Inside the wild west of the transfer window as Sheffield United's Harry Souttar pursuit twists and turns
Another bid, another twist and another wave of speculation. As Sheffield United continue their pursuit of Harry Souttar, here's why transfer stories can change by the hour – and why supporters are not the only ones left trying to separate fact from fiction.
Sheffield United fans could be forgiven for feeling signs of whiplash as the will-he-won’t-he Harry Souttar saga continues into another week. The Blades have made another bid for the Leicester City man as they look to end their long centre-half search.
With Gus Hamer edging closer to the Bramall Lane exit door, it seems on the face of it a straightforward deal. Lose one player for decent money, sign another. Job done. But things are never quite that simple where the Blades are concerned.
The big issue is the black hole caused by the loss of parachute payments this summer. That must be covered somehow, either by owner funding or player sales or a combination of both. The departures of Andre Brooks and soon Hamer will help to plug the gap.
United, as I wrote when breaking the news of an agreement between the two sides on Saturday, can't simply ringfence the Hamer funds to go and get Souttar. But it may give them a bit of wriggle room, as suggested by the improved bid lodged over the weekend.
Curiously that is said to have happened shortly after a trusted source said that United had effectively no chance of landing Souttar. A similarly well-placed insider again cast doubt on United’s Souttar hopes today, speaking to The Star under the condition of anonymity.
At the time of writing there had been no feedback on the latest bid, although Foxes boss Russell Martin recently warned that any club wanting to sign the giant Australian international will have to pay top dollar to do so.
Our information is that United were not in a position to do so as they went into the summer, with frees and loans the remit for the Blades’ recruitment team. Exactly how high United’s owners are prepared to go for Souttar will be fascinating to see.
I wondered aloud in a tweet on Saturday whether the outpouring of emotion after news of the Hamer sale had played a part in their decision to go back in for Souttar. Some scoffed, one even accused me of being overly negative for the sake of it.
But the owners are known to keep an eye on the mood of the fanbase, telling the owner of one fan channel in particular that they watch his content for that exact reason.
They will see a fanbase frustrated by a summer of perceived inactivity. In the space of a few weeks alone they have been told that Souttar is done and dusted, set to be unveiled a week ago.
That he is keen to make the move to Bramall Lane, and that he may be staying at City after a bad injury to Ben Nelson. Then, that he is still for sale, but only at the right price. That West Ham and Wrexham - who could be United’s main competition for Souttar - are also interested.
No wonder their heads are spinning. Any reporter is only as good as their sources, though, and the trick is to try and work out who is on the right lines and who may be feeding you things for their own benefit. At most times of the year, but especially in a window, it can be like the wild west out there.
I remember once hearing that United had sold a player and checking it out with his agent. No chance, I was told. Not true. The information, he said, was bad.
It turned out to good; so good in fact that news of the accepted bid hadn’t yet even reached his representatives. To his credit he called and apologised but that was a good story I had but couldn’t use until it was too late.
Every twist and turn means more calls, more WhatsApp messages on days off and at all times of the day and night. The school of thought that we just trawl social media and forums for news is as laughable as the idea that all of us enjoy transfer windows.
Some of us might - here’s looking at you, Fabrizio - but the majority can’t wait for it to be over with. To put aside the agendas, the chasing and those who downright lie to you and focus on the football will be a joy when the window shuts on the evening of September 1.
By that point Souttar will either be a Blade or he won’t. United will either have addressed their problems or still be light going into the season. And we can all put the nonsense to one side, for a few months at least.