That I don’t know but it could be that he just wanted to focus on the World Cup. James didn’t go to the World Cup, and I’m pretty sure he was injured at the time so he had nothing but time, whereas Mount the schedule was more hectic and it seems fair enough to say ‘let me focus on the World Cup and I’ll come back and sign it when I come back’. That’s just me speculating though. I have no idea why he wanted to wait.
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Chelsea Thread - 2023/24
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That I don’t know but it could be that he just wanted to focus on the World Cup. James didn’t go to the World Cup, and I’m pretty sure he was injured at the time so he had nothing but time, whereas Mount the schedule was more hectic and it seems fair enough to say ‘let me focus on the World Cup and I’ll come back and sign it when I come back’. That’s just me speculating though. I have no idea why he wanted to wait.
halfcenturyup
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FFP is a fundamentally flawed concept in its present guise imo, albeit it's a nice idea(l) to aspire to.
Realistically money has always been the primary reason a club is successful. City, Chelsea and every other club do all they can to work within/around current legislation in order to maximise their financial superiority.
As such I don't think there's much point in considering the ethics of the subject, as there are none.
The only thing that matters is whether or not you tread carefully enough to avoid leaving yourself open to sanction.
Some here might see a lack of 'fair play' in Chelsea selling players to the Saudi league, but there's nothing wrong being done unless somehow it was proved that PIF had a material interest in Chelsea, which I do not believe to be the case.
Doesn't need to be a material interest these days, or at least it doesn't for sponsorship, so it's not a big leap to assume the same could happen for transfers.
Put it this way, the PIF links are minor, sure, but no-one is going to answer the question "Can you do us a favour?" from a sovereign wealth fund with hundreds of billions of assets and hundreds of billions more to invest with "No, bugger off, you have a minor interest."
As long as it's all at a fair value it's all good, I guess. Can you honestly say you would be getting these wages off your books at these valuations within Europe?
Honestly, I don't know and I don't care much, but I think they are valid questions that shouldn't just be brushed away when questions about City which imo have less validity are media hysteria, lengthy investigations and jumped-up charges. That is what rankles. Same, to an extent, with the excessive spending and the length of contracts, btw.
I think that's an entirely believable scenario, and one I'm more minded to align with than my own!That I don’t know but it could be that he just wanted to focus on the World Cup. James didn’t go to the World Cup, and I’m pretty sure he was injured at the time so he had nothing but time, whereas Mount the schedule was more hectic and it seems fair enough to say ‘let me focus on the World Cup and I’ll come back and sign it when I come back’. That’s just me speculating though. I have no idea why he wanted to wait.
For all the conspiracy theories we as fans tend to construct, sometimes it's probably less dramatic things that determine outcomes.
As long as it's all at a fair value it's all good, I guess. Can you honestly say you would be getting these wages off your books at these valuations within Europe?
Mendy 55k
Ziyech 100k
These two would not be a problem at all. But obviously the players themselves aren’t going to want to sign for Sevilla or Lyon for 70–100k when they’re being told by the Saudis they could earn triple or quadruple that over there.
Koulibaly 350k
He would have been impossible to sell in Europe unless he accepted a gigantic pay cut but I also don’t think Chelsea were even thinking about selling him until the Saudis approached him and he said he wanted to go there. He was very much part of the plans for next season until he told the club he wanted to accept Saudi’s contract offer.
Can you honestly say you would be getting these wages off your books at these valuations within Europe?
Yes I can. We've taken losses on every player, I believe.
The key dynamic as I see it are the wages Saudi clubs are offering these players. If they weren't offering such huge salaries I'd guess that we'd be selling those same players in Europe at similar prices, although as already pointed out, Koulibaly would've been a problem in Europe due to the stupid wages we put him on.
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halfcenturyup
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Yes I can. We've taken losses on every player, I believe.
The key dynamic as I see it are the wages Saudi clubs are offering these players. If they weren't offering such huge salaries I'd guess that we'd be selling those same players in Europe at similar prices.
Tbf I didn't ask if you were making losses, I asked if you could sell them at these valuations taking into the account the wages Chelsea pays them. But fair enough, you should know better than I do.
Still think they are valid questions, though, if it becomes five or six rather than one or two .....
Tbf to you I just amended my post as quoted with regards Koulibaly. He'd have likely stayed to fight for his place (keep his astronomical wages!) if it weren't for the deep pockets of the Saudis.Tbf I didn't ask if you were making losses, I asked if you could sell them at these valuations taking into the account the wages Chelsea pays them. But fair enough, you should know better than I do.
Still think they are valid questions, though, if it becomes five or six rather than one or two .....
halfcenturyup
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Mendy 55k
Ziyech 100k
These two would not be a problem at all. But obviously the players themselves aren’t going to want to sign for Sevilla or Lyon for 70–100k when they’re being told by the Saudis they could earn triple or quadruple that over there.
Koulibaly 350k
He would have been impossible to sell in Europe unless he accepted a gigantic pay cut but I also don’t think Chelsea were even thinking about selling him until the Saudis approached him and he said he wanted to go there. He was very much part of the plans for next season until he told the club he wanted to accept Saudi’s contract offer.
Fair enough. Not sure I agree with all of that, but I don't know the answer either, so fair play.
give it to gordon
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How come Chelsea are selling so many players to the mid east ?
Seems like another side show bob transfers
Seems like another side show bob transfers
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