“Just pay the asking price” became the statement of the early summer. One that I became very bored and frustrated with.
I do hope that all those saying this will live their lives by their words. Everytime they buy a house or car, they just pay the asking price. They never make an offer below the asking price, and certainly not below what the maximum they would be willing to pay. No “agree to meet in the middle”.
Through negotiating, Jurrien Timber is basically a free transfer.
West Ham’s provisional asking price for Declan Rice was £120million in guaranteed fees. We ended up signing him for £100m guaranteed, with £5m add-ons. A saving of £20m.
Across London, Chelsea were reportedly asking for £75m. We have reportedly secured him for £60m plus £5m add-ons. That is a saving of £15m on the guaranteed asking price.
Had we just “paid the asking price” on both, we would have spent £195m this summer on Havertz and Rice. Instead we negotiated.
Those negotiations has seen us commit £160m in guaranteed fees. A saving of nearly £35m.
With that £35m, we have gone to Ajax and come away from Amsterdam with Jurrien Timber.
The Timber transfer fee is almost the same as what we saved ourselves in negotiating with West Ham and Chelsea.
Ajax were asking for £50m in guaranteed fees for their young Dutch central defender. We got him for £35m guaranteed fees with £5m in add-ons.
For pretty much the same money we would have paid for Rice and Havertz had we just paid the asking price, we get Rice, Havertz and Timber. Hence my headline – Buy Havertz and Rice, get Timber free.
And that, ladies and gentleman, is why you do not just “pay the asking price”.
Keenos
She Wore A Yellow Ribbon 
Great intention and wise words. But I feel it’s hopeless when the current majority population think communism is cool and good. All of us have big grinder moving towards our lower back soon.
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