Sell to Buy

[JohnDoe]

Rafa: We've got loads of money to spend on big name players

Rafa: We need to sell some players before we can buy.

Now which is the most sensble statement?

All smoke and mirrors

CHEESE CHEESE CHEESE?

[dww]

Wasnt included in part of the refinanced load 30mill for transfers this summer?

There was talk of £45m for 'working capital' whatever that might mean. I think a lot of people have assumed it would be for transfers. I wouldn't be hugely surprised to see us have comparable spending to last year actually. Possibly it will depend on how the Mascher deal is structured and accounted for though.

[Rich]

Every team works within a budget; transfer budgets AND salary budgets. We have a large squad of players therefore we need to shift players and replace them with others. Sell to buy.

I'm sure Rafa is fully aware of what serious money buys you (Torres and Mascherano) and I'm sure he knows what kind of bargains he can find (Reina and Arbeloa, to name two)

There will be a combination of the two types this summer; no doubts about it.

[MattB]

How big a squad do we need though? It's only right that some of the 'less able' are moved out before better quality is brought it. We already have 6 of the 75 highest paid players in Europe (Arsenal have just 1)...

As an aside, did you realise that Crouch is on the same money as Eto'o, Aguerro and Iniesta (sp)?

[carlton]

smokescreen for sure, no?

[Darkon]

How big a squad do we need though? It's only right that some of the 'less able' are moved out before better quality is brought it. We already have 6 of the 75 highest paid players in Europe (Arsenal have just 1)...

As an aside, did you realise that Crouch is on the same money as Eto'o, Aguerro and Iniesta (sp)?

Wasen't that list made out to be fake???

[MattB]

Dunno - saw it on newsnow yesterday

[Darkon]

What were you expecting with the Texan in charge? All this hope of world class signings was never going to happen.

We're in a worse position now than we were under Moores. We have £30m to pay in interest so there's no way we'll be spending anything over about £10m net and that's if you're lucky.

What did you expect with ANY investor in charge??? The only man in football that does not see it as a business is abramovich.... And our owners are neither in his league of wealth, nor in it for the pure fun of it...

Won't be any different as long as we have investors set out to make a return in charge, texans, russians, british or arabian...

[el matador]

Balague said that the player that we had already signed for the first team was someone they had already mentioned earlier in the podcast.

i think it is Ashley Young (maybe in a swap deal involving pennant and some money or to include carson).

he also said we would have enough for full backs, a replacement for alonso and the right sided player.

[Fagan]

Don't forget wages will change as well, Kewell's contract is over in the summer so the club won't be wasting £75,000 a week on ****e.

[Darkon]

Dunno - saw it on newsnow yesterday

I am not to sure myself, but rumours have it that it is fake, mainly due to spelling errors and such...

[MattB]

You're prob right but hey, we all know the first rule of journalism - never let the facts get in the way of a good story

[Darkon]

true that

[Roboklopp]

Ballague mentioned a "replacement for Alonso"???

[rage]

has ballague ever got anything right?