14 Jan 2018 14:27:22
"{Ed002's Note - RBL can ask what they want AW - he is their player. }"

Interesting. I've always been curious how (selling) clubs arrive at an asking price.
If a club demands an X amount, why couldn't they have demanded XX amount instead?
If Southampton asked £50m for Mane, why couldn't have they just said £60m? I mean, it's their player and so they can charge whatever they want.

Do they just pluck the prices out of thin air?
Or is there a rational way they determine their player's value?
Am sure a player's value would comprise both the objective (contract length, insurance, legal and intermediary fees etc) and subjective variables/ factors ("he's a top, top, top player. A terrific regista/ trequartista", marketability etc) .

How are these weighed? Really what guides the "asking price" determination?
Why, for a random instance, did Juventus not charge Man Utd £10m more for Pogba?
Could Atletico slap a 200m euro fee to any suitors of Griezmann next summer? If no, why couldn't they?

In a nutshell Ed, am just trying to understand this aspect of football. We can exclude exceptional cases like Neymar, Mbappe and Coutinho. In the normal scheme of things, how does aspect of football work?

{Ed002's Note - It is a very good question but there is sadly not a very good answer to go with it. Typically if they want to sell a player they will ask just above what they really want. If it is an English team asking Lyon about a player, they have a different price for the English side compared to say Lille asking. This is likely more widespread as the mainland European sides know the PL sides are awash with money. If a club don't want to sell they will not put a price on a player at all. This then leads to the various "clauses" and the problems (and confusion) they cause. To use your terminology of a "top, top, top player" - a real tentafere if you like, then unrealistic prices might be given. So there are no defined criteria for identifying a price. An indication of a player being over-priced is the lack of interest from elsewhere at the price being asked.}

1.) 14 Jan 2018
14 Jan 2018 14:46:38
Be interesting if a players value was determined by an independent panel rather than the buying/ selling clubs.

{Ed002's Note - Liverpool would have saved a lot of money on Keita and Tinkerbell then.

Anecdotally, if there were an exchange of players values are determined by an independent panel.}

2.) 14 Jan 2018
14 Jan 2018 15:17:02
Superb question and a superb response ed 👍🏻.

3.) 14 Jan 2018
14 Jan 2018 15:48:05
Thank you Ed. That'll do for me.
I guess there'll never be a set criteria given the multiple factors involved. Am each team will attach it's own significance on each.
I sometimes think it a miracle that transfers happen largely with the ease they do at all.

The role of agents seems to have become crucial for the working of this machine.
I see them occupying an exceedingly important space moving forwards.
You only have to look at likes of Mendez, who's more than just a mere agent.

They usually come in for unfair criticism imo.
They perform the nitty gritties and running around that clubs would rather not detain themselves with.
It's not their fault there's lots of money in the game now and them wanting a slice of the cake for themselves and their clients.

Gonna be interesting seeing the "evolution" of the agent in the next 10,20 years, particularly in light of the mooted Pan European League and what their influence/ role will be.

Thanks again Ed02 for your views.

{Ed002's Note - Agents/represntatives vary considerably. There are those who are genuinely good guys who work hard, there are those who are in a position to deal with brokering moves for players at the very high-end and indeed broker the sale of clubs. There are those who see a quick buck and sadly there are some who look to exploit players and sometimes their poor families.}