A prospectus published in March 2009 suggests that Liverpool's net summer spending will be fixed at £20m a season until 2014. Is this enough money for Rafa Benitez to effectively compete in the transfer market?
The prospectus also revealed:
* The £20m figure would also include wage increases arising from contract renewals.
* Hicks and Gillett were considering raising the average ticket price by 8%
* Hicks and Gillett were trying to raise £100m from investors and loans to help refinance the club's debt.
Given the fact the prospectus was released in March, this is old news. However, the question of whether £20m per season is enough for Rafa Benitez to take Liverpool FC forward over the next five years remains valid. So what do you think?
The prospectus also revealed:
* The £20m figure would also include wage increases arising from contract renewals.
* Hicks and Gillett were considering raising the average ticket price by 8%
* Hicks and Gillett were trying to raise £100m from investors and loans to help refinance the club's debt.
Given the fact the prospectus was released in March, this is old news. However, the question of whether £20m per season is enough for Rafa Benitez to take Liverpool FC forward over the next five years remains valid. So what do you think?
If this is true it's pretty much business as usual. We'll be competing for a top four place unless we get some gems from the academy come through and we sell a top player every 2 years to bring in a younger world class player.
ReplyDeleteSo much for Hicks' bragging about what would make Liverpool truly great again - cue he gets a wad of cash out of his pocket!!
It is a testament to Rafa that we do so well without the funding of Utd and Chelski - and that he is able to continually balance the books. I doubt Martin O'Neill would have the foresight to do that by buying has been English players en masse.
This was printed in March, before loan was secured and before the supposed 23m per season Standard Chartered deal (which is entirely going to transfers apparently). We may be in better financial shape than we have been in a long time by next season. We also have some deadweight to sell on.
ReplyDeletePurslow apparently strongly hinted to SoS that the new stadium would begin construction next year (financial conditions permitting). :) fingers crossed on all of that
As great as Purslow has (apparently) been so far, he answers to Hicks and Gillett and is basically their employee. I'll belive the stadium news when I actually see foundations being laid in the ground!
ReplyDeleteNo! that sort of money is just not good enougth even now there are areas of the team that we need to strenghen.
ReplyDeleteThe other top 3 (exception of arsenal maybe) in fact even teams that are behind us will spend 20 million on one player and we will go back to the not too distant past when we were having to buy 4 players with 20 million and ending up with the likes of fourth choice players like pennant.
old news
ReplyDeleteStunning insight. Thanks! I already mentioned it was old news in the post itself. The question of whether 20m per season is enough is still a valid question though.
ReplyDeleteManchester United's net spend is 7mil average
ReplyDeletein fact the only team with higher NET spend than Liverpool is Chelsea and Manchester City
Liverpool spend plenty of money and should stop using it as an exuse all the time
I think it is sufficient. If you look at our first team squad now, the majority of the team is still fairly young. Agger, Skrtel, Johnson, Torres, Aquilani, Mascherano are all 25 (or thereabout), Riera and Reina 27, Babel 23, Lucas 22. Even the older players like Kuyt, Gerrard and Benayoun are 29 so we'll still get a good few years out of them. Carragher is the only first team regular who is over 30 at the moment.
ReplyDeleteIf we can keep the majority of these player, and bring in a couple of good players every year then I think we will build a squad good enough to compete. Plus we have the youngsters coming through. The likes of Ngog, Nemeth, Pacecho, Kelly, Darby may turn into very good players. (we'll have to wait and see)
If you look at the Chelsea team which is has a lot of players over 30- Drogba, Lampard, Carvalho, Anelka, Ballack, Deco; our players are signifiicantly younger. Man Utd also have the following who are 30 and above- Rio, Giggs, Scholes, Van Der Saar, Owen and Wes Brown are very close to 30.
The other thing that is interesting is that Man Utd or Chelsea didn't spend much thsi summer. Whether it is because they are too suffering under the credit crunch or whether they felt they had a good enought squad, I have a feeling that they won't be spending much in the next couple of years. Chelsea definitely won't unless they succesfully appeal this ban!
factoring the sale of ronaldo brings that way down doesn't it
ReplyDeleteThe DIPPERS will NEVER win the league, FACT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteYes, it is. We have invested in youth, and the bulk of our players are good enough to compete. The only place that is realistically up for grabs is left wing. Once we get that sorted out, we have a team and squad capable of winning the prem. How do you like the look of this team?
ReplyDeleteReina
Johnson, Skrtel, Agger, Insua
Mascherano
Kuyt, Gerrard, Aquilani, SILVA
Torres
Subs: Babel, Benayoun, Carragher, Aurelio, Lucas, Cavilieri, N'Gog
We'll still be thinner than the likes of Chelsea and Man Utd, but I think this is a team capable of winning the Prem.
Minus away money spent on contract extension, I dunno how much we are going to be left with, 10-15mil? Our current squad still need improvement. There are still quite a few positions that need to be improve by signing more new players. And with the quota taking effect next season, we might need english players capable of playing in the first team. There would have cost a huge sum of money as english players don't come cheap. World class players like Villa and Silva, who have been linked with liverpool, definitely cost more that 20mil.
ReplyDeleteNext season, we might be seeing rafa signing a few unknown players who are relatively cheap and hope that they perform miracle. No more torres, aquilani, johnson type of signing.
exactly. its only because of the ronaldo sale that man u have such a low net spend. take that out of the picture and it ll be much much higher.
ReplyDeleteLet's be fair here - we take into account the Alonso sale in our net spend, do we not? What's the difference?
ReplyDeleteI agree, Gary. 20m is enough. If the money is spen wisely on players who fit the system then we'll be fine. Big money does't need to spent - Arsenal only spent 12m on Arshavin, and look what a difference he makes to them. The players are out there, we just need to find them.
ReplyDelete