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Transfer fees have been a benchmark for the reputation of players as well as football clubs under FIFA, in recent times of mainstream football.
Football fanatics have seen record-breaking transfer fees for Neymar Jr., Joao Felix, Jadon Sancho, Jack Grealish and many others over the past few years, making transfer fees a prominent standard for player valuation.
However, in the field of eSports, FIFA was yet to follow in the footsteps of Games like CS:GO and Call of Duty. Tom Leese, who happens to be a FIFA player of Hashtag United as well as the English national team, is set to make history by becoming the first-ever FIFA eSports player to be sold for a sky-high transfer fee of up to £100,000.
According to a report by Sky Sports, Leese has received multiple bids from numerous FIFA eSports clubs in this particular transfer window. However, Hashtag United are yet to confirm anything on the situation. Various sources suggest that it's only a matter of time before Hashtag United take the offer and allow Leese to agree on personal terms.
Leese's transfer could set a milestone for the FIFA eSports industry in terms of monetary valuation
Tom Leese represented Watford in 2020, when he won the ePremier League, beating Bournemouth's Gary "Marleythirteen" Marley 2-1 in the final. He won a cash prize of $20,000 and since then there has been no stopping him. Leese has also gone on to win the FIFAe Nations Cup 2020 before the main event was canceled due to the COVID 19 pandemic.
The 22-year old FIFA player has won over $150,000 in prize money since 2018 and has gained around 80,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel. Transfer fees in the eSports industry are kept at closed doors most of the time, unlike mainstream sports. However, it is becoming more and more transparent with days passing by.
CS:GO player Alex "ALEX" McMeekin is considered to be the eSports player recording the highest transfer fee to date. Reports have revealed that ALEX was bought by Cloud9 with a deal worth $1,650,000 over three years. Leese's transfer will be the 'first of its kind' in FIFA eSports, and could eventually result in a domino effect on football clubs who may begin to see the monetary value of eSports as well.
However, Leese's upcoming destination is yet to be revealed officially. There are a plethora of available options for the young FIFA talent, as many top-tier English football clubs like Manchester City and Wolves have entered eSports in recent times.
