The last time I blogged about this series, I showed you how Partizan started their post-Guido era with some erratic transfers. Halfway into the season, we look back at how the club has fared in their various competitions, how their signings have done and how they did in the January transfer window.

The financial status

As I mentioned last time, I need FMRTE to view the financial status, due to not actively being in charge of Partizan. This is what their financial status looks like as we wrap up the January transfer window.

Compared to the previous two updates, there have been some changes.

On their total finances, Partizan have spent/lost another 20 million, nearly halving their total budget over the course of 6 months. That’s actually pretty impressive, considering the deals they actually pulled off. Transfer-wise, the team has spent nearly all of its available transfer budget, they have a mere 4 million left to squander. Besides the transfer losses, the club managed to lose around 8 million somehow.

The transfers

Which brings us to the actual transfers. These are the transfers Partizan did, 6 months into the tenure of a new manager. We’ll look at the deals in more detail soon.

We’ll look into the players the AI signed first, before examining the players departing for money.

Christian Wansi. Purely looking at the stats of the player, he’s actually a good player. The question in this case is not if the player is a good one, but whether or not the actual transfer itsself was a smart business move. I reckon it isn’t. Partizan were actually pretty good in the midfielder and attacking midfielder department. There really was no need to splash another 12 million on a player for a position they had plenty of talent in. Despite Wansi being a good player, the club could have relied on the players and talents already present, which would’ve been a cheaper option.

Guido’s rating of this transfer: 6/10

Scott Williams. To be fair, this was a deal of mine, not of the new AI manager. I tend to raid the MLS for new players every intake, but most of these deals take place after the player turns 18. This was one of those delayed deals. Williams came in for free on fairly cheap wages, he looks like a decent investment for the future, so if they take the time to develop him, he could turn out to be a proper signing.

Guido’s rating of this transfer: 7/10

Stefano Villa. A young defender. I’m actually pretty surprised by this deal, as it looks to be a quality deal. A Belgian-Italian defender, an U21 international from a reputable nation, coming in from a smaller club, immediately doubling in value and being loaned back to his former club to ensure his playing-time. It’s as good a deal as you’re ever going to make. One point deducted because they didn’t actually need said player, but all in all their best deal so far.

Guido’s rating of this transfer: 9/10

I also want to look at some of the departing players.

Mamanul Chowdhury. One of my MLS signings. This Canadian-Indian midfielder was one I could see breaking into the first team in the long run, or at the very least be a player we could sell for a very healthy profit. I loaned him to Javor to see if he could perform on a reasonable level, which he could. To see the AI sell him for a mere 6k is disappointing to say the least, especially when you see his value blow up to 6 million shortly after the deal. Keep in mind that Jedinstvo Putevi is a relegation candidate in Serbia, so a low reputation club. When they sign a player and his value goes up like this, you pretty much know you sold him way too cheap. You sign a new, slightly better player for 12 million and sell off a decent youngster for 6k? Shitty business, pure and simple.

Guido’s rating of this transfer: 1/10

Luka Jovic. The veteran forward was signed to count as a home-grown backup in a long and exhausting season. He is an instant impact player in even the biggest of matches, yet content to be a reserve. The AI have sold him to Brighton for a nice fee. I can see why they sold him, even if I wouldn’t have. He is an ageing player and the offer was a fair one. As a forward, Jovic was not getting into first team with the new signings which came in, so it’s a logical deal.

Guido’s rating of this transfer: 7/10

Djuro Disljenkovic. We brought him back from Juventus because his career was stagnating there. He broke into first team this season, only to be sold back to Juventus during the winter break. Partizan got 5 million for him, which was a nice profit. They probably sold him a bit cheap and they sold another player who counted towards the home-grown quotum, but since Jelicic and Altamirano are still at the club, I can see why they didn’t want an unhappy bench-warmer. As I said, they sold him a bit cheap, but the deal makes sense, even if I disagree with this rationale.

Guido’s rating of this transfer: 6/10

Bruno Borba. Another unhappy bench-warmer who switched clubs. Not an atrocious deal, but a sub-par deal nonetheless. If you sell a player for a little under 2 million and his value rises to a little over 14 million, it was a poor piece of business, regardless of the moaning nature of said player. The AI should’ve appreciated Borba’s potential and asked for more or simply kept him around as a rotation player.

Guido’s rating of this transfer: 4/10

Kristóf Fedor. Remember the goalkeepers Partizan signed at the start of the new season? This was one of those new guys. Fedor came in for 60k and left for nearly 600k after a mere 6 months at the club. So even if he was by no means good enough to play for the club, this really is an impressive transfer. Even when we deduct the wages he cost Partizan, it’s a deal with a roughly 960% profit in a mere 6 months. This is a brilliant deal financially speaking.

Guido’s rating of this transfer: 10/10

So in conclusion, some more atrocious deals and a few good ones. I’d be worried if I were part of the board though. The way Chowdhury, Borba and to a lesser extent Disljenkovic were sold shows that the AI does not recognise proper talent and undervalues talented players. The incoming players are decent, but not really any better than the current crop, so it really makes the transfer policy so far erratic at best.

Guido

Guido is the founding father of Strikerless and main nutjob running the show.