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I cannot stop being surprised how much nonsense football journalists can come up with.
When a player is out of contract and can leave on a so-called free transfer, many journalists assume that it costs nothing to sign him, and that it is a bargain, where a player can be signed for much less than his market value. This is an example from today:
Sunderland should beat Norwich City to bargain QPR, Chris Willock deal (footballleagueworld.co.uk)
But there is hardly any free lunch in football. An attractive player in demand, who is out of contract, can cash in the transfer fee himself, instead of the club he departs. It is either done through a sign-on fee or through a higher salary than he would command if there was a transfer fee involved (or as a combination of the two).
Mbappe was out of contract and signed for Real Madrid on a free transfer. The sign-on fee he received was a reported €125m. Yes, Mbappe on a free transfer from PSG sounds like a bargain, but that is before you consider what the out-of-contract player wanted to sign on the dotted line. Willock won't be any different. Whether he will sign for Sunderland, Norwich or any other club, he will go on a free transfer, but the signing-on-fee and/or his new salary will reflect his true market value.
If Willock had a couple of years left of his contract he might have been worth £2-3m. He will cash in most of this amount himself when he chooses his next destination, probably as a combination of a £1m sign on fee and higher salary than he would otherwise could have got. Even if he stays at QPR, he will likely end up with a sign-on fee and a much better salary than today.
Personally, I assume he will go elsewhere, even though I think Marti would be his safest choice, at least for the short term. However, Willock knows that managers come and go all the time, and if you sign a three or four year contract, you cannot assume you will play under the same manager all the time. It is more likely you will not. Hence, I think money talks and that he ends up elsewhere. Willock has been so inconsistent, even under Marti, that I am not very worried if we lose him.
When a player is out of contract and can leave on a so-called free transfer, many journalists assume that it costs nothing to sign him, and that it is a bargain, where a player can be signed for much less than his market value. This is an example from today:
Sunderland should beat Norwich City to bargain QPR, Chris Willock deal (footballleagueworld.co.uk)
But there is hardly any free lunch in football. An attractive player in demand, who is out of contract, can cash in the transfer fee himself, instead of the club he departs. It is either done through a sign-on fee or through a higher salary than he would command if there was a transfer fee involved (or as a combination of the two).
Mbappe was out of contract and signed for Real Madrid on a free transfer. The sign-on fee he received was a reported €125m. Yes, Mbappe on a free transfer from PSG sounds like a bargain, but that is before you consider what the out-of-contract player wanted to sign on the dotted line. Willock won't be any different. Whether he will sign for Sunderland, Norwich or any other club, he will go on a free transfer, but the signing-on-fee and/or his new salary will reflect his true market value.
If Willock had a couple of years left of his contract he might have been worth £2-3m. He will cash in most of this amount himself when he chooses his next destination, probably as a combination of a £1m sign on fee and higher salary than he would otherwise could have got. Even if he stays at QPR, he will likely end up with a sign-on fee and a much better salary than today.
Personally, I assume he will go elsewhere, even though I think Marti would be his safest choice, at least for the short term. However, Willock knows that managers come and go all the time, and if you sign a three or four year contract, you cannot assume you will play under the same manager all the time. It is more likely you will not. Hence, I think money talks and that he ends up elsewhere. Willock has been so inconsistent, even under Marti, that I am not very worried if we lose him.
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