Aquilani Purchase

[leftpeg]

- 250,000 EURO everytime the player reaches 35 appearancs, 70 appearances, 105 appeances and then 140 appearances.

A-ha! The real reason that Aquilani hasn't been playing.

[Helios Creed]

on a slightly different note (that I didn't think deserved a new thread) I'm worried that with two of our top players being defensive midfielders (Masher and Aqui) we will start most games with this negative formation. Someone please re-assure me - is Aquilani a more attacking player?

[JohnDoe]

on a slightly different note (that I didn't think deserved a new thread) I'm worried that with two of our top players being defensive midfielders (Masher and Aqui) we will start most games with this negative formation. Someone please re-assure me - is Aquilani a more attacking player?

Yes, he is. You really can't brand him as a defensive midfielder.

[AFII]

on a slightly different note (that I didn't think deserved a new thread) I'm worried that with two of our top players being defensive midfielders (Masher and Aqui) we will start most games with this negative formation. Someone please re-assure me - is Aquilani a more attacking player?

Aquilani is a playmaker. He played in central midfield or as the attacking midfielder in Italy.

He is a better playmaker than Xabi btw.

[Helios Creed]

Yes, he is. You really can't brand him as a defensive midfielder.

Aquilani is a playmaker. He played in central midfield or as the attacking midfielder in Italy.

He is a better playmaker than Xabi btw.

good news

[Philosophia]

That being said, if we've only paid 5 million EURO for Aquilani, and got 30 million POUNDS for the Alonso deal right away....is there more money to burn or is it going to our esteemed American owners to re-finance their deal?

http://forums.lfconline.com/showthread.php?t=91854

According to Aldridge, the latter which was really my main point of concern.

[Shanks]

According to Aldridge, the latter which was really my main point of concern.

Surely that's obvious though mate.

You only have to look at our activity in the market.
Johnson aside, I think Rafa wanted to add at least another two of that calibre.

[razortoddy]

Reliably informed that the reason Aquilani hasn't played is because the player himself didn't think he was fit enough. Apparently the man is a walking sick-note. Ankle still sore,got a bad cold etc. His playing history at Roma was poor.

[Nicey]

Good piece of business that, with regards to the press they are all exclusively a bunch of arseholes who change there tune on a weekly basis .. listened to the game today lauding Schooles the same douchebags were saying he was the most over rated player the Prem has ever seen a couple of months ago

[Assassin]

Have we signed Aquilani?

[Shanks]

Reliably informed

Anything else...

[Tatterdemalion]

The thing is we still have to pay the 12-15mil for Aquillani. Prices over the summer went silly after Real Madrids activity and a lot of clubs simply decided to hold tight for a window.

Shaving 25mil from the debt should save roughly 3mil/year in interest which over 5 years covers the payments for Aquillani and reduces the debt. If we have any spare cash its better used as a debt repayment (saving around 7%) than sat in our account earning about 0.5%. On the other hand, should the right opportunity (or risk) come along then we can shift that money around to invest where its most crucially needed.

But your assumed interest rate is 12% (5*3m / 5*25m), not 7% (I think 12% is more likely tbh) and any future payments should include an element of interest anyway.

On the other hand, I don't think this is unusual for a transfer and if our rate of interest is nearer 12% then it makes sense to reduce it as quickly as possible as if interest is built into future payments it probably isn't 12%, but it does limit our future spending power which is a concern.

Of course all these interest and capital repayments are just indirect transfers to the owners. - i.e. once the debt is paid off the club will belong to them without having put any money in (albeit they have shaken up the commercial side, which deserves some credit).

I just hope they will go some way to redeeming themselves by using some of their new windfalls to buy the club honestly (i.e from the banks/government!).

As for Aldo, I really love the guy so I wouldn't want to be rude about him, but I don't think he realises that this is the way a lot of transfers are done these days.

[fah-q]

Reliably informed that the reason Aquilani hasn't played is because the player himself didn't think he was fit enough. Apparently the man is a walking sick-note. Ankle still sore,got a bad cold etc. His playing history at Roma was poor.

Rubbish.