KelvinsRightGlove

I agree there hasn't been as many as some other countries. But that's not to say there hasn't been some notable successes. For me, Zola is one of the best players to have played in the Premiership era. Vialli was pretty good too, as was Roberto Di Matteo - hmmmm are we doing a 90's Chelsea? Ravinelli was ok for Boro too. Granted it's not a huge list (doubtless I'm missing some) and it's been a while... Maybe the prem is due another?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20943089

So any player that is sold by any club must have something wrong with them?

I know he's the panto villain on here, but it's pretty undeserved. And I stand by my point, for a league 1 side, he was a good signing.

Wasn't Cortese linked with a job at AC Milan a few years ago? Coupled with the signings from Italy it would suggest the bloke has some decent contacts over there. Personally, I'm all for him utilising these connections if they can pull out deals like Guly (knock all you want, that was a good signing in L1) and Gaston.

Young player, Fans player & player of the year. Was poor though.

It's hardly scraping the barrel. It's a fact. He will have played against, and with, some decent players playing in Europe with Rangers. Yes overall the standard isn't great. But it's still home to some decent players. As I have said he wasn't shipped out, there was a change of manager and he got the opportunity to play for the team he grew up supporting. How you can claim a striker that played under 40 times and scored 6 goals is more established than an international captain, with nearly 3 times as many games and European experience is truly baffling.

He had only played at Villa in the Prem, scoring 6 goals. Hardly performed. Davis' shipping out as you put it is wrong. He left Villa to join up with Lawrie Sanchez @ Fulham, whom he had had success with for NI & then after Lawrie left he moved to Rangers - the team he supported as a boy.

Played nearly 3x the amount of games Crouch did, and International Captain, and played in Europe for Rangers. Also, he wasn't exactly 'shipped out'. He was sold for £4m and then £3m.

Davis is way more accomplished now than Crouch was when we signed him. Still choosing to neglect this. Funny that.

I find it seriously hard to believe that it isn't pretty widespread. I mean really, there aren't a huge amount of transfers (well at least ones you hear about) where clubs agree a fee only for a player to turn around and say nah, point blank. They must have at least consulted agents etc to gauge if there is some level of interest.

Swansea wernt exactly awash with Prem experience either.

The same people would only moan when these in it for the paychecks, not the opportunity players didn't perform, got us relegated and then we are stuck with them in the Championship, on massive wages and no one wanting to take them off our hands - with the likely lines being we handled our transfers so badly, didn't sign players with resale value, the money side of things has been mismanaged.

Funny how you've suddenly gone quiet on the accomplished prem player stuff?

Yeah, but the Liebherr family aren't exactly a bunch of Russian Oligarch, money-laundering, war-lords now are they?

Hmmm, yet another thread that descends into the same boring moans.

He was hardly accomplished at Premiership level, in fact he had actually played a lot less Premiership games than Davis had when we signed him.

Depends what you count as accomplished? I'd say Steven Davis, but they may not fit your criteria.

Gaston is showing he is worth it, yes. Yoshi was what, £2-3m? Not bad really. Lee was a free transfer, hardly seen enough of him to have a fair say. Got a nasty injury which may ruin things for him. Boruc was also free, but yeah his wages probs aren't cheap. Rodriguez is a decent player, and always looks lively. It's obviously going to be hard when we play one striker - especially given the outcry every time Lambert starts on the bench or is subbed - which sometimes is needed, against some teams his lack of mobility will just render him useless. I've not seen enough of Mayuka to make any fair comments on him, but yeah granted, does seem an odd one.

So the promotions & training ground mean nothing then? Investment in crap players? Like: Clyne? Gaston? Yoshi?

The thing is, your 'argument' is so over-simplified it has little grounding on reality. Multi-million pound transactions in any line of business take time. Do you not think there is perhaps a reason the busiest day of a transfer window is more often than not the last one? Again, like in many other transactions in other lines of business there is a chain. Deals are rarely isolated, and not affected by other comings and goings at a number of other clubs. There are also a large number of stakeholders involved which need hurdling. Not a question of financial clout, as you suggest. £30m+ in the summer, plus deals that didn't happen suggest this isn't the case - more so than you're based on nothing assertions. And that Gaston thing. Please, you cannot possibly that stupid to think because one deal is taking place, or in the process of negotiation, that another negotiation can take place.

I see your point, not totally sure if I agree with it. Well, I mean in terms of knowing what you may get then yes, a bit of a risk. But in terms of finances, is £12m on a player of Crouch's ilk less risky than Gaston? For the sake of debate, let's say we did sign Crouch last summer for £12m (not perfect I know), but should we then go down and we look to move him on - at his advanced years I would be unsure his resale value would match that of Gaston's? I dunno, maybe it's just a matter of differing opinions, maybe I'm wrong. Just what I think.

Thing is, at Prem level, with the fee's involved I don't think it's possible to make any moves in the transfer market without it representing something of a risk, to some extent or another. I know I keep making this point, but I do think it is very valid, and it seems to be getting annoyed. Just look at the fees clubs are paying to Championship clubs now, the two from Wolves (Fletcher & Jarvis) show you can still get a decent fee from Prem clubs, we also demonstrated this with Oxo. I do agree that perhaps the fees will be less than if we were in the Prem, but still pretty sizeable fees. I do wonder if Gaston has a release clause should we go down? I'm reluctant to say this on here, because rumours can start this way and I have nothing to believe that he does. But that could possibly affect things if he does.