Why do people always over inflate transfer fees?

Question

Lets look at aquilani for example with these rumours liverpool are selling him for an apparent seven million or ten million. We have people banging on about how Liverpool have paid twenty million for him now is it really so hard to understand that the twenty million is what the fee COULD rise to if we were to win about every cup going and he was to play in pretty much everyone of those games, I honestly find it laughable how people either don't understand how transfers work or just ignore the truth.

OQ was Berbatovs fee a straight 30 odd million or was it a amount the transfer could be (genuine question i don't know the answer)

Answer 1

I've no way of checking the details - but suspect you're correct. A player of that age wouldn't have warranted a full up-front £20 million - and such a figure was almost certainly contingent on various ifs and buts.

Usually it's a combination of appearances by the player and the club's subsequent achievements - not too dissimilar to the buying and selling of shares, with options etc.

As far as I know, Berbatov was a straight £30 million deal - but that doesn't of course mean United wrote a cheque for that amount, encashable within 4 days. Even straight - no strings - transfer deals are often (if not usually) settled by instalments - to fit in with cash-flow requirements.

A player of Berbatov's proven ability (tee-hee) is unlikely to have been contingent on United's further achievements - I seem to remember Slur Axle was very keen to buy him at that inflated price - and was therefor in no position to add a lot of ifs and buts.

Not one of his best purchases - and he must have been crying himself to sleep tonight - watching Forlan putting in 2 against Fulham.

Funny old game, is it not ?

; ))

Answer 2

Well Aqua is a good player when fit and has had some good games for Liverpool this season, but he was never worth 20 mil when u brought and with the amount of time he's spent on the bench this season he would be worth considerably less than 20 mill. But to be fair he's not worth 7 or 10 mill either, i'd put him up to be about 14-16 mill.



OQ: Berba is a bit different, he was brought after a great season with Spurs and at the time all/most United fans thought it would be a great buy with what we saw he could do. Oh how wrong were we.

Answer 3

Dan, Berba has been a class act whenever he has played too- he builds up the play very well and only fails to finish - gets stick because he is SUPPOSED to finish.....He rarely gets injured- the knee problem is a recent one....the fee is HUGE and I never expected him to score much with Ronaldo around....well after that....



OA- I reckon its a direct fee with Campbell joining the other side on loan...

Answer 4

wow you took the bait and have run with this Dan





aquilani has been a great bench warmer ffancy buying a player who is injured oops we did with Hargraves





edit: Dan i remember many many years ago Hargraves use to function as a decent player now time to sell him, Berbatov, M Owen, Anderson and get some young players in

Answer 5

It's simple really - because they know there are people stupid enough to pay huge amounts of money for players

Answer 6

I absolutely agree with you.