The ongoing story of West Brom’s pursuit of Huddersfield Town’s Karlan Grant has long since passed into the realm of being a “saga”.
Every single day for the last few weeks there are headlines about the potential deal being on the verge of happening. Despite the player wanting the move, Huddersfield Town being willing to let him go and West Brom desperately needing a striker the move seems to be stuck.
While there hasn’t been any discernable change in the status of this move for week, we still get a deluge of articles commenting on the proposed transfer.
Here are a few of the reasons why there are so many articles written about this potential transfer and so few genuine changes in what’s happening.
The deal is genuinely stuck
It feels like most transfer deals have taken longer than usual to complete this season but this one is made more complicated by the circumstances around both clubs.
West Brom have spent most of their allocated transfer money on securing Dianganna and Pereira on permanent deals after they played pivotal roles in the Baggies promotion campaign last season. They are, however, desperately short of a goalscorer and believe Karlan Grant fits the bill.
Huddersfield Town accept that Grant wants to leave, are happy for him to go but only if the deal suits us. That doesn’t just mean getting the right fee but also one that is structured to our satisfaction too. Receiving an up front lump sum is a priority, according to the reports. I’m hoping this is because that money is earmarked for reinvesting in the squad.
So both sides agree broadly on the fee, at least that’s what’s been reported, but the structure of the deal can’t be settled. Both sides are now in a standoff, waiting to see who blinks first before next Friday’s deadline.
You keep on clicking on these articles
So the transfer has been stuck for weeks but why are there multiple stories most days about the on again, off again transfer? You, in your own way, are the problem. Apologies for breaking the fourth wall of the blog and acknowledging the existence of its readers but its fans of both clubs that drive the constant speculation around this transfer.
Articles on newspaper sites and football blogs get far more attention when they are about transfers over almost any other subject. So the people writing articles know they can get lots of attention by reheating the same old vague rumours over and over again.
There’s something to do with the psychology of football fans that makes us think that our team is only one signing away from turning their fortunes around, so we compulsively click on articles despite the fact they’re usually not offering much in the way of new information. I say “we” because I notice myself doing it too. I read articles on websites I know aren’t reliable in the hope they might have a morsel of new information.
The simple solution to stop these pointless articles would be for us all to collectively stop reading them. It’s not likely to happen though because we’re all so desperate for the latest transfer news.
There’s nothing better to write about
On 18th April 1930 the BBC announced that there was no news that day and instead played piano music for 15 minutes. Sadly such an idea is unthinkable now and news outlets require a constant stream of stories to put in front of our eyeballs.
The same thing is true for football news, there has to be something to talk about so in the absence of anything substantial to report, the same old news from yesterday will be trotted out.
Huddersfield Town’s transfer business now seems to hinge on getting rid of Karlan Grant before any new additions can be sanctioned (unless Kongolo’s foot heals enough for him to scrape through a medical) so there aren’t any other transfer related stories to tell right now.
With no Town games between now and the end of the transfer window it’s unlikely there will be anything much else to talk about until the Grant deal is finalised. Or it breaks down. At this point I don’t really care how it’s resolved as long as it’s over and we can read about something else.
Am I a hypocrite?
Writing an article about how there are too many articles about Karlan Grant’s proposed transfer to West Brom feels a bit like having your cake and eating it. I’ve contributed to the issue I’ve described above, so it’s fair to say I’m a hypocrite.
But I’ll promise that this will be the last article I’ll write about this transfer until something concrete happens. No speculating about possible outcomes, repeating unreliable rumours or making stuff up to trick you into clicking. I’ll either find something else to write about or, like the BBC in 1930, not put out anything at all.
The only coments we should have been reading about Karlan Grant was the ones about the goals he should have been scoring, WBA have had HTFC right up the garden path, the truth is they dont have the money and want him on the cheap, all we want him is on the grass of the JS, its been a disgraceful business all round, giving all the problems the clubs have at this time, like you I am fed up of hearing the same old guff. from the parties concerned, the sooner he is on the bus to Brum. the better. UTT
If we go down by a point or two this season then we’ll look back and wonder if we could have picked up a few more points if Grant had been playing these last four games. I think we would have been far more likely to beat Rotherham and maybe even nicked a draw against Norwich.
At least this sorry saga will be over this time next week, one way or another.
David, that sums it all up perfectly, I couldn’t agree more.
