Summer Spending Trends for Promoted Teams

[Stuliasz]

After reading a number of threads where people are getting impatient at our apparent lack of transfer activity, and insisting on Pearson signing 'big name' players, and because I'm bored, I thought it would be worth looking at how promoted teams have recruited, and where it's got them over the last few years.

 

I think there are examples out there that could back up every possible opinion for how we'll do next season, but while doing this I noticed that much of the transfer activity doesn't take place until July/August so I think everyone just needs to stay patient. Any players we need will come, and money will be spent as and where is necessary.

 

Promoted 2012/13

 

Cardiff City (finished 20th)

Summer Signings: 7

Amount Spent: £30.25m

Biggest Signing: Gary Medel - £11m

 

January additions: 6 (+1 loan)

 

Signed experienced top level players such as Caulker, Medel and Odemwingie. Clearly an unstable club off the field however, and a mass influx of players in January probably didn't help the situation.

 

Hull City (finished 16th)

Number of Signings: 9 (+1 loan)

Amount Spent: £10.75m

Biggest Signing: Tom Huddlestone - £5m

 

January additions: 2

 

Many of Hull's signings were key players in their safety. Sensible acquisitions like Huddlestone got them going and the January additions of Jelavic and Long were very important.

 

Crystal Palace (finished 12th)

Number of Signings: 14 (+1 loan)

Amount Spent: £7.7m

Biggest Signing: Dwight Gayle - £6m

 

January additions: 4 (+1 loan)

 

Holloway's ridiculous quantity of signings were largely unsuccessful with the exception of a few such as Chamakh. It was only when Pulis reverted to the team that actually got them up and added a few quality additions in January with Ledley and Dann that they ended so successfully.

 

Promoted 2011/12

 

Reading (finished 19th)

Number of Signings: 8

Amount Spent: £5m

Biggest Signing: Chris Gunter / Adrian Mariappa - £2.5m

 

January additions: 4

 

Quite a few players were brought in by Reading during that summer, many were still with the club during their unsuccessful return in the Championship such as Guthrie and Pogrebnyak. 

 

Southampton (finished 14th)

Number of Signings: 8

Amount Spent: £18m

Biggest Signing: Gaston Ramirez - £12m

 

January additions: 1

 

Ramirez and Rodriguez were the only players Southampton paid for that summer. Clyne and Davis have also been important members of their team but much of the team is still what got them there in the first place.

 

West Ham (finished 10th)

Number of Signings: 6

Amount Spent: £16.7m

Biggest Signing: Matt Jarvis - £7.5m

 

January additions: 2

 

West Ham's squad was largely an experienced Premier League team when they came down. Big Sam only made a few fairly low profile additions to his squad and they finished in the top ten.

 

Promoted 2010/11

 

QPR (finished 17th)

Number of Signings: 11

Amount Spent: £1.2m

Biggest Signing: DJ Campbell - £1.2m

 

January additions: 2

 

QPR basically brought in an entire new team for the Premier League and just about stayed up, getting relegated the year after. Didn't spend much initially, it was only in January and the following January where they spent big and ended up going down.

 

Norwich (finished 12th)

Number of Signings: 7

Amount Spent: £8m

Biggest Signing: Steve Morison - £2.8m

 

January additions: 1

 

There were no real big name signings in Norwich's first season. Their most successful players were bought out of the Championship, and keeping faith with the side that got them up they finished 12th.

 

Swansea (finished 11th)

Number of Signings: 8

Amount Spent: £5.25m

Biggest Signing: Danny Graham - £3.5m

 

January additions: 2

 

Swansea's successful first season was largely their promoted side with the addition of Routledge, Vorm and Danny Graham.

[Dan]

Very good read which largely highlights the whole hype around 'big' signings is often unjustified.

 

Have people seriously slammed us for lack of activity? Has anyone in the league made more signings than us? Sunderland possibly but I'm not sure they have.

[Fox92]

We don't need massive changes, and it would be totally the wrong thing to do. I think most of us know this; Nigel himself will know this. Most teams that get promoted need a few changes, I include us in that, and I think the only team "ready" for the Premier League in recent years have been West Ham and Newcastle (because they didn't lose many players upon their relegation).

 

As we all know it's who you sign, not quantity. I get bored of seeing the same people on here saying "oh, we'll just be bottom three all season" etc. It's so harsh, we've only just hit June. I don't get the thing about "big name" signings either, it's usually those "big names" that are just happy to take the money and not care about the club - just look at what QPR have been through - I'm still happy with coy signings which is the way Nige has always seemed to go. And who are we to question Nige and Walsh in the transfer market(s), they've done us good 99% of the time.

[Trav Le Bleu]

Nice research and just goes to show that there's no set pattern to success. If there was, everyone would do it.

[lcfcsnow]

Did their 3 main centre backs have a combined age of almost 100 though? That's my main concern, too old/slow at the back and Moore's back at 4th choice.

