Dale Stephens Summer 2016 shenanigans (Merged Thread)

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NooBHA

Well-known member
Jan 13, 2015
8,591
Brighton will have earned my admiration for holding on to Stephens - similarly, I hope we manage to hold on to Michael Keane despite Leicester's pressure.

Money is not everything.

All along, I would have preferred Stephens to Hendrick, but one of them would be better than NONE.....Hendrick is overpriced at £10 million, but I reckon £7 million for Stephens would have been worth paying in the long run.


Your back and it's Transfer Deadline Day. Are you Jim White in disguise ?
 




Guinness Boy

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Jul 23, 2003
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Two different sources. And yes, very realiable.

Thing is, your average fan, doesn't see through the blue and white strips in front of him.

As an example, lets use Dale Stephens. He may be very happy here. BUT he has an agent, and as an agent, he will do all he can for his player( and with commission himself).

When you get a player who could play at the very highest level, all the top clubs will be looking at him and scouting him regularly. But where a player like Stephens (or other), who in time could fit in to a top Premiership side, or in one players case, tipped for International call ups, with all the will in the world, they are not going to get an England call up playing for Brighton in the Championship. The top sides, say Arsenal, Liverpool, Man U, will be aware of them, but will not spend £10m plus as a rule, on a player without Premiership experience. So if a player goes to one of the relegation candidates; that move is better for their career, than staying at Brighton. They get a huge pay rise, and more importantly, they get Premiership experience. So, say if Stephens goes to Burnley, or Dunk to Sunderland or Hull, or Solly to Southampton and their team gets relegated, if they have done well, then one of the big boys, may come in for them. At the very worst, they will move back to the premiership with another mid-lower table side. If they don't stand out, they come back down with their new club, probably on top money.

Which is why when the likes of Stephens wants a move, it can be unfair to stand in their way. And if they club do it and block moves, then agents are aware of it, and therefore so are any new signings we try and make will be aware that the club will stand in the way of a big move.

Its a big gamble to hold onto a player who has a chance of premiership football, and can back fire badly on a Championship club who does it.

It's not as simple as saying, "well if he sticks with us, we will probably in the premiership next season anyway". It just doesn't work like that unfortunately.

Are you an agent?

First and foremost our players are contracted to us. We don't even have a legal obligation to honour a transfer request. Each deal will be weighed up by CH and the recruitment team, with input from Barber and TB and dealt with on a cost / benefit basis. This is exactly why Dunk stayed last season. The amount of money we were offered (in hindsight derisory when you consider the fees doing the rounds this season) was simply not seen as beneficial when compared to selling Dunk to a championship rival. That particular piece of business worked out very neatly for all concerned except Fulham. Dunk got a pay rise, he cemented his reputation (despite many goal-conceding mistakes) and came within a couple of goals of the Premier League. All of that was pretty reminiscent of what is currently happening with Stephens. One club making consistent bids to unsettle the player that we clearly don't rate, player taken out of the spotlight until the deadline closes. Yes, he could still go today but only if the terms suit us. We're not a selling club and keeping Stephens (perhaps on a decent new contract) will be like a new signing.

Also not sure why you're touting Dunk to leave. If you look at the squad at the moment we have two quality options in every position on the pitch except striker / number 10. Surely our efforts today are going to be devoted to getting them in, not upsetting what is a pretty obvious balance.
 


Bozza

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Jul 4, 2003
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Are you an agent?

First and foremost our players are contracted to us. We don't even have a legal obligation to honour a transfer request. Each deal will be weighed up by CH and the recruitment team, with input from Barber and TB and dealt with on a cost / benefit basis. This is exactly why Dunk stayed last season.

