Premier League have now apparently reminded all clubs of acting in good faith regarding reciprocating transfers to get around financial rules.
Now, whilst I agree completely that clubs are doing this to get around the rules, for the Premier League to choose now do all times to pipe up about good faith, is pathetic.
Where was the good faith when all those clubs signed Arsenal's letterhead statement asking for city to be banned before any hearing even took place?
Where was the good faith when Liverpool hacked our scouting system?
Where was the good faith when Arsenal yet again leaked details of our legal and financial dealings to the media?
Where was the good faith when Liverpool tapped up Van Dyke from Southampton, then issued a statement saying they'd cease wooing him immediately, only to go and sign him anyway a few months later?
Where is the good faith when Klopp said us winning at CAS was a bad day for football? Rivals mentioning us buying success nearly every press conference during title run ins?
Where was the good faith when united's fans pre-organised a demonstration specifically designed to get a game cancelled because the club had too many injuries?
Trouble is, like much of the above, it's not provable. So you want to slam Everton with another charge for buying a villa player, and villa with the same for buying and Everton player? Ok, good luck proving they weren't separately tracking and scouting the players, negotiating separately and acting independently.
Selling players between clubs like Everton, Villa and Chelsea are doing is not in the spirit of the game. It's not good faith. Its not sustainable. But it's what happens when such inept and potentially illegal constraints are put upon member clubs when business and money is at risk, and where there is already such a feeling of differential treatment and standing based on what we see every day and have seen for decades already.
Unless they want to enforce a system where transfer fees, even wages, are calculated and known, possibly even capped, then selling clubs will charge whatever they want and, of a club is willing to buy at that price, it's automatically fair market value. Who's to say otherwise? Of course that would mean grealish would have probably cost us half of what we paid.
Premier League made this issue for themselves, and any kind of effective regulation now is to the detriment of the brand value, and they know it and they're not about to shove a cork up the arse of the golden goose.
