What do Pablo Zabaleta, Michail Antonio and Manu Lanzini have in common apart probably from being our three best players?
Answer: A combined transfer fee of £15 million – less than the fees paid for Chicharito, Andy Carroll, Marko Arnautovicm and the combined value apparently of Robert Snodgrass and Jose Fonte.
There’s a widespread misapprehension when every summer comes around a club has to spend anything up to £40m or £50m if they are going to that famous “next level.”
Don’t believe me? Look at Everton!
Our top trio are proving the point that you really don’t need to be doing that stuff if you have a great scouting networ and youth policy operating.
Amid all the gloom surrounding the season so far I have been delighted to see not only the contribution of those three in particular but that of Declan Rice earlier in the campaign and the amazing potential being shown by Toni Martinez and Nathan Holland plus several other youngsters.
These guys are growing up with a passion for the club which is grooming them for the big time and watching the team produce some great results in the Premier League second tier after promotion is brilliant.
Yes we may well need the big priced player here and there but I can’t help feeling we pay too much heed to the cash thing.
Look a little deeper at what has and is happening at this club right now and there are many positives among the bargain buys and fine youngsters growing up in our great club.
COYI
yes the positivity is just radiating from the club,oh dear is this a spoof article
Nice to see the misery being spread despite the youth team and three cheap stars. Be happy with your life
Ah, a propaganda article to prepare us for the next transfer window disappointment. To get to the next level we will need better than what we have or have coming through the U23s. Everton have spent poorly, as have we so many times, but the fact remains to get to the next level we will have to spend. Not on 10 world class players but 2 or 3, and we wouldnt even pay for 1 (Carvalho). No chance.
Nobody accuses me of propaganda. You are gone (possibly again). Clearly you have no regard for the academy, or the players I mention. Thus I don’t think we need you here. Richard!!!!
yes Hugh if anyone is in any way despondant with our first team this season, they only need to look at the U23 for inspiration.
They are a great bunch of players, and as they develop into the first team that nurtured camaraderie will give us more cohesion and unity going forward.
Can’t wait for the next one to come through, in fact someone should open a book on it.
Russ there is no doubt you have to spend ‘to get to the next level’ if you take that to mean Big 4/Big 6. Leicester was a one off. But surely nobody really believes we are anywhere close to this. In my mind realistic next level for us is solid top ten i.e.several seasons with no threat of relegation plus the odd cup final. Maybe a run in Europa. Within those sides below the Top Table the differences in financial clout are not great, so scouting, recruitment, good organisation can have a big impact on whether you are 7th or 17th. Newcastle went down with an expensive squad with a big wage bill & so did Villa.
And so did West Ham under Roeder and Grant……
But let us be realistic, the title is usually won by a club that spends considerably more than most, if not THE most.
in 2016/17 Manchesters City (225) & Utd(220), Chelsea (218) and Arse all had wage bills of £200mil plus
Liverpool £165, Spuds at £121mil. before you get to Everton £83 and West Ham at £79.
Cheapest squad? Hull and we know where they are now….
Sorry Hugh I don’t agree we need to spend decent money IMO ..you can get good players for less but its rare ..after the last 2 transfer windows I’m totally p!!!! Off with the promises we got and ended with nothing the carvahallo situation sumed it ull up they wasn’t even prepared to spend 40 on him… I did like the Davids and I know we have all herd it before but they promised the world And gave us nothing like they said ..they got everyone on board with the stadium saying it will help with upgrading the team..well that didn’t happen and now the storylines are starting again about players in January just to get us going again and then it all goes pair shaped ..I’ve no confidence in them or bilic to take us to the next level ..sorry but that’s how I see it ……..I wish we never left Upton park at least we knew who we were.. Lots of lies ..IMO
Both Arnautovic and Chicharito were decent money investments this summer. I don’t really understand the Carvalho thing, and I guess we never will as the legal stuff all seems to have gone quiet.
For me, the past is the past. I loved going to the Boleyn, but that is history now. The most important thing should always be the next game (and then the next transfer window).
A little bit of optimism doesn’t do any harm and that is what this article is.