The Summer 2024 Transfer Thread.

[NicholasG1973]

If we accept finances are difficult, why are we bothering?

Get Bentley involved going the other way and with a young pup as back up.

Sounds like we’ve had our head turned by some cash from Saudi for Sa.

In theory, this could be good.

We get money for Sa, and a superior replacement for zero investment in Ramsdale.

Thus putting about £15-20m immediately into the transfer pot for this window.

I did say “in theory”.

 

[Deano]

In theory, this could be good.

We get money for Sa, and a superior replacement for zero investment in Ramsdale.

Thus putting about £15-20m immediately into the transfer pot for this window.

I did say “in theory”.

Ramsdale being superior to Sa is debatable and his previous antics and allegiances to Albion will mean he gets a very short leash. I wouldn't touch this deal.

 

[NicholasG1973]

Ramsdale being superior to Sa is debatable and his previous antics and allegiances to Albion will mean he gets a very short leash. I wouldn't touch this deal.

I hear you on the Albion antics but I was around when we signed a cheap centre forward off them once upon a time……that didn’t turn out too bad.

Happy to debate all day long that he’s a better keeper than Sa.

Especially after Saturday. Again.

 

[nimrod]

Profit over what period?

you need positive ‘distributable reserves’. you could make a profit in the year but if your P&L reserve is still negative due to past losses, you can’t pay a div.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

You also get measured on dividend cover as a measure of financial stability in a normal company. And that is the ratio between reserves and the dividend you propose.

Plus dividends gave to be approved by shareholders before they are paid.

Of course we are 100% owned so the second is moot.

I’m fucking glad I am the other side of the world. Doubt I shall watch a minute of us this season.

 

[Squeak]

Comes back to the point why make statements 12 months ago about being more competitive in the transfer window then not delivering.
It’s not sensible business to run the risk of losing your yearly £100m cash cow.
The policy of sell big buy cheap gets you so far until it all dries up.

Only answer I can give is in the numbers.

2016-17 - £23M loss
2017-18 - £57.16M loss
2018-19 - £19.96M profit
2019-20 - £39.3M loss
2020-21 - £18.4M profit
2021-22 - £46M loss
2022-23 - £67M loss

Make of it what you will.

 

[nimrod]

you need positive ‘distributable reserves’. you could make a profit in the year but if your P&L reserve is still negative due to past losses, you can’t pay a div.

Just to add, the P&L reserve in the club per 2023 accounts is a £193m loss so even if it made £150m profit this year it’s not paying any dividends…. But, these losses are funded, and I’ve said before, it’s done through loans which until they are converted to equity they’re repayable (a caveat being going concern position requiring a repayment waiver from any sensible director). So any cash coming in could pay off loans, and the footie club owed £223m to group companies in those 2023 accounts. So that would be the route for any funds extraction.

 

[big mean bunny]

I hear you on the Albion antics but I was around when we signed a cheap centre forward off them once upon a time……that didn’t turn out too bad.

Happy to debate all day long that he’s a better keeper than Sa.

Especially after Saturday. Again.

I don't think Ramsdale is a good enough upgrade on Sa, although he is better than Johnstone so that's a plus at least.

I don't know what Ramsdale would have offered differently on Saturday either in regards to the goals conceded. He probably doesn't try to come for the first due to being smaller and I am not sure that's would prevent it.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Buyer uses debt leverage to buy club. Guarantees the debt to the creditor. Makes loans to the club to makes sure cash reserves are suitably topped up. As consideration for his generous loan, the club takes the responsibility for the debt used to buy it. Next, he converts the loan he made to more equity. The debt can neatly pass from buyer to the club in that transaction. Note the cash reserves are still big at this point, so now he issues a huge dividend back to himself which gets the money loaned back and diminishes the cash reserves back to basically bugger all.

Net result, the debt passes to the club, and the buyer now owns the asset and has no debt to the creditor, and is at worst cash neutral. As long as the club is worth more than the debt used to buy it at some future point, he sells and creams off his profit, and that assumes he can't find some muppet willing to buy the club and take the debt on, in which case he would be even more in clover.

That isn't the way it's working with Wolves, but that is a way a bunch of shysters can quickly fuck a club up the rear.

 

[Lycan]

I think going from Sá to Ramsdale is at the very worst standing still. I've been worrying about this position for a while because while Sá isn't my cup of tea and he clearly isn't suited for how O'Neil wants his keeper to play, he's still actually a fairly good Premier League goalkeeper.

