Venky's Set To Discuss Transfer Policy

[BRFCS Content]

Published: Tuesday, 7 December 2010

Venky's Set To Discuss Transfer Policy

BRFCS News Editorial Comment

Reports in the local and national media have suggested that Rovers' owners Venky's are due to meet representatives of sports agency Kentaro to discuss Rovers' transfer policy and budget for the January transfer window prior to discussing this with manager Sam Allardyce.

If this meeting has the blessing of chairman John Williams and, more importantly, manager Sam Allardyce, then there is nothing for Rovers fans to worry about. However, if it does not, then this has the potential to become a major problem between the club's existing management structure and new owners Venky's. Prior to the takeover, reports suggesting that Kentaro would be involved in all major decisions regarding the management of the club were dismissed as "wide of the mark". And, after the takeover, the documents and statements released seemed to indicate that there would be continuity in terms of how the club was managed.

However, if Kentaro are involved in dictating transfer policy, then it could represent a nightmare scenario whereby our manager does not have the ultimate say in which players are bought and sold. This is not an entirely novel approach as it is a policy widely used on the continent in Europe and in many cases it is very successful. For Rovers, however, this would be a journey into uncharted territory and would represent a considerable departure from accepted practice.

Such involvement also begs the question of whether this kind of arrangement would be acceptable to someone like Sam Allardyce, who likes to control all facets of the football side of the club. Another question that it raises is how unbiased would the advice from football agents be? Surely it would be only natural for Kentaro to recommend players who are registered with them over other players. But would that not represent a conflict of interest in some shape or form?

At the moment, we can only speculate and pose questions. However, with meetings taking place in India this week, we may know very soon how this is going to affect the future management of the club. We await news of the outcome of these meetings with great interest.

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