What happens when we try and sign someone

[Fitzhugh Fella]

I’ve always speculated how some transfers happen, especially these days where they seem so protracted and painstaking. It was interesting to note in the Jay Rodriguez deal we agreed a fee with Burnley before we even spoke to the player which I guess is the appropriate order for signing someone under contract. But then I read yesterday’s interview with Vitesse’s Alexander Buttner who it appears was invited over to Southampton last week and was impressed with what he saw.

 

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11700/7858948/Buttner-favours-Saints-switch

 

Now it seems whilst having the player keen to move we are now attempting to cut a deal with his club, so a reversal in protocol compared to the “JayRod” transfer. I wonder why? Presumably Vitesse okayed the visit?

 

In the old days transfers were handled so differently. Ted Bates once described to me his first signing as Saints’ manager – “Without any money at the time I wanted to buy Jimmy Shields from Sunderland who was available for £1,000. At my request the Supporters’ Club lent the money and I duly signed him in the North East in July 1956 on my way to Scotland with my wife as part of our summer holiday”. Poor old Mary Bates had to get use to her holidays being planned around Ted’s transfer targets.

 

Sometimes Ted would drive to meet a player, sign him and bring him back there and then in the back of his car. Brian O’Neil for instance arrived that way. As Bates put it “when I heard he was available I travelled to Burnley and conducted the negotiations for the transfer with Chairman Bob Lord in a meat factory which he ran”. Ted then drove Brian south to join his new club. And of course Ted famously and illegally signed Mick Channon on a Sunday just 24 hours before the young Wiltshire lad was due to put pen to paper for Bert Head’s Swindon Town.

 

Perhaps my favourite Saints’ signing story goes back to 1898 when our trainer Billy Dawson was back in his native Potteries enjoying a close season break. He read in a local paper that Wolves star Harry Wood had yet to agree new terms with his club and so he tracked Harry down to his local in Walsall and persuaded him to join the Saints there and then for a fiver a week. He arranged for the forms to be sent up via a train and Wood signed the paperwork at Birmingham’s New St station. Wood was made captain, played over 270 games for us including two FA Cup finals and his son, Arthur later became our goalkeeper. Life and football was much simpler then.

[alpine_saint]

I’ve always speculated how some transfers happen, especially these days where they seem so protracted and painstaking. It was interesting to note in the Jay Rodriguez deal we agreed a fee with Burnley before we even spoke to the player which I guess is the appropriate order for signing someone under contract. But then I read yesterday’s interview with Vitesse’s Alexander Buttner who it appears was invited over to Southampton last week and was impressed with what he saw.

 

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11700/7858948/Buttner-favours-Saints-switch

 

Now it seems whilst having the player keen to move we are now attempting to cut a deal with his club, so a reversal in protocol compared to the “JayRod” transfer. I wonder why? Presumably Vitesse okayed the visit?

 

In the old days transfers were handled so differently. Ted Bates once described to me his first signing as Saints’ manager – “Without any money at the time I wanted to buy Jimmy Shields from Sunderland who was available for £1,000. At my request the Supporters’ Club lent the money and I duly signed him in the North East in July 1956 on my way to Scotland with my wife as part of our summer holiday”. Poor old Mary Bates had to get use to her holidays being planned around Ted’s transfer targets.

 

Sometimes Ted would drive to meet a player, sign him and bring him back there and then in the back of his car. Brian O’Neil for instance arrived that way. As Bates put it “when I heard he was available I travelled to Burnley and conducted the negotiations for the transfer with Chairman Bob Lord in a meat factory which he ran”. Ted then drove Brian south to join his new club. And of course Ted famously and illegally signed Mick Channon on a Sunday just 24 hours before the young Wiltshire lad was due to put pen to paper for Bert Head’s Swindon Town.

 

Perhaps my favourite Saints’ signing story goes back to 1898 when our trainer Billy Dawson was back in his native Potteries enjoying a close season break. He read in a local paper that Wolves star Harry Wood had yet to agree new terms with his club and so he tracked Harry down to his local in Walsall and persuaded him to join the Saints there and then for a fiver a week. He arranged for the forms to be sent up via a train and Wood signed the paperwork at Birmingham’s New St station. Wood was made captain, played over 270 games for us including two FA Cup finals and his son, Arthur later became our goalkeeper. Life and football was much simpler then.

 

Well, interestingly, the conclusion I have drawn from your post is that, in terms of the bigger picture, nothings changed.

 

The "process" isnt fixed and appears to depend on the individual circumstances.

[up and away]

I don't believe there is a major change in protocol from Saints, because Buttner had permission from his club to talk to other clubs regarding a transfer. It does seem a bit cart before the horse from Vitesse but we have seen this before from the continent (not sure it would apply with home clubs). The cases where this has happened previously (common for Dutch clubs) have been where this has already been agreed between the player and the club. Seems a very sensible arrangement where the contract accepts the player will be free to move in his final year and the club can cash in on his value.