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

[Dire Wolf]

It almost feels like a lot of teams thought they could just keep kicking the can down the road and FFP would never really catch up with them. Everton getting the points deduction was a sharp dose of reality. It does beg the question why other teams are allowed to still kick the can down the road without impunity? Man City is probably because they have a legal team tying things in knots in court. Chelsea? Spreading the costs over long term deals to circumvent the rules?

I don't know how it works, but it certainly feels like FFP is being used against 'smaller' clubs and not the big teams, which in effect just helps make the gap between the haves and have nots even wider and actually destroys the concept of FFP. It actually makes it more difficult for teams to bridge that gap, when surely it should be there to help increase a level of parity.

 

[lemonjelly]

So just read the article which is via the Mail.

Sending thoughts & prayers

 

[AndyWolves]

We're being run like we're a company owned by an investment organisation, minimal outlay for maximum returns.

I reckon they looked at this season and decided we'd pretty much already achieved our aims and decided we didn't need to spend anymore.

They'll do the same in the summer when Neto goes and see how realistic staying up looks, knowing that theyve built up a reasonable contingency to be able to spend in January if they need to.

I think it's the result of having non football executives in charge rather than people who understand how football works

Even in Jeff's column he talks about computer games, I can't imagine any other CEO doing that (except for that crypto Muppet). I think that's where Jeff's passion lies, given his obsession with eSports too.

 

[Del Woppio]

I'm very impressed by people's on here understanding of the rules, completely outside my comfort zone.
What surprises me is that none of the rules are news, so why have clubs financial teams allowed them to get into this state? Or is it that everyone knows they've broken the rules but just thought fuck it, it'll only be a slap on the wrists?

Everton's problem wasn't just that they broke the rules, but that the PL told them they were going to break the spending rules and to make changes, and their strategy after that was to spend more money and make spurious claims for expenses to be disallowed.

Wolve have used Everton's punishment as a PR/comms strategy to excuse not supporting managers with spending money. It's basically given them a couple of years where they can shift eyes away from Fosun, but it'll catch up with them eventually

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

It almost feels like a lot of teams thought they could just keep kicking the can down the road and FFP would never really catch up with them. Everton getting the points deduction was a sharp dose of reality. It does beg the question why other teams are allowed to still kick the can down the road without impunity? Man City is probably because they have a legal team tying things in knots in court. Chelsea? Spreading the costs over long term deals to circumvent the rules?

I don't know how it works, but it certainly feels like FFP is being used against 'smaller' clubs and not the big teams, which in effect just helps make the gap between the haves and have nots even wider and actually destroys the concept of FFP. It actually makes it more difficult for teams to bridge that gap, when surely it should be there to help increase a level of parity.

Chelsea have 13 players who have contracts that expire in the next decade!

 

[Squeak]

We're being run like we're a company owned by an investment organisation, minimal outlay for maximum returns.

I reckon they looked at this season and decided we'd pretty much already achieved our aims and decided we didn't need to spend anymore.

They'll do the same in the summer when Neto goes and see how realistic staying up looks, knowing that theyve built up a reasonable contingency to be able to spend in January if they need to.

I think it's the result of having non football executives in charge rather than people who understand how football works

Even in Jeff's column he talks about computer games, I can't imagine any other CEO doing that (except for that crypto Muppet). I think that's where Jeff's passion lies, given his obsession with eSports too.

And for all that, when Fosun took over we'd all have gladly taken where we are today. Perhaps we got spoiled with too much too soon?

 

[PuntsWolf]

I don't know how it works, but it certainly feels like FFP is being used against 'smaller' clubs and not the big teams, which in effect just helps make the gap between the haves and have nots even wider and actually destroys the concept of FFP. It actually makes it more difficult for teams to bridge that gap, when surely it should be there to help increase a level of parity.

They all have commercial income that dwarfs ours. Add in higher crowds, higher prices, CL money, prize money and the ability to sell rejects at high prices and they’ve got a lot more room to manoeuvre. Just checked and city’s turnover was 4.5x ours. That a lot of extra room on wages and transfers!

 

[AndyWolves]

And for all that, when Fosun took over we'd all have gladly taken where we are today. Perhaps we got spoiled with too much too soon?

Yeah absolutely. And when PSR comes into force it'll be the way all clubs are run in that fashion anyway. As long as fosun let the club spend the money it generates I won't have too many complaints

 

[Dire Wolf]

They all have commercial income that dwarfs ours. Add in higher crowds, higher prices, CL money, prize money and the ability to sell rejects at high prices and they’ve got a lot more room to manoeuvre. Just checked and city’s turnover was 4.5x ours. That a lot of extra room on wages and transfers!

Which is why it widens the gap between the haves and have nots. The criteria for FFP has it built in. So maybe the FFP rules need to be changed to try to level the playing field. Except we all know that won't happen because as it is, is exactly how the big clubs want it. Their stranglehold can effectively never be broken. Look at how difficult it is even for a club like Newcastle. The FFP rules are, like officiating and VAR, absolute dung.

 

[Del Woppio]

And for all that, when Fosun took over we'd all have gladly taken where we are today. Perhaps we got spoiled with too much too soon?

Maybe Jeff shouldn't have spent three years saying that the long term plan is consistent European football, and breaking into the big six, and that Fosun are constantly asking if he needs more money invested into the club.

 

[AndyWolves]

Re: PSR. There will be some big clubs with money to burn on something if they're only allowed to spend up to 70% of their income on players.

 

[pavlosmacwolf]

Maybe Jeff shouldn't have spent three years saying that the long term plan is consistent European football, and breaking into the big six, and that Fosun are constantly asking if he needs more money invested into the club.

