Great guest piece you should read
Rob Pratley
Rob is a friend of Si Phillips, a colleague of mine, who writes about Chelsea.
This is a perfect opportunity for you to fully understand how football transfers work.
If you feel something is incorrect, please don’t snarl at me, as in the softly spoken words of Ozzy Osbourne, don’t ask me, I don’t know.
One of the most common questions I do get asked is how transfers work, and the long answer is that it’s complicated. The short answer is… also, it’s complicated.
Every single deal is unique, and although some certainly do move more easily or more quickly than others, you can’t simply define a transfer by a single nebulous definition.
To start, I’ll explain how a ‘typical’ deal would go.
Scouting
Declared Interest
Club-to-Player Negotations/Club-to-Club Negotiations
Club-to-Club Negotiations/Club-to-Player Negotations
Medicals and Legal Documentation
Registration, Media and Unveilings
Scouting
The scouting phase can literally take anywhere from a couple of weeks to multiple months and even years. I know of a current Chelsea signing who was signed off two weeks worth of scouting; I know a current CFCW player where the Blues spent over a year and a half scouting her to assess how best to get a deal. The initial scouting report will usually be done by a more junior scout who will be tasked with watching and evaluating multiple players. They will then whittle down this list to a smaller list of c. 10-20 players who they will go and watch in person and evaluate in detail in a one or two page summary report.
Once these reports have been submitted, the senior scouting team will review these reports and compile a final shortlist (circa 3 to 5 players) for the position. This team will compile a much more detailed scouting document on playing style, strengths and weaknesses, potential role within the side and also details on current contract, club and federation. They also might make calls to establish player character and behaviour, as well as establishing if what other potential costs might be involved with the transfer.
