Posh holding out for big bucks again

19 yo Ronnie Edwards. They want £15m.

They have built a solid reputation as being tough in the sales game. Doubt they'll get £15m, but doubt they'll get a pi55-poor undisclosed either.

 

Big fee for a defender, especially one who has regularly started this term in a defence that has shipped 83 goals. But he is highly thought of. Peterborough poached him from Barnet just two years ago when he was 16 and we need to be just as savvy with our transfer dealings when we drop down.

 

Who've we got that we should hold out for big money for when we drop down? Genuine question.

The below is my personal, totally unscientific opinion...

Styles (Jun 23 + 1y option) - unbelievably poor this season, I'd be surprised if anyone is willing to stump up anymore than a couple of £m
Helik (Jun 23)- Shadow of the player he was, again £2m max
Anderson (Jun 23) - still drops massive howlers at an alarming rate, £2m
Morris (Jun 23 + 1y option) - Along with Woodrow, probably our most saleable asset, although I can't imagine we'd get much more than £3m.
Collins (Jun 23) - Possibly get £2m
Brittain (Jun 23 + 1y option) - too inconsistent for anyone to pay good money, £1m
Woodrow (Jun 23) - see Morris

Rest of the summer departures will either leave when their contract expires, leave by mutual consent or leave for literal pennies.

Our squad is a total shambles, what worth they generated last season has been quickly eroded by poor management, poor sports science/fitness and (possibly) player ego...

 

You make some good points though that wasn't what I was getting at. I meant from a buying POV in terms of being savvy. Posh bought a young, unproven, but highly thought of 16 year old from Barnet, and two years later Crystal Palace and Spurs are rumoured to be tabling £15 million bids. Youth, despite our collective nervousness due to buying inadequate, unproven youngsters who nobody has heard of from the continent, is not necessarily a bad thing. But we should also look to the lower leagues in England, as Posh do. They successfully poach these young players, develop them, and make huge profits - Chien should be all over this! But instead, to take your point, we buy a player like Michał Helik, he develops and becomes a Polish international during his time here, has a fantastic season, is destroyed the following season, and then we (will likely) see £2 million as a reasonable fee upon relegation.

Despite what the spreadsheet backers may say, our financial model could and should be so much better. And I am old enough to remember when players would spend their whole careers at one club, when as a kid I could invest in players for a number of years and they were my heroes, there was longevity - in other words, I hate talking about 'financial models' within football, but sadly that's the way it's gone.

 

These massive transfer fees that Posh always reportedly get, not true are they?

Someone posted their accounts on here the other week, and they only got a fraction of what was reported for Ivan Toney.

I think a lot of it is spin from Darragh McAnthony.

 

I think it's fair to say they do a lot better in the transfer market than we do.

 

Still going where we're going...

 

Yes, but without going all Wednesdeh, they are a smaller club and they are talking about making £15million for a 19 year old defender off the back of relegation and the worst defensive record in the league, while we are wondering how on earth we’re going to plug the gap with a bunch of players who last year were in the play-offs. They’re obviously doing something right. Some of us are fearing administration, while Posh are talking about a £15million windfall.. To quote your own words above, who’ve we got that we should hold out for big money for when we drop down?

 

How are they doing something right? If anything they're doing it wrong. They spend a few season in L1, make a bucket load on player sales, finally get into the championship and then get promptly relegated.

I kind of get what you're saying, but even though they're making good profits on player sales, they're still accompanying us into L1.

 

‘Right’ is probably the wrong word, but I think they are doing something better than us in terms of their player trading and protecting themselves by being financially stable following relegation. They could sell that one player and be in a very good position, financially and by retaining most of their squad, whereas we are going to have to decimate half of our team to balance the books and rebuild. I’m not saying they’re successful, but they’re not doing bad and are punching above their weight. And they don’t hate their owners and have the unrest among the fan base that we have as a result.

 

Peterborough are up there with Russia in the propaganda stakes.

 

In reality, do they though?

The fees being floated around aren't true. They're not going to get anywhere near £15m for him. They didn't get anywhere near the £15m that was quoted for Toney. They're in a lot more debt than we are, and ultimately they're going back into league 1 like we are.

It's a myth that Peterborough are this ultra well run football club that receive over the odds for players. MacAnthony is great at spin, he should be a politician.

 

Drawing comparisons is always a bit hit and miss. Lots of clubs can hit paydirt with one fortuitous signing/sale. I think as some facts and figures as above show, the model employed by the owners isn't working.
I think the debate on signings could be framed as followed:
1. Is the data approach actually doing its job (stick Benson in Penistone Church side and his stats would make him look like De Bruyne)
2. Do we keep looking abroad? Two issues here. Visas and when they get here do they settle. There are more variables with signing what are after all young lads from abroad compared to from the UK.
3. The owners need to stop signing just because they think they have profit potential. We Should have a manager with a style of play and he is given players who fit into the requirements of the team. However we have a scattergun approach and sign a load of lightweight attacking midfielders/not quite striker types but dont have any hard tackling defensive midfielders or left footed left backs.
4. The real issue for me, do we sign some experience with restricted re-sale potential to bring on the younger players and be an on field leader? I watched moneyball a couple of years ago and they followed the stats (in an easier game to judge them on) and signed undervalued players, absolutely no restriction on age at all and actually appreciated some experience.

It all leads me to a conclusion the owners are doing what in fairness they have said all along: they are treating the club as a human car lot. However, they aren't very good at it. If done properly there was always a risk results on field would suffer but we now have the worst of both worlds - as do the fans of the other clubs they have their teeth into.

 

Fair enough mate, sounds like you know more about the ins and outs.