Many years ago I got chatting with Imre Veradi at a youth match down at Oakwell.He was telling that he's now an agent.This led on to me asking about how moves come about.I asked if a player was offered a transfer and he wasn't interested in the move ,what happens.He said players are always encouraged to talk to the other club even if they've made there mind up they don't want to move.Its some kind of unwritten procedure and purely down to courtesy.Maybe it works the same way for managers.
There is zero loyalty in football now and a big part of this is trigger happy boards, so why should a manager be any different?
Money talks - agents get paid if a player moves. Players have a short shelf life, those facts equal nigh on zero loyalty in football. As regards Duff, he'll have never been a big earner whilst a player, so a 3 yr contract for example at a club where his salary means he's set for life = only one outcome. He'd have ended up sacked here anyway after a downturn.
The question is who is the player being courteous to? What Varadi may not have been as open about is that it's the agent who 'encourages' the player to do so and the reason is that it's financially beneficial for them if they move i.e. they take a cut of the fee, increased wages etc. And then once the player has the conversation it becomes more difficult to say no because the agent also expresses their support for the move. Many (not all) players abdicate responsibility to their agent which makes it worse. But somehow I don't think Michael Duff will do that - he strikes me as someone who will make his own decisions.
This. Some of those eager to label him a disloyal snake would also be the first calling for his head after a run of bad results if he stayed.
I wouldn’t say it’s courtesy ,it’s not burning your bridges ,because you never know when later in a career you might need a move