If Karlan Grant is such a hot property why are west Brom the only club trying to sign him, I have read nothing about anyone else trying. Its not as if HT could play one suitor against the other because truth is he aint no premier league player. I would say any offer over £10m should be accepted.
Hmmm. I’m not sure it’s fair to say he isn’t Premier League quality when he scored 4 goals in 13 games in a very poor Huddersfield Town team. He’d also improved a lot since then too.
The £16m valuation that gets bandied about seems about right to me for a prolific but limited forward.
West Brom seem to be the only club actively trying to sign him but I think a few other Premier League clubs have been sniffing around (Palace frequently get mentioned).
If they stick to their guns, Town can’t lose. They either get £18M or Grant playing for them again. £18M for a 19 goal striker should be loose change to a Premier League club. If you go on the results so far, WBA (and they lost to Town!) won’t be a Premier League club next season anyway so if Grant can not just see the short term money he should stay where he is for 3 months, get some goals, and his value will go up in January.
I’d be quite pleased if we kept Grant in the short term to bump up his value and give us a few goals.
I think West Brom might be OK if they can get someone to score them a few goals (maybe Grant, maybe not). There are a few other teams they I think will struggle in the Premier League this year.
Well said John, that sounds like a sensible way forward.
As a West Brom supporter I would say it is the tedious daily regurgitated articles of the Birmingham Mail and the Huddersfield Examiner to name a couple (both coincidentally owned by the same company) which have led to the sheer volume. Both doing their bit to drag down the standard of journalism nationally with their deliberately ambiguous headlines and lack of meaningful information within. Absolute gutter press.
Aside from that, I think – contrary to popular opinion – Albion are short of cash reserves. We forked out a large sum in contract uplifts on getting promoted and have already committed to spending about £30m this summer in transfer fees. Our own hasn’t put a penny into the club and we are run to be self-sufficient. So anything above around £5m upfront would be beyond us at the moment.
Understandably Huddersfield will try and get the best deal they can so I suspect the protracted discussions are around structure of the deal and perhaps a case of who blinks first.
I must say, from the outside looking in, it’s disappointing the lad himself isn’t continuing to play football. I know people talk about not wanting to get injured but playing is what he’s paid for and you pay him. It raises red flags for me about his character.
I imagine the deal will be done on the final day but I guess we’ll see.
Good luck this season.
P.S. David North, Albion aren’t a Birmingham club. That’s rather like me saying any leaving us to go to you will be on the bus to Leeds!
Thanks for your comment Warren.
I don’t know about the Birmingham Mail but I’d say The Examiner is almost the only trustworthy source for inside news on Huddersfield Town. They’ve had a few ropey journalists in the past but Stephen Chicken, their lead writer, is consistently good at covering the club.
Ambiguous headlines are a part of football journalism now and I’m as bad as anyone for using them. Having an element of mystery in a title gets readers more interested.
Thanks for the comments about West Brom’s finances. From our experience of going up, the multi-million pound payday for promotion doesn’t seem quite so much when you try to use it build a team capable of staying up.
I don’t have inside knowledge but I think Grant is being left out by the club more than him choosing not to play. It sounds we’ve decided not risk getting him injured. Apparently he’s been professional about it all the way along (apart from a silly tweet he quickly deleted).
All the best for the season, if you get Grant I’ll be hoping he does well for you.
Terrier – thanks for the response. Good to hear there are still some reliable journalists up that way, we have a couple at best and I guess you are like us in that we are largely ignored by national outlets, or at least that’s how it feels. Maybe see you next season!
If West Bromwich isn’t a Birmingham club, why is the postcode B71 4LS ?
Perhaps Steve, for the same reason you can live in Glossop, have a Stockport post code but live in Derbyshire! I don’t think you’d find many Burnley fans who would claim their club is from Blackburn, but they have a BB post code.
West Bromwich is in a different council borough to Birmingham, it’s a small town – smaller than Walsall and around half the size of Wolverhampton – but traditionally a part of the Black Country, which isn’t Birmingham.
If thats the case Warren, my apologies, putting it as you have, it must be the worst of insults, your last bit would be for any Terrier, UTT
I hope this doesn’t get done on the final day as that leaves no. time for a replacement unless he’s already stripped and ready to come on!
No problem David, it is only 6.5 miles away and there’s a ‘Welcome to Birmingham’ sign about 100m past the ground, but it’s an important distinction for many!
I can see it going down to the last minute of the last day, but this has developed into a ridiculous situation,
which has done Town no good whatsoever, my last word on this player is “he should have been playing”
full stop. UTT.