The January Transfer Window 2020

[OohAahButler]

It’s too late, surely, for anyone good? If we’d done our business early on - straight after the new manager bounce - or after the Bournemouth win, we’d have a story to tell and something to sell the club to prospects.

But now? Any half decent player is going to avoid us like the plague. Even if (big if) we’re seriously in the market for the players we desperately need, it’s leftovers and scraps for us now.

Personally, I’d be looking to see if there’s a kid or two from the under 23s we could throw in, just for a bit of pace and enthusiasm. Can’t do worse than what we’ve got.

[Corney Beal]

I remember him playing quite well on the very few occasions he was picked. I remember thinking at the time that he should have been picked more often

Nene signed in the January window, shortly after we got thumped at West Brom in the FA Cup, four - nil.
Sullivan special. I spoke to him as he got dropped off on the main road before the game. Said he had a striker flying in the next day.

[Aceface]

Well according to transfermkt we spent almost £80m in the summer.

The article is spin but not incorrect.

The Transfermarkt figure includes Randolph at £4.3m, who was neither a summer signing nor – you'd have to suspect – a transfer that involved any outlay.

Remove him and you're back at £70m.

[peter49uk]

SH since tiny pic went tits up I cannot post a pic or a jif, can you tell me how you do it please

https://imgbb.com/ some are using this matey i believe

[El Brooko]

The £80 million figure is typical board spin. There is a big difference between investing £80 mill in the playing squad and financing a couple of higher profile transfers at the expense of a large number of your existing squad.

It drives me crazy that these liars and spin merchants have such a large voice and the rest of the footballing world pays no attention to the detail and really what they have done.

All you need is a couple of injuries and a big signing not to settle/perform and you are done...(which is what has happened).
Its another thing that annoys me about competing with the rest...

Teams like us get one shot at a big signing - it might work and it might not. Teams like Chelsea/city/man u buy 3 or 4 equivalent signings - one works out, the other 3 get shipped out (often to gullible smaller teams). Think of the number of forwards/wingers Chelsea got through to end up with hazard/willian/drogba etc. Their hit rate is probably worse than ours

[LeonRivers]

It’s too late, surely, for anyone good? If we’d done our business early on - straight after the new manager bounce - or after the Bournemouth win, we’d have a story to tell and something to sell the club to prospects.

But now? Any half decent player is going to avoid us like the plague. Even if (big if) we’re seriously in the market for the players we desperately need, it’s leftovers and scraps for us now.

Norwich signed Dean Ashton in January 2005, when they were in a similar position to this. It's nonsense that you can't sign prospects in our current position.

[Cellar-door]

It’s too late, surely, for anyone good? If we’d done our business early on - straight after the new manager bounce - or after the Bournemouth win, we’d have a story to tell and something to sell the club to prospects.

But now? Any half decent player is going to avoid us like the plague. Even if (big if) we’re seriously in the market for the players we desperately need, it’s leftovers and scraps for us now.

Personally, I’d be looking to see if there’s a kid or two from the under 23s we could throw in, just for a bit of pace and enthusiasm. Can’t do worse than what we’ve got.

Probably not too late, loans obviously, but also players who need time to get into Euros etc. would come, they'd just insist on a relegation release clause.

The U23 cupboard is very very bare in the positions we need. We have a CB in Cardoso who might be ready, and a few wingers but none at the level we need. CM and FB is basically a wasteland aside from Johnson who is constantly injured.

[il_martello_di_genovesi]

2 signings will lift the gloom? :lol:. Don’t think so.

[steveyrockstar]

Would you elaborate on the "we'll be cheaper" bit. Why?

Without quoting the article, the implication was that the club's value in the C'ship would be significantly less, thus (supposedly) making us more appealing to investors who would then have more money to spend on strengthening the squad.

I just got the feeling that if that's how Sullivan feels, he's probably thinking relegation opens us up to more buyers. No idea if that logic is correct!

[steveyrockstar]

Anthony Scully has 15 goals in 18 appearances. 5 assists too. Apparently he's a midfielder but I thought he had been playing up top.

