Free Agents, False Friends: Resisting The Temptation of The ‘Bosman’ Signing

This article originally appeared on VICE Sports UK.

While the majority of football fans have heard of Jean-Marc Bosman, far fewer are familiar with the circumstances of his famous free transfer. Having played for RFC Liège between 1988 and 1990, the undistinguished Belgian midfielder had come to the end of his contract and wanted to move to USL Dunkerque in France. At that time, professional clubs were able to prevent players from joining a club in another country, even if they had come to the end of their contracts. Clubs would usually negotiate a compensation package for out-of-contract players but, in Bosman's case, Dunkerque and Liège could not agree on a fee, and so the Belgian club refused to let him move on.

Left in limbo by this procedural hitch, Bosman took his case to the European Court of Justice. His lawyers argued that his treatment contravened European rules on restraint of trade, and won a resounding victory against Liège, UEFA and the Belgian FA. This changed the face of football forever, and allowed out-of-contract players to become free agents. Soon, everyone from Edgar Davids to Steve McManaman was taking advantage of the new rules. For Bosman, however, the rule change was of questionable worth.

While legal proceedings were ongoing, Bosman's career took a nosedive. He had a brief spell in the Belgian lower leagues with Olympic Club de Charleroi, before playing for CS Saint-Denis on the Indian Ocean island of Réunion. By the time that other players were leaving their clubs 'on a Bosman', the man who had inspired the rule change was all but retired. Though he received compensation at the end of his trial, his life as a footballer was over. He was soon to lose a considerable amount of money on a failed business venture hawking 'Who's the Bos?' T-shirts, of which he apparently sold a grand total of one.

In that sense, Jean-Marc Bosman was the first to realise that a free transfer is no easy fix. Since then, numerous managers, players, owners and chairmen have fallen victim to its elusive charms. While the market is now flooded with free agents, most of whom have Bosman to thank, the process of acquiring those players is far more complex than it first appears. For clubs seeking urgent recruitment, free transfers can seem awfully tempting. In the absence of a concrete transfer fee, however, the value of a free agent is often difficult to judge.

First of all, the idea of a 'free' transfer is somewhat misleading. While clubs don't have to pay a transfer fee, they often lose out in wages and signing-on fees what they save in direct costs. Free transfers are famously lucrative for players, who are able to make far higher salary demands in lieu of a multi-million pound outlay for the 'buying' club. This means that free transfers can still represent significant investments, especially if the player is seeking a mid to long-term contract offer.

For fans of teams left light after the close of the transfer window – Hull, Burnley and West Brom, for instance – the prospect of a free transfer might seem like a no brainer. There are several players of reasonable quality available, ranging from Maicon, Mathieu Flamini and Raul Meireles to Charles N'Zogbia, Junior Hoilett and Emmanuel Adebayor. For the chairmen having to pursue these deals, however, there's plenty of cause to be wary. One only has to look to Crystal Palace's six-month association with Adebayor last season to see that a free transfer, no matter how alluring, can be an expensive and embarrassing mistake.

When it comes to a character like Adebayor, the other pitfall of a free transfer becomes apparent. Often, there is a reason that a player remains unattached for the duration of the transfer window, and it goes beyond high wages and extensive contract demands. Questions have hung over Adebayor's attitude for several seasons at this point, with Mauricio Pochettino even demoting him to the under-21s towards the end of his time at Tottenham. There's no doubt that he's a talented player and, on paper, an improvement on many strikers playing for clubs towards the bottom of the Premier League table. That said, is it worth bringing in a free transfer who might cause problems for the manager, even if he adds individual quality to the squad? While Adebayor is a contemporary example, the same question should have applied to Joey Barton's move to QPR and, loathe as we are to remember it, Nicolas Anelka's disastrous free transfer to West Brom.

There have been numerous failed free transfers over the past few years, with dud moves far outweighing hidden gems. Joe Cole to Liverpool; Jose Bosingwa to QPR; Diego Lugano to West Brom; even Flamini's move back to Arsenal in 2013 was of questionable worth to the club, with a strong half a season followed by two-and-a-half years of relative dross. For many of these players, the problem is that they are well past their best. They are recognisable, they have great pedigree, but they can no longer keep up with the frenetic pace of the Premier League. They might not come with a hefty price tag, but their value can be practically negligible.

That is not to say that free transfers cannot be used shrewdly. Leicester's signing of Esteban Cambiasso is a good example, though that was still a calculated risk on a veteran star. Demba Ba's move to Newcastle worked out, though his fitness record made for long odds. 'Bosman' signings will always be something of a gamble for the Premier League's middling clubs, and it's up to chairmen and managers to decide whether or not to roll the dice.

From the evidence of past free transfers, however, it's often better to resist the temptation, even when there's a need to bolster the team. In terms of cost, value and team cohesion, it makes more sense to promote a youth player than to arbitrarily swell the squad with free agents. For every Cambiasso, there's an Andrea Dossena, an Aaron Wilbraham, an Arnau Riera and dozens more. The cost of those mistakes adds up, and it's one that struggling clubs can ill afford.

@W_F_Magee