Lallana sell on fee should be kept

It may be despair for Saints' fans that Adam Lallana looks set to move on to Liverpool but his 25 per cent sell on clause to AFCB would be just reward for the early years of development that Adam had at the Cherries before the age of 12. A fee of £5m or so coming to the Cherries, as part of the deal, would go a long way to paying off some of the club's debt and I am pleased that the powers that be are holding firm.

Every one wants players to develop and reach their full potential and if Liverpool or any other club are so keen as to want a player's services then they should honour the financial restrictions that have been put on that player by those who have improved the player. It was perhaps seen as the weak link of the deal in Adam's contract, where Liverpool could save some money, as Southampton probably said no to lowering their price on the player. No doubt Manchester United who are also said to be after the player's signature will also see if they can get the transfer at the lowest possible fee.

That kind of good financial management by the Cherries, a good few years ago, is something that they should also be looking at with their current crop of stars. There are several players that play for AFCB that can surely hope to be in the Premiership in the next few years, whether with the Cherries or without them and AFCB should try and protect themselves against losing out on players that they have done so much with to bring on. 

It can happen with other clubs as well and perhaps a player like Ryan Fraser has a deal with Aberdeen if he gets to the Premiership or the full Scottish first team. He will have progressed through the leagues and AFCB will have developed his talents and qualities along the way, but Aberdeen will have played their part too. It cannot be easy to ask for such financial clauses to be included in contracts though if they are seen as a restriction on movement. 

It is perhaps a little easier to see youth players being supplied with such contracts as they have less idea of whether they will make it to the very the top grade. But once a player like Lallana has signed such a clause, the likes of AFCB should not feel that they must reduce their price if a player develops more, and the price they were to receive is perhaps more than they originally would have expected. How much a player can really improve by the age of 12 is hard to put a value on, and what that player may go on to achieve is perhaps even more difficult to assess. But if a player has been spotted at a young age does that not entitle the club that saw that potential to some financial reward if the player is poached from their academy by a bigger club? 

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