Should be illegal

[Nick Jansky]

While we have definitely spent money on players who weren't good enough for the step up to the Premier League, a huge part of the problem when it comes to offloading them is that the bottom has fallen out of the transfer market in the Championship. Largely due to Covid and FFP, average Championship teams just aren't making as many multi-million pound transfers any more.

Look at the top 10 transfers from 18/19, when we were promoted, compared with 21/22, our first season back in the Championship:
18/19:

1​	João Carvalho	Nottm Forest	£11.8m​
2​	Benik Afobe	Stoke City	£10.6m​
3​	Tom Ince	Stoke City	£8.8m​
4​	Ben Brereton Díaz	Blackburn	£6.5m​
5​	Aden Flint	Middlesbrough	£6.3m​
6​	Sam Vokes	Stoke City	£6.3m​
7​	Patrick Bamford	Leeds	£6.2m​
8​	George Saville	Middlesbrough	£6.1m​
9​	Sam Johnstone	West Brom	£5.8m​
10​	Ryan Woods	Stoke City	£5.7m​

TOTAL: £74.3m

21/22:

1​	Harry Wilson	Fulham	£11.0m​
2​	Daryl Dike	West Brom	£6.8m​
3​	Rodrigo Muniz	Fulham	£6.3m​
4​	Martín Payero	Middlesbrough	£5.3m​
5​	Kieffer Moore	Bournemouth	£3.3m​
6​	Riley McGree	Middlesbrough	£2.9m​
7​	Ryan Christie	Bournemouth	£2.3m​
8​	Sam Surridge	Stoke City	£2.3m​
9​	Siriki Dembélé	Bournemouth	£2.1m​
10​	Braian Ojeda	Nottm Forest	£1.8m​

TOTAL: £44.1m

Essentially teams now rely much more heavily on free transfers and loans, which has contributed to us struggling to move on players for fees rather than waiting for their contracts to expire.

This is interesting, thanks. I’ve been saying for a while that some of our fans get far too hung up on the size of transfer fees we do or don’t pay. The market has changed, not least because players & their agents have become far more savvy about running their contracts down, but FFP is also playing a part.

 

[IdLiketoRogerMoore]

While we have definitely spent money on players who weren't good enough for the step up to the Premier League, a huge part of the problem when it comes to offloading them is that the bottom has fallen out of the transfer market in the Championship. Largely due to Covid and FFP, average Championship teams just aren't making as many multi-million pound transfers any more.

Look at the top 10 transfers from 18/19, when we were promoted, compared with 21/22, our first season back in the Championship:
18/19:

1​	João Carvalho	Nottm Forest	£11.8m​
2​	Benik Afobe	Stoke City	£10.6m​
3​	Tom Ince	Stoke City	£8.8m​
4​	Ben Brereton Díaz	Blackburn	£6.5m​
5​	Aden Flint	Middlesbrough	£6.3m​
6​	Sam Vokes	Stoke City	£6.3m​
7​	Patrick Bamford	Leeds	£6.2m​
8​	George Saville	Middlesbrough	£6.1m​
9​	Sam Johnstone	West Brom	£5.8m​
10​	Ryan Woods	Stoke City	£5.7m​

TOTAL: £74.3m

21/22:

1​	Harry Wilson	Fulham	£11.0m​
2​	Daryl Dike	West Brom	£6.8m​
3​	Rodrigo Muniz	Fulham	£6.3m​
4​	Martín Payero	Middlesbrough	£5.3m​
5​	Kieffer Moore	Bournemouth	£3.3m​
6​	Riley McGree	Middlesbrough	£2.9m​
7​	Ryan Christie	Bournemouth	£2.3m​
8​	Sam Surridge	Stoke City	£2.3m​
9​	Siriki Dembélé	Bournemouth	£2.1m​
10​	Braian Ojeda	Nottm Forest	£1.8m​

TOTAL: £44.1m

Essentially teams now rely much more heavily on free transfers and loans, which has contributed to us struggling to move on players for fees rather than waiting for their contracts to expire.

Biggest takeaway here is: fuck, Stoke have spunked some proper money in the last 5 years!!

Couple that with Balham's list above and makes you realise it's not as easy as some of our fans would have you think!!

 

[Revolution]

Biggest takeaway here is: fuck, Stoke have spunked some proper money in the last 5 years!!

Couple that with Balham's list above and makes you realise it's not as easy as some of our fans would have you think!!

Stoke are bizarre. They have the wealthiest owners in the Football League, have spent serious money, have signed some good players, tried different approaches and managers - some of whom have had success elsewhere - and yet they haven't finished above 14th in the 5 seasons since they have been relegated.

 

[Silent Blade]

Stoke are bizarre. They have the wealthiest owners in the Football League, have spent serious money, have signed some good players, tried different approaches and managers - some of whom have had success elsewhere - and yet they haven't finished above 14th in the 5 seasons since they have been relegated.

Too much short term planning and changes were their downfall

 

[Bladesman]

I'd chuck Moose in that list as well. Simplistic methodology, but if the goals he got against Arsenal/West Ham (in a single week) alone were not there that costs us £4m in prize money

And is now 28 years old and without a club.

Why can't that lad just get himself fit and focus on football.

 

[finlaytheblade]

Too much short term planning and changes were their downfall

And are likely to get relegated are in free fall.They could be pigs get out of jail card.

 

[Chimpan-A]

And is now 28 years old and without a club.

Why can't that lad just get himself fit and focus on football.

It’s likely he has accumulated enough money through football not to have to play football or indeed work ever again.

 

[Nick Jansky]

And is now 28 years old and without a club.

Why can't that lad just get himself fit and focus on football.

He has much bigger problems than fitness and diet.