09 Jun 2022 17:00:30
A question for ed2 regarding Benfica, they are great at getting the best price for the players they have sold down the years, Felix, Luiz, etc. why are they constantly need to sell? And how come they are always in debt when they are good at finding good players at reasonable prices.

{Ed002's Note - Because Portuguese clubs have only a fraction of the income of English clubs. They are more reliant on sales.

1.) 09 Jun 2022
09 Jun 2022 18:08:15
The real question is how no one managed yet to crack their "secret sauce" for finding talent.
Liverpool doing ok (Harvey, Curtis and Trent) now but the Portuguese clubs are amongst the best at buying low and selling high.

2.) 09 Jun 2022
09 Jun 2022 18:23:47
To be fair, TJ, we're pretty good at it generally and have been under Klopp, except that the 'low' we buy at tends to be a bit higher.

Mane, Salah, Bobby, Alisson, VVD, to name a few, are all worth, or have been worth (for those getting older and/ or towards the end of their contracts) considerably more than we paid.

Looking at Transfermarkt (not idea, I know, but for want of a better proxy), Mane and Salah's worth has been upto £100m more than we paid for them. We're looking to get more for Mane than we paid for him despite the fact he is agitating to move, has only 1 year left on his contract and is 30. That's pretty good business.

Our risk profile is just a bit different than someone like Benfica as we are challenging on all fronts whereas the Portuguese league, and also Germany where a few players have seen their prices skyrocket, especially at Dortmund, is less competitive.

I can see Harvey, Carvalho and even Ramsay being great buys who's values will far outstrip their cost prices.

One other point to make is that it is far easier to get a work permit on the continent than in England. So clubs in Spain and Portugal can get very young players from South America and play them without the same issues we have. Ed002 may be able to confirm, but if we had bought Nunez when Benfica did, I doubt we would've got a work permit for him.

3.) 09 Jun 2022
09 Jun 2022 18:24:46
Think the answer is already there. They sell big so they have to be better at finding youth players.

4.) 09 Jun 2022
09 Jun 2022 19:06:22
You also have to factor in that it’s easier for a youngster to establish himself in the Portuguese league than the premier league. Those few years of development can make or break them. Some players aren’t ready for premier league football until 23/ 24.

5.) 09 Jun 2022
09 Jun 2022 19:48:54
Great post there Zed!
Fully agree - we are pretty decent.
Can think of Dortmund, Lyon, Ajax who are pretty nifty as well.
Not sure if I am missing anyone?

6.) 09 Jun 2022
09 Jun 2022 19:56:07
If I remember correctly Spanish and Portuguese clubs have less strict laws then the UK regarding bringing in younger or less internationally established players from other countries and continents, so they kind of have an advantage when it comes to bringing in said talent which they can then nurture and sell on for massive profits. I may have just imagined this though. Ed02 will know. Is this, in simpleton terms, correct ed02?

{Ed002's Note - All countries have different rules and yes, they are better placed because of rules for youngsters, but not when they are older. They are also better placed because of culture, lifestyle, food etc..}

7.) 10 Jun 2022
10 Jun 2022 06:28:25
I think you overlook playing time, young players get playing time there, portugese league is TOP heavy, young players need run of games to get their feet under them, against competitive but not overwhelming competition, teams there have patience with them thru some up and down games, teams know there that you need to give young and talented players playing time in order to sell them and make profit. I know Eds have said playing time is or should be young players biggest currency.