Given how stupid prices are becoming for players, I think (Hope) we are ultimately going to see players insist on (a) more reasonable buy out clauses in their contracts, and (b) more top players running down their contracts and leaving on frees. Utterly perplexing to see players like Kane signing 6 year deals on mediocre money. No matter how much he wants to play for his boyhood club. He’s basically given away control of his prime years, to an unreasonable chairman. Aside from needing a much better agent, I think players will ultimately get much more savvy.
Big transfer fees really only benefit agents, who take percentages. Players will take a much greater share of the wealth if they start running down their contracts or negotiating better exit clauses into them. A player leaving on a 100m transfer and signing a 4 year contract worth 25m a year, is really costing the buying club 50m a year. But imagine they can sign him for free, still pay him 25m a year, but he can negotiate himself a 30-50m signing bonus. Both the player and club comes out ahead.
The system is unsustainable. Same doesn’t even start for City, but yet they want 140m for him. It’s fecking nuts. All of it.