Summer Transfer Window (2024/25)

[abdulaziz1]

14 minutes ago, paul514 said:

The mail has run a story saying we have to sell players for FFP.....

Probably made up but worth reporting on here

Maybe the get confused by the fact of having to sell to buy rather than selling just for FFP (it’s all related to FFP, but it can still be sustained without selling main players and without big buys).

[Rich192]

There has been no rumours for this at all, this is merely my suggestion. But I think we could do a lot worse than resign O’Hare on a free this summer as a squad player. He’s been brilliant for Cov, wouldn’t cost much money, and would count as a homegrown player for Europe. Thoughts?

[CVByrne]

6 hours ago, abdulaziz1 said:

Maybe the get confused by the fact of having to sell to buy rather than selling just for FFP (it’s all related to FFP, but it can still be sustained without selling main players and without big buys).

Exactly, we can't spend the kind of money we did last summer without making some profit from player sales. Which is fine and makes sense.

If you look at our squad there aren't really any gaps. There are players we may want to improve on but that would mean selling and replacing. Take Cash for example.

I think Dendoncker leaving and being replaced. Cash leaving and being replaced. Zaniolo leaving and being replaced. Lenglet leaving and being replaced. 

Sanson, Digne, Hause, Chambers leaving but not needing to be replaced as we have younger players brought in. 

[JAMAICAN-VILLAN]

29 minutes ago, Rich192 said:

There has been no rumours for this at all, this is merely my suggestion. But I think we could do a lot worse than resign O’Hare on a free this summer as a squad player. He’s been brilliant for Cov, wouldn’t cost much money, and would count as a homegrown player for Europe. Thoughts?

He looks like he's become an absolute Unit since he's left as well.

[allani]

7 hours ago, paul514 said:

The mail has run a story saying we have to sell players for FFP.....

Probably made up but worth reporting on here

I would be surprised if there is a single PL team that doesn't sell someone this summer.

[Tomaszk]

7 hours ago, paul514 said:

The mail has run a story saying we have to sell players for FFP.....

Probably made up but worth reporting on here

Don't forget now. 

In the club's own words.

Quote

There is no such thing as "FFP decisions"

 

[Jas10]

I’d rather sign no one and keep our key players than sell one or two to fund buys (while weakening ourselves in the short term).

I really don’t believe that the scenario is that tight or difficult though… we have enough “cast offs” or dispensable players that we can generate some funds from.

We don’t need loads of signings either, one or two key additions would make us stronger along with a fully fit squad and more to come from certain individuals…

We have a great base and plenty of potential… players who’ve been injured and need to discover form or improve too…

Losing someone like Emi (irreplaceable),

Luiz (absolutely crucial to us, just see Unai’s comments, he makes us tick, key to how we play),

Watkins (top CF, hard to replace, signed a new contract, committed - going nowhere)…

even Ramsey (so much more to come, brilliant last season)

and McGinn (we would lose too much, very difficult to replace personality/character/leadership and it’s usually players that have been with us a while who grow into such roles or develop those characteristics.)

(Same for Emi, it’s not just what they bring on the pitch. Having good, strong characters and leaders in the team is essential)

would set us back hugely and make things much more difficult, at least in the short term…

I don’t think we will sell such players UNLESS a huge offer (difficult to turn down, but how likely is that?) arrives… and there aren’t many clubs that have such freedom to spend now either…

I’m comforted by Unai’s words:

Quote

"We are trying to keep to financial fair play while holding on to the best players in our squad," Emery admitted. "But of course we are not closed off to selling someone if a very good offer comes in.

"And it gives us the possibility to improve our FFP position. But we are going to work with respect to the rules. However we must be sure we do not lose our potential as a team - even if we have to sell some players.

"It is dangerous sometimes when you sell some players just to have money in your pocket. Because then, maybe, you are not being patient and maybe it will be difficult to replace them while remaining successful.

"You need to be clinical with that money. This is the reason I prefer to believe first in the players we have. Of course, we are going to accept and respect the FFP rules - we get it. We are going to be intelligent and smart and demanding. We are not going to lose our potential to keep improving."

Especially this part:

It is dangerous sometimes when you sell some players just to have money in your pocket. Because then, maybe, you are not being patient and maybe it will be difficult to replace them while remaining successful

People and journos have interpreted these comments in different ways… I believe we won’t sell anyone important unless a huge offer arrives and the player is interested.

Unai has already been vocal about keeping and believing in Ramsey too. 

Tbh, I find the talk of selling important players unpleasant and annoying… we’re not going to shoot ourselves in the foot when we are flying so high… our best season in decades… in the best hands and with our best ever manager. We are not going to go backwards…

Edited March 2 by Jas10

[ferguson1]

11 minutes ago, Jas10 said:

I’d rather sign no one and keep our key players than sell one or two to fund buys (while weakening ourselves in the short term).

