I don't really understand it either - I can see why clubs may think that they don't want to show their hand during transfer negotiations, lest other clubs think they're loaded or skint and alter their thinking, but aren't all club financial affairs going to come out eventually when accounts are filed at Companies House anyway? Total expenditure, at any rate, if not individual transfers, will come out.
Then there's the fact that the press bandy figures about as 'fact', which may be miles off the mark. Surely better to have the truth of the matter out there, to stop speculation?
Both 'officially' classed as undisclosed by the club... the media only speculate. Sometimes it's accurate and sometimes it's not, hence the bizarre variations stated on this forum about Zamora's wages, when in actuality, the figure is not officially in the public domain.
Very wise I'd say. If say Cardiff have just paid 3 million or something silly for Noone then the club don't want other clubs knowing how much money we have to play with.
So if the player fails, then the buying club's fans don't know how much was wasted, and the selling club can't be lambasted by their supporters for undervaluing a player.
It always makes me laugh that we apparently know how much footballers are getting paid. I haven't even got a clue how much the guy that sits next me at work gets paid so why should I know the pay of a footballer?