Ok so Denny asked the question about the transfer fee, so I thought why not create a thread to let everyone else know as well, what do the articles mean when they say that such and such team paid X amount of money for the transfer fee for this player. Basically I'm going to copy and paste from wikipedia and bbc, the only two sites where I found some info. When a footballer is under contract with a club, he can only leave if the club agrees to terminate this contract. As a way of compensation, the club to whom the player is transferring will usually pay a capital sum. This is known as the 'transfer fee'. As part of the transfer deal, a proportion of the fee may go to the player himself and any agents involved in the deal. Again, the exact percentage is subject to the regulations of the relevant governing body. Historically transfer fees were paid even when the player was out of contract (except in Spain), but since the Bosman ruling, this is no longer the case. This ruling occurred when the European Union declared that the practice of demanding a fee for players out of contract was illegal. However, in order to secure an income for smaller clubs, UEFA regulations still state that a fee must be paid for players under the age of 23. This may be set by a tribunal if it cannot be agreed upon between the two clubs. Transfers may also involve a part-exchange, in which some or all of the capital fee is paid for by trading another player from the signing club to the selling club. Other methods of paying a transfer fee include: * Clauses depending on the player's success at the signing club (e.g. an extra fee if the player scores a total of 20 goals in his first season, or makes a given number of appearances) * Clauses depending on the signing club's success following the transfer * Clauses allowing the selling club to profit from any future transfers of the player (a "sell-on fee"). A notable example of a club that benefited from such a clause is Accrington Stanley, whose rise from the lower reaches of non-league English football to their current position in League Two was given a significant boost by the sell-on clause that was negotiated in the transfer of Brett Ormerod. * Friendly matches between the two teams, in which the selling club receives all the gate receipts * The introduction of other reciprocal arrangements e.g. the signing club may agree to aid the selling club by the improvement of training facilities, or sharing of resources and coaches Additionally, a single fee may be used to buy the registration of many players at once. HOW DOES A TRANSFER START? A written offer will be made for a player and the selling club may reject or accept any bid. The two parties will then keep going backwards and forwards until they negotiate a fee. Clubs may also contact an agent to work on their behalf and ask them to find a buyer for a particular player. This situation can arise if a player is not playing games. An agent might also speak to a club who decide that for whatever reason it is in the best interests of a player to leave. An agent would be given permission to speak to other clubs and given a specific fee the sellers have in mind for the player. You then have to delve through your contacts and I will either speak to a manager or a chief scout at a club. In the summer, a player might be out of contract and you can spend quite a bit of time phoning clubs and trying to place a player at a particular club. As an agent I will also speak to managers and chief scouts and ask which positions they are looking to fill. They might say we need a left midfielder or a big striker with pace and you have to check whether there is someone available for them in their budget. If a player who I represent is under contract then a written offer will have to be put in to his club. WHAT HAPPENS ONCE A FEE IS AGREED? A fee can be agreed but it does not mean a move will go through. But, once it is, then the job of the agent is to agree personal terms on the player's behalf. The agent is there to secure the best possible deal for his client and this can take a little time. Professional and financial issues will be taken into consideration such as: whether the player is going to play, the wage and the length of the contract. It is a bit of negotiation and compromise. The agent wants to realise a player's value to a club while the club will be looking to minimise their outlay as much as they can. If the player is of a certain level the club will be prepared to offer him a better package than for a less valuable player. Issues which arise in the negotiation process include: #An adjustable salary: This would see an increase in salary year-on-year and after a certain number of appearances. #A signing-on fee: This is a payment the player gets for signing for a club, although this may vary and depend from league to league. At the larger clubs you get a payment when you sign and then a fee split over a couple of years. If a number of clubs have agreed a fee for a player then he will weigh up a number of aspects. These may include whether he is going to play more at one club than another, the package he is getting and how much he will have to uproot his family. It often comes down to a wide range of reasons but for most players, first and foremost, it can be about how many minutes on the pitch they are going to get.
Now here are some of the highest transfer fees done in soccer. 1. Zinedine Zidane, moved from Juventus to Real Madrid and the transfer fee was £46 million british pounds or €76 million euros 2. Luís Figo, moved from Barcelona to Real Madrid and the transfer fee was £38 million british pounds or €58 million euros 3. Hernán Crespo, moved from Parma to Lazio and the transfer fee was £35 million british pounds or €53 million euros 4. Gianluigi Buffon, moved from Parma to Juventus and the transfer fee was £32 million british pounds or €49 million euros These happened going from top to bottom in the years 2001, 2000, 2000, and 2001.
Yeah Ronan, I've always wondered myself what happens. I knew what the transfer fee is but its interesting to see how they come up with it and who gets involved.
