As an American I am used to a baseball draft or an NBA draft, so within the last few years when I started to get into soccer, I realized I knew absolutely nothing, the rules, the transfers, the positions, it was all foreign to me. Luckily I could learn slowly over time by watching and asking some friends, but because of this, I know how daunting learning about soccer can be.
As the soccer summer transfer window is underway right now, I know there might be a few new fans of the sport who need a small breakdown and guide and luckily for you, I am here to (try) to help.
What Is A Transfer Window?
The way to look at soccer is to think of it as a global market, where the top players move around often. Some of the biggest stars in soccer have played in a lot of countries over their career like Zlatan Ibrahimovic who played in England, France, Spain, Italy, the USA and even more. When a player signs for a new club he is put on a contract that usually has fixed terms for many years, mostly up to around 5.
If a player wants to leave this club or another club is interested, they submit a transfer offer. A transfer offer is you paying the club to allow this player to join your club. Sometimes, when a player leaves a club the team he is leaving will need to pay off his contract, this is usually reflected in the price of the transfer offer.
Usually, transfers are made to improve the club even if it doesn’t work out that way. A good signing could see people who do Premier League 2024/25 betting put a team to win the league, one key signing can change a team which makes it so exciting.
Can Contracts Expire?
Now we know what contracts the players sign onto, you may have questions like this one. A player can run down his contract and then he will leave the club for free, no transfer offer will be needed and the player is free to go wherever.
When Can Transfers Happen?
Well as I said earlier, right now football is in a transfer window. FIFA, the governing body of soccer, has regulations with one being that there are two transfer windows a year. One in summer which ends on August 31st for most and August 9th for us Americans. The winter transfer window takes place in the month of January and is usually used to fix any glaring issues in a squad.
The Fees
When a club wants to buy a player, they submit a bid to the team he plays for. Transfers can be split into instalments or paid upfront. Sometimes a deal will have money up front (let’s say $20 million to be easy) and have clauses that will result in them paying more money later down the line. I understand if it is starting to get confusing but just stick with me here.
A recent big deal was made by Arsenal, a London-based club, who signed Italian defender Calafiori for £42 million (around $53 million) with add-ons. This means when he reaches a certain number of appearances or wins a trophy, Arsenal will pay Bologna (the club they signed him from) extra money on top of the money they have already paid.
Generating Money
The money in soccer is ridiculous, it is the most lucrative sport for players, managers and really anyone involved in the sport. When a club wants to buy a player they will need to generate the funds. Sometimes a club will have the money through sponsors or success in the league and other times they need to sell players to be able to afford the player they want.