PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20099, 9 November 1928, Page 19

PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL.

HIGH OFFER FOR PLAYER. £IO,OOO FOR CENTRE-FORWARD. [FROM OrR ATHLETIC CORRESPONDENT.] LONDON. Oct. 2. Footballers are to bo likened to the cotton and woollen markets: their price is controlled by the question of supply and demand. The majority of football club managers are against high transfer fees, but as ono pointed out to mo the other day they are forced to go on the open markot and bid. In mail week a certain London club badly in need of a centre-forward offered a Lancashire club the sum of £IO,OOO for its centre-forward. And when it came out that tho only real star, Dixie Dean, of Evert on, who might be worth this sum, was not the wanted player tho critics suggested the club making such a big offer for any other leader must bo controlled by madmen ! It is said the reason why the transfer did not go through was because the club in possession of the wanted player "dare not sell lest it offended its supporters." I shall not be at all surprised if trajisfer fees do not soar—and how they have soared ! Why, I remember when Sunderland caused a sensation by paving .CJOOO fur Alf Common, a player who had morn football knowledge, in his little finger than most stars of to-day have in their whole bodies.

The. record transfer feci is £7500, paid bv Aston Villa to tho (llasgow club, Patrick Thistle,, for Gibson, a halfback. But higher offers have been made. Sheffield Unityd, which wanted a winner from Notts Forest, was asked £IO,OOO, but this figure was not paid, though the player eventually went to the Yorkshire club. The Arsenal, which, if is believed, inado the £IO,OOO offer to the Lancashire club, was prepared to pay (llasgow Celtic £7500 for its centre-forward, init the deal did not go through because tho player demanded £2OOO for himself. Newcastle United has had as much as £OOOO offered for (iulllnt her, its Scottish centre-forward. In fact, it will ho noticed that all these big-price men hail from Scotland. Dean, of Everton, is the only exception.