The bottom line
For most clubs and players, transfers are about the financial bottom line. However, fans get upset if players move to their biggest rivals. While transfers between Rangers and Celtic, Man United and Man City remain relatively rare, most fans know that if the move means a profit for the club or a big wage increase, the deal is likely to take place.
Even so, managers talk about not wanting to sell to their rivals. Why do I bring this up? Because of the Sky Blues' ongoing "interest" in Hull City's left-sided centre back Charlie Hughes. Apparently we bid £7m (£6m up front and £1m in add-ons) but were rebuffed with Tigers' head coach Sergej Jakirovic claiming to value his player – who is also wanted by former boss Ruben Selles at Sheffield United – at a whopping £20m! He told BBC Humberside Sport: “(He’s) very important. From what I’ve seen until now, he can develop even more. He can improve more and then maybe he will be our best transfer in the history of this club. I don’t know what the record is until now. For me, he is (worth) over £20 million now.”
Reluctance to sell
Talking to Sky News, Hull apparently said they are reluctant to sell a key member of their first team - "especially to a rival" Another aggravating factor is that the Tigers are currently under a transfer embargo which means they can’t immediately use the money to replace him. Hull are appealing the embargo, but I guess you can see why they don't want to sell one of their better players without being able to get a replacement.
Apparently, we are going to up our bid and offer more than the club-record fee, when we paid £7.7m for Haji Wright in August 2023. So you never know, money talks...
On the subject of selling to rivals, which trade do you most wish had never happened. Losing Dion Dublin to Villa remains a bitter blow in my mind.
