Comparing Aston Villa to us.

[Sting of the North]

Targett, Cash, Traore, and Watkins.  Four players with whom Fulham was negotiating, if one believes the press, and the club could not sign one of them.  It says it all.

I believe the key part of your sentence is "if one believes the press"...

Ah, but, no statistical database would be complete without them ... and do you serioulsy believe we wouldn't, at least, have tested the water?

I believe there is an important distinction between having negotiated or "testing the waters" but I don't know if others agree since it is a subjective distinction perhaps. I also don't think that we even "test the waters" with every player available. That's why I don't agree that the fact that we didn't sign any of them (obviously, because if we signed them there would be complaints about other players we didn't sign) "says it all". It only says that if you pay enough you may get decent or even good players if you can persuade them to come. But since we cannot sign hundreds of players we won't sign everyone that might have been a potentially good signing. Not sure I would have had Traoré over Lookman or Cash over Tete, but time will tell of course.

[toshes mate]

I believe there is an important distinction between having negotiated or "testing the waters" but I don't know if others agree since it is a subjective distinction perhaps. I also don't think that we even "test the waters" with every player available. That's why I don't agree that the fact that we didn't sign any of them (obviously, because if we signed them there would be complaints about other players we didn't sign) "says it all". It only says that if you pay enough you may get decent or even good players if you can persuade them to come. But since we cannot sign hundreds of players we won't sign everyone that might have been a potentially good signing. Not sure I would have had Traoré over Lookman or Cash over Tete, but time will tell of course.

I wrote a previous comment that the database prints out the same players for all clubc with redlines on the ones that are not feasible for whatever reason.  The absence of a redline means consideration be that a cursory mention in a recruitment meeting or whatever.  That is running the bath water.  The meeting is therefore, by its essence, testing the water even if it chooses to move on very quickly.  A 'phone call following a meeting may suggest something more substantial like 'showing an interest' at the very least.