I really don’t believe that the scenario is that tight or difficult though… we have enough “cast offs” or dispensable players that we can generate some funds from.

We don’t need loads of signings either, one or two key additions would make us stronger along with a fully fit squad and more to come from certain individuals…

We have a great base and plenty of potential… players who’ve been injured and need to discover from it improve too…

Losing someone like Emi (irreplaceable),

Luiz (absolutely crucial to us, just see Unai’s comments, he makes us tick, key to how we play),

Watkins (top CF, hard to replace, signed a new contract, committed - going nowhere)…

even Ramsey (so much more to come, brilliant last season)

and McGinn (we would lose too much, very difficult to replace personality/character/leadership and it’s usually players that have been with us a while who grow into such roles or develop those characteristics.)

(Same for Emi, it’s not just what they bring on the pitch. Having good, strong characters and leaders in the team is essential)

would set us back hugely and make things much more difficult, at least in the short term…

I don’t think we will sell such players UNLESS a huge offer (difficult to turn down, but how likely is that?) arrives… and there aren’t many clubs that have such freedom to spend now either…

I’m comforted by Unai’s words:

Especially this part:

It is dangerous sometimes when you sell some players just to have money in your pocket. Because then, maybe, you are not being patient and maybe it will be difficult to replace them while remaining successful

People and journos have interpreted these comments in different ways… I believe we won’t sell anyone important unless a huge offer arrives and the player is interested.

Unai has already been vocal about keeping and believing in Ramsey too.

Tbh, I find the talk of selling important players unpleasant and annoying… we’re not going to shoot ourselves in the foot when we are flying so high… our best season in decades… in the best hands and with our best ever manager. We are not going to go backwards…

I agree with most of your post and would also be disappointed to lose a key player. Perhaps we can box clever in the transfer market though and still sign one or two “free” transfers, whilst selling/releasing one or two? Kamara and Tielemans have been fantastic free transfers.

Hopefully we can find ways of wheeling and dealing without getting ourselves into financial trouble? The key surely is Champions League football and the rewards that come with it? So much extra revenue.

[Jas10]

I think the main signing we will look to make in the summer is a DM… beyond that, not much if a player like Nedeljkovic can step up and be integrated. Otherwise, a RB too. What else do we need and can we afford beyond that?
 

Players we could sell and replace without hurting our team in future imo:

Digne

Cash

Olsen

Chambers

Hause

Carlos? Replaced with a younger player and less injury prone perhaps.

Kesler?

Archer, returns from Sheff Utd at end of season. Sell (but who would pay such a fee?)

If Duran really wants out… we may as well sell for a good deal. Obv I’d prefer him to stick around and be part of our future though. Need to resolve whatever is going on…

Tielemans? Wouldn’t want to sell but… one we could make a big profit on and wouldn’t hurt as much as selling someone like Luiz. If FFP really is such a big issue… but, again, depends on offers… 

Loan players returning to clubs: 

Lenglet

Zaniolo

Loan players we need to sell:

Coutinho - got to get him offloaded permanently.

Sanson (Nice move should be made permanent)

Dendoncker (need to find a buyer)

So we can make and save money with these players.

Then we have the following returning to boost our squad:

Returning from injury:

Mings

Buendia

Kamara

Returning from loan:

Nedeljkovic 

Sousa

Chrisene

I’ve probably missed a few I can’t recall off the top of my head.

The squad should still be good enough to compete as long as we hang on to our important players. Qualifying for CL or even EL should boost our finances too as well as the off the pitch factors such as new shirt manufacturer and sponsors, changes to stadium, revenue streams etc.

[Jas10]

11 minutes ago, ferguson1 said:

I agree with most of your post and would also be disappointed to lose a key player. Perhaps we can box clever in the transfer market though and still sign one or two “free” transfers, whilst selling/releasing one or two? Kamara and Tielemans have been fantastic free transfers.

Hopefully we can find ways of wheeling and dealing without getting ourselves into financial trouble? The key surely is Champions League football and the rewards that come with it? So much extra revenue.

Absolutely, we will continue to wheel and deal. Picking up quality players on expiring deals is a great strategy as we have already seen.

Monchi and Unai will pursue a combination of value and high quality/potential, I’m sure of it.

I just don’t know how much we can afford or whether we can splash out on key additions or upgrades but surely qualifying for CL would enable us to do that or make at least one signing like that…

Again, we don’t require multiple signings. Best to keep our core imo.

Edited March 2 by Jas10

[allani]

29 minutes ago, Jas10 said:

I think the main signing we will look to make in the summer is a DM… beyond that, not much if a player like Nedeljkovic can step up and be integrated. Otherwise, a RB too. What else do we need and can we afford beyond that?
 

