Who really has the final say in the Transfer Market?

 Transfer and Loan Market. Credit: The Offside - Catania

Twice a year the Transfer Window opens and every time there seems to be a new record signing, but how much of an input do players actually have in a move to clubs?

A lot of these deals are an on-going process which seem to go on for some time, if you look at the Gareth Bale move to Real Madrid it took over three month with negotiations between both clubs before Bale had a chance to go over his personal terms with Madrid. 

It is becoming a regular occurrence now that deals are done last minute and out of the blue. How have these players been able to express their views? They need to feel 100% happy and comfortable with the club they are moving to, will they be but into the starting 11 every game and not being placed on the bench. Unfortunately for those players who have stepped up to the Premiership from the lower leagues do sometimes find themselves sat on the side-lines watching the game from the dugout; one of those being Luciano Becchio who moved to Norwich from Leeds United in January this year. Since then, a further two new strikers have been signed by the Premiership side which has pushed Becchio out of contention to being picked for the squad.

It does put into perspective that there is a huge amount to discuss between both clubs before they can strike the deal. But who are the ones that are lengthening the process? The manager? The players? The Chairman? Or is it the players' agents?!

The player will always sets his sights high and at some point will want to move on somewhere new for another challenge in their career or have somewhere in mind as their 'dream move'. But I believe that their agents might have heard that various clubs are interested in his client and he stirs this information with the press which could put pressure on the player. It gets everyone talking!

This could have been something which influenced Wayne Rooney when he put a transfer request in at Manchester United, was it really in his heart that he wanted to move from the league winners to another club in the Premiership?! He might have had a few issues with Sir Alex Ferguson and coaching staff at United but this did not come across during training and games.

I am not saying that players should not have agents, but for every positive there is always a negative and they seem to cause numerous problems. Do they really have the player’s best interest at heart, or is it all about the money? The players will benefit from the move there is no doubt about that with the substantial increase in wages and a luxury lifestyle they can achieve from this. But how much are the agents actually pocketing and once they have their hands on that money, do they ever think about how happy their client is once the move is complete.

From a fans perspective the transfer window is something that is exciting to watch but also brings frustration when it involves their club and players. Nobody really thinks about the affect on the club, it is just a business and greed. The more money the better, and I think it is going to spiral in years to come.  

Twitter:  @alice_stoker

Premier League Preview

                         

                                           The Premier League. Credit: UK Sports Network 

It's the 21st year the Premier League has been in action and 2013/14 season looks to be the biggest and most exciting yet.

A ball has not even been kicked and there is so much to talk about, five new managers, three new teams, players futures undecided and talks over who could win the league. 

All eyes will be on last years title holders Manchester United after it was announced at the end of May that Sir Alex Ferguson was to step down as manager after 26 years in charge making him the longest serving in the Premier League, winning 38 trophies including 13 Premier League titles. Now they are in the hands of ex Everton boss David Moyes. He was the appointment everybody within football expected. It will be tough, a new season a new job always is but after winning the Community Shield against Wigan it is a positive start to progress from. 

Chelsea could be back in the frame to win the title with Jose Mourinho back in charge for the second time. They are also under the spotlight for the hopeful transfer of United's Wayne Rooney after he asked once again for a transfer request. 

Another's player on everyone's minds is midfielder Gareth Bale, is he leaving Spurs.? It would be a record breaking fee of £80 million if he was to move to Spanish side Real Madrid, is this a ridiculous amount to be spent on a player? He is an outstanding player with 42 goals in 146 appearances and has helped definitely been Tottenham's best player by far this season. Another question to ask is if Bale leaves will Spurs cope without him? It is getting close the end end of the transfer window, so if they let him go they will need a replacement fast. I personally don't want to see him leave the club, he is exceptional talent which is great to be able to watch in the Premier League and we don't get many home grown players like him. 

With all these things in mind we cannot forget about the newly promoted teams; Cardiff City, Crystal Palace and Hull FC they face a tough season but who knows what might happen, there are always shocks in the Premier League. But with managers like Malky Mackay, Ian Holloway and Steve Bruce they are in safe hands and could actually prove people wrong by winning games. 

It's an exciting time with only hours to go until the first ball of the new Premier League season is kicked and only a few weeks left before the Transfer Deadline day anything could happen. 

Twitter: @alice_stoker 

A new era for Leeds United

          Beckford and Howson celebrate the good times.

It is a fresh start this season for Leeds United as all ties to Ken Bates have now been removed. 

There is no denying it has been the longest and hardest eight years for the club, and supporters with numerous ups and downs with pretty much everything dishing out disappointment. 

New owners GFH Capital have stepped up to the plate making remarkable changes to the club, with ticket prices lowered, Radio Leeds back doing commentary, players being signed and Bates no longer associated at Leeds United, a new manager and chairman. This is everything that fans could have wished for and with over 30,000 people already booked tickets for this Saturdays first game of the season tie to Brighton at Elland Road, I think the decisions have been proved popular. 

Back in 2007 when Leeds entered administration, the then acting administrator KPMG agreed to sell the club to the newly formed Leeds United Football Club Limited which Bates was one of three directors, little did fans know this was where everything would get complicated. 

To this day there is slight confusion on who actually owned the ground and training ground, was it Bates, the club, the council, his wife? 

A lot of issues rose when Bates was chairman, mostly that he was more bothered about money rather than getting the club back into top flight football. It was a very frustrating time, players were only brought in on a free even though the ticket prices had escalated to their highest. Where was this money going? Well it's safe to say possibly in his back pocket, with the recent revelations of his £1million deal to have a private jet bring him to home games for three years from Monaco. 

He also set up his own radio station at the ground 'Yorkshire Radio' which brought the live commentary after he banned BBC Radio Leeds from the Stadium. This would bring in more money for himself, but it left some fans unable to follow their club, if you lived in Yorkshire or had Sky, then great if you didn't then you missed out. People were unable to listen live to games if the lived down South, Lancashire or even across the globe. Yorkshire Radio wasn't the easiest station to pinpoint their airways. Don't get me wrong the journalists there were great, they had real passion for the club, but were they free to give their true opinions after the games? 

Surely now this is possible, but there is one thing hanging over us like a dark cloud- the suing from Ken Bates over his sacking as president of the club. 

A new era is upon the club and everyone associated, and they can now look forward to the season and maybe a promotion back to where they belong; the Premiership. 

Twitter: @alice_stoker