The January 2024 "Will we actually sign a striker or just Che Adams/Kieffer Moore" Transfer Thread

[Tony Towner]

What I mean is that there was a time when we were laughing at the idea of fees that ended up being more than we got for either.

Don't count your chickens, etc. etc.

I was going to come back on this, but then Jinky just proved your point

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Because there are so many variables you can't control, all you can hope/aim for is that the overall ledger balances up well enough. We didn't sign them all at the same time but most would say an outlay of ~£50m for Semedo, Lemina and Joao Gomes is pretty good. You have to balance up overpaying for Semedo (we obviously did, but he's fine to a point) for getting a bit of a steal elsewhere.

Us still being at least partially in hock to Mendes also has sway on what we do.

What you have to avoid are complete duds like Fabio, Guedes, Hoever and Cutrone. Total dead money is a serious sin in the FFP era. Guedes of course being the worst of them because we know he didn't want to be here and anyone who'd watched him at any length would have thought he was awful. A lot is made now of selling Academy players (or the likes of Kilman, signed slightly beyond that stage but was more or less free) because they give you 100% profit on the books. All well and good, so we sell MGW for a good price (I still think it was)....but we wasted it on complete wank.

 

[Alan]

I was going to come back on this, but then Jinky just proved your point

I think we're getting at the same idea from different angles.

 

[NicholasG1973]

I’m reminded of how much we thought we could/should get for Jota and Neves.

We got more for both of those two than we probably should have done.

 

[pr0sl0]

Also it's so easy to end up with seller's remorse.

You sell a young player for a fee that doesn't just reflect current ability but potential ability to. You visualise a line on a graph and think, "OK, so a mid-career player who can do X and Y now would be worth £30m, but he's young and on the upswing, that's gonna bump it to £40m, £45m, maybe more."

If you agree to the sale and the player does actually follow that trajectory and fulfill that promise then you're going to end up at best feeling wistful for what might have been, and at worst feeling like you got mugged. Jota's one of those.

But you could also turn the money down and then realise your rising star was merely going through a purple patch, and you've mugged yourself. Adama Traore was one of those.

Half the time - turning down the sale and watching your player develop as hoped, or making the sale and watching them fall flat on their face while you laugh to the bank - you're going to be happy, but half the time you're going to be very disappointed.

 

[Wilf Wolf]

Also he hasn't got the goal involvements that will really see his value surge?

Kante and Makele weren’t exactly ripping it up in the goals and assists stakes. Horses for courses and I think we’ve got a true thoroughbred on our hands.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I wouldn't be especially minded to swap him for Enzo Fernandez or Moises Caicedo who each cost £100m+. That doesn't equate to us getting the same or more money though.

I'm hoping for another two seasons after this one at Molineux for him, he's brilliant.

 

[sycophantia]

Kante and Makele weren’t exactly ripping it up in the goals and assists stakes. Horses for courses and I think we’ve got a true thoroughbred on our hands.

I think Gomes is already at least as good as those two on the ball, maybe better, I've said it before, him and Lemina are more than just destroyers.
There's improvement required from him, mainly in his consistency but he's already a very good Premier league CM.
35m would represent a massive profit after 12 months but I think it would be a bit premature, hopefully we can hold on to him for another 18 months at least.

 

[HanDoJin]

I wouldn't be especially minded to swap him for Enzo Fernandez or Moises Caicedo who each cost £100m+. That doesn't equate to us getting the same or more money though.

Indeed. Sadly, there's only so many exceptionally wealthy idiots

 

[Lycan]

I love Gomes but I don't think he's anywhere near where Caicedo was for Brighton or Enzo was for Benfica & Argentina.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

That pair are definitely suffering from being at Chelsea where I haven't got a clue what they're even trying to do as a club.

They also aren't worth £85m+ apiece more than we paid for Joao.

 

[Alan]

They both were bought for double (at least) what they should have cost, IMV. It's a comparison that will likely never do João any favors.

 

[North Shropshire Lad]

He's had some excellent games, but he's been anonymous in quite a few too.

I think gomes is one of those players that will split opinions based on whether you watch the game live or on television. The amount of selfless work he does is incredible, the ground he covers is amazing but neither can be truly appreciated from a TV picture that 90% of the time is focused on someone else.
Even fans in the ground like different types of players. A mate of min loves a flick, rabona and Cruyff turn regardless of what it leads to [Wolves version of MGW] whereas I would rather a player win the ball, advance with it and give it to a team mate in a better position [Gomes].

He is and will be worth way more than 35m euros.

 

[Lycan]

They also aren't worth £85m+ apiece more than we paid for Joao.

A fairer comparison would be the £4M Brighton paid for Caicedo from Independiente or the €18M Benfica paid River Plate for Enzo.

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

I think Gomes is already at least as good as those two [Makelele & Kante] on the ball, maybe better...

Blimey, that's a truly incredible claim! Come on now.

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

A mate of min loves a flick, rabona and Cruyff turn regardless of what it leads to [Wolves version of MGW] whereas I would rather a player win the ball, advance with it and give it to a team mate in a better position [Gomes].

I prefer the latter too.

 

[sycophantia]

Blimey, that's a truly incredible claim! Come on now.

Ok, maybe a bit over excited on my part, but I think he can be as good as both of them, two of my favourite Premier league players.

 

[Lycan]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1745915513786486864

 

[The Bear]

Basically £100k per week then. We won't pay him that either, but I imagine he'll get more money and exposure with us than in the Bundesliga.

 

[AndyWolves]

I'm not getting massive vibes that he really wants to come to wolves anyway