Shadota
"Nighttime is the best time of night"
I've been considering hypothetical recruitment options, were we to be promoted back to the Premier League. And I simply cannot see any logical reason for us making domestic signings a bigger priority then looking for players further afield.
The expense involved in signing players from English clubs has become absurdly prohibitive as a Premier League club. Teams are fully aware of how much money you get from simply existing in that competition, and take every opportunity to squeeze as much value as possible from a buying club. Meanwhile, signings made from players overseas, are often a significant amount cheaper than a domestic counterpart would be.
I can only see there being valid reason for pursuing domestic deals if they are an absolute guarantee to improve the existing squad. And I'm not sure there's anyone around at the moment that would do that for us, that is a realistic option for us to pursue as an outright purchase (as opposed to a loan).
There are players dotted all over the place, particularly across mainland Europe, who would be a major boost to our squad. There are often bargain signings to be made from places like Germany (2. Bundesliga - as we came close to doing with Jonjoe Kenny), Belgium and Portugal. We've made signings in the past from Scandinavian leagues to minimal fanfare, but I think it's fair to say that even though the likes of Slimane and Traore were wholly ineffective in their Blades careers, signing English players to achieve the same end, would have cost us drastically more than those 2 deals did. Not a chance we would make a profit like we did on those 2 in any case.
An additional justification for looking further afield, is the outrageous success rate we have in developing young talent ourselves. There is a consistent stream of youth players coming through the academy, who either become good enough to play for the first team (e.g Peck, Arblaster, Seriki), or are sold on for a modest profit (e.g Regan Slater). Considering the squad registration rules in the Premier League, and the increased necessity to include "homegrown" players, having options that not only can fill squad places, but can compete at PL level, frees us up greatly to be able to go abroad and look for options capable of enhancing the starting XI.
We might even be able to kill 2 birds with one stone, and sign English/British players, who are plying their trade abroad. Max Dean is a prime example of this. 21-year old English striker playing for Gent in Belgium's top division. 6 goals in 17 appearances, coming out at 0.56 goals per 90 mins. Only his first season at that level, but having moved there from League 2 MK Dons, it's fair to say he's doing very well considering the increase in quality. He perhaps would have been a better option than Cannon as a major transfer for the new ownership to pursue.
I imagine that, if we do secure Premier League football next season, we will have a more handy transfer budget for the summer than Hecky had to play with last season. And considering the very obvious gulf in quality that has formed between the Championship and PL in recent years, shrewd business in the transfer market will be essential for us to have a fighting chance of survival (or at least, not being battered on a weekly basis).
The expense involved in signing players from English clubs has become absurdly prohibitive as a Premier League club. Teams are fully aware of how much money you get from simply existing in that competition, and take every opportunity to squeeze as much value as possible from a buying club. Meanwhile, signings made from players overseas, are often a significant amount cheaper than a domestic counterpart would be.
I can only see there being valid reason for pursuing domestic deals if they are an absolute guarantee to improve the existing squad. And I'm not sure there's anyone around at the moment that would do that for us, that is a realistic option for us to pursue as an outright purchase (as opposed to a loan).
There are players dotted all over the place, particularly across mainland Europe, who would be a major boost to our squad. There are often bargain signings to be made from places like Germany (2. Bundesliga - as we came close to doing with Jonjoe Kenny), Belgium and Portugal. We've made signings in the past from Scandinavian leagues to minimal fanfare, but I think it's fair to say that even though the likes of Slimane and Traore were wholly ineffective in their Blades careers, signing English players to achieve the same end, would have cost us drastically more than those 2 deals did. Not a chance we would make a profit like we did on those 2 in any case.
An additional justification for looking further afield, is the outrageous success rate we have in developing young talent ourselves. There is a consistent stream of youth players coming through the academy, who either become good enough to play for the first team (e.g Peck, Arblaster, Seriki), or are sold on for a modest profit (e.g Regan Slater). Considering the squad registration rules in the Premier League, and the increased necessity to include "homegrown" players, having options that not only can fill squad places, but can compete at PL level, frees us up greatly to be able to go abroad and look for options capable of enhancing the starting XI.
We might even be able to kill 2 birds with one stone, and sign English/British players, who are plying their trade abroad. Max Dean is a prime example of this. 21-year old English striker playing for Gent in Belgium's top division. 6 goals in 17 appearances, coming out at 0.56 goals per 90 mins. Only his first season at that level, but having moved there from League 2 MK Dons, it's fair to say he's doing very well considering the increase in quality. He perhaps would have been a better option than Cannon as a major transfer for the new ownership to pursue.
I imagine that, if we do secure Premier League football next season, we will have a more handy transfer budget for the summer than Hecky had to play with last season. And considering the very obvious gulf in quality that has formed between the Championship and PL in recent years, shrewd business in the transfer market will be essential for us to have a fighting chance of survival (or at least, not being battered on a weekly basis).
