BBC Gossip Column - EJ to Man Utd

Man Utd possibly gave the Money to Antwerp to sign Dong, or will Reimburse them for the signing of Dong. Dong will be a Man Utd player unless things go horribly wrong.

 

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/headlinenews?id=288325&cc=5901

Manchester United owns the player. But he cannot be registered as a professional player in England until he obtains a work permit.

 

Yeah, I hear ya. I just don't see it.

If we were talking about Taylor Twellman or Pat Noonan maybe those names would be more daunting, but there are few players on the planet than can compare to what EJ brings to the table in terms of right now and future potential.

 

This did not keep the Home Office from denying the appeal the first time.

I don't think that Germany restricts the number on a team - only the number in the match squad, which is different from Spain and Italy.

You are right. Stewart is Dutch through his mother. I screwed my example up pretty badly. He was one of NAC Breda's highest paid players, though is salary was never in the $1,000,000 per year range.

However I read that the minimum salary that Clint Dempsey would have qualified for with Feyenoord would have been >$600,000 (exact figure depends on exchange rate) because of the minimum salary requirement that I mentioned. That is a big salary at a non big 3 team (though I imagine Feyenoord could afford it if they thought he was a real blue-chip prospect). At least for a player that a team is taking a flyer on.

Scarcely any of the US players we are talking about here are proven star quality at the Eredivisie level. And if the player is going to get this type of salary, they cannot be sitting on the bench as squad players.

Maybe PSV would look at Dempsey as a potential replacement for Mark Van Bommel when he makes his inevitable transfer. He is pretty Van Bommel-esque in MLS, though perhaps without the ball-striking skills.

Say what you want, but it was a real challenge for Real and Barca to figure out their roster slots recently when they had to accommodate some of their big South American signings who did not have Euro passports. La Liga clubs may only register 4 non-EU players for the entire season. I know that this was a problem around the time of the Ronaldo signing by Real Madrid, when Real had many non-EU players (Cambiassio, Geremi, Eto'o, Rochembauk, etc). That was one of the reasons for the agreement with Mallorca regarding Eto'o and the decision to loan Cambiassio out to a German side.

But I agree that player quality dictated some of the decisions as well.

 

I might be wrong, but I think you're wrong.

OK, here's what I mean. First, they look at the 75%. Then, there's an appeal. One. So you can't be denied an appeal the first time.

 

Under the current exchange rate, Dempsey's projected "minimum" Dutch salary would come out to about U$520K. It is entirely conceivable that it is not worthy to pay this amount to a bench player ... but, IMO, it's also be foolish to look at Dempsey as one would look at a 21 year old Dutchman or Italian with the same set of skills.

A quality personnel director would find out all he can about a prospect's experience and prior teaching and then would try to superimpose it on what his team has to offer.

Besides, it's not like the Dutch have much choice in the matter. The East Europeans by and large have achieved the Euro work status, which makes them eligible to play for any Euro league. The North and Central Africans generally prefer to go to France, Belgium or Portugal where they don't have the language barrier. Central and South Americans, sans their superstars, can have a higher standard of living staying home even with lower salaries.

This leaves the Dutch with North Americans as underpaid talents who may develop into solid players and/or occasional stars to be sold to the Richie Richs of the world.

In other words, they should take the Clint Dempseys of America on and like it.

 

This isn't possible under the rules that I've read. The report calls it a "complicated transfer". I think it's just another under the table deal. ManU might have an option on his rights when he qualifys for a permit but I'm pretty positive they don't own the player now.

There are ways to get around the law, I just don't think the MLS should get involved in these shenannigans.

 

That's provisional without the work permit. It's the same thing over and over. ManU has worked out some under the table deal and the guy is as good as theirs but I still don't believe they own his rights now.

Obviously I don't have inside info on the deal all I can say is I've read about the rules and it makes sense.

If clubs in England could sign players who aren't eligable for work permits and then just loan them out we would hear about it all the time. No team would ever lose a player they want. just buy them and put them in Belgium, or Holland, or where ever until they can get a work permit. It doesn't happen, doesn't that make you wonder?

 

Grant Wahl is reporting that Johnson scored a goal in a ManU reserves practice game last Saturday:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/writers/grant_wahl/11/30/us.qualifying/

 

If MLS does sell EJ to ManU under a "provisional" basis, and then ManU has EJ play in Germany or Holland or somewhere where he can play, then MLS is not involved in any "shenannigans". They sold a player, recieved money for him, and where that player ends up is not their problem/business.

Getting around the law, as you called it, is something teams do to get a leg up on their competition in the transfer market, and it is legal and allowed or else it would not occur. If MLS needs to, or wants to, do this because they think that it is best for them, then by all means they should do it.

Also, why should MLS care more about not bending the FA/England's rules than ManU? ManU is in England and is governed by the FA, so if they can do it we can, and should do it.

 

I read it, Did you? They "provisionally agreed to sign" that's a lot different than signing. Roll your eyes all you want but I don't think you know what you are talking about. That's great if they have somehow worked out a future option on him to work around the rules, but nowhere does it say they have bought him or own his rights. Their deal is the same thing to the team and their fans, but legally it's not.

Plus, do you believe everything you read from soccer journalists? You really think they are going to come out and explain the way they skirt the rules? That article certainly makes it sound like an option, £500,000 upfront with much more if he plays (or becomes eligable) for ManU. Are you using this fluf piece as details on a transfer because there aren't any concrete details there. I do see words there like "provisionally" and "expected".

ManU can't sign whomever they want, they can weasel their way around the rules(if the player is up for it) but that's a totally different thing. If they could sign any player they want why would they report that they can't sign EJ because he can't get a work permit. Why didn't Tottenham just buy Convey and loan him out to a team in Europe that he could play for till he qualified for the work permit? This would have been ideal for Bobby, spending a couple years developing his skills, but they didn't because they couldn't.

I'm sorry but your one weak example of ManU working around the rules is not proof that a club in England can buy a player without a workpermit. If they could there would be very little discussion about players not qualifying for work permits.

 

I think this sort of thing is fine for clubs from 3rd world nations but I don't think it would be great for the MLS to be involved in this. That's just my personal opinion. I think it's kind of lame for ManU to skirt the rules like this. Again that's just me.

 

I'm pretty sure you're wrong. We went over this last year with Convey, with people linking to Home Office sources and everything. Do you have any evidence to back up your assertions?

 

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/player?id=10396&cc=5901

http://www.uefa.com/competitions/UCL/News/Kind=1/newsId=13302.html

Perhaps you are right - I know that the appeals process was more protracted than Bobby Convey's. Another interesting fact about Baros was that he was signed and owned by Liverpool before he qualified for a work permit (they loaned him back to Banik Ostrava). This makes it possible that the second appeal was a full year later.

The UEFA article makes it sound like the player and the team made separate appeals. Perhaps the player request refers only to the original application.

 

Ej?

Anything new?