Peterborough United’s transfer model has always been something that has been generally praised by football fans who know of it. The idea of buying cheap and selling high is the perfect business model for all businesses, right? Well, this is what Posh do, for those who don’t know.
They consistently buy the top young talent from lower down the pyramid, from leagues such as the National League and the National League North/South for typically cut-price fees, develop the players into League One and Championship standard players, and finally sell them for large profits. Players like Ronnie Edwards and Ephron Mason Clark are recent examples, joining the East Anglian side for a combined £200k and leaving the club for a combined £8.5 million. Mason Clark is the most recent of the well-known “Posh Striker”. Alongside their reputation of signing non-league talent, Posh seem particularly good at Dwight Gayle, Britt Assombalonga, and Ivan Toney, who were not only some of Peterborough’s best players but also, all three were sold for a club record fee upon departure.
Despite all this successful transfer business off the pitch, on the pitch Peterborough have not really progressed as a club. One season in the Championship in the last decade does not mirror the successes of the club in the transfer market. As much as Posh have won two trophies in the previous eleven years, two EFL Trophies, the lack of league progression must surely be a concern?
Clubs have recently been able to fly up the leagues and establish themselves in the Premier League. Sides such as Brighton, Brentford, Ipswich and Luton have all been in League One in the last decade, all of which have reached the financial promised lands of the Premier League. So why can’t Peterborough’s non-league based model see them into even an established Championship side? Why are Peterborough seemingly destined to be a playoff chasing League One side? What has caused it all to fall apart this season?
As to why it has all fallen apart this season is down to losing your whole back four and whole front four, which is a 101 on how to go from play-offs to a relegation battle. Posh sold Harrison Burrows, Ronnie Edwards, Ephron Mason Clark and Joel Randall, lost Josh Knight and Jonson Clarke-Harris upon the expiry of their contract and lost Peter Kioso when his loan expired. All of this coupled with Kwame Poku’s injury ravaged campaign has led to a drastic drop off in performances in the Posh squad. This fall off is something that, from speaking to some Posh fans, is worrying due to the very real chances of Peterborough dropping into League Two for the first time in over thirty years. However, if The Posh stay up, the consensus is that they will be much more comfortable next season.
Posh’s long-term model of signing from non-league has been the backbone of their stability as a club, but I feel it is not only the fans who feel it may have taken them as far as they can go as a club. The club this season finally made a change to their model, through the signing of Oscar Wallin and Gustav Lindgren, both from the Swedish side Degerfors, we have seen Posh look further afield for new talent into their squad.
The signing of the two Swedes represents significant change for Posh as they are the first players signed from outside of the British Isles since Souleymane Coulibaly, who joined the club on a free from Italian outfit Bari in 2015. Have these signings been an admission from the likes of Barry Fry and Darragh MacAnthony that something had to change for the Posh. I believe it to be.
The club that is seen as the golden standard recently for transfer business is Brighton, and during their rise up the divisions they used the foreign markets excellently. Signing players like Anthony Knockheart and Leonardo Ulloa from Belgium and Spain respectively turned out to be great business as they gave some of their best years to The Seagulls, especially Knockheart.
I am sure Posh are hoping that their Swedish adventure will prove fruitful for the club as they look to at least get back to challenging for the play-off places next season.
