[Albion] The right time for major investment in the team?

[Kalimantan Gull]

There's an adage that the best time to strengthen from a position of strength. Having just finished 9th, we've never been stronger in our history. So is this the summer for major investment in our squad?

Ever since Potter arrived we've been essentially a development club, bringing in young, inexperienced players and slowly blooding them into, in many cases, top Premier league players. From Bissouma, Maupay, Webster through White, Lamptey, Sanchez, Cucu, Moder, MacAllister and onto Caicedo, Mwepu, Sarmiento where the process is still early. Every Potter season has ended with a first choice XI quite different to the one that started it. He's been brilliant at doing this, but it inevitably means inconsistency of performances and results, and leaving points on the table that experienced, battle hardened teams wouldn't do.

Are we going to continue in this vein, with Undav, van Hecke, Mitoma, Kozlowski and others the next on the rank, with the best players sold on, or is it time to build (and critically, retain) a solid team that stays as a unit for the whole season with serious designs on competing for silverware and European places? We've only lost White in the past five years, it's true, we've been good at player retention ‐ but it feels like we're close to a tipping point on this with so many stars being born in our team.

By investment I don't only mean splashing out on expensive players, but upping the top earner wages significantly so that staying at Brighton is a good career choice. And I'm not necessarily asking Uncle Tony to open his chequebook, but there must be people who would see investing in Brighton as a good idea.

And to be clear, I'm very happy with where we are and what we're doing, I'm not demanding this at all. But now that interest is building around our better players and manager, could this be a time to take a slightly different approach? Or is this a completely moot point - are we basically at our FFP limits anyway so they're isn't much wiggle room for spending more unless we sell a couple for big money?

 

[WATFORD zero]

There's an adage that the best time to strengthen from a position of strength. Having just finished 9th, we've never been stronger in our history. So is this the summer for major investment in our squad?

Ever since Potter arrived we've been essentially a development club, bringing in young, inexperienced players and slowly blooding them into, in many cases, top Premier league players. From Bissouma, Maupay, Webster through White, Lamptey, Sanchez, Cucu, Moder, MacAllister and onto Caicedo, Mwepu, Sarmiento where the process is still early. Every Potter season has ended with a first choice XI quite different to the one that started it. He's been brilliant at doing this, but it inevitably means inconsistency of performances and results, and leaving points on the table that experienced, battle hardened teams wouldn't do.

Are we going to continue in this vein, with Undav, van Hecke, Mitoma, Kozlowski and others the next on the rank, with the best players sold on, or is it time to build (and critically, retain) a solid team that stays as a unit for the whole season with serious designs on competing for silverware and European places? We've only lost White in the past five years, it's true, we've been good at player retention ‐ but it feels like we're close to a tipping point on this with so many stars being born in our team.

By investment I don't only mean splashing out on expensive players, but upping the top earner wages significantly so that staying at Brighton is a good career choice. And I'm not necessarily asking Uncle Tony to open his chequebook, but there must be people who would see investing in Brighton as a good idea.

And to be clear, I'm very happy with where we are and what we're doing, I'm not demanding this at all. But now that interest is building around our better players and manager, could this be a time to take a slightly different approach? Or is this a completely moot point - are we basically at our FFP limits anyway so they're isn't much wiggle room for spending more unless we sell a couple for big money?

No. Now is the time to continue doing exactly what we have been doing.

Sorry

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

I'd like us to invest in new contracts for Mac Allister and Trossard as a priority.

We also need to keep the "for future season" buys coming as we don't want the conveyor grinding to a halt. Perhaps Enciso is a potential buy, maybe others.

Obviously a direct replacement for Cucurella etc. could be needed.

 

[nwgull]

There's an adage that the best time to strengthen from a position of strength. Having just finished 9th, we've never been stronger in our history. So is this the summer for major investment in our squad?

Ever since Potter arrived we've been essentially a development club, bringing in young, inexperienced players and slowly blooding them into, in many cases, top Premier league players. From Bissouma, Maupay, Webster through White, Lamptey, Sanchez, Cucu, Moder, MacAllister and onto Caicedo, Mwepu, Sarmiento where the process is still early. Every Potter season has ended with a first choice XI quite different to the one that started it. He's been brilliant at doing this, but it inevitably means inconsistency of performances and results, and leaving points on the table that experienced, battle hardened teams wouldn't do.

