Pope a Steal

[Chester Perry]

Obviously we didn't get what he's worth but that's the price of relegation.

is it?

I would argue it is more the price of circumstance (that includes perception of playing style not just the finances) if you look at the prices others who have been relegated in recent years have been getting.

I do note that for the most part prices overall seem to be lower this window than in recent years - mainly because the only clubs with real buying power are in the Premier League with a couple of notable exceptions on the continent. this is because of a revenue growth as a new TV cycle starts (everyone else is seeing tv revenue fall) and a surge in UEFA monies in its club competitions. There is also the fact that clubs are preparing themselves for the new UEFA FFP rules which arrive in 2024 - and rapidly tighten thereafter, in some ways this may see prices tightening for all but the truly special in the coming years.

Nottingham Forest are the outliers but most of that can be ascribed to their owner who, as we know only to well, is skilled in the dark arts of manipulating the rules in his favour

[RVclaret]

is it?

Of course it is. Do you think Watford would have sold Dennis for 15m if they’d stayed up? Not a chance.

For years we have said ‘which players could we pick up from relegated sides’, generally because 1. It’s known the impact financially of relegation is massive so there could be some players available for less than they might normally be 2. Players are more willing to want to return to the PL for obvious reasons.

[quoonbeatz]

is it?

Yes. I mean, I could have used way more words to say the same thing but i thought it superfluous. Essentially, want to keep / get top dollar for the likes of Nick Pope? Don't get relegated. Everybody knew we were going to be vulnerable with our debt, etc.

[Chester Perry]

Of course it is. Do you think Watford would have sold Dennis for 15m if they’d stayed up? Not a chance.

For years we have said ‘which players could we pick up from relegated sides’, generally because 1. It’s known the impact financially of relegation is massive so there could be some players available for less than they might normally be 2. Players are more willing to want to return to the PL for obvious reasons.

Dennis is interesting because of the teams that didn't bid for him, much like Pope

like many I suppose, I am still in shock at the prices that Bournemouth achieved in the middle of Covid

[Lancasterclaret]

The reality is that we'd have doubled our money at least on every sale if we hadn't been relegated

But we got relegated

Its what happens to clubs our size eventually

[Spijed]

The daft thing about transfer fees is that clubs are willing to pay far more for untried premier league players.

[aggi]

Then the club have got one of the top 5 keepers in the country until the winter deadline. Fofana and tielamans want to leave Leicester, but they know the later they push it in the window the stronger their position becomes as the selling club, when you have an asset of such quality.

One of the top 5 keepers but also very unhappy. In interviews it was very clear that he wanted to leave for his England chances.

And there's also the issue in putting together the team and tactics. As great as Pope is he can't do the role we're asking Muric to do. Would we change tactics to accommodate Pope and then bring Muric in and hope that the extra time getting up to speed with the first XI, and the couple of months lost not training the tactics we want to play, doesn't cost us?

£10m was very cheap but circumstances weren't great for extracting as much as we hoped.

[Claret Till I Die]

Jimmy McIlroy should never have been sold...

[bfcjg]

The reason it keeps coming up is because things occur which prompt reopening the debate.

There's debates about whether there should be tax changes, more/less government spending, more/less privatisation, literally all year every year. Because things keep happening which prompt reconsidering. Debates aren't static it's not "okay a decision was made and a conversation had and that's it forever".

And for what it's worth I can echo the view that I and my neutral mates who I've spoke to about it found Pope to be undersold. One guy would have put him at 15-20, one didn't have a figure just found it crazy cheap.

Taxes change, governments change,privatisation can come and go but we have sold him for whatever reason we have sold him, it would become fresh if we bought him back then sold him again, fingers crossed taxes won't go up and the tories will be dumped,those are possible but Pope is done and dusted, as someone commented on the Pope thread, the first one, he has chosen a new path and employer we should move on.

[superdimitri]

Hardly at peak age for a goalkeeper. They play until late thirties and only mature as a keeper around 30, when they have mastered positioning rather than leaping about from a poor starting point.

Pope is an incredible keeper and vastly undersold.

They can play until then but most usually decline quite a bit as they're older. The value of a player is linked closely to their current contract length, their age, current ability, the finances of the selling club and prospective ability.

With Pope he was unfortunately in the last year of his contract and also not young so despite having great ability he was never going to sell for a lot, especially as we were relegated. He also has a big shortfall in his distribution which is a big deal nowadays as the recent trends in football adapt.

[Jakubclaret]

Pope simply shouldn't have been sold at the point where he left, whether he was kicking or screaming to join Newcastle it doesn't happen period & you don't concede the 3 against the Lasher's will be other games where pope would have made the difference, you make yourself strong promotion candidates with him about & the 10 mil is nothing.

[agreenwood]

We did this to death in July didn’t we?

If we’re going to re-hash based on a 3 game sample, we may have received more for Cornet & McNeil than they’ll ever be worth again.

[IanMcL]

We did this to death in July didn’t we?

If we’re going to re-hash based on a 3 game sample, we may have received more for Cornet & McNeil than they’ll ever be worth again.

Nothing to do with a 3 game sample. Pope is best goal stopper in the prem. Already saved/won points for Newcastle.

[boatshed bill]

Nothing to do with a 3 game sample. Pope is best goal stopper in the prem. Already saved/won points for Newcastle.

Very good, but not the best.
Too good for the Championship, which is one of the reasons why he's left.
Of course, the main one is money...it always is.

[Colburn_Claret]

Very good, but not the best.
Too good for the Championship, which is one of the reasons why he's left.
Of course, the main one is money...it always is.

The only 'better' were Edison and Alisson, and neither have started the season well. There is a good argument for Pope being the current best keeper in the Prem.
That said it changes nothing, if there was only 1 club after his signature, it is what it is, move on.

[Mala591]

Think of it as £25 million for Pope and £5 million for Wood...

...it doesn’t hurt as much!

[Jakubclaret]

Think of it as £25 million for Pope and £5 million for Wood...

...it doesn’t hurt as much!

It doesn't it definitely softens the blow for sure but equally as much as we was well & truly bent over with pope now could be the time to reconsider shouting from the rooftops regarding the wood fee & dismiss the lines of it's the best business the clubs ever done or does it just work 1 way & not both ways?

[agreenwood]

Nothing to do with a 3 game sample. Pope is best goal stopper in the prem. Already saved/won points for Newcastle.

Agreed, but as I said, we did it to death in July and the reason it was brought back up to the fore was his early form for Newcastle. Hence my comment about a 3 game sample and the absence of any similar discussion about the fees we received for McNeil & Cornet.

[Milltown1882]

Same as when Dyche went this thread, like a needy ex. He’s gone let him go.