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Isakly what we need

In fairness if we get Isak we are the Cunts we accuse Chelsea and City of being every other window.

Why, Because we decide to go big 1 in every 10 windows? We're building a team that's going to take us places for the next 4-5 years with the intention that very little else will need to be done......not to mention we'll be offsetting a lot of what we've spent so far next week/month.

Come back to me when we've been hit with 1 breach, nevermind 115.
 
Isakitike doesn't quite make sense to me. Surely if you've got one, you want a versatile forward that can play across the line as the alternative. Ekitike doesn't strike me as someone that should be played out wide despite his skill set suggesting that he can.
 
What the fuck is going on

(a) Hughes and Slot are hoarding all the top attackers so we don't have to fret about replacing Konate.

(b) They're preppers getting ahead of a projected sharpish drop in Salah's production.

(c) They want to take turns dishing the Dirty Harry routine to opposing managers pre-game.
 
Fuck Rodrygo.

I'm all aboard the Isak train.

Ekitike is effectively the Diaz replacement. We signed him for 70M + add ons. We're looking to sell Diaz for 70 odd mil.

Ekitike will be competing between LW (with Cody) and CF (Isak has a bit of an injury record). Plenty of game time there for him.

Sell Diaz and we'll still have the 120m in the chamber, ready to bid for Isak.

We'll only need to sell 1 of Elliott/Darwin/Doak to make up for 30m difference Newcastle want. We could offer them 100M + one of Darwin/Elliot/Doak.
I hardly think Slot sold Ekitike (as his father said) on him playing LW. I'm also sure Slot didn't sell Wirtz (as he and his father both stated) with playing him at LW either !

I think this forum is hurtling off the rails fantasising how these new players are going to fit into our 2025/6 formation!
 
Isakitike doesn't quite make sense to me. Surely if you've got one, you want a versatile forward that can play across the line as the alternative. Ekitike doesn't strike me as someone that should be played out wide despite his skill set suggesting that he can.
I'm happy to have both regardless, because it's an opportunity for me to say that it gives us Isakly the insurance we need in case Ekitike turns out to be shitake.
 
Isakitike doesn't quite make sense to me. Surely if you've got one, you want a versatile forward that can play across the line as the alternative. Ekitike doesn't strike me as someone that should be played out wide despite his skill set suggesting that he can.
I'm hoping the new full backs will provide the width and the three forwards will be inside, getting into the box instead.

I have serious reservations about Isaks fragility but maybe Slots magic sponge will work on him too.
 
This is going to be a long, nerdy post about whether we can afford Isak, based on our activity to date (and likely future sales). This will give an insight into the kind of work our finance team will be doing behind the scenes. Obviously it's based on public info / speculation so there will be a degree of error, but thought I'd share it anyway. I've ignored Nat Philips and the two new reserve keepers on the basis they'll essentially cancel out.

Profit on sale

Firstly, let's look at the players sold and the rumoured fees (guaranteed amounts only, add-ons will improve things). I'm only looking at the impact for 2025-26 at this point:

Completed sales

Irish Kev - sold to Brentford, fee of £12.5m, wage saving c £2m, profit on sale £12.2m, saves amortisation charge of £0.3m. So profit impact £14.5m.
Quansah - sold to Leverkusen, fee of £30m, likely wage saving of £3m, negligible amortisation benefit. So profit impact of £33m.
Diogo (RIP) - guessing we'll get insurance money of £25m, plus cover for wages of £5.3m. Profit from insurance of £11.9m. Total profit of £17.2m. Don't mean to be insensitive, I'd obviously prefer that he was still with us.
Trent - fee of £8m from Real for the early signing, plus wage saving of £7.2m = £15.5m profit benefit.

Total benefit to date = £80.2m,

FWIW on wages, I've assumed £40k p/w for Kev, £50k for Q, £100k for Diogo, £130k for Trent (my assumption being that if he'd stayed, we'd have been paying him at least that much). Don't at me or quote spurious stat websites saying Q was on 50p a week or something, these are best guesses. The extra cost comes from social security and expected agent payments / agent-related bonuses. I've ignored performance bonuses on the assumption any savings get paid out to the new guys.

Prospective sales

Rumoured sales and values:

Nunez- £40m (we're not getting £50m)
Chiesa £11.5m - this is my figure and is based on his book value
Elliot £40m
Diaz £70m
Kostas / Robbo £8m (best guess)
Morton £8m (best guess)
Doak £25m (doubt we'll get that TBH but it's been rumoured).

That would give total proceeds of £202.5m, profit on sale of £140.7m and save amortisation of £27.2m - so total profit impact of £167.9m.

Wage savings estimated at £30.8m (there are chunky agent-related payments for Darwin and Chiesa). Assumed wages - Darwin £150k, Chiesa £100k, Elliot £50k, Diaz £120k, Left back £50k, Morton £10k, Doak £15k. Even if you believe Diaz is on £5 an hour or something, £120k is the least we'd have to pay him to stay, so the figure stands.

Total potential extra profit of £198.7m.

Total sales impact on profit = £278.9m.

Purchases to date

Fees (guaranteed only):

Frimpong £29.5m
Wirtz £105m
Hugo £69m
Kerkez £40m

Agent fees (club share, best guess)

Frimpong £4m
Wirtz £7m
Hugo £6m
Kerkez £4m

Total additions = £264.5m.

Amortisation impact = £50.1m (NB not a full-year charge for most of them). I've based this on a 5-year maximum, even though Ekitike is rumoured to have signed a 6-year deal - using the FFP 5-year over-ride).

Wages - my best guess:

Frimpong £100k
Wirtz £200k
Hugo £150k
Kerkez £100k

Add in on-costs and first share of agent fee and that comes out at £41.2m for the year.

Overall summary - profit

Profit on sale = £202.7m
Amortisation difference = £16.3m extra charge
Wage difference = £7.3m saving

Net profit from trading = £193.7m

Overall summary - cash

Transfer payments (1/3 of fees and agent fees) = £88.2m
Transfer receipts (1/3 of fees) = £92.7m
Wages saved = £7.3m cash inflow

Net cash impact + £11.8m

Conclusion

We need to make those sales, but if we do, then we will have made serious accounting and cash gains based on our activity to date. We'll have £11.8m net cash to spend, plus whatever our original budget was.

Can we afford Guehi? Abso-fucking-lutely.
Can we afford Isak too - it'll be a stretch, but probably.

BUT ONLY IF WE MAKE THOSE SALES.
 
I hardly think Slot sold Ekitike (as his father said) on him playing LW. I'm also sure Slot didn't sell Wirtz (as he and his father both stated) with playing him at LW either !

I think this forum is hurtling off the rails fantasising how these new players are going to fit into our 2025/6 formation!
Well it looks like we want them both. And I hardly think Slot sold Ekitike (or his father) on him being a back up CF only.

I think he will play both CF and LW. I expect Slot to rotate more too. We'll effectively have 4 forwards in Gakpo, Salah, Isak and Ekitike. Wirtz (AM/LW), Frimpong (RW), Ngumoha (LW) and Szobo (LW, RW and AM) will be cover for the wide positions too in certain games.
 
There will be more than enough games for both Ekitike and Isak, and as someone said Ekitike is still a player in development. Isak is a ready made starter from day 1.
 
This is insane. But did moan about FSG not investing enough and now I know they were just waiting for summer of 2025 for Inter 1996(?) Moratti like window.
 
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