Our recent transfer policy

[Kozzy_is_my_Dad]

I've been pondering a theory regarding our transfers across the last couple of years.

We know that we can't afford big fees and that we're sticking to a wage structure, to protect the financial future of the club. We have spent big in our own terms, and we all know that we haven't got several of those signings right, just yet. Many of those players are for the future, bright youngsters: McBurnie, Brewster, Mousset, Ramsdale, Lowe, Bogle, Berge - who will sign within our wage structure, given their age.

Alternatively, we couldn't even afford the wages of some free signings and Premier League dross and filler such as Wilshere, Welbeck and others.

So, my wondering is, whether Wilder has been bargaining exclusively with PL money - because beyond that, our owners are skint compared to the rest of the division. I wonder whether Wilder has thought "I'll never have this sort of money at any other time, invest it now". In doing so, he's gone for youngsters to try and ensure the longevity of the squad, in the hope that some blossom and grow and we either have a great squad a few years from now, or we sell one or two for profit over the coming years. He's basically playing in the casino, only using the free chips that they give you when you sign up.

Now, I'm not saying he's deliberately expected us to go down this year, we'd all rather stay up. However, I'm wondering whether Wilder has tried to ensure the future of the club if we did, by trying to invest wisely, to act as a true custodian of our club. It's a gamble, as not all of those will come good and of course, under our current pressures, many don't look like astute signings - instead, they look like what they are - up and coming pros, on a lower wage structure against seasoned top-level footballers.

Of course, you might have all realised this long before me and I might just be slow on the uptake! UTB.

 

[Varkanoid]

Yes it did cross my mind. Invest in players that will be PL standard after a year (or two) in the Championship when we come back up.
Problem is same players can get snapped up by the bigger clubs for £££.

Imagine going down, Brewster pops 25 goals in Championship, looks a PL player by end of season, we go up, Liverpool exercise the buy back clause. Oh.

 

[Yogi]

I've been pondering a theory regarding our transfers across the last couple of years.

We know that we can't afford big fees and that we're sticking to a wage structure, to protect the financial future of the club. We have spent big in our own terms, and we all know that we haven't got several of those signings right, just yet. Many of those players are for the future, bright youngsters: McBurnie, Brewster, Mousset, Ramsdale, Lowe, Bogle, Berge - who will sign within our wage structure, given their age.

Alternatively, we couldn't even afford the wages of some free signings and Premier League dross and filler such as Wilshere, Welbeck and others.

So, my wondering is, whether Wilder has been bargaining exclusively with PL money - because beyond that, our owners are skint compared to the rest of the division. I wonder whether Wilder has thought "I'll never have this sort of money at any other time, invest it now". In doing so, he's gone for youngsters to try and ensure the longevity of the squad, in the hope that some blossom and grow and we either have a great squad a few years from now, or we sell one or two for profit over the coming years. He's basically playing in the casino, only using the free chips that they give you when you sign up.

Now, I'm not saying he's deliberately expected us to go down this year, we'd all rather stay up. However, I'm wondering whether Wilder has tried to ensure the future of the club if we did, by trying to invest wisely, to act as a true custodian of our club. It's a gamble, as not all of those will come good and of course, under our current pressures, many don't look like astute signings - instead, they look like what they are - up and coming pros, on a lower wage structure against seasoned top-level footballers.

Of course, you might have all realised this long before me and I might just be slow on the uptake! UTB.

I somewhat agree we’ve bought the type of players who if they develop we’d never be able to afford in their prime. I believe the hope was those senior players in the squad would maintain something approaching last years form and so allow for the growing pains that comes with playing youngsters without sinking the ship. That hasn’t happened in fact the wheels have fallen off several of the senior players so now we’re taking our medicine in the hopes that those players do develop and we come back stronger.

 

[Kozzy_is_my_Dad]

Yes it did cross my mind. Invest in players that will be PL standard after a year (or two) in the Championship when we come back up.
Problem is same players can get snapped up by the bigger clubs for £££.

Imagine going down, Brewster pops 25 goals in Championship, looks a PL player by end of season, we go up, Liverpool exercise the buy back clause. Oh.

I know what you mean, that's the risk we're presumably having to take though.

