Wake me up, when the window closes | OneFootball

Most of us are scratching our heads wondering where Summer has gone. Yes, September is almost upon us.

The same could be said weather wise, but we will still be trawling the supermarket shelves, snaffling sausages, burgers and buns, optimistically hoping for slithers of the gold stuff over the next few days.

It’s a balancing act for sure. Stick or twist? Speaking of balancing acts, nowadays the owners of football clubs find themselves trying to perform something akin to a high wire act. On a greased rope. With no safety net and crocodile infested rocky waters far below.

The new PSR (Profit and Sustainability Rules), formerly FFP, make it incredibly difficult to progressively grow a club on and off the pitch without falling foul of the rules, risking point deductions and fines.

Wolves escaped that particular scenario by the skin of their teeth last season, but only after an undignified fire sale, that saw the likes of Neves depart, choosing the lucrative Saudi League, and better BBQ weather.

That’s the conundrum. Having flooded the coffers with over £90m for two players, surely there’s money to spend on quality replacements?

Not so fast. Wolves operated at a significant loss last year to the tune of over £60m. This counts towards the rolling 3 year target, and a repeat this year would put us back where we don’t want to be. Not only that, we simply do not have the same size revenue streams enjoyed by the likes of Man City, Man Utd, Arsenal, Liverpool. Their far bigger income counts towards their profitability. They are playing to the same rules, but it is not a level playing field.

This means that we need the sale of assets (players), whose value has increased significantly, to balance books. So Wolves, like most clubs, have to get the best team they can afford and coach now, so our performances and results are good enough, whilst acquiring and developing potential stars for the future, because when one or two of those gambles pay off, it’s big money. £94,000,000 big in our case.

Of course, we the supporters don’t always think of the “ones for the future”, like the young CB from Nantes, as a priority. We want transfers and results now. But focus on the short term without investing in the long term is a road to financial ruin. Conversely, focus on just developing the players for the future and we’d be playing Sandwell Town in League One before you could say “remember the good old days when we were in the Prem?”

So, the purchase of Bastien Meupiyou is a win and doesn’t impact the aim of finding and securing first team reinforcements.

Another point to consider is that going shopping in an open market with £94m sticking out of your back pocket will lead to inflated prices for available players. Briefing anyone that will listen that actually only around £20m is available strengthens our hand when it comes to bargaining. However, since that unwelcome reality check that has certainly managed our expectations, the gaffer has said that there isn’t a specific figure that Wolves are working to. It’s about finding the right players that fit the team at the right price. And with more potential outgoings, that is a fluid situation.

The partnership that has formed between Matt Hobbs and Gary O’Neil should helpus trust and believe that they will make the right decisions over the coming week and get maximum value for any incomings.

GON has demonstrated that he has a knack of getting the most from the individuals at his disposal, has built a positive and hardworking squad, and he is tactically astute. I believe the outlook for this season is positive. If we can get a few more points early on, avoid the drop off the cliff in the last dozen games and not be stitched up by the catastrophic and costly VAR decisions of last season, we should be confident of a higher placed finish come May, under the guidance of a coach who actually had a full preseason.

For now, this Sunday is all that matters. Come rain or shine, barbecue or beef roast, let’s look forward to putting a dagger through Chelsea hearts and getting our first points on the board.

My prediction: 2-1 against an unsettled team.

Just a thought;  is there enough room for the Chelsea team buses and are our away changing rooms big enough??