FFP and the reality of transfers this summer at Bournemouth

Written by kirsikka

It’s been fun watching new AFC Bournemouth owner Bill Foley fund a new generation of signings, and obviously, hopes are high for this summer and what may come next. However, we shouldn’t lose sight of the impact of the financial fair play rules in the Premier League for a club of our size. Unless we suddenly get huge sponsorship deals from Foley Wines or his other businesses, we’re still operating as a relatively small club with a relatively small revenue base. Compared to other Premier League teams that is, not compared to anything else.

The rules allow a club to lose £105 million over a three-year period before sanctions kick in. We’re currently in the honeymoon period where we can spend pretty freely but we won’t have too many windows like that unless we can also start selling players on for a profit.

The fee can be spread over the course of the contract but all that does is create a ticking bomb for a few years down the line. It’s one of the things that has hampered Everton over the past two seasons. They’re running a transfer surplus despite their obvious desperate need for new players in certain positions.

The key is sensible recruitment over a series of windows rather than a Chelsea-style mega splurge. That will leave us with some wiggle room in the future if things aren’t going to plan.

What does this mean? Well, if we’re approaching this right then I think the number of recruits this summer may be fewer than some are expecting. Especially if we confirm the Traore (I think that one was an obligation?) and Vina (and an option for this one?).

Including those two, if we bring in more than five major signings (£10m+) this summer I’d be surprised. This is where we also need to identify and recruit players that we can bring in at lower fees.

A lot also hangs on the Lerma decision. That’s a big hole to fill in the midfield if he does move on. There’s also Billing entering the last year of his contract.

I’m going to watch what happens over the summer with a lot of enjoyment. However, I hope we have an eye on the future as well as the present though. Look at the bottom of the league and you can see expensive signings don’t necessarily bring success. Good transfer business is like alchemy. You need to get the right mix or it’ll blow up in your face.

One other point going back to the sponsorship front. We’re not going to end up with a slew of sponsors all related to our owner like Man City to pad the revenue. However, given the growing influence of the game in the US and the move away from gambling firms, I do wonder if we may end up with a big US insurance company on our shirts next season. Foley has the connections to make that happen, and we’d be cheap compared to a lot of other clubs. That would help a little.

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