The Incoming Transfers Everywhere Thread: Summer 2023

[Wilf Wolf]

Over the last couple of years there have been plenty of posts highlighting how bad Leicester and Everton’s recruitment has been. How we laughed as we had signed the likes of Neves, Jota, Boly and Raul. Sadly we’ve been unable to keep that track record going and our list of players for whom we’ve massively overpaid keeps growing. If that list continues to grow we will be heading the same way as at least one of them very soon. Both Leicester and Everton have also covered their arses a little with far more income from sales than we have or look likely to in the short term. Fosun seem to be at a crossroads- accept that owners have to inject cash from time to time or see their asset plummet in value with relegation. If they’re purely owning Wolves as an investment there probably won’t ever be a better time to sell than this summer.

 

[GLASGOWOLF]

This may be just a smoke screen, saying to other clubs don't go adding millions on to fees, we have seen it before where we over paid for players.

Guo, and Shi chased Lopetegui for 6 fucking years he will get what he needs. Yea some players will be sold, some (Neves) we would like to keep.
Players need to be sold not so much to do with FFP, which is more to do with preserving the Status Quo than anything else, but more because we need to improve the squad before we get embroiled in another relegation scrap.

 

[Kenny]

This may be just a smoke screen, saying to other clubs don't go adding millions on to fees,

Even entertaining this could be true do you think this would even work?

We go back to, say, Bristol City who have a player we like and offer £10m. They laugh and say its £25m or get in the Bristol Channel. Is our response " but have you seen the news about our FFP issues" are Bristol then going to say " ah yeah sorry, of course you can get him on the cheap. Shall we pay his taxi fare to Wolverhampton as well"?

Just accept we are paying the price for a period of mismanagement that started in Covid.
What should be happening right now is Fosun looking at the man they charged with running this part of their business and looking to replace him.

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

But who at Fosun recognises the mistakes Shi has made?

Who watches the watchman?

 

[Kenny]

But who at Fosun recognises the mistakes Shi has made?

Who watches the watchman?

That falls on the big man Guo I guess.

Technically Jeff hits the things they want him to do (most of it being things we couldn't give a shit about like Brand growth but we aren't an investment company so why should we) but they should be looking with concern at this episode.
To have the club brief local journo's on FFP issues and then our manager to come out and essentially say "the fuck didn't you tell me about this in November" is not a great look. We should all be sat here looking forward to next season, sense of relief we managed to salvage our season but with a positive look on what is ahead.
Instead we have situation in front of us that could see a manager walk and another season like the one we have just been through but with the shit ending. Top work from all concerned*




*That is obviously the doomsday scenario but we don't get a grip on this in the next week and it won't be a great outcome. We are letting the media run the narrative at the moment and every possible negative angle is covered. We need to stop that shit.

 

[Tredman]

Guo doesn't know shit about football. His football knowledge makes Jeff look like DW

 

[Kenny]

Guo doesn't know shit about football. His football knowledge makes Jeff look like DW

He doesn't need to know anything other than "should one of my businesses be getting so much negative press and reaction"

 

[Johnny75]

He doesn't need to know anything other than "should one of my businesses be getting so much negative press and reaction"

Then he should've not employed Jeff.

 

[Kenny]

Then he should've have employed Jeff.

Said this before on Jeff but when he came in he was put in for skillset of building a brand, increasing the potential on their ROI.
Hence we get the stuff that makes the majority of us do the Partridge shrug gif but vital to Fosun.

On his arrival he had 2 good people below him. One to look after the transfer side of things and one to look after the day to day commercial stuff and engaging with the fans. Taking out the "settling" in season that set up worked well. Whether you rated Kevvy T or Laurie is a different matter just the end result was it worked.

Then we get them leaving, for whatever reasons, which is fair enough as not many execs stay around for too long and can get attracted to bigger and better jobs. This is where the issues start though....Mr Branding suddenly becomes the expert and installs himself as the head of football and we start to get the very slow breakdown of what had been built. Decisions like Silva, because Jeff rates him, agreeing to weird stretched out payment plan from Liverpool and it goes on and on. We get the breakdown of the relationship between Nuno and the club and by the end Nuno is happy to walk away.
We get Mendes getting a tighter grip on things and we get Bruno Lage and a decision to not really spend anything and the strange rise up the ranks of Scott Sellars who then seems to hit peak Jeffness with his horrendous, good for nobody deal with Barca for Traore.
Last summer was just messed up, we started like this window is "need to sell Neves before we can buy"....then no one wanted him so spent £100m.

Actually thought the Lage - Beale - Lopetegui situation settled things down. Scott binned, Lops brings in his own football man and Hobbs promoted and looks good in his hybrid role of transfers and club matters.

Then we hit this period. Why the club felt it was wise to brief Liam, PTS and whoever else I don't know.