Are we going to continue in this vein, with Undav, van Hecke, Mitoma, Kozlowski and others the next on the rank, with the best players sold on, or is it time to build (and critically, retain) a solid team that stays as a unit for the whole season with serious designs on competing for silverware and European places? We've only lost White in the past five years, it's true, we've been good at player retention ‐ but it feels like we're close to a tipping point on this with so many stars being born in our team.

By investment I don't only mean splashing out on expensive players, but upping the top earner wages significantly so that staying at Brighton is a good career choice. And I'm not necessarily asking Uncle Tony to open his chequebook, but there must be people who would see investing in Brighton as a good idea.

And to be clear, I'm very happy with where we are and what we're doing, I'm not demanding this at all. But now that interest is building around our better players and manager, could this be a time to take a slightly different approach? Or is this a completely moot point - are we basically at our FFP limits anyway so they're isn't much wiggle room for spending more unless we sell a couple for big money?

I'm fairly sure that we're not even close to FFP limits once Covid related costs and stuff like academy and infrastructure costs that don't count towards FFP are accounted for - and we probaby made around a 40m profit from the season just completed as well. But still calling Dr. No.

 

[Machiavelli]

I'd like us to invest in new contracts for Mac Allister and Trossard as a priority.

We also need to keep the "for future season" buys coming as we don't want the conveyor grinding to a halt. Perhaps Enciso is a potential buy, maybe others.

Obviously a direct replacement for Cucurella etc. could be needed.

This is where I am too. I suspect that new contracts for Ali Mac and Tross will mean raising the bar on player salaries. The current squad have taken us to where we now are, so retaining as much of it is what we need to do, with one or two upgrades in quality. What I don't think we need to do, or will be doing, is spending big on any old striker (we might do it, but only if Tony can see a RoI).

 

[Barnet Seagull]

It'll be a question of value.

I dont think we will be breaking the wage structure anytime soon but I do think we'll see larger signing on bonuses to protect the contractual value of our assets.

I.e. here's £3m to sign a contract extension.

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

There's an adage that the best time to strengthen from a position of strength. Having just finished 9th, we've never been stronger in our history. So is this the summer for major investment in our squad?

Ever since Potter arrived we've been essentially a development club, bringing in young, inexperienced players and slowly blooding them into, in many cases, top Premier league players. From Bissouma, Maupay, Webster through White, Lamptey, Sanchez, Cucu, Moder, MacAllister and onto Caicedo, Mwepu, Sarmiento where the process is still early. Every Potter season has ended with a first choice XI quite different to the one that started it. He's been brilliant at doing this, but it inevitably means inconsistency of performances and results, and leaving points on the table that experienced, battle hardened teams wouldn't do.

Are we going to continue in this vein, with Undav, van Hecke, Mitoma, Kozlowski and others the next on the rank, with the best players sold on, or is it time to build (and critically, retain) a solid team that stays as a unit for the whole season with serious designs on competing for silverware and European places? We've only lost White in the past five years, it's true, we've been good at player retention ‐ but it feels like we're close to a tipping point on this with so many stars being born in our team.

By investment I don't only mean splashing out on expensive players, but upping the top earner wages significantly so that staying at Brighton is a good career choice. And I'm not necessarily asking Uncle Tony to open his chequebook, but there must be people who would see investing in Brighton as a good idea.

And to be clear, I'm very happy with where we are and what we're doing, I'm not demanding this at all. But now that interest is building around our better players and manager, could this be a time to take a slightly different approach? Or is this a completely moot point - are we basically at our FFP limits anyway so they're isn't much wiggle room for spending more unless we sell a couple for big money?

I’m not sure I could support the club you are describing. I don’t want investment from elsewhere.

