At a time when the soccer leagues were stopped due to the corona virus, such as in the English Premier League, the Italian League and the Spanish League, rumors of player transfers continued to blow as if not interrupted by a pandemic that was attacking the world.
Since two weeks ago, one by one soccer league in almost all of the world stopped. Like hearing a long whistle from the referee, the pace of the competition stops.
When the stadium is empty, the competition stops, and the league standings freeze, there is still news of a player’s transfer that is not interrupted by the corona issue.
The news on player transfers is still one of the headlines that often goes along with news of players affected by corona, or acts of sympathy for clubs and players who donate money and stadiums to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
Neymar goes to Barcelona, Kylian Mbappe goes to Real Madrid, Jadon Sancho goes to Manchester United, Harry Kane’s desire to leave Tottenham Hotspur, and the clubs that monitor Erling Braut Haaland remain in the media spotlight.
Corona virus will not immediately make the transfer issue subside. Undoubtedly the virus will only affect the movement of players when the 2019/2020 season really can not be completed.
The virus that attacks the human respiratory system also attacks the financial ability of the club. Quoted from various media, clubs in the world – even those classified as giants – must fight hard to continue to exist.
Income from the ticket certainly does not exist, there are even clubs that still have to bear the loss to return the canal ticket that has been bought loyal supporters since the beginning of last season. While the sale of club trinkets is also quiet.
There was no match, meaning that there was no live broadcast either. Thus, the club’s revenue from broadcasting rights was also disrupted.
If the 2019/2020 season can be held again, then the club will get a breath of fresh air. But the corona virus, to date, has not shown any sign of stopping so restarting the league is still merely a delusion.
Even if the remaining parties are forced to continue without spectators to minimize the risk of spreading the virus, the club still cannot get revenue from tickets.
Money from sponsors that keep flowing also cannot be relied on to balance a club’s debits and credits. There are even lower-class clubs that have terminated work relations with employees or staff.
Barcelona and Juventus, which are classified as big clubs, have already hinted at a reduction in player salaries.
The teams in the world will have homework to stabilize finances while maintaining consistency in competition in the league or tournament.
It is quite possible that there will be clubs that choose to remain silent during the transfer market. Nevertheless is thinking about purchasing a player, while there are still other arrears.
Or it could be that the players’ market is used as a moment of profit to support the club. This option certainly depends on the purchasing power of other clubs. When there is no demand for players or when the market is sluggish, this method seems ineffective.
Facing an abnormal situation, the discourse on limiting transfer fees also appeared. Not yet known the truth and certainty of the plan, but it could have happened amid uncertain conditions like now.
The price of Haaland, Mbappe, Sancho, or Kane is not expected to skyrocket like the prices of soccer players in recent years.
The official price of the player is predicted to free fall. The most expensive branded Neymar in the world, reaching 222 million euros when bought by Paris Saint-Germain from Barcelona three years ago, is not expected to be displaced.
