Toni Watola explains why transfer fees are usually kept under wraps
Following the departure of Michael Smith last week, the subject of the ‘undisclosed fee’ was raised.We spoke to Finance Director Toni Watola about some of the reasons clubs choose to keep transfer fees under wraps.
He said: “The undisclosed fee is common practice in football, and is usually instigated by the purchasing club.
“This was the case in the Michael Smith deal, where Peterborough had it written in as stipulation in the contract.
“This happens for a number of reasons, the principle one being that clubs don’t want to set a precedent for future deals.
“If other targets and their clubs are aware of the fees being paid by a certain club, it could result in the bar being raised, and more money being demanded for future transfers.
“For that reason, this is also something we do at Bristol Rovers, as we do not want to put ourselves in a position where we could suffer a financial disadvantage.
“We understand that fans are keen to know what players are bought and sold for, but I hope you can see the financial reasons behind keeping these figures confidential”