Melbourne Hustlers Rebuff PSV

Archie Thompson might still be headed for PSV but Melbourne Victory's counter offer has ensured that the deal will be anything but a steal for the Dutch champions.

Melbourne has refused the initial offer from PSV, which involved a six month loan arrangement with PSV paying 100% of Thompson's wages, an option to purchase Thompson for $500,000 at the end of the contract, and a 20% cut of any future transfer deal involving Thompson.

The counter offer requests that (1) the transfer fee remain negotiable at the end of the six months, and (2) a fee of 100,000 euros be paid to Melbourne if PSV's option to sign Thompson is not carried out. This proposed arrangement would allow Melbourne to extract a higher fee for Thompson should he be a revelation at PSV, perhaps even in a sale to another bidder on the open transfer market. It also protects the club against the possibility of injury, poor form and the like. According to the original offer, if Thompson doesn't make it for whatever reason then PSV has simply lost a few dollars in wage payments, while Melbourne has lost arguably its biggest asset and drawcard just before a desperate plunge for the finals. It remains to be seen if PSV consider this form of guaranteed compensation realistic within the terms of a loan arrangement.

You have to feel for the player amid all of this business interaction. There's no doubt Archie prefers to be with PSV in the build up to the World Cup.

There is perhaps another answer to the dilemma. Why not just loan out Thompson with no clause regarding his subsequent purchase? After six months, if PSV or any other club want him they can make an offer. I know it sounds too simple and totally unsexy, but given the complicated circumstances (Melbourne can still mathematically finish second on the ladder!) maybe it's worth considering -- especially if PSV rejects the latest counter offer.

Who knows what's going to happen now. Maybe PSV will turn around and offer a $1 million bid for outright purchase of Archie, which is close to the sum total (inclusive wages and re-sale share) of the initial offer anyway. Or perhaps they'll decline and look elsewhere. I wonder what's going through the mind of Guus Hiddink right now, who as much as anyone is probably quite helpless to the machinations going on between PSV and Melbourne's administrators.