26 Feb 2016 23:44:55
Well at least we don't need to listen to the 200m cash balance story anymore
Balance is £135.9 million (2014 - £138.8 million) down 3m. We have 45m still owing on player purchases plus investment required on training facilities.
Everyone gets carried away with the overstated year end balance.
Still a fair bit of cash but it won't go too far.
We need to shed some players to reduce wage bill and size of squad to make room for contract improvements plus new signings.
27 Feb 2016 05:33:46
The latest figures are interesting. What has been a major concern is that we have kept ageing players on top wages for longer than we should, imagine the wages saved on Arteta, Flamini and Rosicky over the last couple of seasons. In addition, we haven't had many young players coming through recently and our transfers out have been poor. I can't, off the top of my head, recall a decent ransfer fee received since selling the likes of Nasri and RVP. When you consider what we have spent when signing the likes of Ozil, Sanchez and Welbeck, this is. Worrying.
I believe that since the days of Dein and Fiszman, we haven't has decent negotiators at the club and it shows. You only have to look at Tottenham to see the difference, with the huge sales of the likes of Bale and Modric, whilst making some very astute signings, such as Alderweireld (spelling? ) , Alli, etc.
The lack of movement in and out of the club has made the team stale, hence the lack of goals we are seeing. It was once said that a team needs to change 3 or 4 players a season or the manager every 3 seasons. This season has been a bit of strange one, with the likes of Chelsea, Man U and Liverpool performing poorly and as a result it has allowed the likes of Leicester and Tottenham to fill the top two places. I do not believe either team is particularly good, they have just taken advantage of the big four or five underperforming. Next season, with Chelsea having replaced Mourinho, Guardiola coming into Man C, Klopp starting to form his own team and Mourinho possibly arriving at Man U, things will be much tougher at the top and Leicester and Tottenham will drop down the pecking order. We need a good finish to the season, starting with a win at depleted Man U tomorrow. For next season we need to dispense with Arteta, Flamini, Rosicky and a few others and make 3 or 4 top signings.
One last point, Chambers at a reported £14.
27 Feb 2016 05:40:08
Chambers signed for a reported £16m, plus agents fees, etc.
Arteta wages for last two season - say £8m
Flamini wages for last two seasons - say £6m
Rosicky wages for last two seasons - say £6m
Someone needs to be held to account
Sales out since Nasri and RVP are very low
We miss the negotiating skills of Dein and Fiszman
The first team is looking very stale, hence so few goals and needs an overhaul this summer.
27 Feb 2016 08:39:04
Fantastic post RG69.
Respect.
27 Feb 2016 09:32:12
RG69,
Negotiators have nothing to do with it, if we sold our last major asset as in RVP who was no spring chicken with a year left on his contract for £24 million how much more did you expect to get for him.
Beyond that what Bale, Modric, Saurez or Ronaldo type player have we had to sell for massive money. Absolutely none will be the answer so where have we failed to capitalise?
How can the additions of Ozil, Sanchez, Gabriel, Chambers, Cech and Elneny along with the introduction of Coquelin and the emergence of Campbell made the team stale.
For me our simple biggest fault is a top quality striker. If we had just had say Aguero leading our line against Barcelona last week what do you think the result would have been. Yes we can improve other areas because every club can but that one area is our real Achilles heal.
27 Feb 2016 12:29:40
Can't see the wage bill going down. Sanchez ozil will sign improved deals. Hopefully new signings will be world class.
We got top money for nasri and rvp. With a year left on there deals.
Transfer fees are not paid out right most of then time.
To sign a top striker surely one has to leave. If so who would that be thoughts?
27 Feb 2016 13:54:05
Ashley Cole a proven top quality player wanted 5k a week to stay but was allowed to leave where Theo at 26 still only potentially a top player is given a huge payrise to stay.
To me this along with the points made by 69 doesn't encourage a need to achieve mentality running through the club, just my view of course.
27 Feb 2016 14:40:30
It has to be Theo Derby for his and our good if he's ever going to make it he needs a club that demands much more from him to get into the team rather than simply take it in turns with us and we need a striker who delivers regaulally and much like a Sanchez mentality of not being happy to be left out to keep others happy.
27 Feb 2016 15:02:42
It stems from the very top 62, unfortunately we are stuck with Mr Kroenke who I think when he sanctioned the sale of RVP showed what a spineless plank he is and where his thoughts on winning titles are. I still have a thought that if we'd made a stand like Liverpool did with Saurez it's quite possible that us and not United would have been champions that year.
Who or when we'll ever get new owners and owners that have a passion for football god only knows but I'm not holding my breath. Usmanov made it clear not so long ago he just sees his shares as an investment with no real intent to own the club himself.
City despite the fact they are seen as a club that has simply paid their way to trophies, the owners have a passion for football and have done an immense amount not just for the club but for the area too. As Klopp said yesterday, they now have TV's in Manchester. ;-)
27 Feb 2016 15:29:58
Thats the best post you have written red dog. So true.
27 Feb 2016 15:32:21
Our biggest problem is we are not developing youth that bring big money in and we have too many players who are worthless or have no sell on value.
27 Feb 2016 16:52:13
Unfortunately Steve we have had to hang on to players longer than necessary because of bloody finances.
Only the last few years have we been able to offload players at the end of their careers or the so called deadwood like Bendtner who were worth nowt.
In essence if we produce quality youth we'd like to keep it and it's only last year that that set up has had a big overhaul.
I know you are done with Wenger mate but with owners like those at City providing the quality of player we and he would have won a lot more.
27 Feb 2016 19:56:13
Great post red dog. I still think usmanov wants In tho. If stan sold he would buy. Didn't the board quickly change the rules to stop him buying in too?
Rvp going was about ambition in the end and I'm glad we never kept him for the final year like Dortmund with lewandowski and in the end he gave them one good season. All be it he joined thinking fergie would be there during his time.