We're also dealing with Wilder's back-up targets in some areas, as some wanted too much money now in fees (Swift, Reading) or others were willing to blow our wage structure now, for players who are still the unfinished article (Robinson at Fulham, Cash at Villa).

 

[Bladesman]

True but it doesn't explain why Wilder seems quite pissed off when asked about transfers during this window.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Shambles.

 

[Yogi]

True but it doesn't explain why Wilder seems quite pissed off when asked about transfers during this window.

I’d imagine he either wants to bring in 3 or 4 more to cover for injuries sustained and has been told it’s not happening along with having difficulty bringing in loan targets that both he and the Prince seemed buoyant about in the press before.

 

[Nine Inch Nalis]

The problem is, none of them jump out as being future assets as far as I can tell. I can only see Ampadu having 'star potential' and he's on loan.

 

[MalvernBlade]

I've been pondering a theory regarding our transfers across the last couple of years.

We know that we can't afford big fees and that we're sticking to a wage structure, to protect the financial future of the club. We have spent big in our own terms, and we all know that we haven't got several of those signings right, just yet. Many of those players are for the future, bright youngsters: McBurnie, Brewster, Mousset, Ramsdale, Lowe, Bogle, Berge - who will sign within our wage structure, given their age.

Alternatively, we couldn't even afford the wages of some free signings and Premier League dross and filler such as Wilshere, Welbeck and others.

So, my wondering is, whether Wilder has been bargaining exclusively with PL money - because beyond that, our owners are skint compared to the rest of the division. I wonder whether Wilder has thought "I'll never have this sort of money at any other time, invest it now". In doing so, he's gone for youngsters to try and ensure the longevity of the squad, in the hope that some blossom and grow and we either have a great squad a few years from now, or we sell one or two for profit over the coming years. He's basically playing in the casino, only using the free chips that they give you when you sign up.

Now, I'm not saying he's deliberately expected us to go down this year, we'd all rather stay up. However, I'm wondering whether Wilder has tried to ensure the future of the club if we did, by trying to invest wisely, to act as a true custodian of our club. It's a gamble, as not all of those will come good and of course, under our current pressures, many don't look like astute signings - instead, they look like what they are - up and coming pros, on a lower wage structure against seasoned top-level footballers.

Of course, you might have all realised this long before me and I might just be slow on the uptake! UTB.

I put my thoughts on the squad in the thread about Wilder sticking around and when you look objectively at players best position we have 5 lwb, 4 forwards, 2 rwb, 1 player for all the other positions and no gk above lg1 level because Simon Moore is our best gk right now. I was all for sticking by the manager as I have no idea who else is out there and this is his squad.
Going down with a record low points total won't do some players confidence and career much good.
I personally don't think we have a balanced squad and have been comparing the pre season to the half time at Derby when Wilder stayed out of the changing room. It seemed strange at the time almost arrogant that the game was won and we had done enough. Stating the transfer window as the best ever was bizarre when the cover at the back os 2 players who aren't good enough against lg1 opposition. We actually came up with better cover in the defence than what we are going down with

 

[Jan Age]

Wilder said ‘best transfer window ever’... yep and I believe in the tooth fairy Chris

 

[TJ blade]

Wilder said ‘best transfer window ever’... yep and I believe in the tooth fairy Chris

Probably new back then in the summer he had bought shit, but some how he had got to dress it up.

 

[Varkanoid]

True but it doesn't explain why Wilder seems quite pissed off when asked about transfers during this window.

He's already said a few times the transfers have gone up to Management its now out of his hands. Sounds like he knows who he wants but the deal is not going through for some unknown reason and thats what is peeing him off. Its like when you get asked the same question time and time again and you know what the issue is, you know what the hold up is but you can do sweet Fanny Adams about it so you get narked. Understandable.

Its possible the transfers made have been seen as not quite panning out and they are being more cautious this time in what CW wants is going to pay off.

 

[AdamSufc1997]

We can afford loan and free agent wages we just decided not too. Like you say maybe he bought the players for the future but not looking great so far

 

[Farnboroughblade]

Spot on with your OP Kozzy and the players you mention, I can only see Mousset and possibly Berge leaving at the end of the summer, but wouldn't be at all surprised if they stay for another campaign. Add your list with Bash, JOC, Burk, Egan, (non of which I can see leaving, providing CW is still in charge) and with the support of Sharp and McG I'm positive that if we go down this season, we'll have a fantastic season to come with a few decent quality youth players coming through the system to be thrown in. The key is that any monies available must be spent on two, possibly three attacking new midfielders (depending on the future of Burge) to supply the front two strikers. Added to that we'll have the loan market, which will be tapped into.

