"We already see that with a lot of requests that we have, and players that are being offered to us.”
Those were the words of Whitecaps FC head coach Marc Dos Santos during a recent radio appearance with Halford & Brough on TSN Radio 1040, discussing the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic would have on the transfer market, as clubs around the world feel its effect on their revenue streams.
- FULL INTERVIEW:Dos Santos on Halford & Brough
“There is no doubt that this is going to affect the transfer market," said Dos Santos.
Hovering over the transfer market is the question of the financial independence of different football clubs. Dos Santos explains that clubs from smaller and lesser-known leagues run the risk of bankruptcy as the pandemic leaves them lacking steady sources of revenue. However, clubs from bigger leagues and markets have to tread carefully considering the unpredictable nature of this pandemic.
“What I believe is, you are not going to see all these crazy transfers that you saw in the last four or five years. I think this year and maybe next year, it’s going to come down a lot, clubs are going to be very careful but there is no doubt that small clubs all over the world are struggling,” said Dos Santos.
Last week, MLS announced that they will allow voluntary individual workouts beginning May 6, a development that is cheerfully welcomed by Dos Santos. He spoke on the Caps’ efforts to cater player workouts to the guidelines from both local health authourities and the league.
"There's still a lot of little details we're working on regarding how training would look like," added Dos Santos.
He also posited that decisions on workout load would be key in getting players back to in-season fitness.
"Do you only maintain players physically or do you start accelerating load because you know you're playing (on a certain date)? We have to be very careful with the type of training we're doing," explained Dos Santos.
Despite the limitations that circumstances present, Dos Santos recognizes that this could mark the first of gradual steps to a full return to action.
"To at least put their cleats on and get on natural grass, it's different from being on the bike or doing the Zoom training session at home on carpet. At least, it's a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel."
