Should we be signing ANYONE right now? [Archive]

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James

07-09-2000, 01:22 AM

I am amazed that nobody has yet made the rather obvious point that Jordan will need to think carefully before paying ANYTHING for a Player right now, as it appears certain that FIFA will back the call for transfer fees to be scrapped altogether.

It is against European Law (it seems) to prevent an employee (including a player contracted to a Football Club) from handing in his notice. If Palace pays £3 million for this player now, there is every chance that he will be able to tear up his contract and walk away next year.

More to the point, good players may shortly become available without any payment to his present Club.

Comments?

lightweight

07-09-2000, 01:25 AM

I was thinking the same thing James - it seemed that we'd been doing quite well - not paying huge amounts for anyone - so therefore not being stung.

It was interesting to read Alan Smith's comments in the Observer last Sunday - he was quite positive about the possible changes - indicating that it would allow clubs to offload players who were left over from previous 'regimes' that previously would have had to stay...

earsham eagle

07-09-2000, 02:40 AM

right now james sign lua-lua,3 more goals tonight at QPR,get him for alot less than a reserve striker at Southampton

arussell

07-09-2000, 04:53 AM

Don't agree James.

However ludicrous the whole idea is - it's not going to happen overnight, and the simple fact of the matter is that our forward line needs strenghtening now.

I don't happen to think personally that Beattie is worth anywhere near 3 million, or that he is the player we should be signing now, but I do think we should spend that money on bringing in two or three other forwards who would be better value and provide us with more cover.

Gooders

07-09-2000, 11:57 AM

It's a tough one to call isn't it?

On the face of it the EC bureaucrats would seem to have a point, although most of us could present 10 good reasons off the top of our heads as to why Football should be treated as a special case.

That UEFA bloke is starting to get a lot of stick from the big clubs in Europe for doing nothing about these threats until just a couple of weeks ago, even though he's known about them for yonks.

A solution will not be forthcoming for quite a while unless everybody's prepared to accept footie throughout Europe descending into an anarchic state pretty swiftly.

And in the background, the whole "European State" idea suffers knock after knock after knock as it's currency sinks faster than Archiebald Leitch trying to swim a width. Remember when we heard noises about how the Euro "may soon drop to parity with the dollar" which would be terrible and now it's worth what, 83 cents?

I think Europe has got far more important things to worry about than the abolition of transfer fees in football. Maybe there is still time for Jordan to make one or two expensive signings and not "do his money"?

Having said all of that - is Beattie worth 3 million? Doubt it.

We're all a bit obsessed with a getting a "big target man" but we should have snapped up Lua-Lua ages ago. He gets better and better. Trouble is, many Premier League teams are waiting in the wings now.

Al From Bromley

07-09-2000, 01:05 PM

Colchester stated only a couple of days ago that he is not for sale.

BUY SHIPPS BACK!

baroli

07-09-2000, 02:08 PM

One thing is fairly certain, there will be a compromise in the same way as there was following the Bosman case. I suspect that transers fees will continue for contracted players under the age of 24, certainly in the short term, and rules will be introduced imposing qualification rules similar to the transfer deadlines currently in place throughout Europe, to prevent rich clubs cherry picking when they lose a game or two.

Additionally, if Jordan and Smith believe that Beattie is the man to help us get out of the first within a season or two, the money will be well spent.

Does anyone know whether Palace have been a net spender or seller over the past 10 years? Will a change in the rules necessarily have an adverse affect on us?

arussell

07-09-2000, 05:34 PM

Originally posted by Al from Bromley:
Colchester stated only a couple of days ago that he is not for sale.

BUY SHIPPS BACK!

Yup - and I'd make a million bid for Lua as well - they'd go for it.

M Shwartz

07-09-2000, 05:59 PM

Originally posted by James:
I am amazed that nobody has yet made the rather obvious point that Jordan will need to think carefully before paying ANYTHING for a Player right now, as it appears certain that FIFA will back the call for transfer fees to be scrapped altogether.

It is against European Law (it seems) to prevent an employee (including a player contracted to a Football Club) from handing in his notice. If Palace pays £3 million for this player now, there is every chance that he will be able to tear up his contract and walk away next year.

More to the point, good players may shortly become available without any payment to his present Club.

Comments?

Good point James, but I don't think we need to be worried. One of the EC Commissioners has come out today to say transfers won't be scrapped. It's more to do with a power struggle between UEFA/FIFA (and it appears that FIFA have been nothing short of incompetent in their handling of this issue). Anyway, there's far too many vested interests in football to allow this to happen (notice a certain Mr Noades was one of the first to come out and comment on the issue). If it did happen almost certainly Real Madrid, with their current problems, would be the first club to go under. This just ain't going to happen.

On a better note, there's an article in today's Independent about a propsal to split the tv money from the Premier League more equally between the premier League Clubs (proposed by Coventry and Southampton, supported by all but 6 of the Premier League Clubs - no prizes for guessing the six). If the propasal was accepted it would be great news for ENglish football.