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tnb 12:39 Sat May 13
Europa League affecting transfer policy?
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A point was just raised on another thread that got me thinking, but I'm not going to reply on that thread as it isn't particularly relevant to the original post, which was just a fishing expedition anyway. So I'm putting it here.
I have seen a few people make reference to our Europa League qualification last year in relation to last summer's transfer policy. It seems that some people feel it made our thinking more muddled and in some way is a partial explanation if not excuse for how the window panned out. No disrepect to anyone who thinks that, but I don't get it. Does anyone care to explain?
Surely being in an additional competition, albeit starting at an early stage and as it turned out only briefly being there, ought to make it easier to recruit and if anything make you more ambitious about it? I fail to see how qualifying for the early rounds of the EL somehow forces you to waste money on the likes of Tore and Feghouli?
Is it just me?
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Replies - Newest Posts First ( Show In Chronological Order)
Alex V
11:17 Sat May 13
Re: Europa League affecting transfer policy?
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Yep at the end of Jan Man City registered 20 senior players. The limit they could have registered is 21 because of the homegrown rules.
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Far Cough
11:14 Sat May 13
Re: Europa League affecting transfer policy?
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Yeah, there must be some under 21s on the list I saw?
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Alex V
11:01 Sat May 13
Re: Europa League affecting transfer policy?
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>>> and City have 26
The limit in the league is 25.
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Bernie
10:25 Sat May 13
Re: Europa League affecting transfer policy?
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Our squad was small at the end of last season, and too small for a European campaign, the club decided upon seasoned cheap pros to bulk it out, instead of having a little faith in the youth.
It's hard to say how Cullen and the like would've faired in the first team squad this season, but the signings made largely failed,
pretty spectacularly
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SnarestoneIron
8:35 Sat May 13
Re: Europa League affecting transfer policy?
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We need more signings like Lanzini, Cresswell, Antonio, Byram and Fernandez. Young, hungry, not too expensive but with the desire to progress.
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Far Cough
6:53 Sat May 13
Re: Europa League affecting transfer policy?
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and City have 26
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Far Cough
6:51 Sat May 13
Re: Europa League affecting transfer policy?
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Tottenham have a 24 man squad
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SurfaceAgentX2Zero
6:41 Sat May 13
Re: Europa League affecting transfer policy?
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But why did you pretend Tottenham's squad was small when it isn't?
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Alex V
5:59 Sat May 13
Re: Europa League affecting transfer policy?
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SurfaceAgentX2Zero 5:27 Sat May 13
If read the posts in order I was directly replying to the suggestion in the post previous that our squad was relatively small. That's what I was replying to - our squad is nearly full is the point I was making.
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SurfaceAgentX2Zero
5:27 Sat May 13
Re: Europa League affecting transfer policy?
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Alex V 3:13 Sat May 13
Yes. That's what most people have been saying. It was filled up with average/crap journeymen in order to compete in the same number of games as Tottenham.
I'm not quite sure what your point is.
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Brucies_Star_Prize
4:30 Sat May 13
Re: Europa League affecting transfer policy?
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The problem with The Europa League for a club at our stage of development is that it places a serious stress on the Premier League campaign.
Outside of the top 6/7 nearly every is likely to flirt with relegation places at some point in the season. The margin are so fine, that the impact of playing twice a week, often traveling to far flung places in Europe, takes its toll. Given that Premier League survival is of fundamental importance, a Europa League campaign can be problematic.
In anticipation of this, our board went for quaintly over quality. Players like Feghouli and Nordveit may have represented value given they were free transfers, but they only serve to bulk out a mid table Premier League squad, as opposed to improve it.
However signing players to improve the first team is difficult. Established players will be targeted by more successful clubs, leaving older players coming to the end of their career looking for a last pay day. For me, that's the wrong strategy. Whilst a Toure or Zabaletta would improve the team, it would only be for a couple of seasons at best, they would be very expensive and with no sell on value.
