Current state of play

[Trickytreesreds]

Wages are all guesswork aren't they? I just Googled "Derby County player wages" and had a look at a few sites. They don't agree with one another. One had Roos on 18K, another had him on 5K. Most of the younger lads wages were in the same ball park though. Thomson, Cashin McDonald and a couple of others on around 900. Sibs on 1800, Festy 1700. I've seen Bielik at between 17K and 23K. Let's split the difference and go for 20K We could indeed pay half a dozen wages rather than Bielik's but how much would we lose in performance? Also, depending on which rag/clickbait site you read, we still owe Arsenal between £5M and £8M for him. What might we get for him? IMO not a lot. He needs to prove his fitness. Played 21 games in 19/20 and then did his ACL. Out for the rest of that season plus till January of the following season. Came back and in his 13th game he did the ACL again. Out for a year. This year he managed 15 appearances starting with his return from the bench against Brum and that 96th minute goal. Took a fair few knocks and missed the last 4 games with injury. Yet tp prove his long term fitness. £2M at best maybe? We'd still owe Arsenal between 3M and 6M on him. Hardly good business is it?

Well I agree it isn't.
But do you keep paying for his transfer+ 20k a week for a player not on the pitch?
That's dead money mucker

[MadAmster]

Well I agree it isn't.
But do you keep paying for his transfer+ 20k a week for a player not on the pitch?
That's dead money mucker

Looking deeper at the Bielik question...... who is going to take a punt on him? Will a Championship club take a punt on a £2M transfer and similar/higher wages to what he's currently on? I doubt it very much. Is Bielik going to sign a contract elsewhere at £10K a week? I doubt it very much. Ergo a transfer is highly unlikely unless we let him go for nowt and that isn't going to happen, now, is it?

[ramAnag]

Looking deeper at the Bielik question...... who is going to take a punt on him? Will a Championship club take a punt on a £2M transfer and similar/higher wages to what he's currently on? I doubt it very much. Is Bielik going to sign a contract elsewhere at £10K a week? I doubt it very much. Ergo a transfer is highly unlikely unless we let him go for nowt and that isn't going to happen, now, is it?

Far too logical, MA.
Best case scenario is that Bielik can manage a Forsyth style recovery. Tbh I thought Fozzy’s football - not just his DCFC - career was finished a couple of years ago but all credit to him and he’s come back really well so it can be done.
If Bielik can do the same we have a game changing League One player on our hands, but I suspect we can’t build our ambitions around him and, as you suggest, I doubt anyone else is likely to at the price/cost that would be involved.

P.S. Although still only 24, Bielik’s career began eight years ago and he has still only made 96 first team appearances...the majority for us and Charlton (also when in League One). Tells a tale to any potential suitors I suspect.