One of the accusations thrown at some Rangers fans is that they are living in a fantasy world when it comes to the transfer market, playing a real life version of Football Manager.
Ross Wilson is under pressure in this transfer window, certainly from the outside anyway, due to the high profile arrivals in January failing to make the contribution that many hoped and/or expected them to – players with high profile reputations were brought in to the club in a position of strength only for us to fail to retain our title and with it, Champions League qualification.
One man who knows exactly how the market really works is Miles Jacobsen, the head of Sports Interactive, the creators of Football Manager, and not only has he explained the problem where we currently shop in with an insightful Twitter thread but he has also praised the work of our sporting director and that we “aren’t going to find much better” considering the budget he has to work with.
This summers men’s transfer window explained – there are 3 types of transfer
“Blimey – that’s expensive, but he’s got his best years ahead of him”
“What a bargain – why didn’t my team go in for him?”
“How did his old club let his contract run out”— Miles Jacobson 💙 (@milesSI) June 28, 2022
There is so little money in the market outside of the big clubs, who are now selling players to each other, even in the Prem
There will be some absolute bargains towards the end of the window if those with money play it right
But also, sadly, lots more unemployed ‘ballers— Miles Jacobson 💙 (@milesSI) June 28, 2022
And some available on frees are being completely unrealistic with their asks. Some real talent could find themselves without clubs – the key for them is to get deals done quickly and expect a pay cut, apart from top, top, talent.
— Miles Jacobson 💙 (@milesSI) June 28, 2022
What is dubbed the “mid tier” market – the £2m-£10m is completely dead currently
The tier above that – £10m-£30m – has collapsed. So players where you might have expected a £30m deal will have offers at £10m-£15m and clubs holding out for more but with no takers. Flooded market.
— Miles Jacobson 💙 (@milesSI) June 28, 2022
Many of those in that tier also have 1 year to go on their contracts and are happy to wait and see out their contract, as they know they can get a % of what would have been a transfer fee as a signing on fee. Which isn’t in any of the clubs models so causes knock on’s financially
— Miles Jacobson 💙 (@milesSI) June 28, 2022
Clubs will have been relying on selling some of their players to be able to fund other signings. Lots talking about refreshing the squads at the end of the season. But because there are so many bargains to be had, players are stuck as some clubs aren’t lowering prices. Stalemate.
— Miles Jacobson 💙 (@milesSI) June 28, 2022
Jacobsen is right. Since last summer the market has gone stale at our end just as it was starting to pick up, our best bet remains selling to the Premier League for obvious post-Brexit work permit and finance reasons and, in the case of Glen Kamara and Joe Aribo, that’s where the most noise is coming from.
In terms of incomings, and why we’ve maybe not seen any new faces yet, is that there will be a lot more clubs competing for free transfers. For teams with bigger budgets they don’t even have to make an impact knowing that they can sell them for a profit further down the line.
Its like we are all waiting for one or two transfers to kick start everything else, either that, or Ross Wilson is playing his cards even closer to his chest than normal.