Alright, let’s talk about this whole Nico Williams transfer thing. It’s been buzzing around, right? Every time I check the football news, his name pops up. Big clubs sniffing around, release clauses mentioned, the usual circus.
So, what did I do? Well, you know me, I like to tinker. Fired up the old Football Manager game the other night. Thought I’d see if I could actually pull off this transfer myself, you know, in the virtual world.
My Little Experiment
First thing, I took over a club with a decent budget. Can’t be trying to sign a hot prospect like him with peanuts. Scouted him properly first. Sent my best guys out, told them I wanted the full report – strengths, weaknesses, potential, the lot. Took a couple of weeks in game time.
Reports came back glowing, obviously. Kid’s electric in the game, just like real life. So, next step, make an approach. Checked his contract details. Saw that release clause everyone talks about. Okay, maybe I don’t have that much cash upfront.
Decided to try a bid below the clause first. You know, test the waters. Put in a respectable offer, I thought. Maybe throw in some future fees, sell-on percentage, the usual stuff. Sent it off to Athletic Bilbao.
Rejected. Flat out. No negotiation, just ‘nope’.
Okay, fine. They wanna play hardball. Upped the offer a bit. Still below the clause, but getting closer. Added more incentives.
Rejected again. Message basically said ‘pay the clause or forget it’.
This is where it got tricky in the game. Meeting that clause meant blowing a huge chunk of my transfer budget. Would leave me short for other positions I needed to fill. Spent a good half hour just looking at my squad screen, my finances, weighing it up. Do I risk it all for one player?
In the end, I thought, heck, let’s do it for the story. Triggered the release clause. Bang. Big money gone.
Getting the Deal Done (Virtually)
Then came the contract talks with the player himself. His agent, man… wanted massive wages, big signing bonus, agent fee through the roof. Typical stuff, really. Had to negotiate back and forth a bit.
- Offered slightly lower wages, he wasn’t happy.
- Improved the signing bonus, agent seemed happier.
- Promised him an important squad role, that helped.
Finally, after a bit of tweaking, we reached an agreement. Shook virtual hands. Nico Williams was my player. Felt pretty good, not gonna lie, even if it was just a game.
But yeah, that whole process, dealing with Athletic’s stance, the agent demands, the massive fee… it kinda puts the real-life rumours into perspective. It’s never straightforward, is it? Makes you wonder what’s really going on behind the scenes when these big moves happen. Anyway, that was my little adventure trying to sign Nico. Took up most of my evening!
