Romelu Lukaku

[.h.]

Yes, exactly. And we need to still pay like 40-50m€ to United for Lukaku. Same as with Hakimi, we need to pay 28m€ to Real for Hakimi. So all the cash is not even in our use for new players.

But I have some trust to Marotta still, but let's see how this goes. This is the place for him to cement his place as the best directors in the world. If it's zapatas and correas, well, that's not world class performance by a director.

Indeed, trust in Marotta.

I think the point re our outstanding liabilities is that they are "budgeted" for anyway. So you shouldnt actually see Lukaku as just +80m plusvalenza, but also a reduction of -20m in amortisation fees as well. If we dont sign anyone to replace him, it'll make almost a +100m impact on our books this season.

What's unclear is the +80m we've been asked to raise - if that's a one off (e.g. we just need a step change in our balance sheet but otherwise the run rates are OK after you factor in 15% salary reduction), then the money earmarked for Hakimi next season could be reinvested elsewhere.

And indeed, ignoring COVID, a 20% reduction in salary DOES infact bring us to financially healthy.

 

[CafeCordoba]

Btw, 5% of Lukaku fee goes to United.

120m€, we get 114m€.

130m€, we get 123.5m€.

140m€, we get 133m€.

 

[.h.]

Of course but doing the good thing is totally negated by the bad thing because like you said, they are obviously linked.

Well, in much the same way it wasa still the right decision for Tottenham to sell Bale, or Liverpool to Coutinho, it will probably still be the right decision for us to sell Lukaku. Just have to hope we spend the money well.

 

[nelsonrivas2011]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1422623277579702277

 

[nelsonrivas2011]

 

[Il Drago]

Yes, I just want to point out that the whole "sell one player at a massive fee and replace him with several 'good' players" strategy is loaded with flaws. Remember when Tottenham did this with the Gareth Bale transfer money? Here's who they got.

Eriksen, Lamela, Chadli, Paulino, Chiriches, Capoue, Soldado

Eriksen (£11.5) was, of course, fantastic for most of his time at Tottenham. The rest of them?

Lamela: (£30M) 255 games, 37 goals
Chadli: (£6M) 119 games, 25 goals
Soldado (£26M): 76 games, 16 goals
Paulinho: (£17M) 67 games, 10 goals
Chiriches (£8.5M): 43 games
Capoue (£8.6M): 36 games

That's £107.6 in purchases for the ~£100 they got for Bale. At least £66M of that was purely, utterly wasted. They got great value with Eriksen, and at least Lamela stuck around for a long time, I guess. That's it. Most of the money ended up being flushed down the toilet.

Big transfer fees are only as useful as what you do with it.

I agree. A similar case with Tottenham was Liverpool when they sold Suarez and with his money they signed Lallana, Lovren, Markovic, Balotelli, Moreno, Origi, Can and Lambert. Most of them failed. On the other hand, when Liverpool sold Coutinho they spent his money well by signing Van Dijk and Alisson who were huge successes. But they had Klopp who knew what players to get.

So it's very important how we use Lukaku's money. If we spend his money on Zapata and Correa then in few years from now we'll be looking at this moment as a missed opportunity.

 

[brightbackground]

It's funny how I'm seeing Bbilan and Rubentus fans overjoyed that Lukaku might leave Inter, fervorously hoping that we lose our star player, then I come in here and I read all the same things.

 

[ElDuccio]

Why they don't give us werner and 120M instead of fucking Alonso. It's not like werner is that good, he's not worth 50M or something like that, fuck chelsea.

 

[Il Drago]

It's funny how I'm seeing Bbilan and Rubentus fans overjoyed that Lukaku might leave Inter, fervorously hoping that we lose our star player, then I come in here and I read all the same things.

I actually wanted to point it out on flamers section but then i forgot. Milan twitter is celebrating more a potential Lukaku sale than their team's successes.

 

[CafeCordoba]

Milan won't have anything else to celebrate this season.

 

[PHM1605]

I actually wanted to point it out on flamers section but then i forgot. Milan twitter is celebrating more a potential Lukaku sale than their team's successes.

Fuck those idiotic fans. Inter are selling 2 key players for 220m. Milan lost 2 key players for 0€. And they are laughing at us?

Even more idiotic, Milan fans are bringing up the RUMOR that Lotito is asking 70m for Correa, and laughing as if we are going to pay that. Jesus, they act as if only Correa playing striker and Inter has to beg Lotito to take 70m.

Sure, for Milan Marotta is at the same level as Miserabelli

 

[Kramerica Industries]

I actually wanted to point it out on flamers section but then i forgot. Milan twitter is celebrating more a potential Lukaku sale than their team's successes.

If Milan experience the same drop in penalty kicks this year as Lazio experienced 2019-'20 into 2020-'21, they won't be anywhere near the Champions League spots come the end of the season.

 

[Jacquez]

But the counter balance to that is Liverpool with coutinho.

So, exactly to the point. The question is more about how to spend the money.

We need to separate this into two issues:

1 - Is selling Lukaku for 120m+ in cash worth it? Yes, it is.
2 - How do we spend 80-100m in cash well?

The two issues are obviously linked, but fundamentally separate. Selling Lukaku can still be a good decision even if we spend the money badly. Not doing something because of fear of the potential negative circumstances if it doesn't go well is a bad excuse TBH

I believe the first question has the wrong answer. If you define worth by wealth, i.e. the amount of euro's Inter will pocket from his sale, then maybe it's a good idea. If you define worth by sporting success, then it almost certainly is not worth it. And remember - sporting success is always followed by financial success as well.

As we are fans and therefore not financial stakeholders in Inter, it should be concluded by everyone on FIF that his sale is not worth €120m, as he is the best player in his position.

The only reason to sell Lukaku right now is if we are at the brink of bankruptcy and are in desperate need of funds. And we are not that.

 

[.h.]

but ignoring the off the pitch problems with Icardi, you could have made the same argument with him. At the end of the day, we had 200m in assets tied up in Lukaku and Hakimi. If we could reinvest the 120m profit from that and upgrade the team overall, then it's a good idea.
Yes, there's risk in it, but my point is that that's where we need to trust Marotta. Yeah, if we get Zapata and Correra or something I'll be pissed off. But we could also use this money to find a couple of great players who provide the foundations of this team going forwards.

 

[IM21]

lets sell Lukaku for 130M and buy back Hakimi.

 

[CafeCordoba]

Btw, I'm pretty sure when we sign Zapata I'm okay with that like I was eventually okay with Inzaghi signing after first raging furiously against him.

LOL

 

[Gaindé]

If they pull something like Correia and Caicedo as replacements, I might take up drinking.

 

[Il Drago]

@CafeCordoba, you certainly deserve a nomination for most optimistic member FIF Oscar.

 

[WLEXT]

Let's hope Zapata's rumors are the equivalent of Mihalovic's when we were looking for a coach.

 

[CafeCordoba]

@CafeCordoba, you certainly deserve a nomination for most optimistic member FIF Oscar.

Yeah and I think 10 years ago or something I got the most pessimistic award or were at least in that side of the spectrum.

But honestly, trying to replace Lukaku by trying to replicate the playing style feels just stupid because the drop in quality is fucking steep. In addition to the fact we would need to pay tens of millions for Zapata who has already turned 30. We cannot replace Lukaku's characteristics properly so we should just try to find the best value for money which is obviously not 30-year-old Lukaku-esque tank who is a lot worse than Lukaku.