'Lost' transfer fees - Revealing the clubs who have missed out most on future sales
Published on Sunday, 13 July 2025 at 6:16 pm
For years, the football transfer market has been dominated by headlines touting record-breaking acquisitions and eye-watering sums spent. Fans pore over incoming fees, celebrating new arrivals and debating their immediate impact. Yet, an equally critical, though far less discussed, financial aspect often slips under the radar: the potential earnings clubs *fail* to secure from players they’ve already sold. These are the 'lost' transfer fees – the future windfalls from sell-on clauses, solidarity payments, and the sheer undervaluation of burgeoning talent that blossomed elsewhere. Our comprehensive new analysis aims to shine a spotlight on this often-overlooked financial void, revealing which clubs have historically left the most money on the table, and inviting you to see where your club ranks in our searchable table of 'lost' future earnings.
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The concept of 'lost' fees extends beyond simply neglecting to insert a sell-on clause. It encompasses a spectrum of scenarios where clubs inadvertently short-change themselves. Consider the promising academy graduate sold for a modest sumonly to explode into a global superstar two seasons latercommanding a transfer fee ten times their initial valuation – a fee the selling club receives no percentage of. Or the player offloaded due to financial pressureswhose subsequent moves could have generated
Source: theathleticuk