Players we could sell and replace without hurting our team in future imo:

Digne

Cash

Olsen

Chambers

Hause

Carlos? Replaced with a younger player and less injury prone perhaps.

Kesler?

Archer, returns from Sheff Utd at end of season. Sell (but who would pay such a fee?)

If Duran really wants out… we may as well sell for a good deal. Obv I’d prefer him to stick around and be part of our future though. Need to resolve whatever is going on…

Tielemans? Wouldn’t want to sell but… one we could make a big profit on and wouldn’t hurt as much as selling someone like Luiz. If FFP really is such a big issue… but, again, depends on offers… 

Loan players returning to clubs: 

Lenglet

Zaniolo

Loan players we need to sell:

Coutinho - got to get him offloaded permanently.

Sanson (Nice move should be made permanent)

Dendoncker (need to find a buyer)

So we can make and save money with these players.

Then we have the following returning to boost our squad:

Returning from injury:

Mings

Buendia

Kamara

Returning from loan:

Nedeljkovic 

Sousa

Chrisene

I’ve probably missed a few I can’t recall off the top of my head.

The squad should still be good enough to compete as long as we hang on to our important players. Qualifying for CL or even EL should boost our finances too as well as the off the pitch factors such as new shirt manufacturer and sponsors, changes to stadium, revenue streams etc.

I think Digne will impact our team much more than some people seem to - he and Moreno offer really good options at LB depending on the opposition and is one place where the overall quality doesn't drop depending on who plays.

I would be surprised in Sousa and Chrisene don't go out on loan again (at least until the New Year).

But in general I agree with most of what you say.

[allani]

1 hour ago, allani said:

I would be surprised if there is a single PL team that doesn't sell someone this summer.

Also I see that there's now also some media chat about Spurs possibly having to sell.  I can't think why rumours about potential issues at Villa and Spurs are suddenly circulating given their position in the league in respect to a certain other club. 

[Jas10]

1 minute ago, allani said:

I think Digne will impact our team much more than some people seem to - he and Moreno offer really good options at LB depending on the opposition and is one place where the overall quality doesn't drop depending on who plays.

I would be surprised in Sousa and Chrisene don't go out on loan again (at least until the New Year).

But in general I agree with most of what you say.

I don’t disagree with you and I’m not desperate to sell anyone other than the players we’ve sent out on loan that we couldn’t organise permanent deals for or those that we struggled to sort either option on.

Yeah I think you’re right on the loans too, I was just pointing out the options and personnel.

My main point is that I don’t want us to lose anyone important and don’t believe we need to or that it would actually benefit us if we did. Would do more harm than good imo.

I don’t believe the FFP talk or scaremongering either, I still think we have capacity for signings but maybe not “big” ones…

 

The thing with Digne is his age and wages, we’d be foolish NOT to sell if a reasonable offer came in because he is kind of a luxury in that sense. We do need to offload him asap because he is overpaid and won’t be able to sustain performance levels (esp relative to that expense) for many more seasons… if he could agree to a drop in wages that would be fine but highly unlikely…

We have been foolish in the past for putting players on long contracts and high wages and then struggling to offload them, especially the ageing ones… we really need to find a buyer for Coutinho.

[Jas10]

On a more positive note… I wonder to what degree we have “raised our profile” in the sense that we are more noticeable, more of an attractive proposition and a favoured destination for some top players out there… we will have turned heads and many are aware of Unai’s pedigree, quality, experience and achievements.

We’ve been on such a positive trajectory, I’m sure many players would love to join in on our journey… it’s an exciting and ambitious place to be…

The style of football we play is so exciting and enjoyable too… it’s a great place to enjoy your game, learn and develop..

Welcome to the Unaiversity…

[allani]

7 minutes ago, Jas10 said:

I don’t disagree with you and I’m not desperate to sell anyone other than the players we’ve sent out on loan that we couldn’t organise permanent deals for or those that we struggled to sort either option on.

Yeah I think you’re right on the loans too, I was just pointing out the options and personnel.

My main point is that I don’t want us to lose anyone important and don’t believe we need to or that it would actually benefit us if we did. Would do more harm than good imo.

I don’t believe the FFP talk or scaremongering either, I still think we have capacity for signings but maybe not “big” ones…

 

The thing with Digne is his age and wages, we’d be foolish NOT to sell if a reasonable offer came in because he is kind of a luxury in that sense. We do need to offload him asap because he is overpaid and won’t be able to sustain performance levels (esp relative to that expense) for many more seasons… if he could agree to a drop in wages that would be fine but highly unlikely…

We have been foolish in the past for putting players on long contracts and high wages and then struggling to offload them, especially the ageing ones… we really need to find a buyer for Coutinho.

