Are Loans the new transfers

[down-the-slope]

It seems that more and more teams are doing loan deals in both directions...and we are now hearing things such as...team A & B are discussing loan fee

I suppose after many high profile transfers where the cash is still out standing after months even years...at least with a loan if you default on the fee then you have not actually sold the goods...

Is this a good thing..is it a sign of the financial times

[jacomo]

It's been predicted for a while that the transfer fee will eventually disappear for good. It will then become all about wages.

I think that they will stay for a while yet, in particular clubs "compensating" another club for signing one of their youth players.

But imagine if players start to sign 12 month deals only, either renegotiating or moving every summer? As well as making it more difficult to build a team (which has become increasingly short term anyhow), this will also end the trickle down of money, as smaller clubs will no longer be able to sell on their best players to bigger clubs.

Unfortunately, I see an increasing wealth gap opening up in football, with the bigger clubs just getting further and further from the smaller ones.