Sould we bounce back next season with promotion there's going to be tonnes of humble pie being eaten from the negative fraternity and look forward to reading their comments then.
I'm not going to resort to these negative fans by naming names, or being disrespectful to them as we're all Blades and we all want what is best for the Club, but I for one will be only too happy to remind them of their negative opinions. I bet most of them weren't around when we were in the old 4th Division. Think they would have taken a blade to their wrist back then.

 

[coaxingstar71]

You'd like to think the recruitment has been part of some grand plan but I think we've got the two big ones wrong.

£22m on Sander Berge - you can see there is a quality player in there but I don't think it will be us that benefit. Supposedly the long term replacement for Norwood (and now it's apparent why that was required!), however he's not convinced me, difficult to put your finger on exactly why but for me too languid on and off the ball.

£24m on Rhian Brewster - the kid might be brilliant one day, it's certainly not going to be this season.

£46m on two players with 'potential'. I don't know about anyone else but I would have preferred us to spend this money on two players who were going to improve us THIS season. Two seasoned experienced Premier League players ideally. I think we should have been in for the likes of Doucoure and Callum Wilson - maybe we wouldn't have got them but at least let's be in the running. It seems we were nowhere near any of these type of players that moved in the summer.

My personal jury is out on McBurnie - I thought he did ok last season, he got six goals and I think he's been unlucky this season but again, needs to improve a lot to be considered Premier League standard. We need to see more of the player that scored that great goal at Brighton last season.

If only McGoldrick and Sharp were 10 years younger.

 

[BanderSerge]

Wilder said ‘best transfer window ever’... yep and I believe in the tooth fairy Chris

Could hardly say it was the shittiest, could he?

 

[Chabuddy G]

Could hardly say it was the shittiest, could he?

Didn't have to say anything did he really?

 

[robbiez666]

I've been pondering a theory regarding our transfers across the last couple of years.

We know that we can't afford big fees and that we're sticking to a wage structure, to protect the financial future of the club. We have spent big in our own terms, and we all know that we haven't got several of those signings right, just yet. Many of those players are for the future, bright youngsters: McBurnie, Brewster, Mousset, Ramsdale, Lowe, Bogle, Berge - who will sign within our wage structure, given their age.

Alternatively, we couldn't even afford the wages of some free signings and Premier League dross and filler such as Wilshere, Welbeck and others.

So, my wondering is, whether Wilder has been bargaining exclusively with PL money - because beyond that, our owners are skint compared to the rest of the division. I wonder whether Wilder has thought "I'll never have this sort of money at any other time, invest it now". In doing so, he's gone for youngsters to try and ensure the longevity of the squad, in the hope that some blossom and grow and we either have a great squad a few years from now, or we sell one or two for profit over the coming years. He's basically playing in the casino, only using the free chips that they give you when you sign up.

Now, I'm not saying he's deliberately expected us to go down this year, we'd all rather stay up. However, I'm wondering whether Wilder has tried to ensure the future of the club if we did, by trying to invest wisely, to act as a true custodian of our club. It's a gamble, as not all of those will come good and of course, under our current pressures, many don't look like astute signings - instead, they look like what they are - up and coming pros, on a lower wage structure against seasoned top-level footballers.

Of course, you might have all realised this long before me and I might just be slow on the uptake! UTB.

The future of our club would be sounder with another £120 million TV money from another season in the top flight. We needed to buy for the future but we are not a club who should be paying £10-20 odd million for talent.

 

[Badger Blade]

I can understand the logic but the execution of it has been a catastrophe where the performances we've seen will earn us tuppence ha'penny in resale value for any of them at the moment.

They'll have to storm the Championship and then come up into the Premier League and do it again before any rich clubs are going to want to give us £20m+ for McBurnie, Mousset, Ramsdale, Brewster, less so Berge who had other clubs trying to get him.