I think you previously highlighted the key comment from Emery earlier.  They sounded like the words of someone who was expecting the core of his team to stay in place and echoes similar sentiments expressed by other senior club officials.  Obviously they can't say "we're definitely not selling anyone" or "we have to sell some of our best players this summer" but the way he spoke sounded (to me anyway) that he thought the former of those was closer to the likely reality than the latter.

[allani]

6 minutes ago, Jas10 said:

On a more positive note… I wonder to what degree we have “raised our profile” in the sense that we are more noticeable, more of an attractive proposition and a favoured destination for some top players out there… we will have turned heads and many are aware of Unai’s pedigree, quality, experience and achievements.

We’ve been on such a positive trajectory, I’m sure many players would love to join in on our journey… it’s an exciting and ambitious place to be…

The style of football we play is so exciting and enjoyable too… it’s a great place to enjoy your game, learn and develop..

Welcome to the Unaiversity…

100%.  I think a lot of players and agents will have looked at the way we play,  the way that Emery has developed players and the opportunity that players have to shine within the way we play and will have us high on their list of good clubs to go to - almost irrespective of whether we qualify for the CL or not.  CL qualification would be the cherry on the cake for sure.

On the flip side I think it will be interesting - my gut feel is that Emery and Monchi won't go near players who will "only" join us if we qualify for the CL.  So I see qualification as less about allowing us to target more players and more about making our proposition even more attractive to players who we're already targetting.  (I'm not sure I have explained that brilliantly)

[Jas10]

7 minutes ago, allani said:

100%.  I think a lot of players and agents will have looked at the way we play,  the way that Emery has developed players and the opportunity that players have to shine within the way we play and will have us high on their list of good clubs to go to - almost irrespective of whether we qualify for the CL or not.  CL qualification would be the cherry on the cake for sure.

On the flip side I think it will be interesting - my gut feel is that Emery and Monchi won't go near players who will "only" join us if we qualify for the CL.  So I see qualification as less about allowing us to target more players and more about making our proposition even more attractive to players who we're already targetting.  (I'm not sure I have explained that brilliantly)

I still want Zaniolo to shine and, if he does, stick around then maybe get his mate Chiesa on board

I know, it’s fantasy… I’m dreaming… but I would love it!

Sadly, it looks like the Nico boat has sailed… he’s not getting enough time on the pitch either… dunno if there is still time for him to make an impact… maybe in ECL…

-

Yeah I get you, I would hope that there are players and agents who look at our general future (and, again, trajectory) as quite positive and are not just focussed about what we achieve this season. Unai has built something that can last and given us a clear identity and style, that can develop and evolve… we can genuinely become a threat to the established order if we can keep our core and keep developing… we can become one of the top sides in Europe… I don’t think it’s crazy to imagine something like that… but it will take time and a bit of luck…

[Hank Scorpio]

We will be selling at least one first team player for sure. Ramsey or Luiz maybe. Anyone who rejects the idea of that is living in some kind of fantasy land.

It's a matter of who. I guess Ramsey is the easiest to replace overall but we would get more for Luiz, then again Ramsey is pure profit. 

Either way not going to be fun.

[Hank Scorpio]

54 minutes ago, Jas10 said:

I don’t disagree with you and I’m not desperate to sell anyone other than the players we’ve sent out on loan that we couldn’t organise permanent deals for or those that we struggled to sort either option on.

Yeah I think you’re right on the loans too, I was just pointing out the options and personnel.

My main point is that I don’t want us to lose anyone important and don’t believe we need to or that it would actually benefit us if we did. Would do more harm than good imo.

I don’t believe the FFP talk or scaremongering either, I still think we have capacity for signings but maybe not “big” ones…

 

The thing with Digne is his age and wages, we’d be foolish NOT to sell if a reasonable offer came in because he is kind of a luxury in that sense. We do need to offload him asap because he is overpaid and won’t be able to sustain performance levels (esp relative to that expense) for many more seasons… if he could agree to a drop in wages that would be fine but highly unlikely…

We have been foolish in the past for putting players on long contracts and high wages and then struggling to offload them, especially the ageing ones… we really need to find a buyer for Coutinho.

Mate we have made gigantic losses. Our revenue is tiny compared to the teams around us. One of Luiz, Ramsey, Martinez or Watkins will go.

It's just reality. Don't do it and we will get deducted points.

[villarule123]

3 minutes ago, Hank Scorpio said:

We will be selling at least one first team player for sure. Ramsey or Luiz maybe. Anyone who rejects the idea of that is living in some kind of fantasy land.

It's a matter of who. I guess Ramsey is the easiest to replace overall but we would get more for Luiz, then again Ramsey is pure profit. 

Either way not going to be fun.

OK Chris