08 Jan 2025 22:13:54
With all the chat about Chalobah possibly returning and the success of Guehi at Palace and Hall and Liveramento at Toon, I appreciate the principal of letting Academy players go due to FFP, but look at the money we'd have saved if these lads had stayed. Is the sale of good Academy players a false economic argument?

1.) 08 Jan 2025
08 Jan 2025 22:28:16
Dempsey, I’m not a fan of FFP but I do understand the need for some sort of governance but honestly don’t think the current systems are not good.

I personally would creat a club bond that would have to increase in value depending on a clubs risk.

2.) 09 Jan 2025
09 Jan 2025 02:54:26
I’m not sure that many of them would be here even if FFP had never been implemented and clubs could spend whatever they wanted. When we sold Guehi in 2021, we had T. Silva, Rudiger, Christensen, Zouma and Chalobah. Although I believe we ended up selling Zouma in the January window? Guehi hadn’t played a single game for Chelsea and Chalobah was thought of as a better player. He was never going to get into the side at that point in time.

We sold Livramento that same summer when we had a fairly fit James plus Azpi with Chalobah capable of covering there. Not sure if it was Livramento who pushed for the move for game time or not but he’d have struggled to get minutes.

Hall on the other hand is quite possibly an FFP sale, although we had Chilwell who had been playing well at that point plus we’d just spent £60m on Cucurella.

In a world without FFP at all we’d have less need to sell academy prospects yes, but do you think either Abramovich or Boehly wouldn’t be out spending £60m on a peak Alaba or Davies anyway? Their pathway into the first team would still be blocked and they’d still likely want to leave to secure first team football.

Some players might still be here like Chalobah as the club could have just sold Disasi in the summer for a major loss and not have to worry about FFP but overall I don’t see it as having had a major impact on how many academy players we’ve sold imo. I think it’s mostly down to wanting instant success and a lack of pathway into the first team that saw the majority of them sold.

3.) 09 Jan 2025
09 Jan 2025 08:09:47
fuser, In my opinion you have it the nail on the head regarding the supposed benefits of FFP but I’m a person that believes that a person/ company/ state can spend whatever it likes if it’s own money as long as it sets to one side an amount that guarantees the security of a company/ club for an agreeable amount of time.

Of course that means that in all likelihood so called richer clubs will dominate the various leagues but that’s almost the case now anyway.

I do think squad sizes, home grown players and also players below a certain age within a squad are a good thing but I can also see the amount of substitutions being allowed being increased.

Of course my old man ideas will never happen but if there isn’t some sort of change I can definitely see yet another meaningful attempt a breakaway league.

4.) 09 Jan 2025
09 Jan 2025 09:11:21
That is the most reasoned post I have seen on this site all year fuser, please post more.

5.) 09 Jan 2025
09 Jan 2025 09:17:51
Tom

Can you imagine the league with the Man City and Newcastle money.

The league would be dead within 5 years, people would just give up similar to the Scottish league where there are so many empty seats even when teams are playing Celtic and Rangers.

6.) 09 Jan 2025
09 Jan 2025 10:05:44
Bill, Man City have won the league for the last four seasons Real or Barcelona usually win there league, PSG win there league. So generally the more well off clubs win there there respective leagues anyway.

I do believe in governance but part of me also believes that people/ corporations/ states should be able to invest how they see fit.

There is nothing new in what I’m suggesting as an alternative to FFP. In fact most financial service companies in the uk who regulated by the FSA have to prove they have sufficient funds to manage a “disaster. ” My suggestion is that if the total wage bill of say Man City is £500m per year they have to lodge a bond of £500m with there regulator. If they then want to increase there wage bill they also have to increase the value of there bond.

Remember a club can still only have a set amount of players in there first team squad. I suppose they could have the best 25 players in world in there squad but I just can’t see any club being able to manage that situation.

Listen, this is only me thinking outside the box but I just cannot see the current FFP rules being sustainable or except-able to wealthy clubs in the medium to long term and if a solution isn’t found then in my opinion it will hasten the break up of our leagues and I do want that to happen.

7.) 09 Jan 2025
09 Jan 2025 10:36:24
not want that to happen.