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NEVER itk
Guest
I was having a couple of drinks last night with a reasonably high profile agent and he was discussing the current trend of transfers to have 'undisclosed fees' and the subsequent spinning to the media of 'made up' fees. He was also talking about how fees are getting more complicated with increasingly flaky add ons and more complex release clauses. Some examples we discussed were McCormick, Suarez, Debuchy, Valencia and Cabaye.
McCormack deal to Fulham was 2 x £3m payments and add ons for promotion (£2m) and some for appearances. The new Leeds owner has briefed the press it was £11m to appease the Leeds fans!
Suarez - because of last summer - had a legally watertight release clause in his new contract. For a non British club the release clause was euros 80m (this was pretty much common knowledge amongst the agent community) - at current exchange rate £63.4m. The club have spun to friendly Liverpool based journalists the price was £75m - with one muppet saying the price would of been £120m to Real Madrid if it was not for the biting incident. The journo claimed there would of been a bidding war? Why would the clubs pay more when there is an actual release clause - any bidding war would be about wages.
The Mags deal with Arsenal for Debuchey is apprently £6.5m plus a million of add ons. The mags were spinning £12m in the press. They have previous for this in the Cabeye deal when they tried to spin the fee was £25m (but PSG who do not want to be seen as 'mugs' came out and flatly contradicted them) - it was less than euros 20m (under £17m at current exchange rates).
The most ridiculous is the Valencia to West Ham deal. Apparently the Mexican club authorised his agents to hawk him around Europe at $12m (appromimately £7.75m). Now its being briefed he is being signed for £15- 16m.
This is all a bit of a grand conspiracy with clubs, agents, the press, sky all 'bigging up' the signings of in some cases some quite ordinary players.
It appears transfer fees are now as believable as DFS furniture sale discounts.
BTW this agent told me McCormack was off to Fulham (and posted on here) long before it was in the papers
McCormack deal to Fulham was 2 x £3m payments and add ons for promotion (£2m) and some for appearances. The new Leeds owner has briefed the press it was £11m to appease the Leeds fans!
Suarez - because of last summer - had a legally watertight release clause in his new contract. For a non British club the release clause was euros 80m (this was pretty much common knowledge amongst the agent community) - at current exchange rate £63.4m. The club have spun to friendly Liverpool based journalists the price was £75m - with one muppet saying the price would of been £120m to Real Madrid if it was not for the biting incident. The journo claimed there would of been a bidding war? Why would the clubs pay more when there is an actual release clause - any bidding war would be about wages.
The Mags deal with Arsenal for Debuchey is apprently £6.5m plus a million of add ons. The mags were spinning £12m in the press. They have previous for this in the Cabeye deal when they tried to spin the fee was £25m (but PSG who do not want to be seen as 'mugs' came out and flatly contradicted them) - it was less than euros 20m (under £17m at current exchange rates).
The most ridiculous is the Valencia to West Ham deal. Apparently the Mexican club authorised his agents to hawk him around Europe at $12m (appromimately £7.75m). Now its being briefed he is being signed for £15- 16m.
This is all a bit of a grand conspiracy with clubs, agents, the press, sky all 'bigging up' the signings of in some cases some quite ordinary players.
It appears transfer fees are now as believable as DFS furniture sale discounts.
BTW this agent told me McCormack was off to Fulham (and posted on here) long before it was in the papers