Transfer deadline day: All about super-agents, sensational swoops and raids
The most ‘sensational’ day in club football is apparently the day when the transfer window closes. Almost like Jose Mourinho smiling at Manchester United, it happens twice every season - once in the summer and once in the winter. Deadline day is when the transfer ‘window’ reaches its crescendo as managers, players, pundits, along with the entire football social media world, are excited.
What are they excited about? Well, it's not an actual football game that elicits the excitement. The goosebumps are about some emails being sent, some signatures being made, a few cringe-worthy photos being taken as new players are unveiled by desperate football clubs.
In the modern times, innovations in player unveilings include videos of players playing the piano. The traditional keepie-uppies with the football during the unveiling have also undergone an innovative change. Now players are invited along with their entire entourage to do keepie-uppies. Perhaps the biggest new innovation and trend in the transfer window is in the photo poses of the newly signed players. The chief amongst them are the photos taken in the “This is Sparta” pose made famous by Gerard Butler in the movie 300.
A fascinating thing about the transfer deadline day is that it has its own unique phrases and people. Besides the innovations in player unveilings, there are other unique aspects associated with the deadline day of the transfer window, some of which are outlined below:
#1 Super Agents
People who hunt for houses often end up meeting house brokers who act as a conduit between the seller and buyer. The house brokerage and football agent industries are similar. But there is one big difference that has appeared. While the house brokerage industry usually follows a standard commision based business model, the football agent industry is completely unregulated and free. Too free is what some football people would argue.
The biggest freedom is available with the super agents. Like Superman is more than a man, the football super agent is more than an agent. He is kryptonite to football clubs who don’t want to sell, the saviour to clubs desperate to reinforce squads on deadline day, and the golden goose for the footballer as his remit is to get them the best possible deal.
On deadline day, super agents become these creatures of myth and legend whose names seem to appear everywhere. Clubs who don’t want to sell are running away from them. Clubs who want to buy are constantly calling them. Players are like expectant children waiting and hoping for the gift of their choice.