It is the hottest time of the year for football clubs and their players and we are not talking about the weather or two week holiday breaks before pre-season begins. The summer transfer market is highly acclaimed by many supporters to be as important as the season itself. With the market ‘officially’ open from 1st July, bringing in the right faces can define how much progression and success has been gained.
We’ve all wondered how the transfer is broken down, what causes hiccups and diversions along the way over those deals which seem to go through in a whisker. In time of economical constraints due to Financial Fair Play, the need for homegrown talent to be imbedded in a squad and the change in power from club to the players has seen demands change drastically. Let’s have a look at how a player moves from one club to another and what the transfer involves. One thing that can be clarified is that it is not as simple as our game console formats make it out to be.
Scouting
A little mystical and something the fans rarely see or hear about. Whilst we are sat in the stands watching our team, scout have been literally rows away from us, looking out for the next probable purchase.
It is crucial for scouts to get as much information as possible to feed back to their management staff. Scouting in the stands however is slowly becoming a dieing form due to the influx of technology. Statistical computer programmes come into place along with instantaneous video footage of a player’s performance are uploaded to help scouters with the opportunity to make a judgement with precise detail. This information is fed to the manager, the head of recruitment or club director to ultimately make a decision on the player based on the footage.
A good scout will study how a player will benefit a team, spending an equal amount of time watching a possible recruit both on and off the pitch as both ascan be deemed as crucial as the other. Hitchhiking the world’s finest or locating the next young superstar can be a lucrative twist of tails.
Scouts are the first point of contact between both a player and an agent which makes all initial impressions key. The footballer himself isn’t the only party who has to make a decent profile of themselves, with the industry ever more competative, it is imperative for a scout to make the correct measurements, from all head-hunting to their demeanour.
Tapping up?
It is against the rules in the Premier League for ‘tapping up’ to take place, for a player under contract to make an approach to another football team without approval being out in writing by the player’s existing club and vice versa. This rule tends to generally stretch across football’s hemisphere for morality reasoning.
We are led to believe that a majority of moves begin from scratch but can be rest assured contact on players does happen from behind the scenes. There are many representatives involved in a transfer and with a player themselves. Discussions occur between representatives and third party clubs to see if their man would like to switch sides, how much they would like to earn and what role would they prefer to see themselves in.
Therefore, without having to make any assumptions, plenty of deals are set in stone before any money is put on the table and before the media even hear about it. Much of the blame is aimed at the interested clubs trying to find out as much information to see whether someone is worth putting a bid in for, not to say all agree but it is common practice across most sports, if not all. There may on appeal be a fine or two for those caught out, however without ‘tapping-up’ most transfers would probably be even more complex and needlessly lengthy.
Making a bid
This is where a club is satisfied with the detail their scout has collected and the interest is formal. Deciding whether to make a permanent buy or a temporary loan offer is a viable tactic when considering relationships between two clubs and the player. A suitable offer will not only state a buying club’s intent but will also clarify whether or not the selling team and their employee are willing to part ways.
As all sales executives out there can identify with, negotiating a deal is not the most simple and obvious process. A transaction has to be beneficial for both club’s, the footballer and also their agent. The buying club want the cheapest price whilst the selling side will beam towards the amount they feel is worthy for the player’s ability.
A £12m bid for Queens Park Rangers striker Charlie Austin from Leicester City recently was not an intelligent offer, especially when the Hoops price their potent forward at £15m. AFC Bournemouth are now expecting to go in with a £14m offer in an attempt to push QPR, who in turn may be willing to drop by £1m as the price would smash the Cherries transfer record by a clear mile and therefore are displays their intent. However, Tony Fernandes and his compatriots are fully aware that Charlie Austin will be an huge buy for most Premier League sides and may not be willing to budge.
It all depends on how useful a footballer has been to a selling club and how much of an impact the purchasing team feel the player can make on them. Will the professional become an integral first-teamer or be a squad player to beef up the numbers? Ideally you would hope a club is buying a player to boost their profile and quality, however this is not always the case.
A formal offer must be submitted, most commonly a written request is made by fax, more so than by email even in the current climate. Another favourable option is for a club to contact trusted agents to do the dirty work for them. It is as crucial to find the correct player to buy as it is to identify the right option to sell. Agents are much more involved with the transfer saga and can be the catalyst that gets the ball rolling.
Negotiating
This process does lay to rest after a bid is accepted; agreeing a fee is just the beginning of the negotiation period.
Many deals fall through after a bid has been verified due to talks between a player, his agent and the puchasing team fall through. Player expectations have risen through the roof, therefore the buying side must be ultra efficient in their appeal. Personal terms are a tricky ingredient to understand. If you were in high demand what would you want from them if you had the power to influence it?
