Greatest League in the World 2024 [new thread available]

It really is the off season..... Only 3 months to go!

Kenny was under contract for another season and Daniel McDonnell is reporting his new one has a release clause of €150k. Right now it's looking more like a massive mistake than a neat bit of business.

The likes of Hibs aren't going to be paying huge add-ons like Man City did with Bazunu. If we're lucky we might get a €150k base fee, €150k total add-ons and a €200k sell-on fee. That is if everything goes perfectly for him at Hibs (if he joins, he's only over there visiting). Hibs never get massive transfer fees so 20% of whatever he'd be sold for will not be much more than €200k.

Unless there is more to the story we should have kept him on his one year deal, retained negotiating power and the option to just say no and keep him for the season. He'd score 15+ goals next season, could be key to helping us qualify for Europe again and could be key in helping us advance a round in July. There is far more value in that than there is in selling him for €150k now.

We've got no strikers under contract apart from him. We are we going to find a goalscorer now?

The club was in a weak position with him. Who`s to say there wasn`t a smaller release clause in the previous contract or no release clause at all. In that case the likes of Hibs could come in and offer a fraction of 150k and because Kenny wants to go to a fulltime league the club are forced to take it. A LOI club turning down an offer from an SPL club for a young player that wants to go isn`t the real world.

Unfortunately the likes of Hibs are a step up from anything in the LOI - playing in front of 15,000 in a fulltime league with regular trips to Ibrox and Celtic Park. If he hits the ground running there he`ll be an Irish senior international very soon.

I've seen a few people associated with Glenmalure Rovers complaining about it, and a few who were expecting an actual signing, but at the end of the day, any earnings from that horse in races are going to charity. Can't complain too much.

No one's missing the point.

LOI clubs are in weak position when it comes to transfers. The Bazunu/Shams deal was a once in a blue moon one with a lad who is the best player to come out of this country in a decade if not more and the competition drove up the asking price.

The norm is LOI players negotiating 1 year deals so they can move on frees. The only reason Kenny signed a 3 year deal was because it was laced with release clauses. Buckley said as much when it was signed.

Out of the last 5 players to win player of the year in the league 4 moved abroad. Byrne, Towell, Horgan and Maguire cost a combined fee of €125k and that was what Preston paid Cork. That was for a 30 goal LOI top scorer. Even allowing for add-ons its pretty small time stuff.

The 2nd best midfielder in the league (McEneff) went to Hearts for €200k.

In that light a €150k fee for an 18 year old with 10 league goals is alright,not great but something is better than nothing.

Banging my head off a wall here. You're both still going on about transfer fees and ignoring the player's value to the team right now. How much other players have gone for in the past is completely irrelevant.

If he does leave and we're 6th in July with no striker capable of hitting a barn door perhaps you'll get it. The €150k won't seem that great then when we're losing to Icelandic builders again in the EUCL and not qualifying for Europe for 2023. That would cost the club at least €300k in lost revenues. Our only hope is whatever striker from outside the league we take a punt on is half decent but our track record there isn't great.

It ended up being over €300k according to Paul Cook but that doesn't have the same ring to it.

I seem to remember Celtic taking him on trial knowing Rovers were in financial difficulty and needed to sell him to pay the tax man, but they offered no cash up front. Such is their level of respect for Irish football.

I feel like I'm the one banging my head off a brick wall here the previous fees are to give an indication of the market value of a LOI footballer.

Here`s a scenario for you.

Mr Oat23 is the Sligo Rovers chairman. Johnny Kenny`s contract runs out in the summer of 22.

Mr Oats23: Johnny, here`s a contract for 3 years with a 500k release clause in it?

Johnny Kenny: I`m not signing that I want to move to Britain if a decent club comes in for me and that will put them off. I`m a semi-pro footballer and there would be other much less riskier signings they could make at that price that come from better fulltime leagues and/or are older.

Mr Oat23: You have to sign it!

Agent: He doesn`t.

Mr Oat23: Ah, go on, please like?

I`m not sure what you think happens in this scenario. Does the club play hard ball and stop an 18 year old's move to a fulltime set up with better coaches and players?

The facilities at Hibs are miles ahead of anything in the LOI. They have a £5 million training ground on 24 acres with 5 pitches. Do Rovers say no to Kenny he has to stay training on an astro turf at the back of the Showgrounds eating fitfood meals off his lap and heading off to play in one of the many living museums that are LOI grounds?

OK, Rovers want to get into Europe but Hibs are here now with E150k and unfortunately LOI clubs are living hand to mouth.

The "Icelandic Builders" comment is pretty out of touch. Plenty of outfits around Europe look down their noses at LOI sides as "leprachauns" or "Farmers". LOI clubs are routinely beaten by Lithuanian, Estonian and Icelandic sides. Its delusional to think semi-pro LOI outfits have any right to beat any of these sides. Our clubs are slightly better than some of these outfits but not enough to say we have a right to steam roll them. As a whole LOI clubs history in Europe is absolutely dire. We`ve won 3 games out of 26 in Europe. Shams have lost 46 out of 76, with 16 wins! I`m not sure even a promising player like Kenny could help with that.

Winter of 2022 but I'm assuming this is just a typo.

I never expected the club to have signed Kenny to a deal with a much bigger release clause. Nowhere have I said that. My opinion is the new contract was not worth signing if it has indeed added a release clause of just €150k and he leaves via that 2 months after signing the deal. It has handicapped us from any type of negotiation in the transfer wherever he goes. Please tell me what you think the benefit is (from the club's POV) adding a €150k release clause 2 months before selling a player. There is none that I can see.

It's a different story entirely if Johnny had told the club prior to the extension that he's going to stay another year and this trip to Scotland was just to see what he thinks of the place, in which case extending the contract with the clause was indeed a brilliant move as we get another year of Johnny in the side AND a fee next winter if he goes then....But we don't know if that is the case yet. Dan McDonnell who is obviously getting info straight from his agent seems to think a move is highly likely in January.

Rovers have actually done quite well over the past 2 years due to the government assistance through COVID and fundraising. That is partly why we have no early bird ST discount this year. There's no outstanding bills that need paying like most years.

What does any of this have to do with what I said? I said he went on trial to Celtic with them knowing Rovers needed cash from the deal to pay the tax man and then after the trial they came in wanting him but not offering any cash. Why are you giving me Pat Hoban's career history? 😂

Re: L1/L2 proven goalscorer: I couldn't even name one that has signed here. There is more money on offer over there so I don't think that happens often. It's usually lads who haven't cut it at that level who can come over here and be goal machines, like Danny North for example. Or Garry Twigg being an average enough forward in the Scottish 2nd tier and being godlike here. It's a punt. Some lads can adjust to the league and living in Ireland. Others can't. I don't see Rovers being in a position to attract a proven L1/L2 goalscorer just because of the Kenny money.

Think we got something in the region of £10k for Gibson.

Mark Doyle and Joe Redmond sign for Pats.

Tim Clancy also wants Jimmy Browne and David Odumuso.

Pats want 4 of our back 5. From the team that finished third last in the league.