Transfer Speculation Thread 2014/15

[Johnny75]

We went down the higher wage earners road a couple of years ago, and look at the mess we were left in.

I thought somebody would say that but that is an extreme you're sighting and not the reality of a higher wage earner than the lg1 levels/ lower champ levels we seem to be playing at. Wage structures need to rise for the rise in the divisions, that is just a reflection of the market football is.

 

[Langers]

I think that's a damn good summation of the window, although I think it's more of a 5/6 than a 7. I think we've done the minimum for us to be competitive (and I mean pushing for the play off's) at this level which is no bad thing.

I understand Jackett's stance on the wages but it's folly if true. To get better players you need to have higher wage earners, that's just a fact of the market football is not anything to do with principal. I think we may have missed out on somebody like Bamford because of this and that may well prove to be the limitations of Jackett as a manager (he had to have one as his football is breathtaking).

Kudos to the board and KT for putting the targets up, bidding on them and getting the bids accepted but it's a little short sighted from the manager not to get players in on higher wages so as not to upset the squad. It has to happen at some point and I do understand his thinking it's just against the tide of the market he's in (if the wages rumour is true).

Edit: That's not to say I want to see another JoH, Johnson and Doyle situation but controlled wage structures for progression is necessary.

Can I have my 7 if we get a striker in on loan and get rid of Johnson?

 

[Johnny75]

Can I have my 7 if we get a striker in on loan and get rid of Johnson?

Only if you ask nicely.

(I think that's exactly what will happen by the way)

 

[MARKakaJIM]

Can I have my 7 if we get a striker in on loan and get rid of Johnson?

You're outside the window now though so you're judging a seperate transfer peiod.

 

[Langers]

You're outside the window now though so you're judging a seperate transfer peiod.

My rules, my parameters.

 

[Langers]

Only if you ask nicely.

(I think that's exactly what will happen by the way)

You think I'll ask nicely?

 

[Lord Knows]

Very happy with Wolves transfer window 8/10.
We look in position at last to move consistently forward both on and off the pitch.

 

[Johnny75]

You think I'll ask nicely?

 

[Penk Wolf]

I think that's a damn good summation of the window, although I think it's more of a 5/6 than a 7. I think we've done the minimum for us to be competitive (and I mean pushing for the play off's) at this level which is no bad thing.

I understand Jackett's stance on the wages but it's folly if true. To get better players you need to have higher wage earners, that's just a fact of the market football is not anything to do with principal. I think we may have missed out on somebody like Bamford because of this and that may well prove to be the limitations of Jackett as a manager (he had to have one as his football is breathtaking).

Kudos to the board and KT for putting the targets up, bidding on them and getting the bids accepted but it's a little short sighted from the manager not to get players in on higher wages so as not to upset the squad. It has to happen at some point and I do understand his thinking it's just against the tide of the market he's in (if the wages rumour is true).

Edit: That's not to say I want to see another JoH, Johnson and Doyle situation but controlled wage structures for progression is necessary.

Is it worth the risk though? Can we pick and choose which mistakes we want the board to learn from?

I'd say the time we change our wage structure is if/when we get to the PL, which will also coincide with the existing players having better contracts.

 

[FrankMunro-371]

I thought somebody would say that but that is an extreme you're sighting and not the reality of a higher wage earner than the lg1 levels/ lower champ levels we seem to be playing at. Wage structures need to rise for the rise in the divisions, that is just a reflection of the market football is.

We appear to have a happy squad where there are no players earning a lot more than others. Why should we risk that harmony by starting paying silly money again?

 

[Johnny75]

Is it worth the risk though? Can we pick and choose which mistakes we want the board to learn from?

I'd say the time we change our wage structure is if/when we get to the PL, which will also coincide with the existing players having better contracts.

That's the gamble and I think it works better if you have a structure commensurate with good teams going up (the Swansea/ Soton model if you like). I'm not advocating huge wages but a step by step approach and as I said good players will cost more. If those good players want more off the bat and it doubles most players wages then that is not a structure that is acceptable as it will clearly fracture a squad. Progression needs to be there or we'll never make that step to the prem to change wages. You know yourself you need to invest to make that step as it isn't a smooth curve but a jump.

