What to do with the £50 million?

[MOGLET]

Buy China.

 

 

Can't think of a suitable headline right now...

 

 

Wedgewood or Clarisse Cliff? Personally cant see much to be made from crockery myself.

[Reckoner]

these ranting posts everyone's wanking about remind me of the bullish arse about face language used after Suarez got charged for calling Evra names. Loads of people saying they are sick of this club being bullied and not standing up for themselves, and that now at least we have Kenny who will take no shit and not play their game. Well how the fuck did that turn out lads? Not being practical and cutting off our nose to spite our face may seem heroic and principled but Suarez doesn't owe us anymore than he owed Ajax does he? Neither did Torres, although he left his home town for us, a fact we were quite comfortable with.

Sell the little shit teeth, it won't work out well there anyway and the selling club usually come out stronger out of these huge transfers.

 

edit- sorry I should have referred to us as Liverpool Football Club at every opportunity.

[Anubis]

We didn't stand up for ourselves in the Evra affair. We sent a player into a gunfight at the Ok Lancaster Gate armed with a marshmallow, agreed not to challenge evidence which should have been challenged, and effectively allowed United to set the agenda. This was followed by meek surrender when Evra clearly dropped his hand at Old Trafford.

[Jairzinho]

these ranting posts everyone's wanking about remind me of the bullish arse about face language used after Suarez got charged for calling Evra names. Loads of people saying they are sick of this club being bullied and not standing up for themselves, and that now at least we have Kenny who will take no shit and not play their game. Well how the fuck did that turn out lads? Not being practical and cutting off our nose to spite our face may seem heroic and principled but Suarez doesn't owe us anymore than he owed Ajax does he? Neither did Torres, although he left his home town for us, a fact we were quite comfortable with.

Sell the little shit teeth, it won't work out well there anyway and the selling club usually come out stronger out of these huge transfers.

 

edit- sorry I should have referred to us as Liverpool Football Club at every opportunity.

 

Is this real life?

[Kevin D]

Nobody is bigger than the club.

[Nightcat]

FSG think they are bigger than the club though.

[moof]

FSG think they are bigger than the club though.

 

Why do you hate them so much? It's very odd.

[Tony Moanero]

Why do you hate them so much? It's very odd.

 

Because they sacked Kenny?

[Bjornebye]

FSG think they are bigger than the club though.

 

Not sure it as blatant as that but they certainly dont see us as important as their baseball interests which sickens me. baseball is shit.

[Ne Moe Imya]

Is this real life?

 

It's actually an interesting question that probably deserves its own thread.

 

The thing to remember is that you can't really compare "which club came out ahead," because they're likely to be on different footings, both football-wise and financially. Not the case in a few of the transfers like Ronaldo to Madrid, because United were also at the top at the time, but for the most part, the relevant comparison to our situation is to look at the selling club and see if the money enabled them to improve or not.

 

So let's look at them, the biggest sales over the past few years, and consider whether the selling club made a mistake or not to sell (leaving aside whether they had any choice).

United, Ronaldo to Madrid, £80 million - probably worse off, although they still won the title twice since then

Inter, Ibrahimovic to Barca, £59 million - definitely better off, won the treble the next year

Milan, Kaka to Madrid, £56 million - questionable, but I'd argue they were better off, won the title the season after the transfer, finally knocking Inter off their perch. Plus I don't think anyone would say that they didn't get more money than Kaka was worth at the time either.

Barca, Figo to Madrid, £52 million - definitely worse off, didn't win anything for several years

Liverpool, Torres to Chelsea, £50 million - this one is interesting, because of the financial struggles we had at the time. Clearly we got more than Torres' value from Chelsea, but we also have struggled massively since.

