Carles Alena

Yep I'd be shocked if many or any of those names above are on more than 60k a week, in which case both the fees and wages are more than reasonable for us and their talent. A clear step up from the likes of N'Jie but never any hint of us chasing them which I just don't understand.

comment by Edinspur (U1109)
posted 32 minutes ago
I don't agree 100k wages are the average.

Tielmans, Mane, O.Dembele, Milik, Ben Yedder, etc are all examples of players we could and should have been in for who can improve our team and went for sub 100k (easily in a few cases). I know you get frustrated by Levy dealings as well, so I am preaching to the converted, but if we are going to waste 30m and 100k a week on Sissoko there are tens of players out their on the market we can sign right now who we can get for that which will instantly improve our team.
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Yea but going between teams in Europe is cheaper than going to a English team.

The mane example is he's on 90k wages and was the reason he went Liverpool instead of us I believe.

Atm I really can't see a player that we will end up buying that will make a difference next season.

comment by Hengy (U9129)
posted 1 hour, 12 minutes ago
Like fees are on average around 30m for a decent player I think 100k wages are now becoming the average too.

Of course there will be bargains here and there but I think our wage structure is holding us back.

Also think the way levy goes about things also does us no good.

http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11675/10200273/pierre-emerick-aubameyang-rules-out-tottenham-move-after-weird-negotiations-in-2012

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/www.squawka.com/news/revealed-how-tottenham-missed-out-on-signing-27m-rated-french-wonderkid-ousmane-dembele-for-just-1-2m/625842%3Famp-on
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but on the other hand levy has got us some absolutely ridiculous deals... so unfair to give only blame and no credit.

dele alli for 5m, vdv for 8m, wanyama for 11m, the list is endless really... virtually our whole first 11 have been unbelievably shrewd deals by levy

comment by Chronic (U3423)
posted 4 minutes ago
comment by Hengy (U9129)
posted 1 hour, 12 minutes ago
Like fees are on average around 30m for a decent player I think 100k wages are now becoming the average too.

Of course there will be bargains here and there but I think our wage structure is holding us back.

Also think the way levy goes about things also does us no good.

http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11675/10200273/pierre-emerick-aubameyang-rules-out-tottenham-move-after-weird-negotiations-in-2012

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/www.squawka.com/news/revealed-how-tottenham-missed-out-on-signing-27m-rated-french-wonderkid-ousmane-dembele-for-just-1-2m/625842%3Famp-on
----------------------------------------------------------------------
but on the other hand levy has got us some absolutely ridiculous deals... so unfair to give only blame and no credit.

dele alli for 5m, vdv for 8m, wanyama for 11m, the list is endless really... virtually our whole first 11 have been unbelievably shrewd deals by levy
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Dele at £5m was a very high price at the time for a league 1 player who was playing for Eng U19 even if he was rated quite high.

Waynama £11m was exceptional but only 12months before we tried for about 22m which Southampton turned down I believe.

Yes there's definitely value in the market but also ATM prices and wages for English teams is skyrocketing.

Time will come thst you have to push the limits or others who do will push pass you.

We never really took advantage when Harry got us into CL and took a while to rebuild again.

comment by Hengy (U9129)
posted 39 minutes ago
comment by Edinspur (U1109)
posted 32 minutes ago
I don't agree 100k wages are the average.

Tielmans, Mane, O.Dembele, Milik, Ben Yedder, etc are all examples of players we could and should have been in for who can improve our team and went for sub 100k (easily in a few cases). I know you get frustrated by Levy dealings as well, so I am preaching to the converted, but if we are going to waste 30m and 100k a week on Sissoko there are tens of players out their on the market we can sign right now who we can get for that which will instantly improve our team.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Yea but going between teams in Europe is cheaper than going to a English team.

The mane example is he's on 90k wages and was the reason he went Liverpool instead of us I believe.

Atm I really can't see a player that we will end up buying that will make a difference next season.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

It isn't always though, Batshuyi, Eriksen, Coutinho, Son, Martial and I am sure if I kept looking a whole heap of other players didn't sign for 75+ salaries.

