:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/16075145/137252417.0.jpg)
You there, what's your name? Bolton Wanderers Football Club, you say? You look like you could use a free (transfer) Jermaine Beckford! Don't believe it? Here's the scoop:
The Jermaine Beckford to Bolton Wanderers transfer saga has gone on for what feels like ages now. Talks between Beckford, Bolton Wanderers, and Leicester City opened just the week after the 2012/13 season ended with an apparent asking price emerging the day after that. Some ten days later, talks had stalled and it was nearly a month after that when a fee was agreed. Last week, Beckford had his Bolton medical and Dougie Freedman said that the deal was "close," adding the following in a Bolton News interview:
"We are very close with Jermaine. He's someone I have worked with before, played with, and a proven goalscorer who I think will be very good for this football club.
"We are not quite there but I do have a gentleman's handshake on it, which goes a long way for me. It's just a couple of small bits and pieces that we need to tidy up."
Leicester City are apparently between a rock and a hard place with Beckford's situation and are, at this point, trying to mitigate losses. Reportedly (via the Bolton News and other outlets), if the striker plays one more game for Leicester City, the Foxes would owe Everton a fair bit of money. Per the BN's report, the situation is similar to that of Sam Ricketts' at Bolton Wanderers last week prior to joining Hull.
That situation was best explained by Neil Turner on Twitter and makes sense when you go back and look at the big picture:
@Sophthecatsmum @enzogambaro @NeilBonnarBN Ginny. His tensing year is worth £1m. There's no way on earth Wolves would've given us that.
— Neil (@Neilturner83) July 4, 2013
@Sophthecatsmum @enzogambaro @NeilBonnarBN when you sell a player, you have to pay up their contract. The reported fee from wolves was
— Neil (@Neilturner83) July 4, 2013
@Sophthecatsmum @enzogambaro @NeilBonnarBN 400k meaning we'd have to give Sam the other £600k. Where is the benefit to us in that?
— Neil (@Neilturner83) July 4, 2013
@Sophthecatsmum @enzogambaro @NeilBonnarBN it's better for BWFC, but fair play to Sam for walking away with less than his entitlement.
— Neil (@Neilturner83) July 4, 2013
In Beckford's case, it looks like the player and Leicester City are in a comparable position. If the striker and his club agree to mutually terminate the player's contract, the club would not have to pay out remaining money owed to him and while they would miss out on a transfer fee, they would ultimately save money. Jermaine Beckford has two years left on his (reported) £38,000 per week contract. He would be taking a sizable pay cut to join Bolton Wanderers.