How does the transfer system work? A Transfer window guide

Free agent

It may even be possible that a player is not at all contracted to a club. He remains a ‘free-agent’. In other words, he is released by his club following the expiry of his contract. Then, a club which wants him need not have to talk to his employers, because he is contractually free of them. So, the first stage of agreeing a transfer fee is avoided. The process starts and ends in the second stage itself, where the player and the club agree his contract.

Loan moves

The kind of transfer I tried to bore you about is called as a ‘permanent transfer’. Another type of transfer also exists, called as a ‘loan move’. It is a ‘temporary’ transfer. As the name suggests, the player moves to a new club only for a stipulated period of time, following the completion of which he returns to his current club. Players move on loan either to get more exposure when they are extremely young, or in case of older players, more playing time. In a loan move, the player’s new club and his parent club pay his wages and bear the costs of any injury he may unfortunately sustain. The period of a loan move may range from a few months to an entire season.

Chelsea loaned out Romelu Lukaku to West Brom in a bid to ensure more playing time for the Belgian striker

Another interesting term you may have heard is ‘deadline day’. This is the last day of the transfer window. You will hear all sorts of stories which make even FIFA Manager Mode transfers look realistic. The media goes into a frenzy, spinning out rumors left, right and center, making the deadline day a fun and equally irritating experience.

Most deals, stalled for weeks, suddenly accelerate to top gear. Fresh negotiations may start and finish within minutes. The clubs look to beat the strike of the transfer deadline and complete deals. It is surely entertaining for fans to follow on the internet.

To conclude, I hope I have been clear in my explanation, which is, to the best of my knowledge, correct. To summarize the system, you can take home the fact that the complexity of the entire system lies in the first stage of negotiations between the two clubs.

This is the more important stage because it includes the transfer fee, payment schedule, fee owed to the player’s former club which may have demanded a share of the player’s transfer fees from the club he is leaving, whether a permanent or temporary player exchange is on the cards, an optional buy-back agreement with future fees, and possibly some sweeteners like instant fees, agreement for future transfers of other players etc.

So, the next time you hear a rumor, lend a deaf ear to it. Though it may include phrases like ‘trusted insiders’, ‘various sources’, ‘…is reportedly set to move’, ‘..is unsettled’, ‘…are leading the race to sign’ etc., it may turn out to be as unlikely to happen as Ryan Giggs moving to Manchester City. Then you may please recall the lengthy procedure involved, and rate its probability yourself – decide whether to take it with a pinch of salt or seriously worry about it. Believing those rumors is all up to you in the end.

That’s all folks!