They are two very different situations though.... with those two players you have individuals who can do a lot better than. Being in the Europa League and can earn a lot more elsewhere. It is always going to be difficult to get players in that situation to sign on again.
Curious decision to let them both remain last summer but there you go...
We did try to sell one but messed it up.
Which in turn goes back to Ash's question about how or why we are often referenced with "incompetence" in the transfer area.
I do still think there is reputational damage in this respect from the Suarez issue though ultimately (as Ash has said) the fundamental issue there was that L Suarez had no desire to join us.
I think that is as much to do with what we dont do. THe summer we only signed Cech, the next summer where it dragged on for months before we signed Mustafi and Perez (a curious move all on its own). THe summer we forgot to sign a centre back, the millions of summers where we didnt strengthen our midfield.
It isnt necessarily incompetence but I do think some of our behaviour in the market over the last five years has been pretty difficult to understand from outside.
I wouldn't say with any certainty that our club has never fallen short of the competency requirements, just that the Suarez affair is not a good example.
Some fans are hammering the club for not selling those two last summer. The same people, I expect in many cases, who lambasted the club for selling our best payers in the past.
Lose lose imo.
Yes, if we have two super-expensive strikers is there room for Olly in the squard? Is it not one-in one-out in terms of slots and salaries?
I am wondering slightly whether Ivan and his boys breezed over to Dortmund with Giroud in their briefcase, as it were, ready to put on the table, only for Veng to veto it as a chance to reassert his authority against the coup. #Shenanigans