Transfer deals explained

How transfer business works ahead of another 'silly season'

Welcome to another ‘silly season’ - a name that has been aptly used to describe the transfer window.

Things get silly, rumours go mad, and it very much is like a rollercoaster ride.

I want to try and explain a bit more how transfer business works, based off what I have learned and been told about it over ten years of reporting on it.

Transfers is my thing; I enjoy it, and I love the drama of it. Some people get far too invested in every little rumour and it becomes obsessive - this is your first mistake.

We all want to see our clubs sign the world class players or the next biggest thing, but it can really stress you out and depress you if you get too involved in transfer races.

When Chelsea target a position, they wont just be looking at one player. In fact, they wont just be working on one deal, they will be talking to 3 or 4 different targets for any one position.

This gives Chelsea flexibility, and it gives them power in negotiations. It also covers their own backs and doesn’t make them desperate.

Chelsea are talking to the reps of both Erling Haaland and Romelu Lukaku right now, it is not just one or the other. So when you hear one week that Chelsea are in talks to sign Lukaku, but then hear the same about Haaland the next week, this is entirely plausible. In transfers, you do not put all your eggs in one basket, it’s just not wise.

Just because it was being reported last week that Chelsea were prioritising Lukaku for example, then this week they are prioritising someone else, it doesn’t mean the first report is untrue. This is how this game works, things change daily, priorities can change depending on so many things.

We know now that Chelsea want to sign their priority targets and not settle for second best, so Chelsea’s shortlist is full of players they consider to be top targets.

Another thing I want to touch on is how quick situations can change. Even if you see a player posing in their new clubs shirt, the deal could still collapse as we have so often seen before.

Don’t believe everything you read. PLEASE don’t believe everything you read.

Managers, players, owners, agents, will always be diplomatic when speaking in public about transfer deals, sometimes this means the opposite from telling the truth, it’s just how it works.

Sometimes it is not wise to tell the truth in public, other times it is wise to tell the truth. But always take things with a pinch of salt, and that is the same when it comes to reading transfer rumours, not every rumour is true.

Don’t expect to always hear every little detail about a deal or a target. In fact, Chelsea are actually quite good at keeping their business behind closed doors. Not all of it, often it gets leaked in the most random ways, also the club allows certain things to be leaked via certain journalists depending on the situation, that is just a fact and something that happens.

But Chelsea can keep things quiet if they need to, so don’t be surprised to hear a new name out of the blue for certain positions, it’s entirely normal for some targets to not get leaked.

Chelsea knew they were sacking Frank Lampard way before the Luton match, but no reporters knew this until the morning of the sacking. If they want to keep something inside, they will. This does not mean that reporters do not have integrity, it is just the nature of the beast.

Finally, just remember that deals will often take a very long time to get done. There is so much to factor in to negotiations with agents fees, wages, clauses, fees, add-ons etc etc, so these will always take time.

Chelsea often leave deals simmering if they aren’t getting what they want, and sometimes that can be a risky strategy, but it often works as it did with Kai Havertz last summer. They got their man, but it took a long time, it was totally worth it.

We just need to be patient in silly season and never take anything too seriously. As I say, I enjoy it, even the rumours, it’s all a buzz!

Simon Phillips