[Albion] How much for Dale Stephens?

[El Presidente]

Sorry, but the bloke's primarily a mega-successful businessman, so far as we can tell. Very much doubt 'a labour of love' would be allowed to continue for very long in the face of such annual losses. PB's bleating's and references to the owner picking up the tab are WAY more strident than they ever were before. Lack of promotion is patently starting to HURT.



Not saying they necessarily have to be successful, they just have to help cover the tab. Tho with a smart manager (eg. CH) given adequate time and resources, there's no reason why it shouldn't work. I dare say TB would like to have total control. But then again, so would DK.

I think PB's 'bleatings' are due to the Albion (based on my calculations) making losses close to £20 million* last year, compared to £10 millon the previous season.

Whether people accept it or not we did 'Go Large' by making a number of million pound plus signings in BFG, Hemed, Manu, Skalak, Knockaert, AND turning down Fulham's bid for Dunk (whilst giving him a whopping pay rise).

As for the foreign investors helping cover the tab, how long before they lose interest (Venkys at Blackburn, Numerous owners at Pompey, Leeds, Forest etc.). Tony Bloom will be an Albion fan to the day he dies, just like you and I, these Johnny Foreigners will forget us as quickly as we forget those holiday romances with Big Doris from Southend when we were on vacation many years back.

*Own estimates, no information received from the club on this

 

[Goldstone1976]

...those holiday romances with Big Doris from Southend when we were on vacation many years back...

But, but, she said she loved me.

 

[El Presidente]

But, but, she said she loved me.

You and I still have the rash to prove just how much she loved us x

 

[Colossal Squid]

The trouble with this is it's not my money. Does receiving £10m+ immediately boost the club's WAR CHEST with which to pick up the most expensive and therefore GREATEST player we've ever before seen? Or does it actually just help to balance the books, which at present show an ongoing operating LOSS?

Ultimately I want us to sign the players we're missing and go on to smash the league this season, which I also believe is what the club wants. I don't feel we're priced out of the market on players in terms of transfer fee - with Pritchard the deal was agreed with Spurs before Norwich came along - but rather we can't compete with the sky high wages that ex Prem teams are able to offer, and no matter how much of a huge lump sum we might be able to take home, that money won't be available to the manager to just splash stupid amounts on one player's extortionate wages. And with good reason. You can't pay one player over the odds when those around him are on considerably less, it just breeds resentment and would end up costing more in the long run.

If I believed we just didn't have the money to buy the players we wanted then yes, I'd begrudgingly accept a sizeable sum for the sale of Stephens, in the hope the money got reinvested in the reinforcements we need. But by all accounts the club DO have money with which to buy the players we want, and the problem lies in convincing those players to come here and play for us when rival clubs can and will throw more money at enticing them elsewhere.

For this reason I would actually rather see the club refuse ALL offers for Stephens. Right now it's not about balancing the books or staying afloat, it's about assaulting the league to make it to the promised land, and for that we need the best squad we can assemble - which means NOT dispensing with our prized assets.

I appreciate the money swimming round the Premier League right now is ridiculous but I just don't feel like it's actually what we need. We want to join them, not profit from them in the short term.

Keep the 'hands off' signs up and continue to reject all offers.

We offer Dale an improved contract with the proviso that if we're unsuccessful in going up this year we will allow him to speak to other clubs at the end of the season (provided they've met a realistic valuation) and that's that.

£8m, £10m, £12m or more right now doesn't actually change things in the short to medium term, so let's hold firm and use the money we'd already earmarked for our new attacking player to get the right deal done before the window closes tomorrow, then focus all our efforts on automatic promotion.

I know it's easy to spend or not spend other people's money but I really do believe that a quick cash injection from Stephens' potential sale just won't have any positive impact on our transfer dealings. It would simply inflate the prices we'd be quoted by selling clubs without there being any time left within which to negotiate.

I appreciate this is a real cake and eat it scenario but keeping Stephens and reinforcing with the goal getter we crave before the window shuts is the only option if we're serious about going up this year

 

[Icy Gull]

I think PB's 'bleatings' are due to the Albion (based on my calculations) making losses close to £20 million* last year, compared to £10 millon the previous season.

Maybe his bonus is linked to how big these losses are. plenty of reason to bleat then.

 

[Uh_huh_him]

I think PB's 'bleatings' are due to the Albion (based on my calculations) making losses close to £20 million* last year, compared to £10 millon the previous season.

*Own estimates, no information received from the club on this

I assume at least part of the £20 million loss will be spread over the length of the individual player's contracts though wont it?
Or will it all be in this year's financial statement?

 

[Ernest]

You and I still have the rash to prove just how much she loved us x

Now we KNOW where [MENTION=29916]Kellie[/MENTION] picked it up FROM

 

[Superphil]

Diesel money and M6 toll money should do it.

 

[Joshski]

10 mill providing we have a similar if not better midfielder lined up!

 

[chaileyjem]

I think PB's 'bleatings' are due to the Albion (based on my calculations) making losses close to £20 million* last year, compared to £10 millon the previous season.

*Own estimates, no information received from the club on this

Club have also deliberately started to quote that they are losing £1.5m a month in various bits of comms in the last couple of months.

 

[drew]

Club have also deliberately started to quote that they are losing £1.5m a month in various bits of comms in the last couple of months.

Rubbish, they've been going on about how much we are losing each month for years.

 

[BASINGSTOKESEAGULL]

Rejected a bid from Hull now apparently.

 

[chaileyjem]

Rubbish, they've been going on about how much we are losing each month for years.

Yes. They have. But they've upped the figure of losses in last couple of months so its nearly close to EP 's estimate.

 

[Lurchy]

Fee of around 10m for Stephens seems about right when comparing to how much players like Hendricks are going for, the other deals going on for comparable players always sets the rates. Biggest problem though is the lateness of any deal being done and the time left to sign a replacement (and any inflated fee's because of it). Looking at other teams only one's who might be available are Leadbitter and Lansbury. Derby have a surplus but can't imagine they'll be happy to sell to a promotion rival.

 

[Bozza]

Rejected a bid from Hull now apparently.

It does seem to be a beauty parade of the Premier League's worst clubs (ugly parade, perhaps). As such it seems unfathomable that Palace aren't also sniffing around him.

 

[pishhead]

It does seem to be a beauty parade of the Premier League's worst clubs (ugly parade, perhaps). As such it seems unfathomable that Palace aren't also sniffing around him.

They were allegedly. Next up Sunderland and WBA.

 

[Nixonator]

There's no amount for Stephens that would now appease me.

Maybe a couple months ago.

 

[sussex_guy2k2]

We really shouldn't be selling at this stage. We should bring in a left back (assuming Pocognoli signs) and a pacey striker/number 10 and then close the club for tomorrow.

At least that's the ideal.

 

[sir albion]

Need a bit of realism here....
He wasn't in the top 3 best performers last season and he doesn't score very often.Yes he's a great player with great potential but he's in the last year of his contract and he's a central midfielder not a striker or winger of whom go for the bigger bucks.

I'd say 6/7 million is ample although I really don't like losing key players on the last day without an adequate replacement as this will destroy our season as our other central midfielders are not good enough .

I'm sure he'll be off tonight or tomorrow and we will wait til Jan to get a replacement sadly!!!!

 

[Lord Bracknell]

He has valued himself at 10 million, it would be rude to take less.

Part of me wants nothing more than to be rude to footballers (and their agents) who imagine that ANYONE is worth the wages that are being paid to the top "earners" in football today.