EXCLUSIVE: Ramon Vega: Transfer window changes pointless

After all the speculation and conjecture, this summer’s transfer window was more about the players that didn’t move rather than those who did.

John Stones, Saido Berahino and David De Gea all looked to be heading out of their respective clubs before deals were scuppered for various reasons.

As these players have discovered, what the footballer wants is often way down in terms of importance to a transfer going through.

They now have to focus on the short-term and let their professionalism come to the fore. There might be one or two issues in their re-integration back into the dressing-room, especially given the intense spotlight on their futures. Although bankers often move between rivals, this is a crucial difference with the football world - for top footballers their career choices are played out in a very public domain.

However, these players will be keen to reassure their colleagues that their commitment to the collective cause is just as strong as it was. There is also an element of self-interest here as the best way to facilitate

a move in future is by starring on the pitch rather than sulking on the sidelines.

I don’t think team-mates will blame them too much as everyone wants to further their career, especially in De Gea’s case when the prospective move was to the biggest club in the world. It’s not as if he wanted to go to a smaller club.

As for Berahino, Daniel Levy’s tough negotiating stance has become legendary. We have seen from previous deals, such as Gareth Bale’s move to Madrid, that he has his position and he digs in to that and plays hardball until he either gets what he wants or walks away. It is slightly different when you are the buying club though and West Brom held most of the aces in this scenario.

When I was at Spurs, most of my dealings were with the then chairman Sir Alan Sugar. I used to negotiate my contracts with him personally as I didn’t use an agent. For a young player, that was quite a formative experience!

I learnt a lot from Sir Alan about setting and achieving goals and how you run a business as at the time Spurs were one of the more advanced clubs in their operations. It was a real eye-opener and equipped me well for the future.

One player who did make a move this summer was Kevin De Bruyne. I think it’s a good signing for Man City. Although it’s probably on the expensive side, there is no such thing as a market index in football. It is much more subjective than that and really comes down to what the player is worth to the buying club. City obviously made his signing a priority and laid out their position early on.

I’m less sure about Anthony Martial’s acquisition. I believe the price is inflated and is indicative of last-minute desperation. On what he has achieved, he is certainly not worth £36million.

Of course, there is an investment in the future in that price, yet when you start paying that amount you really want a finished product who has proved his worth in a top league or at international level. Otherwise, there is the danger that his value will depreciate sharply if things don’t quite work out and Utd need to sell him on.

The main thing to come out of this window is the importance of getting organized early on. Chief executives should now already be planning for the winter window and next summer in order to avoid late panic buying. There should be four or five options for each potential deal, so that if one falls through the focus can shift on to the next target seamlessly.  Look at the way Chelsea moved on after it became apparent Everton would not be selling Stones.

Unfortunately, there are external factors, such as agents, which ensure things can get complicated quickly. I’ll be looking at these sorts of issues next week at the legal, financial and transfer ‘Masterclass’ at this year’s Soccerex event in Manchester from Sept 7-9.

One subject that may be touched upon there is the argument for bringing the transfer window forward and closing it at the beginning of August so that managers have more of the pre-season period to work with the new players in their squad. Others feel that it should be scrapped altogether and people should be allowed to recruit the whole year through without such restrictions, like in other industries in the financial sector.

Personally, I don’t think it makes too much of a difference to the overall outcome of a club’s season. Titles are won and lost over a nine-month period on the pitch, rather than during one or two spells of transfer activity.

If a chief executive has failed to bring in the player the manager wanted, it is up to that manager to turn an alternative option into an even better solution. In football, just as in business, Plan A does not always produce the best outcome.

Ramon Vega is a versatile high-flying executive with a comprehensive track record of driving commercial success in finance, property and football with national, international and World Cup experience as captain of the Swiss National Team in 1994. Proven experience in managing $billion funds in the asset management industry as well as a turnaround specialist who combines financial and business acumen, Ramon has a flair for inspiring others to exceed their own expectations. Follow him on Twitter here @Ramon_Vega71  (http://frompitchtoboardroom.com)

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