The start of an article from The Athletic today (this piece was freely distributed in an email today, the remainder is behind the paywall)...
It strkes me the Albion have been very efficient, almost ruthless, in getting ride of "lame ducks" over the last 12-18 months although what happens to some of the senior players out on loan - Locadia, Duffy, Clarke may determine that and we still have Florin Andone lingering about like a bad smell too.
Why clubs are struggling to sell ‘lame duck’ players
For executives up and down the country, there is never an easy time to sell a player who has fallen out of favour but this summer the task became a whole lot harder than usual.
Previously, fringe players could still get moves despite missing out on regular football. “Stocking fillers,” one leading agent calls them. Managers looking to pad out squads could take a chance on a signing if the price was right.
But tightened finances and the increased frequency of matches mean clubs can no longer afford to risk buying a gift that doesn’t work, no matter how low the cost.
“The market is saying, ‘If you’ve not played or had unsuccessful loans, you aren’t getting a new club’,” the agent adds. “There are no stocking fillers anymore.”
Players fitting that description can be found at nearly every club in the Premier League. They have provided meaningful contributions in the past but are now stuck on the sidelines due to a change in circumstances and, usually, are earning the kind of wages that make departures complicated.
At Arsenal, for example, there are Matteo Guendouzi, Lucas Torreira and Mesut Ozil. Danny Rose firmly occupies that category for Tottenham Hotspur, with team-mate Dele Alli in danger of heading the same way. Chelsea have Danny Drinkwater, Tiemoue Bakayoko and, soon, Kepa Arrizabalaga on the books but out of the picture.
Manchester United have a glut, chiefly Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo, Andreas Pereira, Sergio Romero and Diogo Dalot. At Liverpool, Xherdan Shaqiri could be put in the same bracket. Manchester City? Oleksandr Zinchenko.
The issue is no different outside the division’s elite.
For executives up and down the country, there is never an easy time to sell a player who has fallen out of favour but this summer the task became a whole lot harder than usual.
Previously, fringe players could still get moves despite missing out on regular football. “Stocking fillers,” one leading agent calls them. Managers looking to pad out squads could take a chance on a signing if the price was right.
But tightened finances and the increased frequency of matches mean clubs can no longer afford to risk buying a gift that doesn’t work, no matter how low the cost.
“The market is saying, ‘If you’ve not played or had unsuccessful loans, you aren’t getting a new club’,” the agent adds. “There are no stocking fillers anymore.”
Players fitting that description can be found at nearly every club in the Premier League. They have provided meaningful contributions in the past but are now stuck on the sidelines due to a change in circumstances and, usually, are earning the kind of wages that make departures complicated.
At Arsenal, for example, there are Matteo Guendouzi, Lucas Torreira and Mesut Ozil. Danny Rose firmly occupies that category for Tottenham Hotspur, with team-mate Dele Alli in danger of heading the same way. Chelsea have Danny Drinkwater, Tiemoue Bakayoko and, soon, Kepa Arrizabalaga on the books but out of the picture.
Manchester United have a glut, chiefly Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo, Andreas Pereira, Sergio Romero and Diogo Dalot. At Liverpool, Xherdan Shaqiri could be put in the same bracket. Manchester City? Oleksandr Zinchenko.
The issue is no different outside the division’s elite.
It strkes me the Albion have been very efficient, almost ruthless, in getting ride of "lame ducks" over the last 12-18 months although what happens to some of the senior players out on loan - Locadia, Duffy, Clarke may determine that and we still have Florin Andone lingering about like a bad smell too.
