yep, covering their asses but I don't think they'd run that unless they were confident. I would expect an announcement from the club shortly.
Lots of sources saying we're only a whisker away from agreeing a deal for Doucouré too. Could be a good week.
Sky also now say done deal http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11686/10135711/watford-sign-winger-nordin-amrabat-from-malaga
I remember Jimmy Greaves from Chelsea to Spurs for a record 99,999 because neither club wanted to set the precedent of a 100,000 fee.
On the club website now: http://www.watfordfc.com/news/article/nordin-amrabat-malaga-watford-fc-premier-league-2909136.aspx
Having crossed the frontier between them on many occasions, I can tell you that Moroccans and Algerians can't stand the sight of one another. Guediora and Belkalem won't be happy.
If anything, if it were me having just signed and then watching last night, I'd be saying I can make a difference and add something. If we'd have won 5-0 with everyone giving a 5 star performance then I'd be thinking, how am I going to break into the team.
Having spoken to a friend of mine who watched him when he played for VVV Venlo, he thinks he's a good signing and describes him as a strong winger far more than a support striker.
As a slight aside, can somebody explain a release clause? Who puts it in there? Is it just a case of marketing, like when you sell a house and say offers over £xxx?
It's either voluntarily negotiated into the contract by the club and the player as part of the contract offer, or mandated by the regulatory body with the two parties determining the actual size of the release clause. The clause functions by essentially mandating that the club who owns the player accepts a transfer offer if the release clause amount is met. For example, if a player has a 5 million release clause then the club could tell an interested buyer to sod off with a 4.95 million bid. The moment they make it 5 million the owning club is 100% obligated in law to accept the bid, even if they don't want to sell. The player is still allowed to turn the move down, obviously.
