How To Bet On Football Transfers – Betting Guide 2024

Football Transfer Windows

While some betting sites will have a few football transfer markets available throughout the whole season, the best time for this type of bet is during the two transfer windows that occur throughout the year. The first comes in January and is open throughout the whole month, and the second falls in mid-June and lasts until the start of September.

While both windows see a great deal of activity, the January football transfer window is the one that most people give their attention to. Throughout these windows, players have the opportunity to move clubs, with clubs looking to boost their team for the season.

How To Bet On Football Transfers

Before placing your bet, the first thing you need to do is find the betting sites that offer football transfer markets. Being an unpredictable market and one that is harder for a bookmaker to provide odds for while still turning a profit, you’ll find that your choice of betting sites is limited. But there are still some great ones out there.

Different betting sites will offer different odds on each market. Therefore, it’s a good idea to sign up to a few sites so that you can get the best value on each market. When selecting your betting sites, consider the following:

• The markets they have available
• Their odds on the market you want
• The welcome offers available

Once you have chosen your betting sites, navigate to their football, or soccer, section. You then want to head to the section titled ‘specials’ within which you will find ‘transfer specials’. This is where you can:

• Select the football transfer market you wish to bet on
• Make your prediction
• Enter your wager
• And submit your bet

Football Transfer Betting Markets

There are plenty of football transfer betting markets to choose from. Here are some of the most common markets explained:

Betting market	How it works
Next permanent club	This market predicts the club a player will sign a permanent contract with during the transfer window and is the most popular type of football transfer bet.   Typically, there are rules around this type of bet in that it has to be a permanent contract rather than a loan, and the contract has to be signed before the deadline of that window.   Often there is a favourite club for a player to transfer to, but rival clubs can make an offer late in the game as the deadline approaches, potentially being the one to make a deal with that player.
Player to leave or stay	This is a simple market where you predict whether an individual player will remain with their current club or transfer to a new one during the window. This market has only two outcomes, leave or stay, meaning that the odds for this market are typically quite low. However, with this comes the benefit of much less risk.
Player’s next club	With this market, you can make a prediction on which club you think a player will be with at the end of the transfer window. This could be either as a permanent deal or on loan.
Club’s next signing	This is a less popular market with only some betting sites offering it. Within this market, you can bet on which player a club will sign during the transfer window. This market can have heavy favourites if a club is known to have ties with a particular player, or if a player’s contract is coming to an end. Alternatively, a club may have a number of potential transfers in talks during the window, in which case this market will have more options and potential outcomes.
Club with the most signings	Another less common but very interesting market is the club with the most signings at the end of the transfer window. Some clubs are known to make a lot of deals during the window, while others don’t make a lot of noise. Therefore, as the end of the transfer window gets near, this market can get very interesting.

Strategies And Advice For Football Transfer Bets

With less research and facts to base your bets on, football transfer betting can be risky. But, there are a number of strategies that you can use to put you in the best position.

• Be wary of rumours

When a transfer window opens, you’ll hear plenty of rumours and opinions all across the news and social media. But remember, these are simply one person’s thoughts which could be based on gossip rather than actual facts. If a player is seen in a city that could be linked to a transfer, there will be a lot of buzz around this occurrence, but in reality, the player could just be visiting the city with no other motives. When it comes to placing your bet, don’t get swept in by gossip and rumours.

• Use trusted sources

To help yourself base your bet on facts, compile a list of reliable sources. Mainstream news outlets are great for staying up to date with what is happening with teams and players, but remember they can sometimes be biased. Social media can also be a great place for relevant news and updated stories, but again this can also be filled with opinions and rumours. Focusing on the top football journalists will help you get the most accurate information on potential transfers. Local reporters are also a good place to look as they will be focusing on just one team, meaning that they are likely to have more information and insight into a club’s actions and potential transfers than reporters covering a larger area.

• Stay up to date  

With football transfer betting, it is very important to stay up to date with the latest information. Nothing is fully disclosed until a contract has been signed, so any little hints or snippets of information you can get in the run up are essential for helping you place your bet. With rival clubs competing against each other to get the best players, nothing is ever for certain and a player could change course at any point. Therefore, staying up to date with any information surrounding a player or club can help you predict in which direction they are likely to go. Alternatively, a potential signing could be called off altogether, changing the route a player or club may take throughout the remainder of the transfer window.

• Look for patterns

In the run up to the opening of a transfer window, as well as during, players often give hints and subtle tells about their future both on social media and during interviews. Pay attention to this information as while they may not be definite, they can give you an idea of a player’s intentions.

• Keep an eye on the odds

The reason there are less betting sites offering transfer betting markets than other betting types is because bookmakers aren’t always keen on offering odds on transfers. This is because with an ever fluctuating market, there are punters out there that are likely to know more about a potential outcome than they are, allowing them to take advantage of misplaced odds. Therefore, you’ll often find that odds on football transfers are limited and conservative. This is why it is important to keep a close eye on the odds to make sure you are using the betting site that is offering the best odds on a particular market. The odds will also fluctuate throughout the transfer window, so paying attention to them will help you find the right time to place your bet.