Phil SumblerIf you thought the sale of Joe Rodon to Spurs last summer was a cheap bit of business then reports yesterday evening of Matt Grimes being about to head to Fulham for a medical ahead of a £4m move makes the Rodon sale almost astronomical.
Reports surfaced yesterday evening that Grimes was on his way to Fulham and is expected to complete a move this week and it has been reported that the Swans decision to cash in on their captain was one of the reasons for Steve Cooper’s departure last week.
Whether it was though or not is almost irrelevant when you consider that £4m is a snip for a midfielder even if he is in the last year of his contract and another example of the club being run without a level of thought for our sustainability on the pitch. Clubs at this level cashing in on they prize assets is relatively normal practice and itself not necessarily an issue when monies are reinvested to the benefit of the overall strength of the squad.
But to cash in on their captain and key midfielder for such a cheap fee says much about the ambition that lies around the club at the moment. We are all for financial sustainability but selling at this price will not strengthen the squad and significantly reduce chances of promotion.
You then factor in that we sell him to a Championship rival and you have what feels like a statement of no ambition ahead of the new season and you come back to what are now very worrying times at the Liberty under the stewardship of largely absent owners (although they make most of the football decisions, none of them very good ones!)
This is, until confirmed, of course only press speculation but it does seem that Fulham have won the race for Grimes and at a fee that is fraction of the figures quoted at the start of the season. The Swans deal on the cheap again and this appears to be the summer where it comes back to haunt us.
£4 million for Grimes is practically stealing from Fulham.
He played a little better towards the end of last season but looking back at fan comments show that for two seasons he has rarely been considered good enough.
However, by being sold he will gain legendary status from the supporters who still believe the American consortium is evil incarnate.
Letting Cooper leave and selling Grimes in within a week could suggest one decision led to the other, it could also mean the club was more than happy to be free of them.
Here we go again names banded about lampard Terry we will end up with a cheap yes man no ambition again hope the yanks Rott in hell being robed again