The five simple steps required to complete a modern transfer deal

That’s all well and good. And it does, in theory, forbid the tapping up of players. But clubs still manage to bypass this by using intermediaries – sometimes agents – to gauge a player’s situation and whether they’re likely to want a move.

For some players it all becomes too much if a bid is rejected. Individuals will publically come out and say they want to move, incurring the wrath of loyal supporters. It doesn’t always go to plan, though. Just ask Peter Odemwingie.

Once a formal bid is accepted, player and club can make contact and the negotiations get underway.

Contract negotiations and agent

Let the fun begin. A club can now negotiate with the player and his agent. The agent’s role is to get the best deal for the player. Increasingly, however, agents have come under scrutiny for attempting to get the best deal for themselves rather than their client.

Premier League clubs spent upwards of £211m on payments to agents during the 2017-18 season alone. It’s a lucrative business. And with no formal qualification required to become an agent in the UK, anyone can do it.

Never-the-less, a contract needs to be sorted. And a modern contract consists of more than just a basic wage. Appearance fees, goal bonuses, international cap bonuses, trophy bonuses and yearly wage rises all have to be factored in. Increasingly clubs also have wage-cuts and relegation release clauses inserted in order to ease the financial burden.

Medical

This is the part that clubs, players and agents fear – the medical. There are six major steps in every football medical, which you can read more about here.

Most go off without a hitch. But some do hit a snag. Ruud van Nistelrooy’s initial transfer from PSV Eindhoven to Manchester United was famously scuppered by a knee problem.

Nabil Fekir’s summer move to Liverpool was also postponed after the Reds medical staff were concerned over the Frenchman’s knee. Rumour has it the club even had all of the promotion content ready to go to announce his signing.

Charlie Austin, Demba Ba and Loic Remy have all fallen foul of the dreaded medical in the last decade.

Deal confirmed

A deal is agreed and all the necessary contracts are in place, now it’s over to the marketing, PR and social media teams to announce the signing in the most spectacular way possible.

Gone are the days of ClubCall and consulting the new matchday programme to find out who your team has signed. Twitter is the main tool for unveiling players in the social media age. Retweets and favourites are the currency of popularity.

Liverpool announced the signing of Mohamed Salah by filming Salah checking his own Twitter feed. Aston Villa parodied a WhatsApp conversation to herald the arrival of John Terry last summer. Even the smaller clubs get in on the act in an attempt to increase their own notoriety.  Just check out this video from Scottish outfit Motherwell.

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