2014/15 Transfer Speculation

If the interest is real, and he wants to go, sell him.

Even at $A1mil, we will still be making a profit.

Surely we'll get more though.

1997 Justin Fashanu 18 games, 12 goals Miramar Rangers

1982 John Fashanu 1 season with Miramar Rangers on loan from Norwich.

One thing we need to consider is how does this look to the other foreign and local players at the club with aspirations.

If they see us as a club who gets in the way of bigger and better things it will make us less appealing... I can't help think that a certain Spanish and dutch midfielder would be looking at this quite closely.

I like a good haggle but there is also a time not to be greedy and fudgeing it all up. 

If we could beat the record A league transfer fee of 1.3 million then we should get him on the first plane out of here.

It just isn't terribly efficient to wait until the fee is agreed before talking to the player. The selling club normally gives the buying club permission to talk to the player and the fee and contract are negotiated at the same time.

rojas.

wouldnt want him, he'll always love victory more.

F**k it sell him, great runner of the ball and positioning, meh finishing. Boyd will probably step up and kenny as well.

While I see the point of this argument, I also think (just to balance it out) that the club interest - to win the league - is paramount to the club; selling Burns is secondary in importance. Checking how it may make other players feel is also secondary - they can get their contract extensions renegotiated so that next year they are paid $X but can also leave for $Y after one more year.

It is not worth it to get some middling money for Burns now if you cannot replace him, the team loses rhytm, maybe miss out on the finals and lose some extra goodwill. Setting a high price now simply means "oh sure, we can come to the party, this is our price if you want him today".

All the B's are going, its down to Monsanto spraying and Chem Trails. The NWO and AFC are teaming up to ensure we don't win the league and qualify for the Champions league to prevent the prophecy which predicts their undoing by a mighty phoenix who can beat anyone.

Its all in the music video. WAKE UP SHEEPLE!!

Excellent news for Burns, and I guess the Nix in general, although the timing couldn't be worse with half the season still to play.

In lieu of the Nix playing hardball over potential transfer fees - understandable given the aspirations of the club, and the serious financial backing Shanghai Shenhua holds, the best possible outcome we could hope for is we get to keep Burns until the end of the season (or as close as possible) and sell him for 1-1.5 million. A nice profit, and some throw around cash for some off season recruitment.

I'm also interested in gauging opinion on Shanghai being willing to throw a massive pay packet at Burns in the hope of enticing him to China (well it seems to have worked!), but then not wanting to pay a $2 million transfer fee which, on the face of it, seems to be a pretty fair value, based on performances so far this season, and the fact we took a risk on signing him in the first place because of a chequered history with serious injury. If he goes at the end of the season for a pittance it'll seem like a bit of a kick in the teeth. I'd rather the club get something tangible out of this rather than the two finger salute.

Yip tapping up is completely illegal as has been brought up with Winston at West Ham.

For some reason. The longer this runs. The less i believe it...

Anyone else get that feeling?

Didnt believe it to start with

Sam Worthington wants to sell, which makes me think that it would be a very bad idea.

Greenacre said on the Pod that the Phoenix are running a skeleton staff in the office at the moment with the break and Ernie being away. So could be that its taking awhile because of the Asian Cup.

When does the transfer window close in Australia and China?

I don't get why we should feel this massive obligation to help Burns out... he's barely been here six months! Not to mention that we were the ones taking a risk (injury wise) by signing him. I get that we don't want to be seen to be hampering someone in their chances to progress their career, but it's not like an EPL side have made an offer for him, this is a pure money-move for him, and so we're entitled to try and get a slice of that action. Otherwise what is the point of signing someone to a two year contract.

Oh, and also, I think Burns should have a big think about whether this is the best move for him anyway. I really don't think that if they're going to fork out millions for him, they'll be satisfied with him part-time training. I can easily see him going over there, getting wrecked after 6 months, and ending his career.

Doesn't he train sporadically as he manages his body?

Exactly! Happened to so many players who've graduated from the A-League, jump at the money, and invariably form dwindles, injuries set in and we usually end up never hearing from them again. 

That's also what I was thinking.

The nix could be the right career move for him, though 2.5 mill would set his savings account up for life, he could get a career ending injury this year for the Nix and be financially fudgeed.

The problem is this is a little bit of deja vu as we were on the other end if this for McGlinchy.  CCM were able to hold him but stopping him leaving was never going to be good for him and the club.

If burns resents the Nix for not letting him go that could work out worse for the Nix.

Also I want to know Merricks mindset right now, he spent all this time making a great squad, if he thinks his good players that he raises up to burns's quality are just going to be sold against his wishes then he may not want to stay with the club much longer.

