Arsenal making use of virtual matchmaking platform to complete transfers
The football world finds itself in an extremely challenging financial environment. Clubs across the world are stretched and are not in possession of the capital they expected to use in the upcoming transfer window.
The English media is reporting that upto 13 Premier League clubs are using TransferRoom, an online player trading and transfer platform. Teams are spending £2,500 a month to cut out the middlemen and speak directly to one another about available players in an attempt to make desired transfers happen at affordable prices.
Arsenal are believed to be among the clubs using TransferRoom as they look to steal a march on their rivals and use all available channels to come out on top in this transfer window.
The standard mechanism in the world of transfers involves a multitude of agents and third parties that facilitate deals between a buying club, selling club and the player in question. By the end of such a deal, the third party payments form a significant part of the total cost of the transfer. Clubs are aiming to bypass this system by dealing directly with one another through TransferRoom.
Brighton are another club making use of TransferRoom and their technical director, Dan Ashworth, had this to say about the platform:
“You get a 10-minute slot. That’s it. Then, bang, on to the next one. It’s a great way of improving your contact base and being really time efficient, and just getting to speak to a lot of clubs.”
Kristian Walter, the sports director of Dynamo Dresden, said:
“The big benefit is that some deals can go faster. You don’t have to contact three, four or five agents. You can go straight to the club.”
On TransferRoom’s website, they have listed Manchester City, Juventus and AS Roma as some clubs that make use of their services. They are understood to count up to 500 clubs across world football as clients. They facilitated their first ever transfer in 2017 and have been involved in 250 transfers since then.
It looks like Arsenal and a host of other clubs across Europe plan on making the most of TransferRoom’s services this summer.
