The phrase ‘tapping up’ is often used to describe how a football club approaches a player. The phrase is thrown around quite often and according to reports, it occurs in 95% of transfers.

What is tapping up?

Tapping up takes place when a football club attempts to persuade a player under contract with a different team to join another them. The contact and persuasion are done without the official consent of the player’s current team.

An approach is most often made through the player’s agent. Tapping up can also be made through players and coaches. Approaches can be done through the media. These moves are rather common and considered by many to be out of line.

According to reports, it is believed that 95% of all transfers occur thanks to tapping up. Consider Liverpool’s recent transfer to Liverpool from Bayern Munich. Although Bayern Munich wanted to sell the midfielder, the entire approach for Thiago came through the media, to begin with.

Even when two clubs are keen to do a transfer deal for a player at an agreed-upon fee, the final deal does not happen unless the agent is taken care of financially. In many transfers, the agent is often paid handsomely by the buying club.

Agents and players

In modern football, a football agent doesn’t need 20 players to represent to become a multi-millionaire. An agent only needs one player; the right one.

As a result of agents and players, tapping up is an industry-standard for nearly every transfer in football. It’s easier. It’s less time-consuming than the traditional way of contacting a player and beginning negotiations.

The method allows players to move from club one to another instead of a club holding onto a player. It allows managers to concentrate on the business of winning football matches and hand the problem of recruitment to specialists within the club.