Quote Originally Posted by Whoopee View Post
People were initially saying that this wasn't leverage for a new contract. Why? Because doing something like this for leverage in some cases would make you look bad.

Which comes back to the whole permission thing in the first place. Why give a player permission to go overseas so said player could use that "training" stint as leverage for a new contract? That's asinine.

DeRo wasn't in the same shoes as Ljungberg, who was out of contract.

What people were saying this?

As for your second question...why give player permission? Because Soccer teams aren't in the business of keeping players if they find better opportunities elsewhere not to mention there is probably something in the CBA that allows for players to look for opportunities which is why this permission issue isn't about whether DeRo should have gone to Celtic at all but rather whether or not he went through the proper channels. TFC nor any other team can deny proper exploration of opportunities for players. They can only insist that it be done within the requirements of the player contract and the CBA.

Sports teams are in the business of maximizing what they can get in return for their players, either on the pitch or in a transfer. You are acting like team's aren't aware of their player's intentions when they do these sorts of things. Maybe you personally aren't, but they certainly are. And what they do to mitigate the effects of a player leveraging interest elsewhere is simple: negotiate, loan or release.

I have to say Vic...your understanding of transfers, contracts and loans is making me a little frustrated. If we have to go to the basics of player contracts, trials and loans it will be a cheap way to hit 100 pages so I would rather not. Let me just concede that DeRo going to train at Celtic was part of an overall plan to get DeRo a better contract, either here at TFC or elsewhere, including Celtic. That is what player agents do, that's how they get paid and that is how players get paid better.

For a guy like yourself who has accused DeRo of being stupid with his initial contract with TFC, the one he was unhappy with, I would have thought you would understand that he is now being more business savvy and doing what needs to be done in order to get a contract he is more happy with.