He was converted into a striker this season and been on fire ever since. Not heard him talked about being close to the first-team though, and I think he's already 21.

[Het-Field]

The £80 million figure is typical board spin. There is a big difference between investing £80 mill in the playing squad and financing a couple of higher profile transfers at the expense of a large number of your existing squad.

And to be honest, I have no problem with a low net spend. There are countless historical examples of good minimal net spend, including our sale of John Hartson, which financed Di Canio, Foe and Minto (with about a million to spare). Liverpool have been recent masters at it, although spending high, they are generally selling players for high values too.

The difficulty is, Haller was financed effectively with the sale of Chich, Arnie and Perez which generated around £30 - £35 Million. He then moved in to Andy Carroll’s pay packet. Hence we really got one for the price of four (granted Arnie wanted out). Last season they scored something like 27 goals across all
Competitions. This made Haller a flat £10 Million signing or thereabouts. The money generated by selling Obiang and Fernandes also greatly reduced the Cost of Fornals, with combined wages offsetting any major increase. Roberto and Adrian was a free for a free, but probably on little more wage. Ajeti was an £8 Million deal which may not have been offset by much, but with Byram gone, more wages were freed up.

Our spend was not sensible and it limited our options. Extending on the sale of Kouyate in 2018, the squad was exceptionally reliant and on prominent members staying fit and in form. That includes the likes of Wilshere and Yarmalenko and Fredricks who suffered significant injuries last term. It also demanded Rice become the unwavering outstanding member of the team, without factoring in his age. Another assumption was that Anderson would just carry on from last term.

The high line figure is spend is correct, but the devil is in the detail. Where the money was spent, how the money was generated and who was relied upon in order to spend the money as it was deserved exceptional scrutiny.

[Cellar-door]

Without quoting the article, the implication was that the club's value in the C'ship would be significantly less, thus (supposedly) making us more appealing to investors who would then have more money to spend on strengthening the squad.

I just got the feeling that if that's how Sullivan feels, he's probably thinking relegation opens us up to more buyers. No idea if that logic is correct!

This seems legitimately crazy to me. Devaluing an asset to sell it for a lower profit? I guess maybe the argument is that he needs to sell quickly because of financial troubles elsewhere in his holdings and getting value is less important than closing a deal quickly? Even then though, he controls the sale, there is no reason he couldn't just take the same bid for a PL club as for the Championship, the league isn't going to block the sale because they think he didn't make a big enough profit.

[Cellar-door]

And to be honest, I have no problem with a low net spend.

Yeah, net spend can be fine at a low level if you have a plan.

Our biggest problem is that we want to sell mid-level and below players, but buy expensive players. If you do that you need to have a high net spend. If instead of Haller for example we had signed 3 players at 15M each, that would make sense. Instead what we do is gut the depth of the squad for a few high priced attacking players.... but those players then struggle because they are piecemealed into a poor squad that can't bring out their best.

[jacko]

The daves will never sell us to anyone decent. They will
Want to turn around in a few years and say, I told you so, you should have stuck with us.

[steps]

Dyer’s done another piece now pointing the finger at Pell and Husillos and their signings, saying they’re not good enough.

A tactic we’ve seen time and time again from DS.

[swash]

Dyer’s done another piece now pointing the finger at Pell and Husillos and their signings, saying they’re not good enough.

A tactic we’ve seen time and time again from DS.

Dyer is on the free apple pie list then

[peter49uk]

Just reading Moyes trying to off load Sanchez 1m, he will be lucky . (Hammers news who ever they are )

[steps]

Dyer is on the free apple pie list then

He is indeed.

[ageing hammer]

Just reading Moyes trying to off load Sanchez 1m, he will be lucky . (Hammers news who ever they are )

Thought we would have to pay at least 2 million to get rid of him

[sussexhammer74]

Are we interested in signing anyone?

Usually there are more "rumours" flying about? ITK's coming in and dropping little snippets.

It all seems too quiet or am I imagining it. Given the do-do we are in, you would have thought old Sully would be dropping more hints to his media pals that we are about to sign Messi, Ronaldo and John Stones!