Adding to this: Been told their was some interest from #TFC, as well as 2 other MLS clubs. But no deal is in place.https://t.co/00GP9PS38L— John Molinaro (@JohnMolinaro) January 20, 2017
Hmmm.... seems a club team in China is looking to pry Giovinco away from TFC. http://www.tsn.ca/agent-giovinco-has-offer-from-china-1.657061
As I said here http://forums.bigsoccer.com/threads/giovinco-at-tfc.2015788/page-24#post-35057447 if the "huge" offer includes a "huge" transfer fee (and not just a huge salary for the player) it should be considered.
What would be the upside of accepting the huge transfer fee if the only use they could put it to would be to find another DP striker to replace Giovinco? It's not like they could step up spending elsewhere because of salary cap constraints. So it doesn't make sense to me to replace a great player who knows the team mates and system with another great player who doesn't. If Giovinco was 34 and the new guy 24 then maybe, but I think Giovinco still has gas in the tank.
Well, I will purposefully use ridiculous numbers to exhibit point. (note, however, they are the same ridiculous numbers being thrown around in China). The last big transfer fee paid by a Chinese club was £51.00MM....that is about $80MM CDN ($60MM USish). It is worth noting that prior to the transfer, transfermarket had that palyer's transfer value listed at £29.75MM. Similarly, the salary the player is making is reported to be over $25.5 million/yr (USD) or about $490,000 a week. His previous club was paying less than a quarter of that amount at $110,000 weekly. Let's just say, for a minute (since we don't know), the "huge" offer for Giovinco is half of that all around. So if TFC was offered $4oMM ($30US) for him and he was being tempted with a salary of $13MM...don't you think both parties would have to consider it? He has a duty to himself and his family to maximize his earnings window. Why would he not consider doubling his wages? TFC is not just a sports club but also a business....if it can pocket a fee of $40MM that is good buisness.....and some of that can be used to find a replacement. Will the replacement be as good as Giovinco? It is possible, it is also possible it is not....but you have to balance the business side with the footballing side....and, a not small consideration, if he is tempted and interested in doubling his wages...and the club blocks him....what is the frame of mind of the player you have ? I did not say "sell him"...and certainly did not say sell him at any cost.....but if the transfer fee and the wage packet fit the definition of "huge"....I said you have to consider it.
for sure...much as we'd hate to see him go, any person would consider a huge pay increase, and you can't blame him if he takes it. Who wouldn't?
right, but in this circumstance he can only "take" the huge pay raise with the co-operation of his current employer....so it is always a tricky situation when a player under contract is tempted by a huge offer. I the old days (ie. up until about 5 years ago) players were never made aware of what an interested club would pay them until the two clubs had agreed on a transfer fee....but these days pressure is put on clubs by players being well aware of who is interested in them and how much they will pay.
As you said though 'what frame of mind would he be in" if TFC dooesn't let him stay. Anyway, maybe he's not tempted, and this is for naught. We shall see.
It's a business first and foremost. Like any professional sports team. If MLSE can pocket $40 million then that is indeed good business. Like you and Kingston said, though, it won't necessarily make the team better. But with $7 million off the books there are many possibilities.
I think selling Giovinco for a massive fee would be a good thing for the league and TFC. People talk about it being a retirement league and perhaps competitively it is. But we're seeing more and more players from Latin America come here in their early 20's as a stepping stone to Europe. Now, we have a European who came here, in his prime, and could use MLS as a stepping stone for even more money. It sends a message that coming to MLS does not necessarily mean it's a player's last pay day. In fact, you could see it as a sign of respect from the Chinese that they're willing to pay the same kind of exorbitant transfer fees and salaries to our players, just as they do to the European leagues. I'll be happy to correct this when a Chinese team pays $50 million for Gignac next week.
My main point was that this bolded part isn't really true. Assuming TFC would replace him with another DP, nothing really changes except to MLSE for whatever salary difference there is between what Giovinco earns now and the new DP earns later. It's not like they can invest the millions in making the team better. As for MLSE as a business, yes, I see that side but, as a fan, its not my main focus. That is, MLSE is already spending, supporting the team, etc. so its not like this would let TFC go from a have not to a have team. Question: How much of any transfer fee does the team keep and how much, if any, goes to the league?
Here is an article from a few years ago about how transfer fees get divided up. http://www.massivereport.com/2014/8/23/6060435/mls-transfer-rules-many-ways-to-cut-the-pie Looks like (in the Giovinco speculation we are talking about) TFC would keep 2/3 of it and $650k would be additional allocation and the balance would be for non-player operations (remember when this part of the Mo Edu transfer to Rangers paid for the conversion to grass?)
So, while I don't disagree that the Mo Edu for grass was a great trade, I'm not so keen on trading Giovinco for stadium upgrades. The $650k allocation would be nice, but that's a big part of the team that you need to replace.
I look at it this way......if the offer is really "huge" then you consider it...yes you have to go out and find a new DP striker but that is in your budget anyway so the question is do you think you can get similar production from another player.....$650k in allocation money is nothing to sneeze at....and I think it is very good for the game in North America if owners make money....it attracts more investment in the game and, maybe, shows a path to a less stringent cap. So, say, TFC gets $30MM (75% of the figures we mused about above) profit....the team gets $650k allocation and another strong DP striker gets brought in.....that is not really a bad thing. By way of an update, all the soccer journos are running pieces that he is not for sale. Here is Kurt Larson's piece in the Sun. http://www.torontosun.com/2017/01/24/toronto-fcs-giovinco-receives-huge-deal-from-china-report Interesting that the headline is they are not looking to sell....but the comments are that they have nothing to consider because no approach has been made.....and then this from Bez: This seems to dovetail with what the agent said earlier in the piece:
TFC signing Giovinco was the biggest coup for any team in MLS. Even the commissioner said as much. Trying to repeat that would be a roll of the dice at this point. You might end up with another Defoe. I say enjoy him while we have him.
I also have to wonder at what point the realities of life become a deciding factor for a player like Giovinco. As larger cities go, Toronto is, simply put, a pretty nice place to live. Maybe I'm wrong, but I expect that once you're making above a certain amount the lure of more money starts to drop off a bit. Not disappear, but become less of a factor. So while I'm sure there are great places in China, too, I wonder if Giovinco might just decide that $7 million a year in a city he loves and has settled his family in is just fine, thanks, and I'll pass on $10 million (or whatever) somewhere else.
I think that's a good point. Really for Gio, prestige is more likely to pull him away than money is. If a major European club was after him he'd likely take it it, but playing in China doesn't have any more prestige than playing in MLS does.
Couldn't you say the same thing about some of the other places players have left for China? Was Oscar living in hell in London?