Virgil van Dijk

Not at the moment, no, but there's no reason we shouldn't be working towards that.

If we get into the Champions League for the next five years and continue selling players then there's no reason we shouldn't be. It's just building towards that level of income.

 

See, that's the thing. Last season we got around £10 million for Forster, right? We spent less than £5 million on any single player.

The season before we got over £12 million for Wanyama, and we spent less than £5 million on any single player.

The season before that we got £6 million for Ki, and we spent less than £5 million on any single player.

I'm willing to bet that even if we do get £10 million for Van Dijk this summer? We'll spend less than £5 million on any single player.

We're not working towards the Porto model, we're spending small sums on players, usually between £1.5 million and £3.5 million, and hoping to turn them over for between £8 million - £10 million.

The evidence suggests that this is our level.

 

And we failed to get into the Champions League this year, the Champions League money has also doubled now. Like I've been continually saying, the way to be able to do that revolves completely around Champions League involvement.

There's also the fact without the Champions League the players that are highly rated enough to spend that cash on wouldn't come to us anyway.

 

I agree up until the last sentence. I think that the powers that be are unwilling to show the balls to take our strategy to the next level. This has been a source of great frustration for me over the last few seasons.

 

We should be putting some massive release clauses on players and then telling everyone he is not for sale....unless you pay the contract release price lol. That's the Porto model!!!

Mangala was sold for 30 million because Man City had to meet the release clause. Same with Bacca, Sevilla telling everyone to either meet the 21.5 million release clause or to * off.

We should have put a 20 million release clause on Virgil...missed opportunity

 

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/sport...il_van_Dijk_is_a_star_but_he_s_going_nowhere/

 

So he's here for the qualifiers. Hopefully he'll do better in Europe this time and we'll get more for him.

 

You're talking about players that did it in competitive leagues and also played excellently in europe. Neither of which criteria Virgil fits. No-one would meet a £20mil release clause for Virgil or any other player playing in Scotland for that matter.

 

But we aren't guaranteed Champions League football at all for the foreseeable future. Until at least mid august time after the qualifiers, and by then it could be too late to get the man we're after anyway?

 

I'm talking the long term plan mate. If we establish ourselves as a Champions League team, get there for the next 5/6/7 years, across Europe we'll be lodged into footballers heads as a Champions League team.

We just need to work towards getting the consitency of always getting there. Even a good showing once gets us players we wouldn't normally, it's how we managed to get Van Dijk.

It's crucial.

 

Ah I see what you mean. I still think it'll be difficult for us having to do 3 rounds to qualify during pre-season. I think we are capable of doing it every year, but it doesn't mean it's easy. Also the fact of the matter is, we can't afford to gamble 6-8 million in incoming transfers if we aren't gonna get that CL revenue. It would actually do damage to the finances that we would probably regress as a squad by having to make cuts.

Back to the point of the thread, having Virgil for the qualifiers really is a massive boost. Shame it might be his last few appearances, just hope he really shows up and bosses it.

 

If we're there for the next 3 years, getting £20m a season getting there, I don't think a £5m player is out of the equation. Shouldn't be anyway, especially because over that time you'll probably see Van Dijk, Bitton, Johansen etc. go for £10m as well.

Agree with the last bit though, Virgil being here for the qualifiers is huge.

 

Would be shocked to see Johansen sold for any price under Ronny. Biton I would want at least £12-14m for, purely for how young he is and howich potential he has to improve (already an established international)

 

£12-14 million behave now.

Tidy player with bags of potential but I'm confident we would sell for half that just now. Not that I'm advocating it.

 

Johansen was sold to us from Stormgodset from under Ronny, 3 years down the line who knows what we'll do. I don't think anybody thought Ledley was going to leave and that ended up happening.

I'll keep an open mind since then.

I hope not though, would rather keep them.

 

I suppose its the wages, but I've never understood that. Where is this big loss we are making for us not to spend/sell evenly with our transfers?

Surely when prem teams buy players from eastern europe for like £6mil etc they arent on big wages and would accept like 20k when they are on like 5k-10k?

 

happy birthday big man

 

Agree with this.. Now Alderwield has gone to Spurs would put money on him going to Southampton.

 

Virgil and Fonte, that would be a deadly pairing at the back.