15 Aug 2016 18:24:24
David Ornstein, of the BBC (I know there are mixed opinions of him here! ) says the following;
Arsenal yet to agree fee for Mustafi. #AFC considering Omer Toprak and Simon Kjaer as alternatives but Mustafi remains priority and keen to join
Price the issue. Arsenal want to hold back funds for possible striker signing. #AFC transfer budget factors in fee, salary, agent commission
If this all true or not, I've no idea personally, but that's his line on It!
1.) 15 Aug 2016
15 Aug 2016 19:18:05
Hard to know what to believe at the minute from any of the usual channels.
I can see the window shutting with no more signings, I've honestly never felt so despondent about the start of a season, ever.
I'll never speak badly of AW after all he's given us, but until things change he/ we won't be doing anything differently.
2.) 16 Aug 2016
16 Aug 2016 03:12:15
Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves, seasons aren't won and lost on the first week of the season. The last few seasons we've lost the first games of the season and been leading by Christmas. Fatigue and injuries set in and we lose it in the new year. Wenger giving key players a rest is essential to us staying the distance.
If we've learnt anything over the last few seasons it's that big name signings aren't a guarantee of success. I would argue that Leicester won last year primarily because the usual title challengers have been messing up their team cohesion by changing their squads every season. If spending was a guarantee of success then Manchester United would win every year.
The only thing signing players like Zidane and Pogba guarantees you is better shirt sales.
3.) 16 Aug 2016
16 Aug 2016 13:44:25
I don't understand why they state that the players future salary needs to be taken from the transfer budget, it can't be true. You don't save up for a car, then when you go to buy it they ask for an extra lump sum payment to cover your petrol and insurance for the next 5 years. Ultimately future salaries is an annual cost to a business, not a lump sum paid in advance.
4.) 16 Aug 2016
16 Aug 2016 15:06:16
The reality of how and when transfer fees and wages are accounted for is not always instinctive. Transfer fees often include large up-front payments, but player amortisation occurs over the duration of the contract. Read The Swiss Ramble (specifically the 12th paragraph of Show Me The Money) .
When buying a player, you have to consider everything that will affect your your expenses and your revenue. That means the transfer fee, the player's wage, the length of their contract, and any bonuses. And it also means marginal commercial, matchday, and broadcasting revenues. I agree that you don't need to think of a 5-year £100,000 a week contract as being an up-front lump sum payment, but conversely, you can't just pretend it doesn't exist.