indeedido
Well-known member
There is no fictional scenario required.
We have a significantly weaker squad, no FFP pressure and have signed underwhelmingly.
Akpom move
- Thread starter Paulh10
- Start date
We have a significantly weaker squad, no FFP pressure and have signed underwhelmingly.
uncle_rico
Well-known member
It’s a sad state of affairs that it’s come to this, but many clubs are in the same boat, relatively anyway.
As I said, the transfer window needs to close before the season starts.
viv_andersons_nana
Well-known member
Okay compare it to Bayern signing Kane, Arsenal trying to sign a goalkeeper that’s been on the market all summer, Liverpool still looking for a new No6, Lloris still being at Spurs. Ward-Prowse and Lavia were playing for Southampton last Friday. It’s been clear they’ll be leaving all summer. Rav started the 1997/98 season for us and scored the winner on the first day. He was never going to be around much longer than that.
Who have we missed out on? More than any other club?
If you’re on about Giles, I heard an interesting bit on FiveLive yesterday. Rob Edwards was his manager for Wolves U23s and had him on loan at Telford. I’ve never seen that anywhere else until yesterday. Apologies if it’s been on here and I’ve missed it. So there’s clearly a relationship there. Was Giles ever really going to come back to Boro? If you think he was then where does that come from? Who are these people saying we’d agreed a fee and Giles backed out or Luton gazumped us? Where are people getting this info from? To my mind it’s 99% horse****. Nobody really knows what’s going on behind the scenes. Boro don’t comment on deals until they’re done(was a surprise to see Carrick refer to Engels directly yesterday).
All the ‘best’ journos have been saying for weeks that City might add a winger but that their business is almost certainly finished, and that Liverpool should just stump up the money for Lavia, some even lamenting that they were going all in on a 19 year-old.
A day or two later, those clubs are in for Paqueta and Caicedo. Well where did that come from? All the know-alls on The Athletic and elsewhere never mentioned it. I personally think journos are fed horsesh*t on purpose as well. They love self-aggrandising on Twitter and going on each other’s podcasts giving it the Charlie Big Potatoes.
It’s just the nature of the game. There will always be disruption as long as the window is open past the season starting.
atypical_boro
Well-known member
Well they tried it and didn’t like it. I preferred it personally, I think most fans probably did.
The PL starts tomorrow and Kane, Caicedo, Lavia and several other deals still not finalised even though we know they will be.
Chris_Boro
Well-known member
And how would putting Akpom up for sale a month ago have helped with that? Unless you create a fictional scenario of still getting £10-15 million for him straight away.
Smogonsea
Well-known member
€11m with €2m add ons that we will probably never see. But that’s (hopefully) money we can spend on getting 2 good quality loan players in.
I’d like to think after our loanees last year any young prospect in the prem who isn’t playing regularly would be thrilled to come here and show what he can do in a footballing side. Let’s forget about last season, it’s over, and focus on the upcoming one! UTB!
I’d like to think after our loanees last year any young prospect in the prem who isn’t playing regularly would be thrilled to come here and show what he can do in a footballing side. Let’s forget about last season, it’s over, and focus on the upcoming one! UTB!
uncle_rico
Well-known member
It’s not really comparable to any of those though because none of those clubs need to sell their prize asset before they can make their own key signings. I get how it works, and it usually takes a couple of big transfers to kick things off. As I said, it’s not easy, but it really has been dragged out. Anyway, he’s all but gone now and we move on. Players will come and go, and I’m sure we’ll try our best to replace Akpom one way or another.
viv_andersons_nana
Well-known member
I don’t want to be an argumentative doyle but Hayden Hackney is the prized asset IMO.
But I get what you’re saying, I just slightly disagree. Tottenham have known all summer that Kane was going. The money has been spent on new players for Postecoglu. There was no way he wasn’t moving this summer. Levy is no mug when it comes to doing deals for Tottenham.
For us, maybe it wasn’t as cut and dried. You know what Kane is. A machine. Chuba’s had one good season and only has a year left. The market for him is very different in some ways. Maybe Boro sort of need that first cheque to show up before we can invest a significant sum. Who knows. We’ve also already signed six or seven new players haven’t we. People ignore that because they’re not ‘star’ names but they cost money. Money that has to come from somewhere.
