Is MAF getting ready to spend big this summer?

[General]

We've got arguably the best manager in terms of reputation the club has arguably ever had and a reputation with him that attracts top players, we also have a squad that if built on could really develop into something full of quality, ability etc...

We're being linked with quite a few players, young players but of a high calibre, and although we're expecting to loose Dempsey and possibly Dembele are those funds going to go straight back into the club on top of even more?

If that is the case could we be looking at our busiest summer for quite some time? Should we be expecting £20/£30/£40 million to be exchanging hands this summer?

Linked with Elia, The two wingers, Kuyt (all of whom are of dutch decent? - perhaps another reference to orange being the new black!) for minimal outlay do we think we could be revamping the squad?

We could possibly loose upto 6 players that I know of off the top of my head this summer in Pogrenyak, Diarra, Dempsey, AJ, Murphy and Dembele so the money may very well be needed to be spent. That said I hope we keep most of those guys. But then again, are we going to be daring and go full out with youth?

[BalDrick]

Not the first (nor the last) time I've said this, but this summer could well be Fulham's most important yet. Personally I'm expecting us to spend pretty big, but predominantly on young players. Several years of achievement, and half a chance of a decent profit when they become good enough for the really big boys, this is the way to Fayed's wallet I suspect, and indeed to the future of FFC.

[Frankie-Peter Taylor]

I've always had the feeling that he would seeing as Jol is the man he wanted. I mean Jol had only been here a number of weeks and Al Fayed allowed him to spend big on Ruiz.

Obviously younger players are more expensive and I think that's what we'll begin to see. Roy Hodgson went for solid and reliable experienced players and perhaps the mix of players like Hangeland and Diarra with players like Frei will provide more enthusiastic displays...

[White Noise]

Jol said earlier in the season that players come and players go and his job is maximise things for the club. He has no problem with players being sold.

I don't think Jol would have joined without the promise of decent financial backing but he won't be slow to let players be sold if he thinks he can put the cash to good use. Busiest summer since we came up to The Prem I reckon.

The interesting thing will be whether the planned £30 million spend on The Riverside re-development impacts on transfer spend at all. My instinct is that it won't and that the new stand and its various facilities will generate plenty of cash to pay the £30 million back down over x number of years.

I think the new Riverside will be a massive financial success for the club & will, Emirates lite, increase demand for all the high end and corporate customer options. And then it will be onwards to the two-tier Putney End and the vertiginous heights of the Super Hammy End!

[The Equalizer]

Does MAF ever 'spend big'? I think that he will part with money if the right player appears at the right price. I don't think he's been one to say "here's £30Million, let's see what we can get with it".

[AlFayedsChequebook]

Does MAF ever 'spend big'? I think that he will part with money if the right player appears at the right price. I don't think he's been one to say "here's £30Million, let's see what we can get with it".

There was the 'summer of Sanchez' where we spent £30m with no clear tactical aim...

[The Equalizer]

Does MAF ever 'spend big'? I think that he will part with money if the right player appears at the right price. I don't think he's been one to say "here's £30Million, let's see what we can get with it".

There was the 'summer of Sanchez' where we spent £30m with no clear tactical aim...

Good point. We also didn't have Alistair Mac back then to help control the purse strings.

[Jack Fulham]

Hopefully around 20 million or so when you take into account potential player sales.

[MJG]

Depends is it Net or Gross?

If we get £20M from Dempsey & Dembele do we then think MAF should top that up with another £10M or only spend the £20M

[tommyffc]

I think we could see some spending on younger players on cheaper contracts and offloading of the older players on larger contracts. So it wouldn't be more cash spent overall, but might seem like a big outlay. Kind of like what Newcastle did last summer.

[TonyGilroy]

Does MAF ever 'spend big'? I think that he will part with money if the right player appears at the right price. I don't think he's been one to say "here's £30Million, let's see what we can get with it".

I think that's the point.

If a manager thinks he needs to spend he must justify the deal to the board and "spend" includes the whole contract cost not just the fee.

The conversation now may be how much we can afford to spend on Dembele, Dempsey and Murphy. Convincing them to stay would show more ambition than paying £20M on fees to other clubs.

[RidgeRider]

Depends is it Net or Gross?

If we get £20M from Dempsey & Dembele do we then think MAF should top that up with another £10M or only spend the £20M

I don't think so, IF we get 20M for D&D, that would be the amount we would spend I think, maybe slightly more. It seems as we approach each of the past 4 season, and hire a new manager of course as well :) , there is talk of 20M to spend that never actually materializes and we spend much less than that. It would surprise me that we would spend 10M more than we bring in if we actually get 20M.

I don't think we will get 10m for Dempsey because he only has a year left and because of his style of play. If Arsenal is the lead dog, then it will be less than 10M I would think....but maybe someone will splash the dosh for Dembele to get us to 20M.

[HatterDon]

I also think that this summer is critical to our short and long-term future.

I also think that some of our more marketable players will be sold.

I also think that the money we spend on transfer fees will be equal to or less than the money we receive.

This clearout is way overdue. If Roy had stayed, we'd have had it in 10. If Hughes had stayed, we'd have had it in 11. This is why we need Jol to stay for at least TWO more seasons. Let's revamp the club and solidifiy it as a unit.