United, Tevez to Man City, £47 million - worse off, as they sold to the team that then beat them to the title

Juventus, Zidane to Madrid, £46 million - better off, won the league twice in a rown and several cups before the Calciopoli mess struck

Atletico, Aguero to City, £38 million - better off, used the money well (on Falcao) and won the Europa League and a cup in Spain since, as well as finishing higher up the league than they had in years with Aguero

Parma, Crespo to Lazio, £35.5 million - worse off, though it took a while to kick in, a few years later they started a slide

 

So, that's 9 transfers over £35 million, and of them, 4 selling teams were better off as a result, 4 were better off, and one (Liverpool after Torres) stayed about the same. Pretty inconclusive, but I think it shows that if the money is used well (and I would hope that the team that found Coutinho and Sturridge for £21 million could do so) it doesn't have to be the end of the world.

[Jairzinho]

It's actually an interesting question that probably deserves its own thread.

 

The thing to remember is that you can't really compare "which club came out ahead," because they're likely to be on different footings, both football-wise and financially. Not the case in a few of the transfers like Ronaldo to Madrid, because United were also at the top at the time, but for the most part, the relevant comparison to our situation is to look at the selling club and see if the money enabled them to improve or not.

 

So let's look at them, the biggest sales over the past few years, and consider whether the selling club made a mistake or not to sell (leaving aside whether they had any choice).

United, Ronaldo to Madrid, £80 million - probably worse off, although they still won the title twice since then

Inter, Ibrahimovic to Barca, £59 million - definitely better off, won the treble the next year

Milan, Kaka to Madrid, £56 million - questionable, but I'd argue they were better off, won the title the season after the transfer, finally knocking Inter off their perch. Plus I don't think anyone would say that they didn't get more money than Kaka was worth at the time either.

Barca, Figo to Madrid, £52 million - definitely worse off, didn't win anything for several years

Liverpool, Torres to Chelsea, £50 million - this one is interesting, because of the financial struggles we had at the time. Clearly we got more than Torres' value from Chelsea, but we also have struggled massively since.

United, Tevez to Man City, £47 million - worse off, as they sold to the team that then beat them to the title

Juventus, Zidane to Madrid, £46 million - better off, won the league twice in a rown and several cups before the Calciopoli mess struck

Atletico, Aguero to City, £38 million - better off, used the money well (on Falcao) and won the Europa League and a cup in Spain since, as well as finishing higher up the league than they had in years with Aguero

Parma, Crespo to Lazio, £35.5 million - worse off, though it took a while to kick in, a few years later they started a slide

 

So, that's 9 transfers over £35 million, and of them, 4 selling teams were better off as a result, 4 were better off, and one (Liverpool after Torres) stayed about the same. Pretty inconclusive, but I think it shows that if the money is used well (and I would hope that the team that found Coutinho and Sturridge for £21 million could do so) it doesn't have to be the end of the world.

 

Well, yeah, in your opinion. Its more about a balance of power though isn't it?

 

For e.g with the Aguero deal, its true that Atletico have done better since, but as soon as Monaco came in for Falcao off he goes. They'll never finish any higher than third in La Liga, and never have quite enough to challenge for the Champions League. City, on the other hand, have since won the Premier League, and continue to employ better managers, sign better players, and generally be in a better position to challenge for major honours.

 

Ibrahimovic to Barcelona, in isolation, clearly a better deal for Inter, but where are Inter now? Moratti pulled the plug, and now they're in a similar position to us. If you forget the ridiculous sums of money involved, Barcelona was a step up for Ibrahimovic and everyone concerned knew this.

 

Torres deal similar. Yeah, he's been nowhere near as good there as he was for us, and is clearly not worth £50m now, but they've since won loads of trophies, and the signing was a horrible illustration of our slide towards mediocrity.

 

Selling your best players, especially if you don't have many of them, is always a shit idea.

[Phoenix]

It's actually an interesting question that probably deserves its own thread.

 

The thing to remember is that you can't really compare "which club came out ahead," because they're likely to be on different footings, both football-wise and financially. Not the case in a few of the transfers like Ronaldo to Madrid, because United were also at the top at the time, but for the most part, the relevant comparison to our situation is to look at the selling club and see if the money enabled them to improve or not.

 

So let's look at them, the biggest sales over the past few years, and consider whether the selling club made a mistake or not to sell (leaving aside whether they had any choice).