 

[Jeremiah]

I do hope we invest in a decent known striker - Undav may turn out ok but he we need another IMO. So splash the cash this way please

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

I always struggle with the use of the word investment to describe someone looking to buy or fund a football club. Mainly I think because usually there is an inference that the money and a profit could at some point be recouped

Think of it as going on Dragon's Den and basically saying, you want X million quid, but that "investor" would have no say in how this money was spent, and, oh the business and all similar businesses only ever make massive losses and this is forecast to continue indefinitely, especially as the purpose of this "investment" is to run up a bigger loss by increasing wage bills.

No, there's no investing in football. All who get involved will make eye watering (and some make catastrophic) losses. In return, you get to sportswash / money launder / ego trip / relieve boredom .... delete as appropriate. But you don't invest

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Sadly looks like we're far more likely to be selling off our crown jewels to the highest bidder over the summer in order to try and balance the books a bit

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

On the other hand an existing owner can of course invest. He can buy players for £20m and sell them the following year for £40m, like TB will probably be doing with Cucurella.

But that's a different thing from a background provider of funds. Our club isn't going to be turning a profit from which someone could be taking a dividend, not for the foreseeable future anyway.

 

[durrington gull]

I do hope we invest in a decent known striker - Undav may turn out ok but he we need another IMO. So splash the cash this way please

Undav a gamble IMO - still need another striker

 

[Badger Boy]

Undav a gamble IMO - still need another striker

That's what was being said of Pascal Gross when we signed him. People didn't believe he was THE attacking midfielder and that we still needed another.

They were wrong then and they could be wrong now.

 

[Arthur]

No. Now is the time to continue doing exactly what we have been doing.

Sorry

Personally I thought we'd missed a trick. I thought the right time to invest in the squad was January when we had a really good chance to push on for a european place. As we all know Tony doesn't like spending money in January which I can perfectly understand the reasoning why and don't disagree with him.

However if you look at the form tables for the second half of the season based on the last 18 games we finished 6th so I'm tending to agree with you. Stick with the plan, strengthen where we need to and try to keep those higher up the food chain away from our players.

 

[Perkino]

Players notoriously reach their prime around 27/28 and at this stage are bought for huge sums. Offering U21's a place to develop makes us a favourable club to join and enabling players to move on for £40m+ plus to Champions League sides shows we are a great choice. Our investment will continue to be in young prospects plus a couple of additions to compliment the needs of the squad. This summer will be one of transition where some experienced players are sold for huge fees and young talents signed in the hope of being the missing piece

 

[WATFORD zero]

I’m not sure I could support the club you are describing. I don’t want investment from elsewhere.

To be fair, if a very clever and successful business person, who was a born and bred Albion fan from a line of Albion fans and had spent a fair bit of time on the terraces (or seats) wanted to invest a few hundred million, and Tone liked the look of it, who are we to say no ?

In the meantime, I'll stick with what we have

 

[WATFORD zero]

Sadly looks like we're far more likely to be selling off our crown jewels to the highest bidder over the summer in order to try and balance the books a bit

NSC's very own little ray of sunshine

 

[Swansman]

I think Brighton is going to do like in the last two years - going for around a £0 net spend. Transfer income will be reinvested but I don't think the club will go on a spending spree. If I remember it right, TB wants the club to eventually become self-sustaining and spending a lot when it isn't needed doesn't really fit into that.

 

[LamieRobertson]

2.30pm..but it’s only a wild guess

 

[deslynhamsmoustache1]

To be fair, if a very clever and successful business person, who was a born and bred Albion fan from a line of Albion fans and had spent a fair bit of time on the terraces (or seats) wanted to invest a few hundred million, and Tone liked the look of it, who are we to say no ?

In the meantime, I'll stick with what we have

This. No one "invests" without wanting a degree of control. I'm more than happy to let TB get on with it as the man has the Midas touch and metaphorically shits gold bars and has a talented team around him. slow, steady progress is what we all want, and that's what were getting. The reminder to all is of the over excursion in the perilous plight Burnley now find themselves in with the probable loss of their best players and an owner looking to asset strip the club even more before fleeing. It wasn't that long ago that they were on an European adventure and I bet the talk in the pubs in that part of Lancashire at the time was the need to spend big and cement themselves into the top 6. Be careful of what you wish for as history is littered with footballing casualties.