Either way I'm glad I don't work for welnix management right now.

Interesting quote from last weeks podcast with Ernie (about 32:28 in).

"If anyone wants to go to China for the money, I wouldn't compete with them. I would say, well if you want to go there for the money, that's fine." 

Was in the context of trying to recruit players to the club, but I wonder if he knew about Burns when he said that?

Hopefully Ernie gets a bonus from the transfer fee for the work that he did rejuvenating Burns.

One thing that I read about CCM is they have clauses in the contracts of selling players that they get a percentage of further sales. I hope we do the same thing if this is a path we are going down (I thought it was stipulated by FIFA anyway?)

The FIFA one is for developing a youth player I believe.

That would actually be a great idea, he certainly deserves it.

How many A Legue players have gone to China for the money and not lasted 6 months? Plenty of others too, Drogba springs to mind.

The valid point about the Chinese paying big money and what they expect in return could also affect Burns, better the devil he knows than the one he doesn't. An early on injury through training, in a country where English is not common, can make for a very lonely place especially if your employers are pissed with you.

At the rumoured salary, one season there will be more than he will get with us for ~10 seasons. He will be getting more than we spend on our entire squad. Playing in the HAL and with us does not make you immune to injuries and poor form, if he gets a couple of seasons on that coin he would have been paid more than a careers worth for a very good HAL player.

It does make me wonder that the rumoured salary is not per season but the total amount for the length of contract (still a shark load) and has been leaked to put pressure on the 'Nix to sell Burns.

Have we seen anything from Burns?  His agent?  His club?

All we have is conjecture from the club 'rumoured' to have made an offer yet it's generated masses of column inches. 

For all we know Nathan doesn't have any urge to play in China.  For all we know they have offered 100k.  Surely by now we have learnt not to take a word from an Australian agent as gospel.

Next the papers will be lauding our future signing of Sery de Campos.

Clubs, because they cannot directly talk to player and their agent, do use intermediaries to gauge interest of player and what sort of deal they would be interested in/offer. Unlikely to here anything directly at this stage - and if this is as far is it goes, might not really here anything else at all.

Simon Hampton @SimonHampton9

$A2 million price tag for Nathan Burns not correct, but Phoenix have rejected an offer.

10:05am - 22 Jan 15

All we've heard from Burns agent is the scepticism at the timing and destabilising the socceroos camp. Will be interesting if the rumours persist past tonight's game.

We have a good shot home play game(s) and a not unrealistic possibility of winning it all. Our results, title prospects and on field performance are rebuilding attendances and broader support.

In my opinion letting Burns go before the end of the season would severely compromise all we stand to gain.

Continuing our current momentum will do a lot more to build a sustainable club than a one-off cheque.

Let him go at the end of the season but not before.

The problem is its not just a question of do we want to sell burns.

If burns has been made said offer he may not bring his a game if we say no you must only earn 200k here, not millions there.  It mat affect him, it may not.

Also if he buggers off in 3 months then taking 1 mill now might be in the better interests in the future of the club, again it might not.

I doubt anyone here wants to see him go but if the offer is genuine then it's going to be on many minds.

Jason Pine @Pineyzb

Ernie Merrick says "almost all" of the content of the stories written about Nathan Burns is "incorrect" and "ridiculous"# #Phoenix

11:21am - 22 Jan 15

In a salary capped league it is hard to maintain that level, look at how well Perth/we are doing and how poorly WSW are doing.

This really puts this morning's piece by Sam Worthington in perspective - he made all his arguments in favour of selling Burns on the sole basis of a club agent's comments talking A-League down as "cheap market". As Doloras had said elsewhere, it looked poor.

Jason Pine ‏@pineyzb

16m16 minutes ago

Ernie Merrick: "There are so many inaccuracies, it's incredible, but that's what some people write" #Phoenix #Burns #ALeague

Jason Pine ‏@pineyzb

13m13 minutes ago

Ernie Merrick: "Someone put words in Nathan's mouth saying he had an out-clause and wanted to go. That's a nonsense"

Jason Pine ‏@pineyzb

8m8 minutes ago

Merrick: "We have been dealing with a club from China. The communication's been good. The agent we're dealing with isn't the one mentioned"

Jason Pine ‏@pineyzb

5m5 minutes ago

Ernie Merrick: "This idea that we're holding out for over 2 million dollars is absolutely ridiculous" #ALeague #Phoenix #Burns

Burns' rumoured contract could be the max amount - have lots of bonuses/performance targets and/or not per season but for the term of the contract.

In terms of transfer fees, the rumoured  fee we wanted was 1.4million euros (which seems is not the case). In a football context (any context really), I would not consider that 'cheap'.