How your club can win the summer transfer market
The first step to winning the summer transfer market is understanding what your club values the most.
Value, in this context, I will define as something tangible or intangible that an individual or club wishes to obtain or maintain.
For example, a club may value wanting to win the league and domestic cup this season. Another club may love profitability.
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Clubs see players as people who provide value to their organization. Players seek to obtain values from the clubs that sign them to contracts.
The key to your club in the summer transfer window is a clear, transparent, and rational understanding of what they value. More importantly, these businesses (let’s not forget that football clubs are businesses) need to prioritize their values.
The initial standoff between Lionel Messi and Barcelona looked like a stalemate. Both sides appeared, as evidenced by their preliminary statements that an agreement appeared to be far away.
Barça’s position was based on what the club values the most. They saw Messi as a critical value that they need to reach more important values they have prioritized.
By clinging to a €700 million release clause, they are stating that their highest value is balancing their checkbook. The club has been hit hard by their mismanagement and the loss of revenue from the play stoppage.
Barcelona’s board is on the hook individually for any debts, so their highest value is getting the money they need without dipping into their accounts.
By making cash revenue as the highest value that they are trying to obtain does not mean that they don’t value what Messi brings as a player on the pitch.
Yet, the player has stated he does not value playing for the Catalan super club as much as winning another Champions League or finishing his career in a new place.
As a result of their player’s decisions, Barcelona has been forced to focus on which values they will prioritize over others. This prioritization will be critical to every deal they make.