Yep £3m + £3m + £3m = Billy Sharp sold for £10m. Is that right Beddy? In all seriousness, i meant that if he (the chairman) is making it well known that clubs can bid £3m and talk to Sharp then he may have more interest. Even though a bid of £3m gets your foot in the door, that doesnt mean that you get Sharp for that money. As the rumours go we bid £3.2/3.5m in the Summer. Whether the final bid accepted is the highest price bidded or Sharps decision i dont know. Just what i thought though..
From what I understand (from reading an article in a local Donny paper), this £3 million release clause is only activated next month - hence why we had to bid more back in August (I guess there wouldn't have been much point Donny trying to force us up to £4 or £5 million though, and risk losing our interest, due to knowing full well that they'd only be getting £3 million for him come January). Every single club who bid £3 million for him next month will get permission to talk to him.
I think it really does mean you get him for that money. Nobody will bid higher than the release clause (except leicester who will bid against themselves). The only variable is personal terms, assuming clubs are willing to meet the figure that triggers the clause.
Ahh ok. So if four clubs bid £3m then it is purely down to Sharp to choose where he wants to go? Seems strange to have a £3m release clause to me, when clubs like Leicester could bid £5m if they want him enough. I guess it doesnt mean that clubs wont offer more, but is it purely down to Sharp once clubs have matched or surpassed the release clause or will agents/Doncaster have a say if one club bids more than another?
It's not strange. When a player drops a level or goes to a smaller club it's common practice for them to negotiate a release clause at a value that will give the club some profit, but won't price the player out of a move. As the transfer market is always inflating, the fee can often look paltry by the time it is enacted.
I assume that that release clause was put in by either by Sharps agent or Doncaster, either way it seems like they will loose out if at £3m the choice is solely down to Sharp. Even we would have potentially gone for a bit more than that i think.
Looks like they signed him for about £1m, so it's a good profit. The money will only give them a couple of gambles on finding a replacement though. Proven league one players cost more these days than Sharp cost them.
Well presumably it was something which either Sharp or his agent requested to be put into his contract when he signed (or last signed a new one), or which Donny offered to put into the contract to entice him to sign (or sign a new one). Donny wont have a single say in where he goes - although Sharp may well consider their wishes when making a decision, out of respect for them (a bit like say when Adkins made sure that Scunny were appropriately compensated by Cortese for his services). It will all be down to Sharp and his agent - so it's up to us to make sure that he chooses us, over anyone else. Being top of the league, being in a healthy financial position, and being in desperate need of another striker should put us in a strong position to ensure that is the case.
It's a good profit. But in terms of the price that Sharps performances and goals are worth i think that they are loosing out. If we had the same in Lamberts contract, even though we would make £2m profit we would loose out because there is no replacing Lamberts influence for £2/3m.
Well drawing on my vast championship manager experience, that's where non-promotion and relegation release clauses with specified fees come in. We were a step up for Lambert anyway, but we couldn't have blamed him for having a £2-3m release clause triggered if we'd failed to get promotion at the second attempt, considering we signed him from under 'Boro's noses.
Saints pros are: Buying ability, Previous association with Sharp through Adkins, league position, Only Football Club in the World Worth Supporting⢠and the cache that goes with that. Saints cons are: Salary structure, [apparently, and yes I know, it's astonishing] location.!?! Sharp doesn't like The South. Other clubs closer proximity to The North and their league position/ambition. I think Adkins could win him round. Not that I'm entirely convinced about Sharp, but I would say.., Come and be a soft southerner, Billy, but get to play/stay in the Premier League.
This is what will be the reason he doesn't come here i think, when he was leaving Sheffield United I believe he had offers from some clubs, including a Premiership one in Birmingham if rumours are to be believed, but he chose Donny as it was close to home. The only way I can see it happening is if he has changed his mind about wanting to live in that area of the country, he thinks that of the teams who go in for him we have by far and away the best chance of promotion, (but as I said before rumours were that he turned down Premiership football to stay in Yorkshire), or we give him an offer financially he can't refuse. The Adkins link is obvious aswell but it can;t be that strong if he apparently wanted stupid money to join in the summer. I hope we get him personally but I think of all the clubs linked we have the least chance of pulling it off due to location.
I think he would probably prefer to stay where he is given his recent personal issues. If it was down to football, i reckon you guys would easily get him or even a low level premier league team like wigan, wolves or bolton
Gossip on Sky links us to Sharp along with a couple of other clubs, but that's all it is....gossip. I think we'll be 'linked' with every decent available player with a pulse.
