Why are Fulham strengthening our rivals?
We're arming our Premier League peers ahead of what could be a tricky campaign.
I saw this tweet from an Ipswich Town fan reacting to the news that we’re poised to sell Issa Diop to the Tractor Boys.
It immediately got my back up. “Relegation rivals? Pfft!”. But when I sat back, I thought “Christ, he’s right”.
I was already irritated with the news that we’re offloading Diop. He’s improved so much in the last season and a bit, always impressing when called upon.
But I do understand the decision to sell. Ben Jarman has already highlighted the difficult decision Alvaro Arbeloa has to make when it comes to central defence, and with the reportedly imminent arrival of Nigerian CB Chibuike Nwaiwu, Diop might not be the only central defender to leave the Cottage this summer.
Regardless, if we want to create pathways to the first team for players like Luc De Fougerolles, then someone has to make way. It was never going to be Joachim Andersen, I wouldn’t want it to be Calvin Bassey, and Jorge Cuenca’s ceiling is higher than Morocco’s newest recruit.
What I don’t understand is the price tag - and the buyer.
First, the money. The reported £8m to £9m fee is too low - even for a player in the final year of his contract. Diop is coming off the back of a fantastic World Cup for Morocco - and the major tournament tax should be applied, as it will be for all other players who impressed out in North America.
It is symptomatic of our inability to recoup money from our assets. The biggest example recently is, of course, Harry Wilson. How we got ourselves into the position where we allowed him a season-long shop window to walk away for nothing beggars belief.
Communicate with players. Have a long-term plan for them. You know when Wilson’s contract is up, so have trigger points in place to re-negotiate, take the temperature of the player’s willingness to stay, and cash in if that willingness is not there.
Instead, Wilson walked straight into another potential relegation rival in Leeds. That is negligent from the club. Shad Khan talks so much about sustainability, but managing Wilson’s contract and recouping some of our £12m outlay - or even making money (imagine) - would do far more to assist in that goal than charging children £60+ for a matchday ticket.
That brings me to the buyer. Ipswich are many a bookies’ favourite to go down - and rightly so. They spent north of £100m with a far better manager last time out and still went down. I expect the same this season.
But we’ve given their survival hopes a shot in the arm with a centre-back who I genuinely think could make a difference at Portman Road. Again - it is negligent.
None of this is rocket science - so why are we so bad at it? Bar clearing the deck a bit, there doesn’t appear to be much - if anything - in this Diop deal for us. Our summer business is currently trending towards disaster.
Let’s hope things pick up soon - or we could be facing far bigger problems than losing players for pennies.
This has all the hall marks of our previously shambolic relegation seasons. Without Marco's steady and stabilising hand, we look to be simply reverting to type. Championship beckons.
Should have kept Diop and lost Anderson.