United, Ronaldo to Madrid, £80 million - probably worse off, although they still won the title twice since then

Inter, Ibrahimovic to Barca, £59 million - definitely better off, won the treble the next year

Milan, Kaka to Madrid, £56 million - questionable, but I'd argue they were better off, won the title the season after the transfer, finally knocking Inter off their perch. Plus I don't think anyone would say that they didn't get more money than Kaka was worth at the time either.

Barca, Figo to Madrid, £52 million - definitely worse off, didn't win anything for several years

Liverpool, Torres to Chelsea, £50 million - this one is interesting, because of the financial struggles we had at the time. Clearly we got more than Torres' value from Chelsea, but we also have struggled massively since.

United, Tevez to Man City, £47 million - worse off, as they sold to the team that then beat them to the title

Juventus, Zidane to Madrid, £46 million - better off, won the league twice in a rown and several cups before the Calciopoli mess struck

Atletico, Aguero to City, £38 million - better off, used the money well (on Falcao) and won the Europa League and a cup in Spain since, as well as finishing higher up the league than they had in years with Aguero

Parma, Crespo to Lazio, £35.5 million - worse off, though it took a while to kick in, a few years later they started a slide

 

So, that's 9 transfers over £35 million, and of them, 4 selling teams were better off as a result, 4 were better off, and one (Liverpool after Torres) stayed about the same. Pretty inconclusive, but I think it shows that if the money is used well (and I would hope that the team that found Coutinho and Sturridge for £21 million could do so) it doesn't have to be the end of the world.

 

I dont think it is clear cut as you suggest.

 

In my mind, keeping Torres and pairing him up with Suarez would have got us in the top four. Instead we overspent on Carroll. Cant see how we are better off seeing that we spent that we spent the remainder of that money in that summer on the likes of Downing and Co.

 

I would also disagree that Juventus selling Zidane left them better off.Two league titles whilst he was there and two league titles afterwards. One final CL appearance when they lost (before) and one afterwards which they won.

 

Then youve got Athletico who won the UEFA cup with and without Aguero. Other factors lso come into play like change of manager

[an tha]

I don't care how good he is - if he does not want to play for us, then he can do one.

[Saintslfc13]

I dont think it is clear cut as you suggest.

 

In my mind, keeping Torres and pairing him up with Suarez would have got us in the top four. Instead we overspent on Carroll. Cant see how we are better off seeing that we spent that we spent the remainder of that money in that summer on the likes of Downing and Co...

 

Agree totally. That's also exactly why I don't think we'll end up selling Suarez. Sure if Madrid make an amazing offer (such as the one they allegedly made for Bale) then I can see FSG taking the money irregardless of the situation. Anything less than something extravagant though and I don't see him going anywhere and certainly not without time for us to get a replacement or three in. FSG will not be keen to repeat the Carroll debacle nor will Rodgers be keen on going into the season without at least one more top striker/forward if Suarez should leave.

[Ne Moe Imya]

Well, yeah, in your opinion. Its more about a balance of power though isn't it?

 

For e.g with the Aguero deal, its true that Atletico have done better since, but as soon as Monaco came in for Falcao off he goes. They'll never finish any higher than third in La Liga, and never have quite enough to challenge for the Champions League. City, on the other hand, have since won the Premier League, and continue to employ better managers, sign better players, and generally be in a better position to challenge for major honours.

 

Ibrahimovic to Barcelona, in isolation, clearly a better deal for Inter, but where are Inter now? Moratti pulled the plug, and now they're in a similar position to us. If you forget the ridiculous sums of money involved, Barcelona was a step up for Ibrahimovic and everyone concerned knew this.

 

Torres deal similar. Yeah, he's been nowhere near as good there as he was for us, and is clearly not worth £50m now, but they've since won loads of trophies, and the signing was a horrible illustration of our slide towards mediocrity.

 

Selling your best players, especially if you don't have many of them, is always a shit idea.

 

I don't really disagree with much of anything you've said there, I just think it's a question of disease vs. symptoms.

