The Championship 2020-21

Discussion in 'The Hornets' Nest - Watford Chat' started by Markoa$, Jul 26, 2020.

  1. Carpster

    Carpster Squad Player

    WTF. No chance.
     
    La_tempesta_cielo_68 likes this.
  2. Carpster

    Carpster Squad Player

    Excellent. Just need to top up Friday and Saturdays night Stella consumption. Clever thinking.
     
  3. Markoa$

    Markoa$ Squad Player

    Fee being quoted is £30-35mil. Only has 2 years left on his contract.

    King, Brooks and Lewis Cook contracts are also expiring in the next year or 2. They will most likely cash in on them as well. Harry Wilson’s contract is apparently expiring at the end of the month also.

    Then of course Callum Wilson will put in a transfer request like he did before and will want out.
     
  4. The Voice of Reason

    The Voice of Reason First Team Captain

    I've been reading that there is a glut of decent quality FREE AGENTS available right now due to many clubs cost cutting and letting players go that they can no longer afford. It has also been said that many of these players will have vastly reduced wage demands as otherwise they might end up out of work.

    Therefore, we might just be in a position to snap up a few of these players as we should be in a slightly better financial position than most teams outside the PL because of our parachute payments.
     
  5. SHIRLEY

    SHIRLEY Academy Graduate

    The wage bill is approx £84 million and the parachute payment will only be £46m next year, with the Championship TV deal on top. So probably a budget of around £53 million. Oh, and those parachute payments already have borrowing secured against them.

    Gross debt of £88m.

    Not looking good.Were the 5 years in the Prem really worth it if this is the state the club are in?
     
  6. wfcSinatra

    wfcSinatra Predictor Choker 14/15

    Plays for Liverpool, only on loan at Bournemouth.
     
    Markoa$ and lutonh8a like this.
  7. NemoNemo

    NemoNemo Reservist

    Are the championship games broadcast abroad? Didn’t enjoy the premier league much but at least there was coverage of all the games
     
  8. Markoa$

    Markoa$ Squad Player

    Should have been clearer, yes I know that. I’m saying his contract is expiring. At least that’s what transfermarkt states.
     
  9. hornetboy1

    hornetboy1 First Team Captain

    I've been trying to work out the best way to retain the best part of our squad, but also making some money to bridge the shortfall next season.

    I'm thinking along the lines of this:-

    Sell Pererya and Sema to Udinese for £25m. Even though I like both players, and Sema would probably do well in the Championship, I think this is a trade the Pozzo's could well do. Gives Watford an extra £25m from their wallet and retains a couple of players within their empire.

    We'll probably have to sell at least one more high ticket player though, who is on a top wage. That would have to be Doucoure. He's not at the level he used to be, but still seems to be highly rated. I can see an Everton coming in for him, and when it's Everton you can always add an extra £5m on the price. Let's say we get £25m for him, although that maybe a little high.

    It looks like Kiko will be off but I suspect we'd get around £7m for him. I would sell Kabasele too. I think we'd probably get some money for him too, but with the money we get for him maybe go for Gibson from Burnley.

    I always felt that Gray was a security against relegation. At least we'd have a decent striker if we went down, but let's be honest, if we get Cucho and Suarez, we do not need Gray. We'll probably have to take a hit on the deal in order to get him off the books, but we cannot afford a passenger like him on £70k per week.

    Gomes, Holebas already gone, which is more salary savings. Maybe some more minor player transfers or loans out, but I think we'd be in very good shape, raising maybe £65m in transfer fees, but keeping Sarr, Deulofeu, Hughes, Welbeck & Foster, who I consider are vital players to keep in order to win the Championship. We can add to this Suarez, Cucho and Estupinan. Also, and this won't be popular, keep Deeney. He has Championship experience and knowhow. Most of the others, certainly in the attack, do not have this experience. I'd keep Mapps too for one more season.

    Don't forget with the parachute payments we'll be getting 55% in year one, of the £80m pot. Those transfers will make up for that shortfall.