Ravshoutsatbeck
Well-known member
It is comparable in many ways - transfers are disruptive and difficult to complete. They are contextual and the pressures are dependent on many different factors making each situation unique.
In an ideal world Chuba either signs a new contract or we get a market value offer 1 week after the end of the season. Sadly that would have reduced Chuba's and other clubs leverage. So it gets dragged out.
I do not see how Boro could have changed things significantly.
Frozen Horse
Well-known member
Selling fast probably means getting less than we did.
Would anyone loan Chuba back if Lens offered him for 1 season with an £8million loan fee? Purely hypothetical of course.
Would anyone loan Chuba back if Lens offered him for 1 season with an £8million loan fee? Purely hypothetical of course.
uncle_rico
Well-known member
No one is arguing, its all about opinions, but I just find it disappointing that we’ve got to this point and our season is already underway. Anyway, a win tomorrow and we’ll be saying “Chuba who?”. Well maybe not, but as Mogga says, “it is what it is.”
viv_andersons_nana
Well-known member
I find it irritating that the window is open when the season has started so Christ knows how the coaches and managers feel. I think it’s so stupid. I’d love for us to have another 3 or 4 quality players signed and sealed by now. But we’ll probably do at least two on the last day. I don’t know why the authorities let it happen. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone say that the transfer window being open until the end of August is a good idea.
sambaDTR
Well-known member
I don’t go along with all this feeling sorry for Chuba for his situation last summer. He was bought from abroad, for decent money (for us), on top Championship wages and he didn’t perform. He went out on loan and the Greek club didn’t want to buy him. It was only by luck that Wilder had to bring him back into the first team squad due to lack of striker signings last summer (Strand Larsen, Dwight Gayle, McGoldrick). Since then it has worked out well for BOTH parties. Carrick changed his role from 9 to 10 and the team played the football that helped him score all the goals. OK, we now look like making a big profit on him but, rather than earning big bucks playing for Lens and playing in the Champions League, Chuba could easily be earning lower wages for some Greek club by now. That’s football.
Not sure why anyone is surprised. It's the only situation that makes sense. If he was staying then a contract would have been signed in January. When it wasn't it was obvious he would be leaving this summer. It just doesn't make sense for us to keep him and let his contract run down for a year and lose him for nothing. It's £1.5m in wages saved plus the transfer fee. If we could guarantee promotion he'd be staying but we can't so it would be a £15m gamble to keep him for another year.
Redwurzel
Well-known member
Ref Chuba - great season for us last season, but 90% of this board wanted rid of him on a free last August.
We did get 70 points in 2021/22 without Akpom, Ramsey, Giles or Archer. We did have Tav, but after that I am struggling to think of stand out players we had then. If Akpom goes there will be cash for several qulaity players to bring in with fees and another few on loan.
We did get 70 points in 2021/22 without Akpom, Ramsey, Giles or Archer. We did have Tav, but after that I am struggling to think of stand out players we had then. If Akpom goes there will be cash for several qulaity players to bring in with fees and another few on loan.
I’m personally not so sure Steve will reinvest the fee we get. £4m will pay for the new left back and forward from Atalanta. Maybe £2m on another player and bank the rest, around £4/5m. The financial figures will look canny in April. Let’s see but we’ve seen it before
BoroMart
Well-known member
Why would he personally bank it? It might go on running costs but Tthe big bonus here is that ffp space is created and he’s always invested in playing assets, not always wisely but money has always been made available.
Nero
Well-known member
It's a good deal all round. Akpom goes to a good league and a club with a good history. Boro get a good price given there's only one year left on the contract.
The money is likely to finance the permanent deals rumoured this week, plus perhaps a move into the loan market again. These days, loans do not come cheap, so Akpom leaving might be for the best.
I wish him good luck. He's clearly a really good person and I hope he continues his fine form in France.
The money is likely to finance the permanent deals rumoured this week, plus perhaps a move into the loan market again. These days, loans do not come cheap, so Akpom leaving might be for the best.
I wish him good luck. He's clearly a really good person and I hope he continues his fine form in France.
starplayer
Well-known member
I cant see us spending the whole fee on other players. We do have to pay them a salary, unless there’s another pot for wages?