 

Often, selling a big player is a symptom of a financial problem. The sale is not the problem, because if a club uses the money well it can be a net benefit to the side. However, if it's a symptom of an underlying financial weakness (as it clearly was in Parma's case, for example), then whether the team sells the player or not is irrelevant, they're going to suffer.

[DanDanShaw]

I’d sell him for 50million to anybody – he’s a special player but we are a team who need more “great players” throughout the squad than just 1 “world class” player (who misses a lot of games by being a bellend).

 

I love the guy and he’s very passionate about the club regardless of all this but I wouldn’t be gutted if we sold him at all. If we sold him, we’d be desperate for a striker but I can’t think of any we could get.

 

If the Darren Bent rumours are true (he’s available for as little as 5million) I’d pick him up, he will always score you goals – even if his overall game isn’t the greatest. What we really should have done was go big and get Aubameyang before Dortmund swooped. We also missed a trick letting Gameiro go to Seville for so little.

 

Jackson Martinez would definitely come to us, but it’s a risk and he wouldn’t be cheap probably looking at around 30million but he looks like a proper star.

 

We also need a winger, but I’d be happy with say a loan on Scott Sinclair, which I think City would be happy with if we picked up all his wages – or offer them a small fee of around 5m and take him permanently.

 

We need so many players that if I’m honest selling Suarez and reinvesting it wouldn’t be the worst thing. I’m more moving towards wanting it to happen as opposed to not being to sad if it did.

[lamai]

Spend it all on high class hookers

[Gym Beglin]

I'd prefer three or four very good players who can play from the first game in August, rather than pin all our hopes on one disgrtuntled world class player who can't play until mid September.

 

I'd invest in Loic Remy and Christian Atsu. Probably a £12m overall investment, but a massive injection of pace and power and aggression in the final third. With the remaining £38m I'd be after Eriksen, and then I'd be happy to sit on what's left until a rainy day.

 

The Number 10 is integral, we're just asking for trouble by just having Coutinho. We need someone else if anything just to give Countinho to bounce off in training. He's already picked up a knock in pre-season, albeit a small one, but it's a warning.

 

I'm not at all worried about Borini or Aspas. Borini played all Summer, he's not arsed about ripping it up in pre-season, it's just a case of running around and not getting injured. So far so good.

 

Aspas has to be given a little time. He's come from Celta Viga and walked into a massive tour of Indonesia, Australia and Thailand, being mobbed by thourands of people and playing in front of 85,000 in pre-season friendlies. If he didnt realise how big we were before then he certainly knows now, I bet he's shat himself this last two weeks coming to terms with what he's let himself in for. He's just become a massive star for millions of people, and now it's a case of proving it. Now we're coming back to England, the real work starts.

[Dr. J]

One player I never hear mentioned is John Guidetti. I think he's still on City's books but I saw him play for his Dutch club twice last season and the guy was a beast. He's big, skillful and up and coming, I reckon. City is loaded with strikers, too.

[Ne Moe Imya]

Not the worst shout I've seen.

 

Chelsea and City have some talented players on their books who are never going to get a chance there with the manager always under pressure to play the latest 20 million pound player. Maybe Guidetti could be another Sturridge for us in a couple of years.

[mighty sweater]

I thought Swansea were "in for" him?? Loan deal.

[Josef Svejk]

Our scouts should certainly have an informed view on Guidetti...

[johnsusername]

Spend it on Luis Suarez from Real Madrid. Scores goals, sets them up by the bucketload, tricky with a real unique way of taking players on, never-say-die attitude. One of the top five players in the world. A bit of a nark but we need some of that.

 

£50m well spent.

[Jairzinho]

Spend it on Luis Suarez from Real Madrid. Scores goals, sets them up by the bucketload, tricky with a real unique way of taking players on, never-say-die attitude. One of the top five players in the world. A bit of a nark but we need some of that.

 

£50m well spent.

 

How the fuck are we going to attract a player like that to the club?

[RedRazor]

£50m eh?

 

Find a decent sized house somewhere with no neighbours.

 

Invest in a top quality sound system.

 

Find out what the world record is for the longest ever party.

 

Try to break the world record and probably die trying.