Taking control of transfers

Tired of intermediaries dictating their transfer business, NS Mura, from the small northeastern Slovenian town of Murska Sobota, have opened the doors to a global network of more than 650 clubs in over 60 countries after joining the platform.

The Prva Liga club have traditionally done their transfer business in domestic markets or the surrounding Balkans region but without a huge recruitment department, they have often had to rely on intermediaries and third parties to pass on other club’s requirements and tell them which players are open to a move.

“The transfer market for both buying and selling players for us is very limited. As a result, we are highly dependent on agents and their contacts,” says Robert Kuzmic, NS Mura President.

Having that additional hurdle in a transfer process adds an extra cost element and means NS Mura are rarely in control.

Now, the Slovenian club can connect directly with decision makers worldwide to do business quickly and more efficiently.

Jaka Maucec, General Secretary, explains: “We want to expand our transfer market for buying and selling players, and we want to have a bigger view of the market. Now we can see which players are available and, just as importantly, those who are not. So we don’t waste time.

“TransferRoom gives us more transparency and direct contact to all clubs, so we can gain a stronger connection with them.”

Grabbing the attention of Europe

Prva Liga rivals NK Bravo have sporadically sold young talents to top European leagues - Amir Feratovic (AS Roma), Zan Jevsenak (Benfica) and Domen Gril (Hoffenheim) have all made moves in the last three years - but to make that a permanent part of the revenue stream requires stronger contacts and reliable information.

President Luka Brezovec says: “Slovenia is a small market, and it is hard to grab attention or present our top talent to clubs in different places where we do not have everyday contact. We have transferred some of our best players to big European clubs, but it is always hard to get relevant information on what clubs are searching for and find the right opportunity at the right time.”

NK Bravo have joined TransferRoom to 'showcase their young talents to a wider audience'

That’s where TransferRoom comes in.

“With many talents from our youth academy now playing for the first team, we wanted to showcase them to a wider audience and TransferRoom is a great place to find the best fit for our players that are looking to make the next step in their careers,” explains Blaz Klaric, Vice-President.

“With its wide network of participation clubs, and tools to pitch and search for players, we will use all the options available on TransferRoom to maximise the chances of finding good combinations with different clubs from around the world.”

But the club from the capital Ljubljana is not just looking to sell talent. 

Only set up in 2006, NK Bravo are a young club looking to use connections made on TransferRoom to establish themselves as a development home for top talents and a stepping stone to bigger leagues.

Brezovec adds: “On one hand, we are a young club focused on developing the best Slovenian football talents and giving them an opportunity to showcase their skill in the top division of Slovenian football before making the next step and prove their worth in some of Europe’s best leagues. 

“On the other hand, we are a stable club in the top division, without the pressure of high expectations, which offers an ideal environment for talented players from other bigger clubs that need a place to develop before being ready for their first team. 

“Success for us would be to help our best players to move to bigger and stronger competition and to find like-minded clubs to cooperate and help their players develop as well.”

NS Mura and NK Bravo are following in the footsteps of domestic rivals NK Domzale, which signed up to TransferRoom earlier this year.