Matt Phillips
Member
It's not just about recruitment, but also allowing a path for more academy players to come through. If we'd have kept JMT, would Hartridge have had the space to emerge? At some point, will Nombe/Jay need to leave to give room to Cox?
I think that the club have to sell when players are at their most valuable, or at least before their value starts to fall off a cliff. If we had held on to Randall and he'd have left for a fee (or tribunal amount) next summer, the Club would have been reckless. In a smiliar vein, when Randell turned down moves the summer before, I'm sure the Club were furious. If Key doesn't sign a new deal with us, then he's bound to be off either this coming summer, or in January if we get an exceptional offer.
The Club is still in a transition stage given all the investment in the Cliff Hill, but once that's over, I'd hope we seem a continued improvement in our recruitment, as we don't have to divert finances away from the playing budget.
I think that the club have to sell when players are at their most valuable, or at least before their value starts to fall off a cliff. If we had held on to Randall and he'd have left for a fee (or tribunal amount) next summer, the Club would have been reckless. In a smiliar vein, when Randell turned down moves the summer before, I'm sure the Club were furious. If Key doesn't sign a new deal with us, then he's bound to be off either this coming summer, or in January if we get an exceptional offer.
The Club is still in a transition stage given all the investment in the Cliff Hill, but once that's over, I'd hope we seem a continued improvement in our recruitment, as we don't have to divert finances away from the playing budget.