Why not call West Broms bluff and offer 5m now before the January window ends, otherwise why develop another teams player when we have players of our own who would benefit from game time development?
Doubt they would write off 12 million. But like your thinking.
He adds an option in few positions and in theory at least should be more consistently reliable given his experience and pedigree than some of the options we have at club already.
I agree that we have some talent that wont be getting game time due to this loan move.
But while the market for players is hyper inflated, then loaning in some of these players should strengthen the squad, test their ability to cope at CP, and keep the squad pedigree high.
If we could get him for 5M then i think he would both add value to the squad and first team options without excessively risking capital.
The hyper inflation in the player values due to the subsidising of certain leagues has created this neo-football culture of laon farming by the super wealthy clubs, where they have no intention of ever playing these players. I suspect its some kind of tax dodge as well.
This hyper inflation, in my opinion, is one of the reasons Sevco are not already bursted completely. Hyper infaltion allows the dilution and paying back of massive loans in short period of time by investing the loans in a hyper inflation market.
Now if the markets, generally, were hyper inflated then it would be lunacy. But since this one particular market (quality football players) has been hyper inflated while the general markets are not as inflated then you can in theory create an arbitrage system.
You take loans from the non inflated markets, invest heavily in the hyper inflated market and if you add value to the stock (in this case the football players) then you can quickly pay off those massive loans by buying smart and selling fast into rthe inflated market.
Trouble is Sevco are run by criminal, and they are holding the brand of a defunct toxic brand that they paid 1 pound. But if they can convince the market that that defunct brand is still value added then with a few good buy/sell in quick succession you have paid off the debts and without investing your own cash now have a healthy business with possiblity to make lots of money.
Trouble is selling your value added acquistions in football can cut of the day to day life blood supply from the fans. Who want value added players held and more value added players added and releasing your not so added value players.
Therein is the catch to the arbirtrage system. You can only arbitrage by selling your hyper inflated assets that are most valued.
But i am certain thats the business model at Sevco.
And to a certain extent here at Celtic.
That market could burst at any moment and if it does every club with massive debts will instantly fold.
And where there is hyper inflated markets the mega bucks tax dodgers will be buying up all the half decent stock for their loan farming.
So your club needs a player but they wont sell unless they make hyper inflated profits, and the rich get richer and the billionaires wealth sky rockets, they pay no tax by skullduggery, and the Game that most people love becomes a billionaires plaything and the passion dies.
And when the passion dies the life blood dries up and when that dries up the hyper inflation instantly bursts.
And at that point you really dont want to be in debt.
Just like Rangers experienced when they commited suicide on the hyper inflation model that went sour in 2008, ultinately led to the skullduggery of 2012, and the slow death of football in all non subsidised leagues.
Apologies for the long winded opinion on why we loan rather than outright buy.
I dont think they want to loan, but the hyper inflation means you also need to pay hyper inflated prices for assets unless you have the talent to spot seriously undervalued value added players and then give them game time to grow.
Best model would be having your very own players, but if they arent quite good enough yet to be champions then you risk losing the league and diluting your brand value.