Official Summer Rumour & Transfer Thread

[SBRed48]

The Kitching story puts to bed all this idea of "rejoicing" when a player extends his contract as if it will mean the player is likely to stay for a considerable time after signing.

Kitching extended his contract in January 2023 to last until 2026 with another years option in favour of the club. As I said at the time it doesn't mean he is staying for the duration, what it means is the club are in a stronger negotiating position when bids come along.

The same applies to Connell and the rejoicing when he extended his contract. It's not about a desire to retain the best and gradually build a strong team. It's about maximising income.

The owners are reinforcing the mindset amongst fans that we must celebrate any income rather than building a team to achieve success on the field."New leadership", same way of operating.

In the meantime the level from which replacements arrive is quietly ratcheting down year by year, and the number of free agents increases year by year.

[Fantastyke]

The same applies to Connell and the rejoicing when he extended his contract. It's not about a desire to retain the best and gradually build a strong team. It's about maximising income.

The owners are reinforcing the mindset amongst fans that we must celebrate any income rather than building a team to achieve success on the field."New leadership", same way of operating

Doesn't this work both ways?
You can't build a team to achieve success on the field without tying your top players down with contract extensions. Which means you will be building a team to be successful. You would also be protecting your investment and maximising income, by controlling negotiations with length of contract and the deemed value of the player by the board/management, when a fee is proposed from would-be buyers.
Surely that's a win/win for the club. Either they have a successful team or they make money on sales.