[Jimothy]

Bit harsh on Holloway to put the Puncheon signing to Pulis, and not really telling the full story. Holloway brought him to the club on loan, Pulis just secured him as a permanent signing.

[Stuliasz]

Bit harsh on Holloway to put the Puncheon signing to Pulis, and not really telling the full story. Holloway brought him to the club on loan, Pulis just secured him as a permanent signing.

 

Fair point, forgot about that.

[tontolcfc]

Very good topic, well researched.  

 

I like the fact that the club and management keep their own council. We don't hear loads and loads of conjecture linking us with ridiculous signings.

 

I hope we can carry on signing young hungry talent for whom this will be the biggest club they have played for.  All of the lads in our team  can scrap as well as play good football.  The team spirit is the best I can remember for a long time.  I am sure they will make us proud the coming season.

 

Come on you Foxes

[MooseBreath]

Moore's back at 4th choice.

He could be first choice for all you know matey.

[Fez of Mahrez]

Did their 3 main centre backs have a combined age of almost 100 though? That's my main concern, too old/slow at the back and Moore's back at 4th choice.

If they're too slow then he quickly won't be fourth choice.

Oh, as above.

[One Legged Beaver]

Bit harsh on Holloway to put the Puncheon signing to Pulis, and not really telling the full story. Holloway brought him to the club on loan, Pulis just secured him as a permanent signing.

 

Didn't Holloway bring him in and then exclude him from the 25 man squad though, or am I just imagining that? 

 

(Not that that would make him any less Holloway's signing.)

[Jimothy]

Didn't Holloway bring him in and then exclude him from the 25 man squad though, or am I just imagining that? 

 

(Not that that would make him any less Holloway's signing.)

Nah, he played most their games last season, was probably their best player. I think his form up to January is what convince Pulis to make it permenant.

Holloway did sign about 4 players that he left out the 25 man squad though Seems a bit pointless signing them!

[80footgiraffe]

I think 3 players to fill out the squad for free have been sensible. 2 with premier league experience, 1 perhaps more for the future, but I think when the window actually opens, we won't be spending more than £4 million on probably 3 more players. 

 

With possibly the exception of Frazier Campbell coming in for 800K, which has been confirmed as genuine interest, most of the rumours we've heard about could be wide of the mark or just agent talk. Sorting the fact from the fiction is always the hardest part and speculation will always surround transfers, but I think Nige won't sign anyone to impress or strike fear into other teams, he'll sign who he believes will strengthen the squad and he certainly won't be held to ransom. If you don't want to be playing for Leicester City, chances are you won't.

[Bert]

Just goes to show how badly you don't need these big marquee signings.

Pearson has been building out current squad to have a crack at the prem and I'm sure many don't realise this. They've had a few seasons being nurtured in the rough and tumble league and grown individually and collectively.

Bar a couple of additions this team is ready to try and establish themselves back where we belong.

[80footgiraffe]

Bit harsh on Holloway to put the Puncheon signing to Pulis, and not really telling the full story. Holloway brought him to the club on loan, Pulis just secured him as a permanent signing.

 

Agreed. Although Holloway's transfer approach was something of a shotgun spray and pray approach, he did bring in a few useful players to the team, although if you sign 14 players in one window, you're bound to have 1 or 2 good ones.

[fuchsntf]

Wait n See what young talent (no headliner) looking for a start in the PL who might emerge from the World cup.

[MattGamble92]

When you look at a side like Cardiff spending £30m and going down with parachute payments its pretty obvious that the FFP is only going to cause a huge gulf in class now.

We're very lucky to have gone up when we did. We are very likely to be a top top championship side at the very least for the next 30 years now ðŸŒ

[LCCFox96]

Good thread here and an interesting read. Never realised QPR spent so little in their first season back.

But I would imagine Nigel Pearson's response to reading that top post would be "we will sign who we need to sign providing they are within our budget" or words to that effect. As our transfer dealings are so under the radar and fees often remain undisclosed it's actually very hard to say which of those figures we will come close to.

[act smiley]

Good thread here and an interesting read. Never realised QPR spent so little in their first season back.

A couple of their big signings were undisclosed fees that probably exceeded what they spent on DJ Campbell.

Still, it was mainly big-wage free transfers until their January splurge.

[volpeazzurro]

A couple of their big signings were undisclosed fees that probably exceeded what they spent on DJ Campbell.

Still, it was mainly big-wage free transfers until their January splurge.

 

A well researched and food for thought post. I agree with the no need for marquee signings or too many signings for that matter as the spirit in the camp seems to be the most 'together' since O'Neil's days imo. Norwich are a team that spring to mind. When they went up they had a very organised set up and largely kept faith with the team that got them there under Lambert despite a number of signings. In there attempt to kick on the next season, new management spent loads on bigger more expensive signings that didn't work, the influx had the effect of destabalising the team as a whole as they appeared to lose their soul.

[CPW22]

Great read. Like most I am surprised at the lack of 'big money' signings.

I still think we might spend up to 5/6 million on one player, potentially a centre half as it appears to be going rate for a player with prem experience.