This doesn’t exactly mean that all transfers involve lenghty, mundane gatherings around a table. Negotiations are often short and sweet, with the agent briefing a club on what their player wants whilst in discussion with either the chief executive, director of football or head of recruitment.
The most important motive for a player and his agent relate to salaries, bonuses per goal, per save or per tackle, signing-on fees, personal and social expectations and how much time they will spend on the field of play.
This is why agents are employed by footballers, they put their trust in their man to make the move sound appealing but it is in the interest of the agent to secure a decent fee for himself from the purchasing side.
The player’s decision
Is the player himself satisfied with the possibility of featuring for a new side? Having to relocate their family may be of concern, having to change their lifestyle from one end of the country to the other or even moving abroad and learning a new language sees players taking huge steps in what is ultimately their future.
Security is the ultimatum in persuasion, how long does a club want a player determines ideally how much they value him. Are they comfortable leaving what they have known for the period they have spent at the selling club? They will have to build fresh new relationships with plenty of faces, including a new manager, his coaching staff and their squad.
A professional’s demand cannot go unnoticed, whether he wants the move for trophies, progression, more first team opportunites or the money. In such a short career, making the correct decision is crucial to all of these aspects.
‘Pleasing an agent’
There is no easy transaction with an agent involved, or so it is brandished by the coaches and managers. We very rarely hear from agents nor their expectations, so how does one determine how tricky they can be?
Without agents the transfer process would be even more unbearable. A well respected one is considered to be a good mentor, a method of guidance as well as a confident sales man. A football player simply wants to play the game he loves, the agent does the nitty gritty and deservedly weighs in some lucrative business whilst representating his client.
They are often used by clubs more than what is mentioned in the media domain, with buying teams often contacting them to build a picture of the player they wish to make enquiries about. When looking to sell, agents often take any upheaval from a club to make the departure as smooth as possible, without any regret.
Agents are part of a network, which in truth drives their business, who they know often gets them the deal for their client, who in truth should only have to concentrate on their sport, without having to attend negotiations concerning contracts and other demanding aspects of the transaction.
Breaking the news
The media, again are seen as tricky opposition that can get in the way of a move. The demand for a story is primarily driven by what the piblic want to hear, or on occasion what they want them to hear.
The media want clear cut news to report on, nonetheless will publish some audacious accounts that may never take shape. Feeding the fan keeps up the interest and hope that their club is going to have a successful summer of recruiting.
There is an expectancy to see reporters and journalists swarming around the premises of a buying or selling club throughout the window. Football is a huge industry and there are plenty of questions people want to ask or get answers from. Breaking news to the public is often followed by jubilation or dissatisfaction, ultimately having an impact on whether a player will be accepted from the beginning of their adventure with their new club.
Medicals, work permits and other clearances
Often seen as the most nerve janglong part of the transfer. To have the excitement of a deal run through the media with the expectation of a new player arriving at your club to be ended by a few tests does occur.
The higher the level of play, the more critically acclaimed the medical. They are thorough and have the capacity to study an individual’s current status, any impending niggles or pre-existing injuries and how their body will perform under the regime they have been running by.
That does not mean to say that some medicals are rushed, especially when deadlines are fast approaching. Many risks on players have been taken, with injury plagued individuals being taken on board with the hope that their fitness and well-being will improve. Although the medical is crucial, should a transfer wish to be processed by those parties involved, a deal will be done.
Those without an EU passport and over the age if sixteen arriving from overseas require a work permit to earn money in a foreign continent. It is likely that deals with players arriving from far and beyond will fall through due to a permit that is not valid. Clubs often sponsor foreign imports following the approval of a country’s football governing board, who are more than likely to approve a player moving inside the boarder should they have competed in 75% of games officiated with the top 70 FIFA ranked nations rankedover the past twenty-four months.
The only aspect that can overturn a rejected application is whether a player was unavailable for selection due to injury. If decisions are overturned beyond injury, then the buying club must portray a bold story as to how the player will benefit them as a team and the league they are entering.
The transfer is complete…
Following the scouting, an approved bid, agreed personal terms, contracts, wages, the player’s role and medicals are sanctioned, the final aspect is finalising the paperwork can begin.
Getting the player to sign is the first part before attaining authorisation from the governing body of the league a team is associated with. Once approved, photographs tend to be taken with the player shaking their new manager’s hand and a quick snapshot of them holding up a shirt or being a temporary statue nexts to the club’s emblem posted around the club.
Now all that the fans can hope for is that their club’s new player is a success and works endlessly for the badge.
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