Ramsdale is a decent keeper as well, still young for a keeper but quite experienced at PL level. It'd be a good long term signing if we could get our hands on him and we do need more home grown players in the squad. I'd worry a little that he's not brilliant with his feet and I hope we're not comprising in this sense. Not perfect but it definitely could be a lot worse.

 

[sycophantia]

I think going from Sá to Ramsdale is at the very worst standing still. I've been worrying about this position for a while because while Sá isn't my cup of tea and he clearly isn't suited for how O'Neil wants his keeper to play, he's still actually a fairly good Premier League goalkeeper.

Ramsdale is a decent keeper as well, still young for a keeper but quite experienced at PL level. It'd be a good long term signing if we could get our hands on him and we do need more home grown players in the squad. I'd worry a little that he's not brilliant with his feet and I hope we're not comprising in this sense. Not perfect but it definitely could be a lot worse.

Think this is fair, what concerns me is the cost to at best slightly improve on Sa, 10-15m?

 

[big mean bunny]

See I consider Ramsdale a marginal downgrade, but with more upside. As a cost cutting measure or wanting to recoup a fee on Sa I would sort of get it, but not if it meant matching his current money given the constraints apparently being shown elsewhere.

 

[Tredman]

Think this is fair, what concerns me is the cost to at best slightly improve on Sa, 10-15m?

Cost is immaterial. We would amortise a new keeper over the life of the contract and book all the profit for Sa now.

 

[1986]

Even if we have put in a serious bid for Dara O' Shea - would he want to come here , if he has another offer from Brentford ?

He'll struggle to get a first team slot in either team as things stand , but he would probably see himself with a better chance at Brentford perhaps , and Collins's presence there might persuade him in that direction .
Another factor is that Collins has kept his place in the Brentford first 11 despite his struggles , whereas he was dropped at Wolves and never got another look in .

Wages at either club will probably be similar enough . I see no great reason why he would come here if Brentford have also put a deal on the table .
He'll be sitting on the bench either way , so it will only take a small thing to swing it either way .

 

[Jinky]

I hear you on the Albion antics but I was around when we signed a cheap centre forward off them once upon a time……that didn’t turn out too bad.

Bully didn’t do a knee slide and then follow it up with a ‘boing boing’ in front of our fans either.

There’s also that viral clip of Ramsdale saying he can’t concentrate for 90 minutes.

The lad has talent, but he comes across as a complete knobber.

 

[Jinky]

Would open up another non-homegrown space in the squad, though. Which presumably we need for a winger or CB.

 

[YoungWolf]

I’d have Ramsdale over Sa tbf and I think we are targeting him (and Johnstone) for their home grown status too.

As has been mentioned though, couple of mistakes and the West Brom thing will become an issue for some (stupidly, but it will)

 

[NicholasG1973]

Bully didn’t do a knee slide and then follow it up with a ‘boing boing’ in front of our fans either.

There’s also that viral clip of Ramsdale saying he can’t concentrate for 90 minutes.

The lad has talent, but he comes across as a complete knobber.

Fair enough - but he’s not the first keeper to wind up visiting fans, and he’s not the first footballer to be a “complete knobber”, either.

I personally couldn’t give a fuck what football team he supports.

Each to their own but a definite upgrade for me. Sa is solely responsible for too many goals for my liking.

 

[Jinky]

Fair enough - but he’s not the first keeper to wind up visiting fans, and he’s not the first footballer to be a “complete knobber”, either.

I personally couldn’t give a fuck what football team he supports.

Each to their own but a definite upgrade for me. Sa is solely responsible for too many goals for my liking.

I don’t disagree that he’d be an upgrade. I just don’t particularly like him very much & as YW says, you can bet your bottom dollar as soon as he makes a mistake the moronic element of our fanbase will jump on the Albion thing.

I don’t think it’ll happen anyway. Fully expecting the standard Hobbs/Shi “we tried to make things work but just couldn’t get there financially” line to be trotted out at the end of the window.

 

[Johnny75]

Even if we have put in a serious bid for Dara O' Shea - would he want to come here , if he has another offer from Brentford ?

He'll struggle to get a first team slot in either team as things stand , but he would probably see himself with a better chance at Brentford perhaps , and Collins's presence there might persuade him in that direction .
Another factor is that Collins has kept his place in the Brentford first 11 despite his struggles , whereas he was dropped at Wolves and never got another look in .

Wages at either club will probably be similar enough . I see no great reason why he would come here if Brentford have also put a deal on the table .
He'll be sitting on the bench either way , so it will only take a small thing to swing it either way .

O'Shea is fucking terrible
Ramsdale is a fucking arsehole

What is Hobbs doing?