Forgive me this is all greek to me, but doesnt ffp mean fosun cant just pop up and put money in the club whenever

 

[Del Woppio]

Forgive me this is all greek to me, but doesnt ffp mean fosun cant just pop up and put money in the club whenever

They can cover losses of £35m per year. They can invest in many areas, such as academy, stadium and commercial offerings, and those investments don't count to FFP, but the resulting income *can* be spent.

 

[Squeak]

Maybe Jeff shouldn't have spent three years saying that the long term plan is consistent European football, and breaking into the big six, and that Fosun are constantly asking if he needs more money invested into the club.

He didn't say how long the long term plan was though did he? And, when he said it, I don't think he fully understood how FFP would restrict such ambition and how far ahead in terms of turnover certain clubs are. Sure, you can use it as a rope to hang him with if you like, but I'm pretty sure he knows a whole lot more about running a football club in the elite league in England than when Fosun took over in the Championship. Fans whinge about how unfair it is for the top clubs to have such a competitive advantage yet are also quick to attack those who invest in an attempt to improve their clubs.

 

[Haggstone]

Maybe Jeff shouldn't have spent three years saying that the long term plan is consistent European football, and breaking into the big six, and that Fosun are constantly asking if he needs more money invested into the club.

Well we hit the periphery of that inside four years but then fell back again because its near as damn it impossible for a club like wolves to sustain that. Wolves have a natural level, we are at that level. We have followed football long enough to know this, that's what forms my expectation. Not what Geoff said over five years ago.

What does concern me though is not so much our league standing, it's the lack of investment in the clubs infrastructure. Stand still there and its only a matter of time before we are back in the champ again long term. That's what disappoints me about our current owners.

 

[Kenny]

, but I'm pretty sure he knows a whole lot more about running a football club

He is the reason we got ourselves in the situation where we are having to bargain hunt by sanctioning Mendes deals that. never should have happened and becoming our chief scout and signing Silva because he was convinced he had found the next Ronaldo/Messi.

Best thing he has done since we got promoted is demote himself to the chief bullshit writer in the E&S

 

[Squeak]

He is the reason we got ourselves in the situation where we are having to bargain hunt by sanctioning Mendes deals that. never should have happened and becoming our chief scout and signing Silva because he was convinced he had found the next Ronaldo/Messi.

Best thing he has done since we got promoted is demote himself to the chief bullshit writer in the E&S

Damned if he does. Damned if he doesn't.
Take it you were quite happy with the other signings that worked out well?

 

[Kenny]

Damned if he does. Damned if he doesn't.
Take it you were quite happy with the other signings that worked out well?

Initially he had football people around him and its not a surprise that things started to go to shit as they left and replaced them with....himself.
Not a case of damned if he does or doesn't it was a case of man letting his ego run riot.
Things have started to return to normality since he started to put football people back in those positions...allbeit they are having to work under very tight restrictions.

The Jeff we had the start was fine, he was there for Fosun to build a brand but he got ahead of himself and decided he knew it all and at that point Mendes started to take the piss - Lage in. Finally got Guedes into the club on his 3rd or 4th attempt etc
Zero chance we make money or stand up to the shite pulled by Nunes if Jeff was still in total control (in my opinion of course).

If Jeff can return himself to being the chairman that does his work behind the scenes and tries to connect with the fans etc, good stuff. All happy but our current situation is down to him

For the record, I am not a Fosun hater, don't particularly want them out of the club and I liked pre-Covid Jeff.

 

[Squeak]

Initially he had football people around him and its not a surprise that things started to go to shit as they left and replaced them with....himself.
Not a case of damned if he does or doesn't it was a case of man letting his ego run riot.
Things have started to return to normality since he started to put football people back in those positions...allbeit they are having to work under very tight restrictions.

The Jeff we had the start was fine, he was there for Fosun to build a brand but he got ahead of himself and decided he knew it all and at that point Mendes started to take the piss - Lage in. Finally got Guedes into the club on his 3rd or 4th attempt etc
Zero chance we make money or stand up to the shite pulled by Nunes if Jeff was still in total control (in my opinion of course).

If Jeff can return himself to being the chairman that does his work behind the scenes and tries to connect with the fans etc, good stuff. All happy but our current situation is down to him

For the record, I am not a Fosun hater, don't particularly want them out of the club and I liked pre-Covid Jeff.

Sorry but I don't agree that Jeff thought he knew it all. He may have decided to step in more and get more involved in player recruitment but he has the right to do that. OK, one or two poor signings later and it's easy to blame him but what strikes me is that he saw the errors and changed strategy. That is the sign of a someone who actually does know what they are doing and is prepared to listen to others.

I guess this is the folly of the football fan. Always needs a negative, always needs someone to blame and always wants to see money spent on new players. If we had achieved European football more often than one season, I guess some would be fuming that we weren't in the Champions League. It's never ending.

 

[Kenny]

I am probably one of the least negative fans.
Generally avoid getting involved with looking at everything with a negative viewpoint.
Might occasionally attempt humour using the negative views of others...rarely lands though.

Said in the summer I was happy Jeff had seen the error of his ways but the not replacing Dalrymple or Kevvy T was a huge error and he doubled down on it.
We were always going to have to accept the negative side of the Mendes set up but in that spell we became just another cog in Jorges attempt to move money around because we gave him the opportunity.
Look it at any way you want but having to sell anything that moved and then look around for bargain basement deals for at least 2 windows happened under the period where his total control had gone wrong.

You don't agree and that's fine but we put ourselves in the situation we are in and one person has their finger prints all over it.

Hopefully next summer Jeff carries doing what he is currently doing and gives Hobbs a decent number + player sales to work with.