ThePaddy
Active member
- Aug 27, 2013
- 846
I've heard lots of criticism of Freedman in the past. The players mentioned were pretty standard I'd say, hardly unearthing good players for good prices. Guehi and Anderson are decent but certainly not worth more than the fee paid - Chelsea with options on Guehi too I understand. Olise was a gamble due to his own issues I believe, hence there not being a queue of clubs for him at the decent price paid, but he seems to have buckled down well. Palace obviously suits him. Eze another standard buy. Nothing there beyond what anyone else could do, meanwhile Benteke got a contract extension at north of £100k/week only to shift him on for free after another unsurprisingly poor season. All very standard/predictable type transfers that aren't going to generate significant profit, definitely an improvement on the previous transfer approach but you'd be hard pushed to find anyone doing worse than before. As for not renewing contacts of the overpaid journeymen signed previously that's not exactly a ringing endorsement either -although an improvement on the Benteke saga certainly.
Football fans are a funny bunch, I recall so much hype about the donkey centre half signed from Liverpool for £30m when that was an extraordinarily high fee - until they realised what everyone else was saying about him after he left at the end of his contract. Awful buy. Not saying that Guehi/Anderson are of that type but are certainly overhyped by Palace fans.
We were doing so well
Benteke's new contract had wages nowhere near £100k/w, never mind north of it.
Olise was signed for £8m when we activated his release clause. Eze was signed for ~£16m. Guehi was signed for ~£18m. Even the most conservative of estimates would put their combined value well in excess of £100m if we sold them tomorrow.
I remember seeing Palace fans saying that you'd be very fortunate to get £30m for Cucurella. I thought that was silly at the time and it looks even sillier now, but I'm afraid your comments are in a similar ballpark.