Working away our transfer reputation

[DontTrustTheDevilInside]

A lot on SM about Mel's dealings with Rowett saying there isn't the budget for next season and then the flurry of transfers but I have to say I like how Lampard/the club seem to be have been dealing in the transfer market.

The press around not having the budget has helped but I have noticed something else that has been done to dispel the previously discussed 'Derby Prices' (when Derby comes in the price goes up by 2 million because we were seen as the mugs who would overpay (looking at the Vydra, Anya, Butterfield, Johnson era... admittedly Vydra worked out in the end but still way overpriced at the time for an out of form player).

What I have noticed is this:

Quite a few of our signings have come as a result of sitting out the negotiations and more often than not allowing another club to establish a price and then matching it. It seems pretty high risk but what has been very convincing or worrying depending on your perspective of how many successful pursuits we have using this model. Particularly after the much talked about Steve Bruce stalking our targets joke last season

Evans- Sunderland bid earlier in the window

Waghorn- Middlesbrough

Joszefzoon- Leeds

With the lack of other rumours we seem to have been getting our primary targets, the next question is HOW?

Option 1: Our contract offers are ridiculous and we haven't sussed this negotiation out and are blowing other offers out of the water- the odd comments from Darragh MacAnthony, Wilder, Leeds chairman point to this

Option 2: Lampard is having a real pull and his charismatic talking is winning over players- the loans back up this idea due to how much they were clearly in demand

Really interested to see which way it has gone!