 

[Nick Jansky]

The problem is, none of them jump out as being future assets as far as I can tell. I can only see Ampadu having 'star potential' and he's on loan.

Bogle, Brewster & McBurnie all have bags of potential to become future assets.

 

[HeySethUTB]

I think your spot on Kozzy_is_my_Dad. I think wilder also thought after finishing 9th we would say up comfortable this season, so investing in sought after youth talent was something that needed to done to ensure future succes before they became established and way out of our league.

We will find ourselves in a position in which the our premier league money is tied up in three or four players, giving us two options:

• We keep hold of players that are better than the division they are playing in or have demonstrated more than enough ability at championship level.
  
  
• We sell the assets for a similar amount of money at which they were bought, giving us the spending power of a premier league club in the championship on top of parachute payments.
  
  
• We do a half and half approach losing a couple of players for a good wedge of cash. Giving us a a bit of money to spend on supporting a squad of players with premier league experience.

I know this season has been shit and some players have been gash but to think we were close to not being able to pay the players not long ago and having to travel to Hartlepool away. We now have financial stability and a squad of players that can compete in the championship and despite this season a manger that loves our club and is proven at championship level.

 

[cooperblade]

I somewhat agree we’ve bought the type of players who if they develop we’d never be able to afford in their prime. I believe the hope was those senior players in the squad would maintain something approaching last years form and so allow for the growing pains that comes with playing youngsters without sinking the ship. That hasn’t happened in fact the wheels have fallen off several of the senior players so now we’re taking our medicine in the hopes that those players do develop and we come back stronger.

I think that's a really key point - players who last season looked very comfortable in the Premier League have really struggled this season.

We ended last season having done incredibly well but also in a difficult position given our budget and standing regarding how to kick on from there.

I keep reading that we should have signed 'proven Premier League players'. How? Our wage structure doesn't allow it (it isn't as simple as one £100k a week player costs 52 x £100k - it's the knock on effect on everyone else's wages as well), even if it did we'd likely have been outbid and how many 'proven Premier League players' would choose Sheffield United as their next destination?

I don't think we had loads of options, whatever we did was going to be a gamble and I think going for young talent with potential seemed a sensible choice given that our squad was getting on a bit and it looked like we could afford to wait for those players to develop as we'd stayed up by 20 points the season before.

I think we tried to make serious upgrades on the positions we expected to become an issue (Norwood to Berge), we looked to provide back up for the players who did the most running and never got rested (the wing backs) and we went for one of the most highly rated young strikers in the PL in the hope he could make an instant impact.

I think it's a little overly simplistic to say it's been a disaster, regardless of what the league table says. Most statistical models would have expected us to have around 15 points from the way the games have played out - objectively we've been very unlucky. We've also had serious injuries to key players that we're not in a position to cope with (again it's really difficult, how do you find someone nearly as good as Jack O'Connell - or even just PL standard - who is happy to sit on the bench on £20k a week at a smaller PL club?).

And, really importantly, we're in a better position than we would have been if we had signed a load of 30+ year old 'proven Premier League players' on big money and still ended up in the relegation places. We haven't gambled the lot, we've gone with a sensible, sustainable strategy which hopefully means we're much better equipped to bounce back and improve over a number of years. The goal has to be to spend as many of the next 20 years as possible in the Premier League so the club can grow to a point where we can compete financially and where we have the right infrastructure. To do that, we shouldn't put ourselves in a position where relegation completely cripples us.

 

[ElephantBlade]

Yes it did cross my mind. Invest in players that will be PL standard after a year (or two) in the Championship when we come back up.
Problem is same players can get snapped up by the bigger clubs for £££.

Imagine going down, Brewster pops 25 goals in Championship, looks a PL player by end of season, we go up, Liverpool exercise the buy back clause. Oh.

I get your point, but both Brewster and McBurnie have done pretty well in the championship already... means not a lot when you come up.

This isn't a criticism of these two by the way.

 

[robbiez666]

I think your spot on Kozzy_is_my_Dad. I think wilder also thought after finishing 9th we would say up comfortable this season, so investing in sought after youth talent was something that needed to done to ensure future succes before they became established and way out of our league.

We will find ourselves in a position in which the our premier league money is tied up in three or four players, giving us two options:

• We keep hold of players that are better than the division they are playing in or have demonstrated more than enough ability at championship level.
  