The key (and I appreciate his isn't easy) is to invest in young players who have the potential to become top players. It's the only way to get real value. It pains me to say it, but Spurs have it spot on. They have developed and profited from likes of Livermore, Mason, Carroll, Pritchard, Chadli, Townsend and obviously Bale, which means their net spend is highly impressive. Alli, Kane, Winks, Eeiksen, Walker, Rose, Trippier and Davies are current examples.
The sort of players we should be investing in are Fernandes, Lanzini, Byram. Relatively low fees but with huge upside. I have doubts over whether Byram will ever make it, but he is absolutely the type of player we should be investing in.
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13 Brentford Rd
4:28 Sat May 13
Re: Europa League affecting transfer policy?
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Sullivan must be worried as they seemed to have reached their limit in terms of excuses & bullshit and ability take the club any further. Next season will be the defining one for them.
They have made their bed with the stadium move and now have deliver on their promises!
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Side of Ham
4:21 Sat May 13
Re: Europa League affecting transfer policy?
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What we NEED is a few players who BOSS their positions and take hold of games on a consistent basis.
They generally cost money and our owners are too often at the back of the queue for the Kante discoveries.
That's why we need to pay out as they can't change.
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Side of Ham
4:12 Sat May 13
Re: Europa League affecting transfer policy?
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Sullivan is the Harry Redknapp of owners, buying large quantities of bargains in the hope a couple come off.
EVERYTHING in moderation.
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Alex V
4:11 Sat May 13
Re: Europa League affecting transfer policy?
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I look at our haul of high-priced 'marquee' signings over recent years. Jarvis, Carroll, Valencia, Ayew, Zaza. Why does anybody want more of that?
I want no more of that. I want money spent on clever signings that will deliver more than they cost. I'd take a first 11 of 'freebies' (which of course aren't free in reality) as long as they could do the business.
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13 Brentford Rd
3:33 Sat May 13
Re: Europa League affecting transfer policy?
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Don't see the point of entering a completion that you no intention of properly competing in and treating it as an inconvenience.
In any case the squad was not really good enough to fulfil the owners claims of "next level"
Problem with our owners is they go for quantity over quality and are always looking at the freebies and loans market trying to save money.
They want 3 players for 35m when what is required is one or two.
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Alex V
3:21 Sat May 13
Re: Europa League affecting transfer policy?
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I think a major problem with our squad has been that it just wasn't planned properly in terms of senior options. Many clubs have 2 or 3 strikers, we had 4 this season. We had 4 predominantly right wings in the squad, very attacking ones too. If you consider that Payet was a shoe-in for the first 11 on the left, I think that's why the squad seemed small at times - it was top heavy with attackers and not balanced. The mix was not right at all.
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Alex V
3:13 Sat May 13
Re: Europa League affecting transfer policy?
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That's a pretty desperate reach for a point to score. I don't dispute Spurs use young players brilliantly - I've been making that point for years. Similarly we have that option - we should make more of it and I've been calling for the likes of Fletcher, Cullen, Burke, Fernandes to play more for years on here.
My point was that we could only buy one more senior player given registration rules - hence our squad was nearly full, we can't really say it was smaller than others.
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SurfaceAgentX2Zero
2:40 Sat May 13
Re: Europa League affecting transfer policy?
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I see you are including Sam Westley in our 25 but forgetting to include for Tottenham, Deli Ali (who regularly plays for England) Harry Winks (who started against us and made 19 Prem appearances until injury finished his season at the start of April), George-Kevin N'Koudoo (14 appearances including 6 Prem), Josh Onomah (12 appearances including 5 Prem) and one other youngster who has appear in all the cups.
Nothing like twisting the facts to suit yourself.
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Darby_
2:35 Sat May 13
Re: Europa League affecting transfer policy?
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I think the depth of our squad probably saved us from a more serious relegation scrap this season.
Most of our past seasons you wouldn't have been able to replace an out-of-form Noble with a player that starred in the Bundesliga, or replace an out-of-form Cresswell with a player that cost £6m.
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