AJ Money

Comments (6)

I've just checked the football headlines on the BBC website. Apparently Everton are prepared to let AJ go, if the likes of West Ham are prepared to pay £20M. Of course it could be nothing in itself, one of those throwaway remarks the rumour mill produces as a matter of course at this time of the season.

It does make for some interesting debating in my own mind though. As Lyndon points out, if there is any seriousness to offers like this, it would be a test of the club's financial progress. We have been a selling club for a while now. Now just with our best players but with the likes of our training ground being sold off and leased back. The club having the courage to refuse an offer like this would be a big step in the right direction. While true to say that you would not trust the Board as far as you would throw it, the fact that we have increased the sponsorship deal with Chang would add some credance to the soundbites about not being interested in selling AJ. The fact that only £15M out of all the alleged money floating about has been made available for transfers would suggest that the Board is sensibly setting money aside for stuff off the pitch.

On another point there is the value the money would be to us. Yes, 18m to 20m is a hugh sum, especially for a club like ours. But considering AJ's overall contribution last season what would it cost to replace him? Every club selling a striker,and his agent by extension, would know we had cash to spend and prices and player demands would go up accordingly. There's no guarantee that we would get the money all in one go either. Getting it in installments would dillute the impact of it. And to be honest, the idea of West Ham trading us some of their players ala Utd. wouldn't exactly fill me full of hope.

A third point would be the overall progress that the club would appear to be making. AJ is an established first team player who was an integral part of the positive progress the club made on the pitch last season. We were all happy with some of the football on offer at times last season and with how Moyes adopted a more positive style of play. AJ was a part of this. To loose him and waste half a season bedding his replacement in would in my view be a backward step for the squad. Our approach during this transfer window should be one of adding to and improving on what we have. We have all argued since the end of the season about hanging on to the likes of AJ and Lescott. Off the pitch, refusing the money would be a statement of intent by the Board that it has a positive and progressive plan in place for the club. That it has embarked on a solid rebuilding programme.

Of course, the reports could be just rumours and soundbites. And there is no knowing for sure what the club would do if we received a serious offer. You would hopen that the decision would be the right one though.
Kieran Fitzgerald, Dublin     Posted 06/06/2007 at 14:20:19

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