Phil Jones – a deal gone bad

Phil Jones seemed to have gotten his way with a big money move to the English champions. He had rejected overtures from Arsenal, Liverpool and Spurs in order to make this move possible but just when things were moving smoothly, the deal hit a roadblock. Though United have already agreed personal terms with the player, Blackburn seem to be feeling hard done by the deal. They have upped their demands and want more than the stipulated £16 million ‘buy-out clause’.

Blackburn believe that the player is worth in the region of £25 million. They are weighing their options with a complaint to the Premier League in the offing. They find it hard to understand how details of the £16 million clause were known to the Manchester club. They also believe that it is not necessary that they have to sell the player even if United meet the stipulated amount. They seem to be holding out for an offer in the region of £20 million.

By this move they also hope to start a bidding war in an attempt to sell the player to the highest bidder. However such a development seems unlikely as the clubs will know that nothing much will come out of buying a player who seems to have his heart set to a move to the English champions. This only serves as a distraction for the player ahead of the all important U-21 Euro championship opener against Spain on Sunday.

Phil Jones is regarded as the next Tony Adams by a lot of people and Blackburn believe that their valuation of the player at £25 million is totally justified. They are also likely to contest the interpretation of the ‘buy-out clause’. After all a buy-out clause by definition is the minimum amount that must be paid to break a player’s contract. However there is no mention of the possibility that rules out paying above the buy-out clause value. The transfer still seems to be going through although this would only serve as a momentary hiccup to delay the inevitable.

The first ten days of the transfer window has already seen what would probably be one of the messiest deals this summer. Football authorities will have to look closely how these clauses function in order to ensure that such a circus does not repeat.

And is it just me or do I sense an old Indian tradition of ‘only agreeing to a price after haggling over it’?

Tags: Blackburn, EPL, Football, Manchester United, Phil Jones, Player, Premier League