Fosun need a return to the set up style they had when they arrived but I don't think we get that under Jeff anymore. Even taking into account his poor decision making over the last few years, he has probably hit the max he should stay in this role. New person, fresh ideas etc.
I know the FFP stuff will still be hanging around but better managing of how we release the info, how we communicate with the fans, how they communicate with the Head Coach

 

[Tony Towner]

The only correction I'd give to that as since departure whilst not breaking NDA's both Dalrymple and Thelwell have said that they left because they felt they'd been sidelined. Meglamaniac Jeff didn't just come about by chance, it was by his own creation. He hated the credit Nuno got as well and thought he didn't get enough of it

 

[From Distant Shores]

He doesn't need to know anything other than "should one of my businesses be getting so much negative press and reaction"

I wonder how much negative press Wolves are getting in China, The Financial Times or The Wall Street Journal.

Guo probably has two sources of Wolves News, Shi's boss and Mendes.

 

[Kenny]

The only correction I'd give to that as since departure whilst not breaking NDA's both Dalrymple and Thelwell have said that they left because they felt they'd been sidelined

Laurie was certainly sidelined quite quickly as well.

All seemed to fall apart around the Stadium expansion ideas.

Fair enough for fall outs but essentially going "fuck you, don't need you anyway I will do it all myself" is arrogance off the scale

Presume Kevvy T wasn't happy with the Mendes stuff. He was made to look a mug of Costa when he announced we wouldn't be able to sign him in January and then we paid £16m for him a few weeks later

 

[Kenny]

I wonder how much negative press Wolves are getting in China, The Financial Times or The Wall Street Journal.

Guo probably has two sources of Wolves News, Shi's boss and Mendes.

Probably needs to speak to the admin of their Fosun Twitter account as loads of people seem to think @'ing them in a Tweet will work

 

[Derby Wolf]

This may be just a smoke screen, saying to other clubs don't go adding millions on to fees, we have seen it before where we over paid for players.

Guo, and Shi chased Lopetegui for 6 fucking years he will get what he needs. Yea some players will be sold, some (Neves) we would like to keep.
Players need to be sold not so much to do with FFP, which is more to do with preserving the Status Quo than anything else, but more because we need to improve the squad before we get embroiled in another relegation scrap.

It's not like a traditional 'they've had our pants down there' kind of deal with us though. The prices are artificially set by Mendes to suit Mendes.

Take a look at Valencia's season and parallels can be drawn.

Both sides started the season with an under qualified Mendes manager (Lage/Gattuso) when they were invariably ditched a club coach was given the reigns at the end of which both were mired in the bottom 3, a new manager came in and put a bit of form together to drag them out and to 13th.

Then there's the small point of them losing their top goalscorer and him being foisted on us against the players wishes. Both teams have struggled to score goals (31v39) with top scorers for both on 6.

Of the two Wolves problems have been more acute throughout the season but the fact near identical seasons are playing out at clubs Mendes has influence at executive level is damning.

Our easiest win in the transfer market is distancing ourselves from the parasite we chose to get in bed with.

 

[Tony Towner]

Both have been done for discriminatory chanting, but I don't think we can nail that one on Mendes

 

[Jinky]

Daily Mail have published an article saying Fosun are seeking "new backing to ensure Wolves remain competitive in the PL". Nothing new there, as they've unsuccessfully been looking for ages, but it does sound more pressing at this point.

The Mail (yes, I know) say "the company have been approaching possible financial partners in recent weeks as they look for investment in the overall group rather than Wolves alone".

 

[Alan]

“Business looks for investors”

I mean Christ, I don’t like having a go at journalists but in what universe is that noteworthy?

 

[Kenny]

“Business looks for investors”

I mean Christ, I don’t like having a go at journalists but in what universe is that noteworthy?

probably when said business has been in news for a week regarding a lack funds to do what they want

 

[Alan]

probably when said business has been in news for a week regarding a lack funds to do what they want

It really all just feels like perfectly normal backroom negotiation that just got leaked and everyone is “surprised” these things are tense.

I dunno, maybe I’m really burying my head in the sand with this one.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

It really all just feels like perfectly normal backroom negotiation that just got leaked and everyone is “surprised” these things are tense.

I dunno, maybe I’m really burying my head in the sand with this one.

Think it's just a new one for us under Fosun.

Nuno never used to give anything away at all publicly. Lage always moaned about transfers but he's a silly little man who just got told to get back in his box, you don't have any clout at all.

We have a manager who theoretically could be attractive to other clubs, hasn't put down roots here yet and who has speculated (reasonably mildly) about leaving. He's also the principal cause of us going from rock bottom and looking like a bad Championship side to comfortably safe. Combine all that with our Chicken Licken fans and you have this week.