I think the simple way to look at Wilder's PL signings is to say how many of them would you get at least your money back on and how many would return a loss?
Profit - Ramsdale, Bogle
We've been fortune with Rammers. He hasn't been an unqualified success at all, in fact pre-Christmas he was sub par and I still think from a budget perspective a loan or cheaper outlay would have allowed recruitment elsewhere eg LCB rather than asking the Board to help when all the cash had gone. But he got POTY In a bad bunch, injuries to Pope and Henderson allowed him to go to the Euros and Arsenal are desperate for a home grown keeper. It's telling there are no rival bidders but quite a lot has gone our way on this one.
Bogle also hasn't been a resounding success as he's failed to dislodge Baldock so you could argue keeping Freeman and investing in a first team starter would have been more prudent however he seems to be on a list of attacking right backs behind Max Aarons that would turn a profit for us if he left.
Loss - Freeman, Robinson C, Mousset, Osborn, McBurnie, Robinson J, Berge, Burke, Brewster, Lowe
Almost everyone else goes at a loss. You can make the argument that some pay for themselves because they gave us a second year. But these weren't 29 year olds who did their bit but age lost them their value. They lost value because they have worse reputations than when we bought them. Where to start?
Freeman, bought for a club record, never picked. Despite JL7 issues, we offloaded him to Forest and found ourselves short of midfield options. Probably leaves on a free next summer.
Robinson C/Burke - moved on at a loss for Burke, who I'd also expect to struggle for takers.
Mousset - for all the piss taking of Jordon Rhodes, here's a player who cost 10m, played ok for a couple of months and has been a liability ever since. Will leave for free in the summer.
Osborn - had done ok but even now 3.5m for a game trier seems a bit much. Players like him are ten a penny and there must have been frees who could achieve the same. Leaves for free in the summer.
Lowe - I'm surprised even Swansea are interested. Won't buy him though.
Robinson J - Bang average mid to low Championship player. Nobody pays no ey for him. Probably leaves whenever his deal expires. Always good for an opposition goal.
McBurnie - for 17m I don't see any goals that he scored that Sharp couldn't have scored whilst Sharp's at Bournemouth and West Brom he certainly wouldn't have scored. Edging towards an almost 1 in 10 goal to appearance ratio.
Berge - looks great on the tin. But not showing it now under his third consecutive manager. Hope we play on his reputation of part of the Norwegian golden generation but it is telling that other teams rate him between 10-17m figures.
Brewster - laughable that we paid 23m for him, didn't strengthen midfield, failed to strengthen left centre back and then by the end a 17 year old Academy player was ahead of him.
That's not forgetting the wasteful free transfers of Jags, who apart from Man U away conceded 3 every time he played and we may as well have kept Stearman on lower wages plus Rav, Rodwell and Foderingham which bordered on desperate to bewildering.
I hope we can offload a few before year end because for the uptick on Rammers plenty are leaving for a loss or in mnay cases nothing at all in the summer.