    This would be an exciting side. Even the defence, who we may well have to persevere with for another season, will be adequate in the Championship.

    Imagine this for our squad:

    Foster-Janmaat-Dawson-Wilmot-Estupina- Cathcart- Mariappa- Masina- Quina- Hughes- Chalobah- Capoue- Cleverley- Dele Bashiru- Deeney, Welbeck, Pussetto, Sarr, Deulofeu, Hernandez, Suarez- Pedro- Penaranda......maybe Success too.

    We'd need another backup keeper and left back, but that would be about it.
     
  10. Ybotcoombes

    Ybotcoombes Justworkedouthowtochange

    sounds like a viable plan, however does the EFL have financial fair play rules , if so are you allowed to offset sale of assets against profit/loss , can we pay wages with funds from the sale of players ?
     
  11. Malteser2

    Malteser2 Reservist

    There are people who post regularly on here who I’d trust far more with our fortunes for next season than the likes of Giraldi. This thread is a good example. And that’s not meant to be sarcastic.
     
    GoingDown likes this.
  12. Markoa$

    Markoa$ Squad Player

    That’s very kind of you mate. Can I put you down as a reference?
     
    GoingDown likes this.
  13. a19tgg

    a19tgg First Team

    Can’t remember the exact rules, but I’m sure if we get promoted within the first couple of seasons it won’t matter what we do, different governance to PL but don’t know if it catches up with you if you get relegated again or not.
     
  14. Lincshornet

    Lincshornet Academy Graduate

    It'd make an interesting play off final :eek::eek:
     
  15. Ybotcoombes

    Ybotcoombes Justworkedouthowtochange

    let’s face it , it would very Watfordy to win the league by 20 points and the lose 30 points for breach of financial fair play
     
  16. Markoa$

    Markoa$ Squad Player

    I just hope Luton away isn’t the first game of the season.
     
  17. Gladiator

    Gladiator Academy Graduate

    HB1, I’m not sure how we keep Sarr, Deulofeu
    and Welbeck? In my played out scenario those guys are off , not necessarily Prem (maybe Sarr?) but to a top league somewhere. Even if we don’t need to sell them, do the wages fit the budget and crucially would they want to stay and play Championship football?
     
  18. Hornpete

    Hornpete Squad Player

    Don't mean to highlight your post specifically HB1, but this is a good example of what I'm not sure about.

    Popular opinion is that the players attitude/commitment has been lacking, but here we have a sensible forum member (sensible ish) keeping the main part of the squad. I think we need to lose more and replace with some hungry younger players. Gray can leave for <£10m, shame luton dont have the cash.

    I didnt see Suarez returning to play for us in the premier league, I had him down for returning his transfer fee x5 and the pozzos being happy. So i dont see them throwing him into the championship when they can cash in.

    And whilst I'd love to see Sarr stick with us. We have to balance the books and hes the big ticket player in the team. We simply can't ignore beeps on the fax machine this summer.

    The like of Peneranda now have a chance to step up. Wilmot if swansea don't go up and ask to buy him will be like a new signing.

    We really do risk losing all the useful players and being left with the dross as our first team.

    Deulofeu, Sarr, Capoue, Doucoure, Wellbeck and Janmaat will be gone or will not want to be here by the deadline day.
     
  19. SHIRLEY

    SHIRLEY Academy Graduate

    Andre is not worth 10 million,not by a long way.
     
  20. The undeniable truth

    The undeniable truth First Team Captain

    Shirley you cannot be serious ?
     
    domthehornet, Markoa$ and Knight GT like this.
  21. NathWFC

    NathWFC First Team

    Be lucky to get 5m for Gray.
     
  22. Shaun

    Shaun Academy Graduate

    They should pay us for Gray
     
  23. Hornpete

    Hornpete Squad Player

    If we sell him I reckon 9m. But we'd be selling to a promotion rival. So win win.
     
