Signed by Bayern. 42m euros.

Why do they need so many CB?

I'm sort of relieved. I don't think CB should be our priority but I also didn't want him going to another English club.

Clrnc wrote:

Signed by Bayern. 42m euros.

Why do they need so many CB?

They don't. They just sign players so the rest of the league can't have them.

To be fair they're losing Alaba to Madrid aren't they?

Klaus wrote:

Clrnc wrote:

Signed by Bayern. 42m euros.

Why do they need so many CB?

They don't. They just sign players so the rest of the league can't have them.

And talk about it in public weeks before the deal was done. Such a disgusting club from top to bottom.

We should sniff around and see if we can sign Chris Richards from them

goon wrote:

I'm sort of relieved. I don't think CB should be our priority but I also didn't want him going to another English club.

We should have signed him last summer along with Grealish, Partey and Aouar at the time, as well as purging the squad as seen in Jan.

Woah, soldier. That’s a big haul there. How were we going to fund so many players in one summer. Only oligarchs can spend so much.

I’m just glad he’s not going to Liverpool.

270 million in player outlays for a club that had to take a bank loan two months ago to make it through the season. Ambitious.

Claudius wrote:

Woah, soldier. That’s a big haul there. How were we going to fund so many players in one summer. Only oligarchs can spend so much.

I’m just glad he’s not going to Liverpool.

Partey cost 45m, Upamechano's release clause at the time was something like 35-50m, OL wanted about 54m for Aouar & Grealish had yet to sign his new deal at Villa = 200m give or take.

But yes, it can't be done without additional external funding.
IIRC Kroenke increased his wealth by 300-500m in the first 6 months of COVID.
Half of those cost could have been recovered via player sales had we been just as aggressive in clearing out the squad before needling to terminate by mutual agreement.  Then there are those players who are still compromises on what is needed & can be sold to generate additional funds, some of which would be needed to fund additional replacements.

Even if we didn't sign all of them we should have gone after players in a depressed market, in those positions & of the quality needed to go hard to regain top4 & more so once CFC made their intentions clear with their transfer spending.  I never considered CFC a top4 threat this season because of where they recruited from and Lampard as manager, but do consider them a lock down for top3/title contenders for next season even without replacing Lampard because of the quality in their match day squad.

Key point being that FFP etc are currently relaxed during COVID = now is the ideal opportunity to achieve maximum bang for your bucks by spending in a market with substantially depressed value. That opportunity will still be available this coming summer if we have the appetite as a club/owner & we can set ourselves up for the better part of half a decade or more if we are smart.

Klaus wrote:

270 million in player outlays for a club that had to take a bank loan two months ago to make it through the season. Ambitious.

Yup.

IIRC every club that has looked to break into or regain & then retain top4 has spent at least 100m in a single summer to either get into top4 and /or to remain there.
LCFC may be the exception but every member of the big6 has done so other than us.

That said I actually expect we will also eventually join that party, but like LFC it will be substantially funded via player sales as by LFC re Suarez and Coutinho.  In our case it will be the likes of ESR/Saka/Martinellli to be sold to provide those substantial funds - and probably more than 1 but not in the same summer/season.

Not bothered about Upamecano. We’ve got Saliba.