21 Jun 2026 10:47:36
Transfer prices are rocketing this summer, Diomande quoted at £112m. Newcastle turn down £80m for Tonali, Add on the agent fees and taxes and that is serious investment, maybe our stockpiling of potential might turn out to be a good move after all. Too many out there having a knock before the full picture unfolds.
1.) 21 Jun 2026
21 Jun 2026 13:00:01
Greenaway, according to some, we have "blown" £1.5bn ish. Still makes me laugh.
I hope we never find out how much a player is worth in the market, as I want them all to be successful and we never sell them. If only!!
2.) 21 Jun 2026
21 Jun 2026 13:20:58
Remind me again, Tom, where we finished last season?
3.) 21 Jun 2026
21 Jun 2026 13:25:42
Some of our signings will have added value, but those are the ones we should keep. Can't see any profit on players like Jorgensen, Garnacho, Gittens, Delap, Fofana etc.
4.) 21 Jun 2026
21 Jun 2026 13:53:32
Bill, we finished where we finished last season because we lost Maresca, but let's just drop that one now.
5.) 21 Jun 2026
21 Jun 2026 14:10:07
The term "blown" suggested the players must have "zero" value.
Some players will create a profit if ever sold and some will not.
We all judge player values differently and as fans we often forget any accrued loan fees.
I personally think we will show a profit on Delap and eventually Gittens, if we decide to sell. I wouldn't have a clue about the current book value of Fofana. I think Garnacho and, surprisingly, Jorgensen will both go out on loan.
6.) 21 Jun 2026
21 Jun 2026 15:19:01
100% correct, Tom, those who choose to use terms like "blown" are generally looking for clicks or have agendas. The investment in a player is only realised on the sale of said player at some point, which was my original point. We have stock piled a lot of promising young talent at generally reasonable prices, bar the odd exception.
Take Jackson as an example, purchased for around £32 million, had one loan fee of £15 million, would likely sell for well in excess of £17 million, and yet I have seen numerous comments about money being "blown" on him. The list goes on.
7.) 21 Jun 2026
21 Jun 2026 16:06:57
While we still had Maresca, we were 5th and 15 points behind Arsenal, and had hit bad form. Replacing him with Rosenior was idiocy, but Maresca wanted out and, frankly, put himself well ahead of caring about the club.
Far too early to know what our squad will finally look like after the window closes, but losing Cucurella is not a great start.
But, like others, I am hoping Alonso can be given the players he needs and wants for us to get Champions League qualification again this season. It already seems an age since we won it in 2021 under Tuchel and Abramovich.
8.) 21 Jun 2026
21 Jun 2026 16:13:26
Personally, Greenaway, I would give Jackson another chance. I think there is a player in there, and Palmer would be happy to see him back.
I agree Maresca running out on the club destabilised us, but the SDs/owners did not help our cause by employing Rosenior, who was definitely not ready for a gig like ours.
On the players' front, we have some really talented youngsters that I hope Alonso can mould into a winning team.
With the amount of players we bought, there were obviously some that would not make it, but I believe we are selling for decent prices.
The team that has done well so far this window is Spurs. They have stabilised their backline for £52mil.
9.) 21 Jun 2026
21 Jun 2026 16:27:25
I agree with you, Bill. We do have some very talented young players and now a very talented manager who played at the very highest level, toppled the mighty Bayern Munich in a one-team league, and gained good experience dealing with egocentric players and owners in Madrid.
With the addition of 3 or 4 top players, I can see us challenging hard for the Premier League, something we haven't done in 10 years, 6 under Roman and 4 under Blue.co.
10.) 21 Jun 2026
21 Jun 2026 16:27:47
It is a matter of opinion if we have blown money on players. We have certainly spent money and wages on players who aren't up to standard. I'm not that fussed about that argument. I am more concerned about the players' contribution on the field, rather than the fee or wages.
However, if you are looking at value for money, Eden tops the list. He gave us joy on the pitch. We bought him for £32 million, and with the add-ons we got around £120 million from Madrid. That's what I call a bargain!
11.) 21 Jun 2026
21 Jun 2026 17:48:29
Sad that football has reached a point where we judge a player on book value and amortisation as opposed to actual performance.
12.) 21 Jun 2026
21 Jun 2026 17:54:49
Just thinking about the goalkeeper situation. I will be p**sed off if Sanchez starts as No 1 next season. There are links to Costa, but I doubt it will happen. If it did, where does that leave Penders? Alternatively, we could go for a short term solution by signing someone like Ter Stegen or Sommers on a short term contract, and let them fight it out with Penders for the No 1 spot.
13.) 21 Jun 2026
21 Jun 2026 17:57:07
I'm with you there, Jimbo. What a player Hazard was, and what a bargain too. I remember, at the time, moaning pundits and punters saying we had only got him because no one else would pay his agent's fees! They were all left with egg on their faces, with the joy and trophies he delivered for us.
14.) 21 Jun 2026
21 Jun 2026 19:01:16
Jimbo, what does "blown" mean? Is it what they cost or how they perform?
Cucarella looked like a very poor investment for a season. We got a further three seasons of tremendous playing performances, and then, apparently, a book profit when he decided to leave for family reasons.
We have different valuations about players
When we sign them, and then when we might see them.
As far as salaries are concerned, I believe our club has changed more of its player salaries towards PRP.
I think that was a sound move by our current owners. My guess is our average player basic salary is lower than at other clubs.
I think players have always been judged by fans on a value for money basis for a period of their club playing career. If they are performing well, it's hardly ever mentioned. Play badly, and it's a heavy burden for some players to carry.