Or, as rumoured at the time, with the deal done with Fulham, home-boy Lewis realised he'd have to be out of bed an hour or so earlier every morning to get to training and he didn't really fancy that. So he negotiated a decent pay rise to stay put, whilst still far below what Fulham were going to pay him.
 




spring hall convert

Well-known member
Nov 3, 2009
9,608
Brighton
What puzzles me is Blooms previous statements with Bennett,Bridcutt,Buckley and Ulloa that he wouldnt stand in a players way who wanted to move.
Now this to me says one of 2 things. Either the policy has changed or Dale hasnt suggested that he wants to move

I reckon if you asked TB outright, that policy hasn't changed.

However, I always thought having quotes like that in the public domain was unhelpful. If you are going to play brinkmanship over a fee, you need the other club to think that you'll follow through.
 




Guinness Boy

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Or, as rumoured at the time, with the deal done with Fulham, home-boy Lewis realised he'd have to be out of bed an hour or so earlier every morning to get to training and he didn't really fancy that. So he negotiated a decent pay rise to stay put, whilst still far below what Fulham were going to pay him.

Then Dale's definitely staying. He'd have to get up in the middle of the night to get to Burnley :moo:

(Seriously,while I'm sure your information is more ITK than mine, he turned down a huge mass of money for an hour in bed? Really?)
 


Bozza

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Then Dale's definitely staying. He'd have to get up in the middle of the night to get to Burnley :moo:

(Seriously,while I'm sure your information is more ITK than mine, he turned down a huge mass of money for an hour in bed? Really?)

It has been suggested to me on a couple of occasions, yes. It may be true, it may not. I quite like the story anyway!
 


Mo Gosfield

Well-known member
Aug 11, 2010
6,352
Or, as rumoured at the time, with the deal done with Fulham, home-boy Lewis realised he'd have to be out of bed an hour or so earlier every morning to get to training and he didn't really fancy that. So he negotiated a decent pay rise to stay put, whilst still far below what Fulham were going to pay him.


It was definitely deal done as far as Fulham were concerned and I am led to believe that Dunk's agent went on holiday, thinking the same. The player seemed to have a change of heart immediately post Shoreham air-crash. Whether this just coincided with a re-think and sitting down and discussing everything with BHA or there was an emotional issue that played a part, we shall never know. Lifestyle is important. I know people that have changed jobs to be nearer home.
Bridcutt made a huge lifestyle change in pursuit of more money. He couldn't possibly believe that he was going to hold down a regular PL place. ( even though his suitor might have tried to persuade him otherwise! ) Everyone is different and to some, money is not the be all and end all.
 




Clive Walker

Stand Or Fall
Jul 5, 2011
3,567
Brighton
STEPHENS REQUESTS TO LEAVE

Dale Stephens has put in a transfer request to leave Brighton, we understand.

Burnley and Hull are understood to be interested in signing him before the deadline.

edit: sky sports
 










Seagullssss

New member
Aug 3, 2016
22
No idea why Naylor etc haven't reported it but Stephens has put in a transfer request, as reported above. Wants to go to Hull as doesn't think he'll make the Premier League with us. Also as said above - had all bloody summer...
 


Exile

Objective but passionate
Aug 10, 2014
2,367
From a purely financial viewpoint, I guess this 'increases' the value of Burnley's bid (i.e. what monies the club would receive) by close to a million pounds.
 




crodonilson

He/Him
Jan 17, 2005
14,034
Lyme Regis
:facepalm:

What a plonker

:nono:
 




Icy Gull

Back on the rollercoaster
Jul 5, 2003
72,015
Is it greed that would make him wait that late, if true? Disappointing in a Bridcutt way if true.
 






Blue Valkyrie

Not seen such Bravery!
Sep 1, 2012
32,165
Valhalla
Stephens won't get his cut pf the transfer fee, but we won't sell unless a decent replacement is possible.

No loan window this time to use to replace last minute sales.
 


halbpro

Well-known member
Jan 25, 2012
2,902
Brighton
Look, I know there's bonuses involved and all of that, but (assuming Sky's reporting it correct) you've got to be a right dick to put in a request on the last day. If the deal didn't look like it'd go through, he should have put it in last week at the latest.
 


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