Further evidence about Webber’s strengths and weaknesses

We clearly did all our money last season, and this summer we have had to bring in significant cash from player trading, and (I guess) significantly lower the wage bill. As a result, we have been vulnerable because other clubs know we have to sell, as do agents and players looking to move on, so it will have been hard to drive premium fees. And we needed to do this while trying to arm Wagner with a capable enough squad to at least have a tilt at promotion.

I think we can any conclude that under those constraints Webber has had an excellent summer of work. We’ve shopped in the bargain basement and brought in players that have improved us, and are definitely a better fit for how we play. We’ve shipped out people that wanted to go for decent money, cleared a lot of the “hangover” players off the wage bill, and achieved a mental fee for Andy O. (Surely he’s not going to play in the Prem is he? Not this season.)

Once again, when hasn’t got a pot to piss in, Webber has done a fantastic job. It’s this that he’s good at - in fact he’s excellent at it. He’s just as excellent at this, as he is awful when you give him proper money to spend.

All of this, of course, in the context of a game that has never been more f**ked, where it seems no owner is trying to make any money, they’re all just trying to tip as much money into a hole as they can while wangling their way past ffp. I mean, it’s a mad business. It’s not “investment” in any meaningful sense of the word. Maybe we’ll join the club, and we’ll end up spending 100m a year we don’t have chasing the dream like all the others. Until then, summers like this are about as good as it’s going to get I think.

Posted By: Under soil heating, Sep 2, 08:25:23