A few years ago (2012) the average wage was roughly £10-15K P/W for a champ player in the top half, £5-10K for a bottom half player and £2-3K for a player in the top half of lg1. That's quite a big jump even before the parachute payments changed. I would suggest the top half are getting more than that now as clubs over reach for the promised land and I don't want us to be there as clubs will inevitably fail. However, there does need to be a step change and that has to reflect in the squad at some point.

 

[Johnny75]

We appear to have a happy squad where there are no players earning a lot more than others. Why should we risk that harmony by starting paying silly money again?

I am not suggesting that, please don't put words in my mouth. If you read my post it says exactly the opposite to your remark.

 

[Penk Wolf]

That's the gamble and I think it works better if you have a structure commensurate with good teams going up (the Swansea/ Soton model if you like). I'm not advocating huge wages but a step by step approach and as I said good players will cost more. If those good players want more off the bat and it doubles most players wages then that is not a structure that is acceptable as it will clearly fracture a squad. Progression needs to be there or we'll never make that step to the prem to change wages. You know yourself you need to invest to make that step as it isn't a smooth curve but a jump.

A few years ago (2012) the average wage was roughly £10-15K P/W for a champ player in the top half, £5-10K for a bottom half player and £2-3K for a player in the top half of lg1. That's quite a big jump even before the parachute payments changed. I would suggest the top half are getting more than that now as clubs over reach for the promised land and I don't want us to be there as clubs will inevitably fail. However, there does need to be a step change and that has to reflect in the squad at some point.

As I understand it KT and KJ have set up different group levels, depending on experience, and the likes of Stearman, Ricketts and Edwards sit in the top group as they are our experience players. I'm not sure they or even the younger players would be happy if we then brought in a 22 (Wood or Delort) year old on higher wages than what has been set out previously.

I appreciate that we probably need to pay higher wages to bring in better quality players, but so far, it's clear to see that we have a lot of good quality players that aren't breaking the current group structure.

 

[Lord Knows]

I wondered how the club were able to fit Edwards and Stearman into the new wage structure, thanks for that.

 

[Johnny75]

As I understand it KT and KJ have set up different group levels, depending on experience, and the likes of Stearman, Ricketts and Edwards sit in the top group as they are our experience players. I'm not sure they or even the younger players would be happy if we then brought in a 22 (Wood or Delort) year old on higher wages than what has been set out previously.

I appreciate that we probably need to pay higher wages to bring in better quality players, but so far, it's clear to see that we have a lot of good quality players that aren't breaking the current group structure.

I can understand that, but it does make a little bit of a mockery to then bid for players you know will not fit into the wage structure (a quick chat with the agent will do that). Something isn't quite right in the identification of targets and the structure in that case. I'm sure they'll put it right but it's not joined up just yet.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

We obviously thought a kid from the French second division wouldn't ask such a huge wage jump and as soon as he did, we walked away. It looks like we could probably have covered all of the wage requirements of Wood, but not all of it as base salary, we wanted incentivisation and bonuses in there to take us to the figure. So we were in the ball park on Wood but it looks like he didn't want to play.

 

[Lord Knows]

We obviously thought a kid from the French second division wouldn't ask such a huge wage jump and as soon as he did, we walked away. It looks like we could probably have covered all of the wage requirements of Wood, but not all of it as base salary, we wanted incentivisation and bonuses in there to take us to the figure. So we were in the ball park on Wood but it looks like he didn't want to play.

Charlton thought they had a done deal the previous week for Delort so it seems his agent was just hawking around for the highest bidder.
He surely wouldn't get more than 10k a week at Charlton

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Wigan applauding the agent for doing what was "best for the player" just stinks of massive backhander.

 

[Johnny75]

We obviously thought a kid from the French second division wouldn't ask such a huge wage jump and as soon as he did, we walked away. It looks like we could probably have covered all of the wage requirements of Wood, but not all of it as base salary, we wanted incentivisation and bonuses in there to take us to the figure. So we were in the ball park on Wood but it looks like he didn't want to play.

Sounds like agent involvement scuppered both of those deals. Wigan have clearly done a 'deal' somewhere and if I was the FA I would be investigating that. It must be very difficult balancing wages and bids, the extreme would be the Borini debacle that even QPR baulked at his £90K p/w demands.

 

[Lycan]

Look at him. That's a tattoo. On his face.