  24. a19tgg

    a19tgg First Team

    We’ll be lucky to get a pony and a bag of hooves for Gray to offset his wages, even if he’s on a 50% reduction.
     
    Shaun likes this.
  25. With A Smile

    With A Smile First Team

    I don't think you can blame Chalobah for not going to Grays party, but house sharing with someone who did
     
    AndrewH63 likes this.
  26. With A Smile

    With A Smile First Team

    I can see Gray going on a free, just to get him off the books. The only other option will be to loan him out somewhere, maybe to someone like Rennes as part of a deal to defer any due payments.

    Some people just don't suit or fit into a club.
     
  27. Steve Leo Beleck

    Steve Leo Beleck Squad Player

    Sarr is not playing in the Championship next season. Nor are any of the young loanees that have been doing well.

    The sooner the start disappearing from people's squad lists the better.
     
    ITK platypus and simpleMASH like this.
  28. simpleMASH

    simpleMASH Reservist

    I like the idea but have to disagree with a few of the leaps you’ve made.
    Firstly I don’t think Udinese would be able to send £25m our way for Sema and Pereyra. Maybe £15m if we’re lucky.
    Similarly Kiko won’t be worth £7m - he’s an average full back, nearing 30 (possibly with only a year left on his contract, seeing mixed reports). £2m/£3m.

    I agree we should rid ourselves of Gray if he’s still on £70k per week, but he may have a relegation clause. In that case we should keep him as I expect Suarez and maybe even Cucho will swerve us now we’ve gone down. There’s no shortage of reports of suitors.

    Keeping hold of Deulofeu and Sarr also seems unrealistic to me. They’re too good for the Championship. We know it, other clubs know it and most importantly their bloody agents know it.
     
  29. simpleMASH

    simpleMASH Reservist

    It turned out Chalobah did attend, didn’t it? I think that was the latest.
     
  30. hornetboy1

    hornetboy1 First Team Captain

    The value for Sema and Pereyra is fictional. It could be £50m, as it's all one wallet. A chance to transfer money between both clubs legally. We're going to be a bit needy for funds, so what better way other than giving them a couple of decent players for a fair if not slightly inflated price.

    Kiko I think is fair at £7m. It's the same price we spent on Janmaat and Cleverley. Kiko is certainly in their bracket as a player.

    Sarr is probably fanciful as too many clubs are looking at him, however, he's under a long contract and Watford would want a lot of money for him. Not sure clubs would meet Watford's valuation.

    Geri we could retain, but only because of his injury. He may have to stay until the January window.
     
  31. LaClusazSki

    LaClusazSki Reservist

    We have already borrowed against next seasons money, parachute or not.
    Financially, we are f*cked.
    Bournemouth are also in a perilous position financially, but they have players worth selling.
     
    Jumbolina likes this.
  32. simpleMASH

    simpleMASH Reservist

    Yeah it’s not a real transfer fee, I don’t think Udinese are wealthy enough to spare £25m though. Last time we only really got reserve players from them.

    I hope you’re right about Geri and Sarr. Depends if they agitate I suppose. Deulofeu will be worth a punt for someone if he’s going to be fit around October time.
     
  33. hornetboy1

    hornetboy1 First Team Captain

    This is why we have to go up next season. If we don't then it will have to be a fire sale and we start from scratch.
     
    Supertommymooney likes this.
  34. Hogg-DEENEY!!!

    Hogg-DEENEY!!! Squad Player

    What players do Bournemouth have that they can sell for big money? Looks like Ake has gone for about £30m, don't see anyone else fetching anything near that
     
    wfc4ever likes this.
  35. wfc4ever

    wfc4ever Administrator Staff Member

    I know you like to be ultra negative but so do we...

    Some of our players will attract interest at the right prices

    Apart from Ake and King who can Bournemouth sell for big money ?

    Callum Wilson is past his best really.

    I'd say even Norwich have more sellable assets.
     
    UEA_Hornet likes this.

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