15.) 21 Jun 2026
21 Jun 2026 19:23:52
Tom, I didn't use the term "blown," I referred to the contributions by players on the pitch. If you believe players like Lavia, Fofana, Delap, Gittens, Garnacho, Gusto, etc. have contributed on the pitch, you are entitled to your opinion, but we still have the 5th highest wages bill in the Premier League to finish 10th.
16.) 21 Jun 2026
21 Jun 2026 20:05:14
Jimbo, I deliberately didn't post the poster's name who consistently uses the term "blown" when referring to our transfer spend.
I have "never" mentioned any player's contribution on the pitch while referencing their reported transfer fee. I learned a valuable lesson when Cucarella proved me totally wrong about his abilities.
My reference to our wage bill was, as I understand it, more the owners including more performance clauses than there had been in the past, while being aware that performance clauses are in virtually all footballers' contracts.
Us now being the 5th highest salary payers in the Premiership is interesting, but given what I have been reading over recent seasons, I would assume we were recently close to the top salary payers. If that is the case, I see it as a move in the right direction. It will also be interesting to see if the player salary levels reflect us finishing 10th in next season's reported accounts.
17.) 21 Jun 2026
21 Jun 2026 20:31:10
I would consider the right direction as competing for trophies.
18.) 21 Jun 2026
21 Jun 2026 21:05:39
Jimbo, that would be nice, and as usual, I will start next season full of optimism, but as I've said before, the majority of my 60 plus years of supporting the mighty Blues has been disappointing.
Of course, we did get to a domestic cup semi and final last season, so I suppose in a small way we did compete for some trophies.
19.) 22 Jun 2026
22 Jun 2026 10:03:49
We only got that far in the domestic cups because we had easy draws until the final and semi; I don't regard that as competing in any way.
20.) 22 Jun 2026
22 Jun 2026 11:56:56
As I said, "in a small way."
21.) 22 Jun 2026
22 Jun 2026 14:14:06
We just finished 10th in year 4. We had a UCL winning squad in year 0. That's why I use the term blown. I think we'd be a better team if we used the squad we had.
22.) 22 Jun 2026
22 Jun 2026 15:09:10
I think a lot of supporters believe that that the initial player signings were done in haste. If I remember correctly the much missed Ed002 said that the owners had acknowledged there mistake.
In my opinion player changes were well overdue and of course over any four year period regardless of owners, changes would have happened.
My view is we have some very talented players. With one exception the players signed last summer did not perform and that along with the manager changes, in my opinion, meant we took a step backwards.
I am now looking forward to a new manager with fresh ideas coaching our still young squad. I honestly think we will see a positive change in short order.
23.) 22 Jun 2026
22 Jun 2026 17:08:48
I mean, is there any point in acknowledging your mistake and then doing it again for 4 years? Hopefully, maybe now, at least lessons have been learned.
24.) 22 Jun 2026
22 Jun 2026 17:43:07
The first season our new owners took over, I had zero expectations. I looked at other clubs under new ownership and the vast majority of them seemed to struggle for "several" seasons after taking over.
The second season under our owners, I thought we would finish between 6th-8th. So, I was just reasonably happy that slow progress had been made and we had finished at the top end of my expectations.
Following on from that season, I expected further improvement and had us finishing 4th-6th with a pot in the trophy cabinet. Again, we exceeded my expectations.
Last season, I expected more improvement and hoped for a 2nd-4th finish and a good run in the CL. Obviously, I'm bitterly disappointed with how last season worked out.
New players not performing to the standard I expected and a manager leaving mid season didn't help, but the really bad decision was to appoint LR. The SDs and owners, as always, have to take full responsibility for that error of judgment.
I am obviously not happy with last season's outcome, but the previous seasons were about what I expected.
I expect us to finish in the top four next season. As I've said before, I do expect the clean up of our squad to continue with at least 8 players leaving. We already have some previously signed players coming in but I expect us to sign three more players. I think we will sign an experienced CH, a RB/WB and a LB/WB.
Just one more silly thing, I think we will see Estavao playing as ten.
25.) 22 Jun 2026
22 Jun 2026 19:09:49
Most of us are happy that Alonso has been appointed as manager, but it remains to be seen how much influence he will have on signings: I am keeping an open mind on that. That said, we still have a bunch of dimwits posing as SDs. I doubt very much if they had anything to do with the appointment of Alonso.
The recruitment last summer was absolutely dreadful, and heads should roll. I don't know if the alleged review has taken place, and if any conclusions will be published. Still a long way to go to change the culture of the club.
26.) 22 Jun 2026
22 Jun 2026 22:20:53
As I have said before, I learned my lesson about being over critical of a player when I posted negative crap about Cucarella. I will wait another season before I make a player judgement.
On the flip side, I remember praising Gusto, and now I have given up on him.
Of course, if Gusto does stay at the club, Alonso may well get a tune out of him as a wing back.
I have also posted before that most fans at virtually every club seem to blame their respective SDs for their club's problems.
27.) 23 Jun 2026
23 Jun 2026 00:11:41
Our SDs now have a solid track record of being terrible, Tom. It beggars belief that they still have jobs.
28.) 23 Jun 2026
23 Jun 2026 06:41:00
They have certainly made mistakes. I assume any end of season review has already taken place. I haven't picked up on any changes so far.
Most clubs now appear to have a structure that separates recruitment and coaching.
We seem to have more bodies than other clubs in the sporting area. I assume they all have clearly defined roles. So, it shouldn't be difficult to locate and change things if required.
29.) 25 Jun 2026
25 Jun 2026 17:47:32
Who completes the review, Tom? It strikes me as marking your own homework. Pat each other on the back and say job well done.