This transfer destroys Brighton’s business model. Young, promising players will no longer want to go there because they know, when a big club comes knocking, you won’t be allowed to leave.
Heard it before. Actually said similair things before. Doesn't change anything. Sometimes deals happen, sometimes they don't. The young players still join, they still fancy their chances and will take the opportunity to showcase themselves.
As for this one, hmm. City's moves are textbook power play stuff, but that means so is the response. We looked at Ben White (big price, for sure), and decided to try a variation on "the salami slice". I noticed with outlets totting up the net sales, we effectively waved a big fat wadge of notes a couple of weeks ago. Alongside our recent, very good value purchases. That's psychological. Trying to make your cash look desirable. Fair enough. But so is Cucurella. Who wants the other guys thing more. These are the games we are playing.
TBH tho... if I can understand how they're trying to do manipulate Brighton, so can Raum.
It's all a bit Dickinson's Real Deal.
When you wanna buy something, and people know it - first you get the other party to bring it to the table.
They'll say, "what? this fine object?", let you see them
holding it, and remark how desirable and valuable it is. You make a nice low bid. Count out the tenners as you lay them on the table. One, two three.
If they are smart, they scoff and walk off. If they mention a valuation, you remain hopeful.
But if the seller wants to capitalise on the bidder's desire for this object, they will likely want to move it out of sight again.
Now somehow in this case, it looks like we organised it so straight away, our mate gets to take a good look at it in another room. Now everyone sees someone on our side, rather than the owner.
As they first reject the offer and move to take the object off the table, we say, "Wait. You said £50, right. You keep hold of those (the three notes). There will be more, I promise. We just need someone to have a look at it, make sure it is what we think it is. Otherwise it's a waste of everyone's time."
This is supposed to be a psychological trick to gradually take ownership. But you have to be careful! A smart dealer knows that very well. He knows Hence, you really do need permission. There's a lot of nuance involved.
What happened was, as the object was returned to it's owner, just as they're reaching for it... Think of it this way; The guy who handles the object tried to put five pound coins into the owner's outstretched hand, close his fingers around it. And, with a big smile, hold up a bag for life they've brought themselves, making the transaction easy!
Now the seller, he can be taken in, and sit and wait for what in his mind, is that last tenner. But if they are experienced, they know, it's likely to be a fiver. Leaving them short of their target. Why accept that?
The other thing is, the way this has happened, at Barca, it's like the seller is looking at someone else getting a really good feel of the object. Not only that. He is seeing other people watch it happen. Hmmm.
If the seller gets umbrage at that appearance of the buyer feeling up his goods a bit too lovingly, they can indeed suddenly shut up shop for good. Because for a seller and deal maker, public image... maintaining that clear perception of ownership (not letting people walk around excessively touching your best stuff)... it matters a lot.
He reads it correctly. The other guy is trying the "salami slice", giving you a handful of tiny increases. They may also be wanting to waste your time so you end up pressured to get it over with. It would be predictable for City to have waited before the next offer. By waiting a little, you bring their desire for the price into focus, equal to our desire for the object.
Instead the way it appears, the other guy not only has the opportunity to be firm, he has the need. He takes the object in question, walks away from the table, sticks it in a glass case, and says, you'll never get close to it again. No one just touches my stuff for free.
Except, Raum kind of stopped a little short of that. But for whatever reason, that just leaves me uneasy. If that injury at the public perception of being done is bubbling away, rather than expressed clearly, he could snap later on and just decide to burn his bridges.
Maybe we should have waited with the transfer request for everyone to return to the table. Handed him that, with the extra tenner, and said, "Deal?"
It's... I dunno. So similair to Levy. Napoli. Other people like this. Be careful what games you play. They aren't new. People like to punish the over-confident.
Ahh. I hope getting the medical was worth it for City, because we haven't secured anything else.