[cebu]

I also think that this summer is critical to our short and long-term future.

I also think that some of our more marketable players will be sold.

I also think that the money we spend on transfer fees will be equal to or less than the money we receive.

This clearout is way overdue. If Roy had stayed, we'd have had it in 10. If Hughes had stayed, we'd have had it in 11. This is why we need Jol to stay for at least TWO more seasons. Let's revamp the club and solidifiy it as a unit.

I'm with you on this one HD, I can't see MAF digging deep in his pockets again like he did for Ruiz. I suspect the clear out will be substantial and the average age of the squad will drop.

[Rupert]

I also think that this summer is critical to our short and long-term future.

I also think that some of our more marketable players will be sold.

I also think that the money we spend on transfer fees will be equal to or less than the money we receive.

This clearout is way overdue. If Roy had stayed, we'd have had it in 10. If Hughes had stayed, we'd have had it in 11. This is why we need Jol to stay for at least TWO more seasons. Let's revamp the club and solidifiy it as a unit.

I'm with you on this one HD, I can't see MAF digging deep in his pockets again like he did for Ruiz. I suspect the clear out will be substantial and the average age of the squad will drop.

Well, that's three of us in agreement, so we have a clear concensus building here.

Anyone who disagrees can push off  :53:

[ImperialWhite]

I also think that this summer is critical to our short and long-term future.

I also think that some of our more marketable players will be sold.

I also think that the money we spend on transfer fees will be equal to or less than the money we receive.

This clearout is way overdue. If Roy had stayed, we'd have had it in 10. If Hughes had stayed, we'd have had it in 11. This is why we need Jol to stay for at least TWO more seasons. Let's revamp the club and solidifiy it as a unit.

I'm with you on this one HD, I can't see MAF digging deep in his pockets again like he did for Ruiz. I suspect the clear out will be substantial and the average age of the squad will drop.

Well, that's three of us in agreement, so we have a clear concensus building here.

Anyone who disagrees can push off  :53:

Clique! ;)

group hug

[cebu]

I also think that this summer is critical to our short and long-term future.

I also think that some of our more marketable players will be sold.

I also think that the money we spend on transfer fees will be equal to or less than the money we receive.

This clearout is way overdue. If Roy had stayed, we'd have had it in 10. If Hughes had stayed, we'd have had it in 11. This is why we need Jol to stay for at least TWO more seasons. Let's revamp the club and solidifiy it as a unit.

I'm with you on this one HD, I can't see MAF digging deep in his pockets again like he did for Ruiz. I suspect the clear out will be substantial and the average age of the squad will drop.

Well, that's three of us in agreement, so we have a clear concensus building here.

Anyone who disagrees can push off  :53:

Clique! ;)

group hug

Surely you got an invite to join!   :033:

[valdeingruo]

I think everyone is in agreance that this could be the most vital window for the club's short term and long term future. In my opinion if we sell but bring in high caliber players to replace them then we will continue on the upward trajectory. If players are sold but "average" replacements are brought in i can see us staying in the mid table region. Regardless of what happens i am thankful for MAF's involvement in the club, without him we would be able to even discuss this aspect.

[General]

The question is now, do we have a good enough squad to see this club develop to the next stage?

Is a way of getting to the next stage buying in the likes of Dembele in a lucky break and developing the likes of Dempsey, selling them both for a reasonable £10 million each and then buying in four young hot prospects like we're being linked with in Heerenveen, who cost 5 mill a pop but have seemingly vast amounts of potential and resale value due to their age?

Four potentially great players for the price of selling two, one of whom is 29... sounds like solid and sensible business if done.


Does anyone else think that this could be what the whole orange is the new black campaign may be about? Or just the fact that we're going to Holland for pre-season or we're going to have a orange top? I'd think it has more to do with the footballing side of things as orange is a statement related to the dutch way of playing not the look side and it would be quite a bit marketing change for the club to change shirts to being orange - what would happen to the club emblem? It would fit in with the fact we're being linked with Kuyt, Elia and the two from heerenveen.

[valdeingruo]

The question is now, do we have a good enough squad to see this club develop to the next stage?

Is a way of getting to the next stage buying in the likes of Dembele in a lucky break and developing the likes of Dempsey, selling them both for a reasonable £10 million each and then buying in four young hot prospects like we're being linked with in Heerenveen, who cost 5 mill a pop but have seemingly vast amounts of potential and resale value due to their age?

Four potentially great players for the price of selling two, one of whom is 29... sounds like solid and sensible business if done.


Does anyone else think that this could be what the whole orange is the new black campaign may be about? Or just the fact that we're going to Holland for pre-season or we're going to have a orange top? I'd think it has more to do with the footballing side of things as orange is a statement related to the dutch way of playing not the look side and it would be quite a bit marketing change for the club to change shirts to being orange - what would happen to the club emblem? It would fit in with the fact we're being linked with Kuyt, Elia and the two from heerenveen.

The whole "oranje is black" thing could mean a bevy of things. The little thing they have on the main site was the exact same thing they ran for the away kit. It was "B.I.B" a thinly vield "We are going with a black away kit". It could also mean the players we are brining in and the style we want to play. I would wager its a bit of them all. Black really isnt a playing style is it?