owners are also a big part to play.

definitely part of it too. There isn't one answer to it. That said, I would wager that if we were purchased by a 'money no object' owner, we would suddenly find it much less of an issue. Not advocating that - I would far rather have a Levy but one who perhaps was occasionally a little 'braver 'in the market.

 

[George94]

Time we started greasing some palms like Liverpool have then. Say what you want about Baldini but he certainly seemed to close some deals.

Just don't get it, why are we letting our targets go elsewhere just because we refuse to pay the same agents fees as other clubs will? Can't be right, surely...

As for Sander Berge, he'll probably be an option in the summer - no way that Genk let him go when they're in a title race unless we pay over the top for him (we won't).

 

[Metalhead]

If we don't pay the wages or the big agent's fees - and I can imagine dear leader having thrown a few 'curveballs' at agents as well as chairmen in the past - there's probably lots of people who don't feel particularly obliged to push players to us.

Well unfortunately for DL, the TV money is such now that his tactics have become a little 'dated'.

 

[thebenjamin]

Time we started greasing some palms like Liverpool have then. Say what you want about Baldini but he certainly seemed to close some deals.

Certainly feels like we are missing something in our structure to get deals done. It can't be normal to come top 3 in the biggest league in the world 3 years running and still fail to attract, seemingly, almost every one of our top targets, year after year.

 

[Hoopspur]

Pulisic has to be wages. Poch is superb at developing young talent; I can’t imagine much else affecting his decision. De Jong doesn’t surprise me; we’ve had news of him being set on Barcelona before

All conjecture. I could come up with at least 10 reasons - some more plausible than others. The truth is we (on here) don’t know unless we are actually told.

 

[ziggy]

That's because the CL was where the money was. It's always been about money but the new TV deals mean everyone now has "CL" levels of income.

Get what you are saying but sure we also used to be told that the players wanted to play in the CL

 

[doctor stefan Freud]

All conjecture. I could come up with at least 10 reasons - some more plausible than others. The truth is we (on here) don’t know unless we are actually told.

Why let facts get in the way of a good meltdown

 

[Metalhead]

Just don't get it, why are we letting our targets go elsewhere just because we refuse to pay the same agents fees as other clubs will? Can't be right, surely...

As for Sander Berge, he'll probably be an option in the summer - no way that Genk let him go when they're in a title race unless we pay over the top for him (we won't).

Agents are annoying (it must be like a license to print money for them) but let 's face it, the club makes enough money off the loyalty of fans so I wouldn't want to get too moral about it, that's for sure.

 

[Paolo10]

It's a reality check for some of the fans I reckon Doc.

Reality check? Most can't even do the simple home grown mathematics and still post incessantly with their dream targets that are Under 24 and would likely double (at least) our transfer record most of the time ffs.

I'm dreaming of selling the fucking squad deadwood and that's optimistic under Dear Leader.

 

[Metalhead]

Why let facts get in the way of a good meltdown

I haven't seen anyone on here having a meltdown. People just wonder why we aren't more productive in the transfer market. Inevitably people start feeling like it's having a go at the club or Levy.

 

[KevinW]

Not sure there is anything to get worked up about on this. De Jong has frequently been reported as not interested in PL (City wanted him as well), so probably nothing related to us specifically in rejecting. Pulisic is a talent but in a position where we are already well equipped. If the decision was not to get bid up in a contest with Chelsea on fee and wages and save the money for a central midfielder, that all looks pretty rational to me

 

[teok]

There is still a huge amount of money in the CL. I forget the exact details but I heard the other week about how much we earned from our last campaign. It's a significant amount ( can any one remember the exact amount)?

 

[Klinsmannesque]

Chelsea win league titles and pay big money to players and agents. It's not rocket science that he chose them over us especially when there will be a big gaping Hazard shaped hole of opportunity to fill. We still have a way to go if there's a choice between us and them.

Reality is we are more attractive than Arsenal, but the other 5? Not so much.

 

[freeeki]

Any young player stupid enough to prefer the likes of City and Chelsea over the likes of Spurs, Liverpool or United is welcome to fuck off there tbh.

I’d still rather we went balls deep for De Ligt even though we’ve next to no chance.

 

[Metalhead]

Reality check? Most can't even do the simple home grown mathematics and still post incessantly with their dream targets that are Under 24 and would likely double (at least) our transfer record most of the time ffs.

I'm dreaming of selling the fucking squad deadwood and that's optimistic under Dear Leader.

that does bug me. Peop!e say that it lacks financial sense to let a player go for a small fee but reality check - there aren't many Stoke Cities around, ready to pay over the odds for an unwanted player. If we keep the player, we have to pay the waves and that seems to me to not be very economical even with my rudimentary knowledge.

 

[BringBack_leGin]

Jjs itk at least shows we are targeting top quality players and prospects. Pulisic chose to join a club who will also have champions league next season in all likelihood, who can outpay us, who have won the champions league in the last decade and where the quality of his positional competition is well below what he’d experience at Spurs. De Jong will end up with one of the current superclubs. Little shame in that, and I’d rather we were trying for these than trying for players who wouldn’t improve us just for the sake of making signings.

 

[doctor stefan Freud]

I haven't seen anyone on here having a meltdown. People just wonder why we aren't more productive in the transfer market. Inevitably people start feeling like it's having a go at the club or Levy.

I’m only joking- but I can feel the meltdown tentacles spreading deep within my being, incubating for a full rage spray should we fail to sign anyone even though I’ve told myself not to get my hopes up

 

[vegassd]

A few years back it was all "you've got to be in the CL to get the top players" now we have regular CL footie and seemingly still can't get them. Got to be about the money

Football transfers have never been about a single factor. Anybody who thinks that way (not saying you personally btw) does not understand how life works frankly.

It's what makes the idea of "we need to spend now to push to the next level" is an over-simplistic view of the world. It's never as simple as that. As a club we need to try and remove as many reasons as possible that a player would choose to go elsewhere imo. That includes money, CL participation, a good stadium and training facilities and of course the potential to win trophies. And even if we get all that in place there will still be players who choose other clubs as Trix has alluded to.

If this story about Sarri not knowing about the progression of the transfer until it was completed that would suggest that he hasn't spoken with the player to talk about playing time etc. So it's a risky move for the player's career progression unless he has been told by Abramovich that the likes of Hazard/Willian will not be there next season.

JJ doesn't specify what dates those players turned us down. Maybe this relates to Pulisic turning us down last summer and we didn't want to make further approaches? Maybe Pulisic had spoken with Poch at some stage and didn't like what he heard? Maybe the player didn't like our wage offer and that was all he cared about? Lots of reasons why he may have turned us down.

 

[he is you know!]

Two things either its about wages or they've been told something about Poch that we don't know about.

It's probably wages and he "thinks" he will get more game time there. He wouldn't get in our first 11. Debatable i know, but Hazard is off, talk of Willian also. He might get in Chelsea's new team.