The Next Transfer Window

Hamstew

I just read that Leicester got £200m for three players that cost just over £14m in the last 2 years.

Lukerz

Think Spurs have done some pretty solid business.

Close to signing Matt Doherty from Wolves for around £15m who is a very solid player. Add that to the CM from Southampton. Pretty good business by them.

whupathman

Lukerz said:

Think Spurs have done some pretty solid business.

Close to signing Matt Doherty from Wolves for around £15m who is a very solid player. Add that to the CM from Southampton. Pretty good business by them.

but they did sign Joe Hart, call it even

alderz

I’m amazed Wolves would sell Doherty that cheap

Edit: just checked and he has three years left on his contract. Absolute madness

Lukerz

Alderz - I have a feeling they kind of owe it to some of their players to not stand in the way if bigger clubs come in. They could demand £30m for him but Doherty has been a great servant for them back in their lower league days & they have quickly moved to pursue Maitland-Niles who, personal terms permitted, I expect they will sign.

alderz

I don’t understand that. Why do they owe it to him? Wolves and Spurs are at a similar level, IMO. And he chose to sign a deal til 2023

yoyo

Lukerz

alderz said:

I don’t understand that. Why do they owe it to him? Wolves and Spurs are at a similar level, IMO. And he chose to sign a deal til 2023

I get that but it doesn’t work like that.

It’s like Rice. He signed a deal only last year for 5 years but could easily end up at Chelsea in a couple of months. When bigger clubs come in for star players, contracts are irrelevant as we know. He is a solid player, not a spectacular player, so you are never gonna get £40m for him. £20m for a 28 year old RB who chips in with the odd goal is probably about right. I just feel Wolves have several players who, if they demanded top dollar for, would price them out of moves that may never come round again.

alderz

The point is though that the club don’t “owe” them a move, they “owe” them the contract they agreed and nothing more. If Doherty / Rice kicked off and wanted to leave then sure you look to sell them because you don’t need the rotten apple, but if they don’t then the contract stands.

I really never have understood this idea of a player being “owed” a move, like they’re doing their current club a favour by being paid £50k+ per week?

I also think the more that fans buy into the idea that certain players are owed this or that or deserve better, the more players think it and the more clubs go along with it.

Lukerz

🤔 not sure I agree 100%.

I think you can get into a mentality where a player is treated like an ‘asset’, & I don’t think that’s a healthy power relationship between club & player.

You can simplify it & say ‘Player X signed contract, player X stays unless we get ridiculous bid for player X or player X demands to leave’.

I think a healthier one is ‘Player X signs new contract to commit future to club & ensure we are well compensated in the case another club comes in for the player, should a club at the top end of the table make an offer, we are happy to part on good terms, knowing that the human side of the player will want to represent a bigger club & play at a higher level, & is it worth massively inflating the fee to stop that happening when player X has given 10 years service to the club’.

Personally, Wolves don’t do a lot wrong as a club, &
are a model to aspire to, so I would back them if they were to sell him for the sake of a few more extra million.

Maybe ‘owed’ was the wrong choice of word, but I think a club looking at a player as some financial asset is wrong.

ASLEFshrugged

alderz said:

Wolves and Spurs are at a similar level, IMO.

Really?

Apart from one season (1977-78) Spurs have been in the top flight since 1950 and they've qualified for Europe 12 seasons in a row.

Since 1965 Wolves have been yo-yoing between divisions, they've even dropped down to the third tier and have spent just six seasons in the Premier League.

Before last season Wolves hadn't played in a major European tournament since they got knocked out in the 1st round of the UEFA Cup by PSV Eindhoven in 1980.

This season Spurs will play in Europe and Wolves won't. Wolves might have been big in the 1950s but they've got a lot of catching up to do before they are at a similar level to Spurs.

OutcastLondoner

I think you can be more confident that Spurs will maintain this level than Wolves, who might not survive a manager change. Wolves are also at a peak right now, while Spurs have dipped compared to the last few years.

But that's still a low price. I'd think £20-25 for him with his performances over the last couple of seasons so that they could buy a replacement.

Lukerz

Equally, who is to say he wanted to stay, & Wolves have surprised him by entering talks with Spurs?

Hammerdublin

According to the Spanish football site as.com, Roberto has terminated his contract with West Ham Utd., so he can join Valladolid. I wonder if the contract has been terminated by mutual agreement or he had to buy himself out. There's nothing on the OS yet.

https://as.com/futbol/2020/08/26/primera/1598465568_984327.amp.html

ASLEFshrugged

More likely we paid him to leave...