There are plenty Son-level players we can sign to improve the team that we seem to be obsessed in missing out from. We should draw bigger signings than we do, Lamela probably the only genuine 'superstar' signing we have had this decade (VDV was scrap material).

Soldado as well actually.

comment by Hengy (U9129)
posted 1 hour, 2 minutes ago
comment by Chronic (U3423)
posted 4 minutes ago
comment by Hengy (U9129)
posted 1 hour, 12 minutes ago
Like fees are on average around 30m for a decent player I think 100k wages are now becoming the average too.

Of course there will be bargains here and there but I think our wage structure is holding us back.

Also think the way levy goes about things also does us no good.

http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11675/10200273/pierre-emerick-aubameyang-rules-out-tottenham-move-after-weird-negotiations-in-2012

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/www.squawka.com/news/revealed-how-tottenham-missed-out-on-signing-27m-rated-french-wonderkid-ousmane-dembele-for-just-1-2m/625842%3Famp-on
----------------------------------------------------------------------
but on the other hand levy has got us some absolutely ridiculous deals... so unfair to give only blame and no credit.

dele alli for 5m, vdv for 8m, wanyama for 11m, the list is endless really... virtually our whole first 11 have been unbelievably shrewd deals by levy
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Dele at £5m was a very high price at the time for a league 1 player who was playing for Eng U19 even if he was rated quite high.

Waynama £11m was exceptional but only 12months before we tried for about 22m which Southampton turned down I believe.

Yes there's definitely value in the market but also ATM prices and wages for English teams is skyrocketing.

Time will come thst you have to push the limits or others who do will push pass you.

We never really took advantage when Harry got us into CL and took a while to rebuild again.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Agree completely. The level of 'promising youngster' we should be looking at definitely needs to be higher. If we get outbid then so be it. I'm not talking Neymar ffs, I'm talking the level or two below that which is probably the likes of Sane, Brandt, Dahoud, Tielemans, Dembele etc.

comment by Edinspur (U1109)
posted 48 minutes ago
comment by Hengy (U9129)
posted 39 minutes ago
comment by Edinspur (U1109)
posted 32 minutes ago
I don't agree 100k wages are the average.

Tielmans, Mane, O.Dembele, Milik, Ben Yedder, etc are all examples of players we could and should have been in for who can improve our team and went for sub 100k (easily in a few cases). I know you get frustrated by Levy dealings as well, so I am preaching to the converted, but if we are going to waste 30m and 100k a week on Sissoko there are tens of players out their on the market we can sign right now who we can get for that which will instantly improve our team.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Yea but going between teams in Europe is cheaper than going to a English team.

The mane example is he's on 90k wages and was the reason he went Liverpool instead of us I believe.

Atm I really can't see a player that we will end up buying that will make a difference next season.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

It isn't always though, Batshuyi, Eriksen, Coutinho, Son, Martial and I am sure if I kept looking a whole heap of other players didn't sign for 75+ salaries.

There are plenty Son-level players we can sign to improve the team that we seem to be obsessed in missing out from. We should draw bigger signings than we do, Lamela probably the only genuine 'superstar' signing we have had this decade (VDV was scrap material).
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Bringing players like Eriksen, Soldado & coutinho is completely irrelevant as in the last 12 months things have changed a lot.

Bats is a interesting one to bring up considering he choose Chelsea over us on a reporter 70k a week deal. I wonder what wage we was offering him.

Similar thing with Martial where we messed around trying to get him on the cheap only for Man U to blow us out the window.

In your view who do you think we'll sign this season?

I'd definitely like us to go after quality youngsters. Players who could conceivably improve to the point that they could oust those in our team in the next 2-3 years. Similar to the Cech-Courtois scenario but not necessarily with the loans.

For example you have your experienced player you've spent a decent sum on and have got good usage out of - Dembele or Vertonghen for example - but then we've signed a highly-rated youngster in their position. Eventually you'd hope there would be that time when we think that the kid is ready and we can't afford to let him get restless so we sell the senior player, and so on.

Are the likes of CCV, Onomah and KWP potentially able to bridge that gap in 2-3 years to the point we simply can't hold them back? If not then we'll have a problem in the mid-term.

Alena has signed a new deal today