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« Last post by Garlic Red on Yesterday at 11:51:13 pm »
If FSG were trying to turn us into a sort of Red Bull on steroids, they’ve done a pretty bad job of it over the last 10 years, consistently letting players walk on free transfers and allowing them to pass their peak, probably to appease the manager.
Trading players and making a profit is something every large club should aspire to do and has always done. Selling your best players shouldn’t be a part of that, unfortunately it’s inevitable when you underperform on the field and I’d say that’s the biggest reason we sold some of our best players over the years rather than any kind of top down strategy. Torres wanted out, Suarez wanted out, Sterling wanted out and Coutinho wanted out, all apart from Coutinho went to better sides at the time to compete at the top.
The need to compete is imperative for the club to continue to grow and ultimately maximise the value of the asset for FSG. The difference between competing and simply getting top 4 sometimes is luck, people always want to drag it down to ifs, buts and maybes in the transfer window, but the reality is luck is probably the biggest factor. The three seasons we passed 90+ points were the seasons we weren’t decimated by injuries, in two of those seasons we also reached CL finals. The covid season, last season and especially this season we were hammered by stupendous injuries at key periods. The top two sides this season have been the two who’ve been able to keep the majority of their squad fit for long parts of the season, whether that’s down to greater brain power or simply more luck, none of us know, but that’s been the difference between competing and simply finishing third in two of the three seasons we haven’t competed for the league since being good enough to do so.
There’s no comparisons to be made with US sports and European football, the parameters are completely different. The playing field is more level and you can’t quite control your destiny in the way you can with football over here. The draft and player trading process is completely unique and nothing like how the transfer market here operates.
For me FSG would gain very little by turning the club into a juiced up selling club that doesn’t compete. The growth in the club since being competitive has been astronomical, they simply wouldn’t get the same results by turning the club into a giant selling club. I think with some of the new spending rules with UEFA and European clubs seemingly becoming less and less able to spend big sums, there simply isn’t the same opportunity in consistently selling your best players when you’re a destination club.
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