Been mentioned across loads of different threads about the age and profile of players we've signed in recent years being too heavily skewed towards 28+. We had six players 30+ start the game today.
Difficult to know exactly who has final say on transfers, and how influential Pearce's voice is, but since he joined as Head of Recruitment in November 2018, these are the players we've signed aged 28 and over:
18/19
Tyrone Mears
Wes Hoolahan
Bakary Sako
Stefan Johansen (loan)
Jefferson Montero (loan)
19/20
Charlie Austin
Ali Al Habsi
Kamil Grosicki
Lee Peltier
20/21
Branislav Ivanovic
Robert Snodgrass
David Button
Mbaye Diagne (loan)
21/22
Andy Carroll
Adam Reach
Jordan Hugill (loan)
22/23
Martin Kelly
Jed Wallace
Okay Yokuslu
Eric Pieters
Nathaniel Chalobah
Tom Rogic
Marc Albrighton (loan)
23/24
Yann M'Vila
Andi Weimann (loan)
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Having had a quick look, we've only signed 4 players who were broadly unknown in the UK since Pearce arrived. As far as I know, all are attributed to Bilic (Pereira and Krovinovic were both his picks) and Allardyce (Yokuslu and Diagne). Big Sam's football might have been outdated but his knowledge of foreign markets and record of foreign signings is famously outstanding.
Most of our major signings have been from mid-table clubs in the second tier - see Ajayi, Furlong, Townsend, Bartley, Sawyers, Zohore, Swift, Wallace, Grant, Mowatt, Reach.
It's difficult to know who is signing players - the various managers, Dowling or Pearce - but as a club, it's an absolutely honking track record.
This summer, the club has a once in a decade opportunity for a squad reset, with 6 or 7 big earners out of contract and 2 or 3 others who we might be able to sell for a reasonable fee.
Who knows how it'll pan out this summer, but history says we don't seem to place much importance on buying athletes, pace or youth!