How a transfer really works in the context of English soccer
Transfer season is in full swing, and while there is nearly bottomless coverage of rumours, negotiations, and deals, there are still some questions about how transfers actually work from a business perspective.
In order to shine a bit of light on the business of transfers, The Independent has asked Jake Cohen, a sports lawyer who has worked on a number of high-profile transactions in football, to clear up some misconceptions and discuss some of the finer points of the business of a transfer.
In a proposed transfer deal, there are often three key negoti- ations taking place at the same time – the negotiation between the buying club and the selling club over the transfer fee, the negotiation between the buying club and the player’s agent over the player’s personal terms, and the negotiation between the buying club and the player’s agent over agent fees.
Technically, the selling club must first give permission to the buying club to speak to the player regarding his potential move, but in reality, there will often be intermediaries that liaise between the buying club and the player to gauge the player’s interest before official permission is granted. This can be a murky area, and can and does lead to accusations of tapping up, as we recently saw last month with Southampton accusing Liverpool of tapping up over Virgil van Dijk.
In logistical terms, many negotiations are largely conducted via WhatsApp.
Many agents and club executives prefer WhatsApp for a number of reasons – everyone always has their phone at the ready, it’s easier than e-mail, the group chat feature, there are read receipts so there’s never any question as to whether the other(s) received the latest information you sent, and you can message and call worldwide from anywhere on the planet.
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