  
• We sell the assets for a similar amount of money at which they were bought, giving us the spending power of a premier league club in the championship on top of parachute payments.
  
  
• We do a half and half approach losing a couple of players for a good wedge of cash. Giving us a a bit of money to spend on supporting a squad of players with premier league experience.

I know this season has been shit and some players have been gash but to think we were close to not being able to pay the players not long ago and having to travel to Hartlepool away. We now have financial stability and a squad of players that can compete in the championship and despite this season a manger that loves our club and is proven at championship level.

Option 2 - I can't imagine anyone would give us anywhere near our money back on Brewster, McBurnie, Ramsdale or Mousset. Maybe Berge.

 

[HeySethUTB]

Option 2 - I can't imagine anyone would give us anywhere near our money back on Brewster, McBurnie, Ramsdale or Mousset. Maybe Berge.

I agree you'd have to be crazy or desperate to offer money anywhere near equal to the value of what we bought them for. However, if wilder is as stubborn with the price at which he sells his players as he is with tactical system then none of them will leave unless the price is right. We hold all the cards in relation to their futures.

Giving us either option one or three. Hopefully, but this is United we’re talking about.

 

[ATL Recs]

I think that's a really key point - players who last season looked very comfortable in the Premier League have really struggled this season.

We ended last season having done incredibly well but also in a difficult position given our budget and standing regarding how to kick on from there.

I keep reading that we should have signed 'proven Premier League players'. How? Our wage structure doesn't allow it (it isn't as simple as one £100k a week player costs 52 x £100k - it's the knock on effect on everyone else's wages as well), even if it did we'd likely have been outbid and how many 'proven Premier League players' would choose Sheffield United as their next destination?

I don't think we had loads of options, whatever we did was going to be a gamble and I think going for young talent with potential seemed a sensible choice given that our squad was getting on a bit and it looked like we could afford to wait for those players to develop as we'd stayed up by 20 points the season before.

I think we tried to make serious upgrades on the positions we expected to become an issue (Norwood to Berge), we looked to provide back up for the players who did the most running and never got rested (the wing backs) and we went for one of the most highly rated young strikers in the PL in the hope he could make an instant impact.

I think it's a little overly simplistic to say it's been a disaster, regardless of what the league table says. Most statistical models would have expected us to have around 15 points from the way the games have played out - objectively we've been very unlucky. We've also had serious injuries to key players that we're not in a position to cope with (again it's really difficult, how do you find someone nearly as good as Jack O'Connell - or even just PL standard - who is happy to sit on the bench on £20k a week at a smaller PL club?).

And, really importantly, we're in a better position than we would have been if we had signed a load of 30+ year old 'proven Premier League players' on big money and still ended up in the relegation places. We haven't gambled the lot, we've gone with a sensible, sustainable strategy which hopefully means we're much better equipped to bounce back and improve over a number of years. The goal has to be to spend as many of the next 20 years as possible in the Premier League so the club can grow to a point where we can compete financially and where we have the right infrastructure. To do that, we shouldn't put ourselves in a position where relegation completely cripples us.

It was clear to see that after Lockdown the team wasn't the same so we had a good 70% of the season and started falling off the Cliff thereafter. Glossed over by a snatch n grab against Wolves with Spurs and Chelsea in transition. The other performances were dreadful and very worrying. I thought that to rectify this we would bring in ready made ( CV wise) premiership players with the same attributes that Wilder likes, but technically better along with the odd import.

At the start of the Season I predicted 17th if lucky and 11 points at Christmas based on post Lockdown and our transfers and search for a striker ( which got so desperate we paid way over the odds for a kid with potential )
I cannot understand how the Club got this so wrong and I get the impression that the potential was decided elsewhere, and not in Wilders office.

 

[Yogi]

I think that's a really key point - players who last season looked very comfortable in the Premier League have really struggled this season.

We ended last season having done incredibly well but also in a difficult position given our budget and standing regarding how to kick on from there.

I keep reading that we should have signed 'proven Premier League players'. How? Our wage structure doesn't allow it (it isn't as simple as one £100k a week player costs 52 x £100k - it's the knock on effect on everyone else's wages as well), even if it did we'd likely have been outbid and how many 'proven Premier League players' would choose Sheffield United as their next destination?

