Loan deals.....the system to take us to next level? Merged

[Ordar]

As long as the loans have a pre agreed option to buy then its not really a problem.

[twang]

How is a loan deal pointless? It just minimizes our risks in the deal.

[jmh]

I have to laugh re: Bent, a lot of people didnt want him, and now that he's almost here they want him for longer

Heh, the irony is amusing, isn't it?

[Bryanthebroom]

Why not get him on loan and save some money?

He'll be 30 this year so we're hardly going to be building our team around him; and even if he scores 20 goals his value will still go down because of his age.

If he has a good season and likes it here we can re-assess next summer.

I'm all too happy loaning proven 30-yr old prem players - as long as we spend money on players under 25 who'll shape our future.

[Captain Fulhamerica]

No word on an option to buy after the season? Seems like we should be able to get that from Villa, unless they are concerned about losing Benteke and needing Bent back.

[Big Martin Jol]

Jol is keeping schtum mostly though (like denying Bent today) There could be a claus in the Taarabt deal where, say, the option to buy is only there should QPR not get promoted. Thats the type of thing they wouldnt make public knowledge

I'm not sure that there is a clause but I'm also not sure that we need one. The lack of clause doesn't mean a permanent sale is out of the question, it just means that it's not on the agenda at this moment.

If QPR get promoted they'll want him back. If not then they'll have the same problem they currently have (wages, he wants to play in the top flight etc.) and something will be arranged.

[Deanothefulhamfan]

A loan deal for Bent is the best bit of business we could ask for (If there is an option to buy included ) Maybe he is not the player he was a few seasons ago and if not then he can go back to Villa no problems, If he does bang in the goals we sign him.... Im sure lambert would play him if he was that good.... We are getting so excited about Darren Bent it shows how desperate we are

[jmh]

A loan deal for Bent is the best bit of business we could ask for (If there is an option to buy included ) Maybe he is not the player he was a few seasons ago and if not then he can go back to Villa no problems, If he does bang in the goals we sign him....

If he does bang in the goals it becomes more difficult and more expensive to sign him than it would be now, coming off a season when he barely played.

[Humbled]

I don't think being excited about Darren Bent makes us desperate...
he is a proven goal scorer. for whatever reason he didn't get a look in last season.
I personally prefer him signing for Fulham than Osvaldo.

[alfie]

Bored to tears of loaning players and then rebuilding every 6 months. Jol wants his own squad but never keeps the same players as we've loaned a team. Next season will be even worse with Berba probably going and the rest of the team surely retiring.

Bored, Bored, Bored of Fulham in the transfer market.

Edit: To be fair, I should probably reserve this judgement for the announcement of the Bent deal....

My take on things is that he knows he has got a good bunch of youngsters edging their way forward, i think he would rather bring them on and use older players at the end of their careers until the time is right.

I may be totally wrong with this but i would like to think that is what his intentions are.

[Zu-Meister]

I don't think being excited about Darren Bent makes us desperate...
he is a proven goal scorer. for whatever reason he didn't get a look in last season.
I personally prefer him signing for Fulham than Osvaldo.

same......he is what we need, someone to stay in and around the box and not drift deep to pick up the ball.

[Alternative]

Given Fulham's record on big money singings e.g. Johnson and Ruiz , I think loans are low risk.

I would be very happy with Bent but not Parker - not even on loan.

[Ordar]

I think that has some truth to it Alfie. You have to think at the very least Burn, David, Mesca, and Kaca should make it to the first team. Not convinced by Trotta though. The forward area I think we're a bit light in at youth level. Dembele is very young, and Woodrow is still Raw

[Bassey the warrior]

so what happens if bent has a terrific season scoring 10-15 goals and then gets picked for england and scoring in the world cup
his price tag will go up so that we cant afford him?-we should have snapped him up on a perm

but i guess u can jols/Macintosh's point-why spend big when u can get them in on a loan-like a trial and if he does well then buy him/e.g riether

My assumption would be we have agreed a price to sign him permanently.

[Bassey the warrior]

Bored to tears of loaning players and then rebuilding every 6 months. Jol wants his own squad but never keeps the same players as we've loaned a team. Next season will be even worse with Berba probably going and the rest of the team surely retiring.

