[Albion] Are we a selling club?

[Arkwright]

With rumours about Dunk, Knocky and Propper doing the rounds have we become a selling club?

Over the last couple of seasons we have spent a few bob but not really sold anyone of great value are things about to change for us.

Talk about a salary cap will our better players be eager to move to clubs who pay bigger wages, remember it is a relatively short career so cash in while the money is on offer.

Be an interesting window for us with potential sales and purchases, I wonder which figure will be greater?

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

We sell, we buy, we *evolve*

 

[The Lemming Stomper]

Nothing to be ashamed of....Ajax are a 'selling club' and they are doing alright

 

[Is it PotG?]

 

[Stat Brother]

Let's list the club's in world football that aren't selling clubs:-

Manchester City.


End of list.

 

[BadFish]

Yes we, like pretty much every other club are a 'selling' club. Until we are the biggest club i the world we will continue to be a selling club.

....and even then we would still sell players.

 

[beorhthelm]

all clubs sell. isn't the notion of a "selling club" one that needs to sell to vaguely balance the books and survive? with one of the larger attendances in the country and sensible finances, i dont think we fall into that category.

 

[Justice]

Clue in the word rumours let’s think about, Davy has said he wants to stay in the PL, Why would AK even entertain a move back to the Championship and I feel Dunk to Leicester is just lazy journalism, of course I may be wrong. There was talk of Dunk to Arsenal at the weekend on the radio apparently they can’t afford him with their budget so that’s unlikely. Also the fee reported for AK seems low considering Bloom squeezed £12m for an ageing Ulloa £15m gets you a championship player these days not a PL player.

 

[blue-shifted]

We haven't actually sold someone we wanted to keep for years so on that measure, no we're not a selling club. I might say something different after the transfer window has closed.

In any case, the fact that we have players that other teams want, I'm taking as a positive. It wasn't forever thus

 

[dazzer6666]

Only if we want to get rid of someone, or we can extract what appears to be a ridiculous fee for someone. All clubs are ‘selling clubs’ on that basis. It’s business, nowt wrong with it.

The true ‘selling clubs’ though are those that can’t balance their books and HAVE to sell (relegation, financial mismanagement etc) or those with twattish or mercenary owners who only want a quick buck. We’re absolutely not one of those thanks to Lord T.

 

[Springal]

With rumours about Dunk, Knocky and Propper doing the rounds have we become a selling club?

If we sold all 3 of those this window? Maybe.

But currently, I can only think of Ulloa who we sold 'on his way up' for big money under Bloom? So No.

 

[nwgull]

Rumours, shmumours! We've sold a few peripeheral players - Baldock, Norwood, Skalak etc - but haven't actually sold anyone who, if they'd stayed, would've realistically been a regular in the 1st team matchday squad since Ulloa was sold in 2014. And if reports are to be believed, we have turned down significant offers for Stephens, Dunk and Knockaert in the past 3 seasons.

So that's a no.

 

[LamieRobertson]

We haven’t sold any of those three yet!... I cast my ind back to times when Lawrenson..Ward ..Robinson all moved on

 

[Guinness Boy]

Only if we want to get rid of someone, or we can extract what appears to be a ridiculous fee for someone. All clubs are ‘selling clubs’ on that basis. It’s business, nowt wrong with it.

The true ‘selling clubs’ though are those that can’t balance their books and HAVE to sell (relegation, financial mismanagement etc) or those with twattish or mercenary owners who only want a quick buck. We’re absolutely not one of those thanks to Lord T.

Exactly. Swansea became a "selling club" when they went down and hence we were able to tempt Potter here. Meanwhile there has probably been just as much investment by TB in retaining our key people than there has in getting in new players, if you consider transfer fees knocked back plus cumulative new contracts. Plus, when we sign up new players we tend to do it on longer contracts too.

 

[Pantani]

Anyone who thinks we are not a selling club is beyond deluded. We spend a whole bunch of money constantly signing players who are 26 or younger for the first team, and an even greater number for the academy. What do you honestly think we are going to do with all those players? Every signing for a club of our level has to be made with a view to a potential sell on fee.

Players signed 26 or under in the last five transfer windows: 29

Over 26: 7, of which 3 were free transfers, and 3 were goalkeepers


Dunk for £45m+ is good business, and we have someone waiting in the wings to replace him already. Knockaert for £15m less so, but I can see the argument for selling him. And Propper, if Ajax come calling he would surely want to go, that is playing Champions League football for one of the most storied clubs in the game, it would be morally correct to sell him as long as we got a fee we were happy with.

Finally, as Stat Brother says only Man City, Barcelona and Real are not selling clubs these days. Even those clubs, if a player wants out, are forced to sell against their will at times.

 

[dazzer6666]

Anyone who thinks we are not a selling club is beyond deluded. We spend a whole bunch of money constantly signing players who are 26 or younger for the first team, and an even greater number for the academy. What do you honestly think we are going to do with all those players? Every signing for a club of our level has to be made with a view to a potential sell on fee.

Players signed 26 or under in the last five transfer windows: 29

Over 26: 7, of which 3 were free transfers, and 3 were goalkeepers


Dunk for £45m+ is good business, and we have someone waiting in the wings to replace him already. Knockaert for £15m less so, but I can see the argument for selling him. And Propper, if Ajax come calling he would surely want to go, that is playing Champions League football for one of the most storied clubs in the game, it would be morally correct to sell him as long as we got a fee we were happy with.

Finally, as Stat Brother says only Man City, Barcelona and Real are not selling clubs these days. Even those clubs, if a player wants out, are forced to sell against their will at times.

Are you not contradicting yourself a little bit there ? City, Barca and Real are bringing through vast numbers of kids into their academy/U23 squads mainly to make a profit, so absolutely are selling clubs - they probably sell more than any others. We’re just doing exactly the same on a smaller scale. It’s dual purpose - making money and hoping that 1 in 50 or 100 makes it to the first team.

Agree with your summary on our possible departures. Hope the recruitment team have a decent list of potential replacements at the ready (suspect what they have is a lust separated by relative budget - ie the ‘PL TV Money’ list, then the ‘PL TV Money and Dunky sold list’ etc)

 

[blue-shifted]

The term "selling club" is usually used to describe a club, like Ajax or maybe Southampton that sells its best players. We don't do that. Tony has consistently fended off bids for players he wants to keep over the last few years (though who knows, maybe that will change). Selling youth products who haven't made the grade isn't how people would usually use the term selling club.

You're right to make the point about player power in today's game. However, we're relatively insulated from this as we've created an environment where we've considered the personality of the players we sign in the first place and I imagine the players get the sense that our board would hold firmer against player insurrection than most.

Oh and Barca are a selling club. They are going to have a ship a few out if they want to buy Neymar. Real sold Ronaldo.

Anyone who thinks we are not a selling club is beyond deluded. We spend a whole bunch of money constantly signing players who are 26 or younger for the first team, and an even greater number for the academy. What do you honestly think we are going to do with all those players? Every signing for a club of our level has to be made with a view to a potential sell on fee.

Players signed 26 or under in the last five transfer windows: 29

Over 26: 7, of which 3 were free transfers, and 3 were goalkeepers


Dunk for £45m+ is good business, and we have someone waiting in the wings to replace him already. Knockaert for £15m less so, but I can see the argument for selling him. And Propper, if Ajax come calling he would surely want to go, that is playing Champions League football for one of the most storied clubs in the game, it would be morally correct to sell him as long as we got a fee we were happy with.

Finally, as Stat Brother says only Man City, Barcelona and Real are not selling clubs these days. Even those clubs, if a player wants out, are forced to sell against their will at times.