I don't think we had loads of options, whatever we did was going to be a gamble and I think going for young talent with potential seemed a sensible choice given that our squad was getting on a bit and it looked like we could afford to wait for those players to develop as we'd stayed up by 20 points the season before.

I think we tried to make serious upgrades on the positions we expected to become an issue (Norwood to Berge), we looked to provide back up for the players who did the most running and never got rested (the wing backs) and we went for one of the most highly rated young strikers in the PL in the hope he could make an instant impact.

I think it's a little overly simplistic to say it's been a disaster, regardless of what the league table says. Most statistical models would have expected us to have around 15 points from the way the games have played out - objectively we've been very unlucky. We've also had serious injuries to key players that we're not in a position to cope with (again it's really difficult, how do you find someone nearly as good as Jack O'Connell - or even just PL standard - who is happy to sit on the bench on £20k a week at a smaller PL club?).

And, really importantly, we're in a better position than we would have been if we had signed a load of 30+ year old 'proven Premier League players' on big money and still ended up in the relegation places. We haven't gambled the lot, we've gone with a sensible, sustainable strategy which hopefully means we're much better equipped to bounce back and improve over a number of years. The goal has to be to spend as many of the next 20 years as possible in the Premier League so the club can grow to a point where we can compete financially and where we have the right infrastructure. To do that, we shouldn't put ourselves in a position where relegation completely cripples us.

It’s hard to disagree with anything you’ve said really we’ve had a fair whack of bad luck both within games and in terms of players declining.

From a financial point of view I think there are a lot of teams who can’t afford proven prem players in their prime off the top of my head there’s us, Burnley, Fulham, West Ham, West Brom, Crystal Palace and Brighton all of whom take punts on fringe prem players, lesser know foreign imports and championship up and comers. Unfortunately we’re near the bottom of that group finance wise but we weren’t unambitious in our signings in my opinion it’s too soon to draw concrete conclusions on any of them due to a mixture or inexperience, injury and loss of form from the rest of the team. That said they will need to show development and hit the ground running next year.

In terms of senior players dropping off we haven’t seen the last of it yet Didzy, billy and Basham are all at an age where the same thing could happen over night irrespective of how good they are and have been for the club. Therefore it’s imperative that the club completes this rebuild over the summer because currently we have no solutions if that happens especially to Didzy and Basham.

 

[ancientblade]

It’s hard to disagree with anything you’ve said really we’ve had a fair whack of bad luck both within games and in terms of players declining.

From a financial point of view I think there are a lot of teams who can’t afford proven prem players in their prime off the top of my head there’s us, Burnley, Fulham, West Ham, West Brom, Crystal Palace and Brighton all of whom take punts on fringe prem players, lesser know foreign imports and championship up and comers. Unfortunately we’re near the bottom of that group finance wise but we weren’t unambitious in our signings in my opinion it’s too soon to draw concrete conclusions on any of them due to a mixture or inexperience, injury and loss of form from the rest of the team. That said they will need to show development and hit the ground running next year.

In terms of senior players dropping off we haven’t seen the last of it yet Didzy, billy and Basham are all at an age where the same thing could happen over night irrespective of how good they are and have been for the club. Therefore it’s imperative that the club completes this rebuild over the summer because currently we have no solutions if that happens especially to Didzy and Basham.

i think all 3 players you have just mentioned yogi can only be bench players next season albeit handy bench players we need 4 or 5 astute signings this summer especially with 2 or 3 likely to go chris needs to get it spot on this time

 

[Jan Age]

Could hardly say it was the shittiest, could he?

He’s nobodies boy remember

 

[BushBlade]

I think we should have been in for the likes of Doucoure and Callum Wilson - maybe we wouldn't have got them but at least let's be in the running.

We can’t afford their wages. We’ve got a wage structure; all clubs have but ours is based on a relatively low wage bill.
We had two options at the end of last season; spend money on transfer fees or sign free transfers and give everyone a new contract, we couldn’t afford to do both. You can have a situation where the best senior players earn more than the squad players, who earn more than the kids etc but you can’t have a situation where two or three players earn double what the rest of the senior players earn. It just doesn’t work.