During the closing stages of the season, clubs started to become linked with an array of different players as targets were identified for the summer, while it is also emerging which teams will be able to take more risks in the transfer window than others. Wolverhampton Wanderers appear in a position to play real-life fantasy football - much like Chelsea and Manchester City have done in the past - but over on the other side of the West Midlands, Aston Villa face the prospect of selling the majority of their best players and biggest earners just to keep themselves out of administration. The contrasting situations at those clubs are an example of the differences in spending that we may see over the coming months but what will not change is the levels of activity which we will witness at teams up and down the United Kingdom and around the world.
The sums on offer to Premier League clubs and the teams competing on the European stage mean that they can effectively take calculated risks on new players and legal online sports betting allows punters to do the same when it comes to a player potentially linking up with a new club. Much like the transfer market can change with one offer or one quote from a disgruntled player, the online sports market will react just as quickly. For example, take the interest in Real Madrid star Gareth Bale. When the Welshman suggested that he may entertain a move away from the Bernabeu, the forward quickly became odds-on to sign for a new club before the end of August but with Zinedine Zidane now out of the picture, Bale is now odds-on to spent a sixth season at the home of the Champions League winners.
© Reuters
Of course, it will only take one big-money approach for another shift in odds to occur but away from a high-profile star potentially taking on a new challenge, punters face a different proposition when it comes to a player leaving a relegated club. If a star name finds himself out of the Premier League, their club - in most cases - has little option to sell for as high a fee as possible and the player in question may choose to bide his time before making a final decision. The ramifications on the transfer market is that more and more clubs will have to remain patient for openings to materialise but for the online betting market, it becomes increasingly difficult for a punter to place a bet with much certainty. They are rewarded with much more favorable odds but they are open to a player waiting a while before confirming the next move of their career.
From the clubs who have been relegated from England's top flight, Stoke City pair Jack Butland and Xherdan Shaqiri face important decisions over their futures but their World Cup participation will only add to rumours over a new club. Butland is currently between Evens and 8/1 to link up with either Liverpool, Arsenal, Wolves or Chelsea but that could change for better or worse if the England stopper gets an outing at the World Cup. Shaqiri is more established and allegedly has a release clause of of £12m in his contract, and at least a dozen clubs have already been suggested as a possible destinations for the Switzerland international. The winger has already stated that he wants to remain in the Premier League but again, a significant showing in Russia could lead to a major club from Europe entering the race.
© Reuters
When it comes to clubs like Villa, who are desperately in need of funds, trying to second-guess where their best players will end up becomes a bigger minefield. In the case of Jack Grealish, the attacker was already generating interest with Villa allegedly looking for a fee of £40m but that asking price will almost certainly come down due to their desire to do business at a faster rate and more teams will naturally take an interest. The majority of teams in the Premier League will be prepared to risk an outlay of anything in the region of £25m to sign a 22-year-old who is yet to reach his potential and could possibly be sold for a higher fee in a couple of years and while Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City currently head the market, situations like Villa's and Grealish's may encourage punters to opt for a left-field choice.
With the World Cup to factor in as well - with the platform being provided for a lesser-known player to earn his dream move after the tournament - it is still extremely early in this summer's transfer window but like with football clubs opting to do their business early in an attempt to avoid inflated prices after the 32-nation event, punters may take the chance to have nibbles at bigger odds before transfer deals get further down the line.
