As part of a new monthly blogging series for the SPFL website, former Hibs, Partick Thistle and Airdrieonians player, David Farrell gives us his inside knowledge on how a transfer works from a player's perspective....
So the transfer window slams firmly shut and Jim White, Harry Redknapp and agents can rest easy for another few months away from the frantic glare of the last minute rush to snap up (in some cases) anyone who will do.
The transfer
But what actually happens during the process? From a player’s point of view there are three types of transfer; the one where the player wants to leave, the other where the club wants the player to leave and the final one where neither wants the player to leave but another club has made it clear they want the player to transfer. As you will guess, there are also huge differences in the way a transfer has to be conducted depending on the level of clubs being dealt with.
In Scotland these days, outside the Premiership, there will be very little need for agents. Those players leaving a Championship, League One or League Two club, will generally be out of contract or free agents. This of course will negate any bargaining power, and with the current financial constraints on many clubs at that level, going in with a "high" figure in mind, being offered a "low" figure and settling somewhere in the middle is almost a thing of the past. "Take it or leave it" will be much more the order of the day, unless you have more than one club chasing your coveted signature, in which case you might be able to nick an extra £20 expenses.
The deal
So these days, only as you move up the levels, an agent becomes more of a necessity. I'd say most players who transfer between Scottish Premiership clubs will have an agent. The main reason for that is that it’s so much simpler to allow someone to negotiate on your behalf. Many people, not just footballers, are uncomfortable sitting face to face with their prospective new employer and bartering. The car, the hotel, the flat and relocation are all things which need to be taken into consideration when moving from, say, Paisley to Aberdeen. But how do we actually get to this point?
Well, it may surprise you to know that the process will usually have been initiated many months earlier.
Players coming out of contract usually happens in the summer, but agents will have been actively making people aware that their client is available since the previous transfer window. It is the agent’s job to get the player, and themselves, the most money possible, so lets not be kidded, that is the agents priority. He will have been identifying potential suitors, bigger clubs, those who pay better wages and even touting clubs abroad as potential "cash cows". Clubs who show an interest are then played off against each other in order to get the best deal for the player from the new club, or the current one.
The clincher
This is where fans have difficulty accepting agents as being part of the game. They expect their player to show loyalty, but in reality, once the agent has negotiated a better deal elsewhere, he's gone.
Fortunately though, most deals these days go through without any hitches, although I do remember one where everything had been agreed between the managers, personal terms had been ironed out and all other minor issues had been resolved. However, on finding out which player was involved, the chairman put a block on the deal at the last minute as he remembered the player in question had knocked back an inquiry from the same club many years earlier.
I was gutted!!!
Follow David Farrell on Twitter here - @davidfarrellfaz
For more inside knowledge on the game, visit David's excellent blog site HERE
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