IronHerb

You can't terminate your contract unilaterally, well you can but you probably won't get paid. The owning club hold the players registration until the contract expires so he wouldn't be able to play anywhere else.

IronHerb

According to Sam Inkersole Roberto is in the process of being transferred for an undisclosed fee.

Hammerdublin

IronHerb said:

You can't terminate your contract unilaterally, well you can but you probably won't get paid. The owning club hold the players registration until the contract expires so he wouldn't be able to play anywhere else.

So you think it has been done by mutual agreement then?

IronHerb

I think we have sold him, or are about to. Terminated his contract is probably a translational thing. If he's going it will be mutual.

alderz

ASLEFshrugged said:

alderz said:

Wolves and Spurs are at a similar level, IMO.

Really?

Apart from one season (1977-78) Spurs have been in the top flight since 1950 and they've qualified for Europe 12 seasons in a row.

Since 1965 Wolves have been yo-yoing between divisions, they've even dropped down to the third tier and have spent just six seasons in the Premier League.

Before last season Wolves hadn't played in a major European tournament since they got knocked out in the 1st round of the UEFA Cup by PSV Eindhoven in 1980.

This season Spurs will play in Europe and Wolves won't. Wolves might have been big in the 1950s but they've got a lot of catching up to do before they are at a similar level to Spurs.

Obviously not through history, but that isn't what I meant. They don't have as grand a history as Derby County or Nottingham Forest, but that doesn't mean Wolves aren't of a greater pulling power right now than those clubs.

The last two years they've been evenly matched, IMO. If I was Wolves I would certainly be looking at clubs like Spurs and thinking that that is the hurdle if I wanted to make the 'next level'.

Selling one of your better players on the cheap to a team that is a direct competitor is a weird decision.

IronHerb

Yeah, but they know Mourinho will spoil him.

Lukerz

Spurs will probably pay a substantially higher wage to a first choice RB, than Wolves will.

The wages normally are a pretty accurate reflection of club size.

Yeoldhammer

Wolves have had a shocker is they sell Doherty for only 15m. But they have had great recruitment the last 2 years so its not a big blow to them i am sure they will find an adequate or better replacement.

ASLEFshrugged

alderz said:

Obviously not through history, but that isn't what I meant. They don't have as grand a history as Derby County or Nottingham Forest, but that doesn't mean Wolves aren't of a greater pulling power right now than those clubs.

The last two years they've been evenly matched, IMO. If I was Wolves I would certainly be looking at clubs like Spurs and thinking that that is the hurdle if I wanted to make the 'next level'.

Selling one of your better players on the cheap to a team that is a direct competitor is a weird decision.

Eh? Wolves have plenty of history, they won the title three times in the 50s whereas Spurs and Derby have won it twice while Forest only once.

I don't know how you can say they're been evenly matched, this season was close but the season before Spurs finished 14pts ahead of Wolves. Wolves have only been in the Premier League for two seasons, we've seen promoted team do well before only to fall away; Blackburn were relegated four seasons after winning the title.

I agree selling Doherty is not a good idea but currently Spurs (or any of the Big 6) are a much better prospect than Wolves.

alderz

Maybe the point I'm making is getting away from me a bit here.

What I am trying to say, is that selling one of your best players from the past three seasons to a direct rival, for not a lot of money, in arguably the key position they need to strengthen, is poor business.

OutcastLondoner

I think, in short, it's not a bad bet for Doherty to make the move, it seems like a really bad move by Wolves to let him go to Spurs. Don't think there can be any doubt that Wolves should be seeing Spurs as one of the main teams they have to be targeted to overtake.

jay_in_cpt

You just know it's a slow day when all the talk is about a future Spurs player, or a fake goalkeeper....

Lukerz

Brentford agree free of £10m for Peterborough striker Ivan Toney.

Looks like Watkins is off somewhere...

PS - £10m for a League One striker!!! How did we only get £2.5m for Hugill!

WHU_Champo_league_in_7_years

Just looked him up, he was League 1 player of the year last season with 24 goals in 32 games

And hes only 24 and likely on small wages, so can warrant a bigger fee as his yearly cost is lower

Lukerz

Apparently Chelsea are prepared to sell N’Golo Kante to fund a bid for Declan Rice (Football Insider, Exclusive).

Surely not?