Transfer Window - Satisfied or Not?

[Steve67]

I'd forgotten about Luna, make that 21 players out. I think!

[LeeB]

I even think the Benteke release clause meant we got more than we would have done in an open market.

[john e]

I even think the Benteke release clause meant we got more than we would have done in an open market.

Never thought of it that way before
But you could be right

[OCD]

Without it though we might still have him here.

[Matt Collins]

No way. It's incredible we kept him for three years

[dave.woodhall]

No way. It's incredible we kept him for three years

Not really. Season one he was still untried; season two he was injured in the summer.

[Toronto Villa]

Getting him to sign a contract after the first season when for all intents and purposes he was gone was nothing short of a miracle. I'll never forget that day going from resignation and disappointment to utter disbelief. But yes, it wasn't that much of a shocker that he was here for three seasons but it would have been if he stayed for much longer.

[Matt Collins]

No way. It's incredible we kept him for three years

Not really. Season one he was still untried; season two he was injured in the summer.

I agree it was a quirk of fate that helped to keep him. But nowadays one really good season for a bottom six club and you tend to go.

[paul_e]

No way. It's incredible we kept him for three years

Not really. Season one he was still untried; season two he was injured in the summer.

I agree it was a quirk of fate that helped to keep him. But nowadays one really good season for a bottom six club and you tend to go.

That's true for English players but not the norm otherwise, most teams like to see if players get found out.  I'd go as as as to say that if Benteke had got the same number of goals last season but spread across the year he'd still be with us.  It was the run of goals late in the season that made him so valuable and meant we got the release fee.  I think I agree with LeeB that we probably have been dealing with offers of 20-25m all summer if the fee wasn't there, it made it easier for us to have a line in the sand and everyone knew there was no negotiation down from it.

[silhillvilla]

Whilst we haven't spent much net , it's been a great lot of effort and momentum this window and credit to sherwood for having the balls to take on the challenge (I know he's well paid but he would be anyway somewhere ).

[passitsideways]

Pretty surprising honestly how for all the things the club managed to screw up before Fox/Reilly/Sherwood, they managed to play a blinder with Benteke: scouting him out in the first place, and then getting that new contract with a release clause that really suited both parties.

[OCD]

Interesting that Albion are looking to give Berahino a new contract with a £25m release clause. As often happens, we've probably started a new trend.

[fredm]

Think release clauses will start to become the norm in all contracts nowadays.  Clubs will then know where they stand when the player starts to get the "time to move" urge.  Think I read somewhere that in Spain a release clause has to be included in every contract, including Messi and Ronaldo.  Would suspect theirs might be approx 1000m euros?

[ClaretAndBlueBlood]

yea I think release clauses are the norm across the continent

[LeeB]

Think release clauses will start to become the norm in all contracts nowadays.  Clubs will then know where they stand when the player starts to get the "time to move" urge.  Think I read somewhere that in Spain a release clause has to be included in every contract, including Messi and Ronaldo.  Would suspect theirs might be approx 1000m euros?

It makes sense, you could introduce a sliding scale where you could say to the player the more we pay you, the higher the fee is.