Bored, Bored, Bored of Fulham in the transfer market.

Edit: To be fair, I should probably reserve this judgement for the announcement of the Bent deal....

My take on things is that he knows he has got a good bunch of youngsters edging their way forward, i think he would rather bring them on and use older players at the end of their careers until the time is right.

I may be totally wrong with this but i would like to think that is what his intentions are.

I doubt this is his decision, more a case that he has no money, hence he has to be 'creative'.

[General]

Could be inspired...

Think about it, no big transfer fees which means you can then pay for the wages of better players who, if they perform well, pay back their wages hugely.

If we have a loan deal for bent and he and Berba both fire us into Europe then we become more appealing to better players, they may both want to stay on, jol may get excited (good to see him the most passionate I have since he got here today) and better players who have cheaper wages and command cheaper fees from abroad may come to the club - see dembele.

I know it's not ideal, but perhaps this is just working with our model at the moment and the model we will possibly be able to work with on a 30,000 sweater stadium basis.

[Deanothefulhamfan]

I wasnt a fan of Osvaldo either.... Im hoping Bent gets fit  stays injury free and bangs in 15 goals for us next season... If he is the same player he was 3 seasons ago we are laughing...

[Ordar]

Bent will be a fantastic signing for us.

[Arthur]

My assumption would be we have agreed a price to sign him permanently.

According to an article in the 'Thursday Fulham Stuff' thread, it's £2M for this season's loan (with us picking up the tab for his wages) plus a further £3M if we choose to buy.

On balance, I would say that this is preferable to paying £5M outright and giving him a three-year contract on 45/50k-a-week as it gives us more flexibility in 12 months' time.

[Aaron]

I posed the very same question about a week ago..

In theory, a transfer fee represents an investment, but this only applies where you are buying players that haven't peaked yet..  We tend to invest in players who are in the twilight of their careers so in our case it's more like buying a new car and losing money right from the start.

Once in a while we get a Moussa Dembele or Chris Smalling who attracts interest from one of the big boys, but these are hard to come by.  I'd imagine on transfers alone we're considerably in debt for the duration of our stay in the Premier League so far.

Permanent deals are also a planning problem for a team like Fulham.  If we take the risk of building the team around a player and the player in turn shines, he's gone in the next window.  It doesn't matter how long his contract is, how many promises he has made he is out the door the second a big club comes looking.. At least with loan deals, you know where you stand and If you can work in an option, then all the better for it.

Also, I think we need to be careful about what our "next step" actually is.  The  Europa League prize money wouldn't cover the signing of even one of the the "better players" you mention and we do not have the ground, fanbase, popularity or machine behind us to break into the top 6 and never will.  A nice run in Europe like we had under Hodgson every 4 or 5 seasons would be more like it.. Not take ourselves too seriously and not spend like QPR to try and win something that is effectively worthless.  There's no question it would be a wonderful addition to the legacy if we won a major trophy, but unless it's the Champions League or Premiership there's no point spending beyond our means to try and achieve it, we couldn't afford to take the hit..  Another plus point for loan signings I guess, the prospect of a run in Europe would attract interest from lots of players who might not want a permanent deal with us.

If the league was a pub:

The top 6 are the ones in the VIP section.. Nobody knows what goes on there, but everybody seems to be having a great time and it's where all the good looking girls go.

The rest of the league are the lary geezers who go out with their entire months salary in the pocket and start straight into the Jagers and paying through the nose to try and bed the fittest bird they can even though she already has her eye on the ropes leading to the VIP and will dump then in a heart beat if she gets the nod from the doorman..  These are the lads that wake up the next day in the Championship with an empty (or stolen) wallet, no idea what happened and too buggered to make an attempt at getting up for work so phone in sick for the rest of the season and hope they don't do a Pompey and get fired for it..

Fulham is the aul' lad in the corner who just enjoys the fact that there's so much going on around him.  He sits and has a couple of quiet pints, watches the lasses and then heads home to bed knowing he'll be feeling alright the next day.  He doesn't even want to shag a bird, he just wants to look at them, because he's boring and deep down he knows it's a mugs game anyway as she'll be out the door first time a lad in a Hugo Boss suit gets the champagne in.

Call me old fashioned, but I am quite happy being the old man.