Brassell: Will footballers go freelance? – ESPN FC.

A very interesting but ultimately, I think, unlikely question here.

It may become something to watch if more players of, or close to, Stephane Mbia’s caliber and experience begin to follow suit. The last two paragraphs touch on loan deals becoming more popular and Financial Fair Play resulting in an evolving transfer market, both of which could make this a possibility in time.

Two things have to be considered though.

Above all else, and it’s something we always forget, football is a job. While this freelance idea is attractive because of higher payday and more freedom in decision-making it takes away from a football player stability on, and off, the pitch.

Whether the player’s married or not, I don’t think the prospect of constantly moving all across Europe would be appealing. Not to mention the hassle of constantly renewing contracts, the worry about injuries(if you sign a one-year deal and get injured then you could very well lose that contract, and not get another job for a while if you can’t recover quickly)

I guess they could zone in on a particular region, or league. Maybe someone could try to enter the Guinness Book of World Records by playing for all 20 La Liga teams. That would take some pretty nifty negotiation skills when contracts come about but, then again, they could just become a pariah who is unwanted by most clubs.

That’s the other  problem for the players. Especially the ones who may have enough quality to be appealing to most teams.

The owners will come to a point of not wanting to shell out cash for a constant stream of new faces but things may not even reach that far, as the managers will surely want to stay away from players they can’t fit into a team for a project.

Who knows what will happen in football, though. I’m sure no one saw Jean-Marc Bosman coming.

Until next time.