In the last 48 hours of Sharp-talking, two quotes have stood out.
Neither of them are from the Norwich 'end'; that's fair enough. Anyone who got close to the David Cotterill deal at the end of last summer will, only now, have recovered from having their fingers badly burnt.
Giving it the full 'Gotcha!' routine has a nasty habit of turning round and biting those concerned firmly on the butt, so silence is likely to remain golden. Mr B Sharp was, however, in Norfolk yesterday; he got the full, guided tour.
The first pertinent quote came from Wolves chief executive Jez Moxey who was clearly trying to explain why summer transfers tend to get done later rather than sooner; why it is that City boss Peter Grant was suggesting that the whole Sharp saga could drag on for at least another two weeks; why it was that Sharp had yet to walk through the door at Molineux now that they had Steve Morgan's millions at their disposal.
“In this game, you can get transfers done quickly by asking a club to think of a number, doubling it and giving them the money. But that is obviously not good business,” said Moxey.
Who is the one Championship club that has got 'business' done early this summer – at least on the in-coming front? Charlton Athletic.
And how did they do that? By following Moxey's line – well, almost. For it was never a case of asking Crewe to think of a number and double it; Norwich did that and got the same answer – ?2 million. Just as they did with Scunthorpe for 21-year-old Sharp.
No, Charlton asked the player and his agent to think of a number and then double it as Luke Varney signed his money-spinning, four-year deal at The Valley. In fact, go back to The Guardian's report last week and the story seemed to be that Varney and his man didn't even ask for the reported ?20,000 a week. That's what they were offered. 'OK, where do I sign…' was the lad's response.
Bang. Job done.
That's what, for my money, Moxey was talking about when he said it was “not good business”.
Varney's goals get Charlton back into the Premiership at the first time of asking and it is very good business; what's not good for anyone else's business is the height at which Charlton have now set the bar wages-wise this summer.
That's what will have everyone pausing and gulping hard before deciding whether or not they want to run a coach and horses through their existing wage structures in a bid to capture the next Luke Varney, aka Billy Sharp.
For others, of course, that Varney deal is hardly a cause to pause and gulp; it's a cause to crack open the bubbly and dive right in…
Simple numbers based on nothing more than Varney's reported figure. But work on the basis that, bar set, you too are now looking to get your client a four-year deal; that your reward is ten per cent. And there's three wage structures being offered by three different clubs. Made up numbers; that's all they are.
Club A's doing ?6,000 a week; Club B ?12,000 a week; Club C a Varney-esque ?18,000 a week. Over four years. And I'm Mr Ten Per Cent.
My little lad opts for Club A cos his mate's there, that's costing me ?250,000. I'm only picking up ?125,000 for my 'labours'. Get him to Club C and, bingo, that's ?325,000.
But, of course, I have my clients best interests at heart. I really do. You want to go there, that's fine. Honestly. But just before you finally decide, why don't we go and have one more little chat with Club C…
The second interesting quote came out of Sheffield where Sharp's ex-Irons boss Brian Laws has twice had offers for the Glanford Park favourite rebuffed. The way that he was speaking suggested, however, that he still thinks he's in with a chance – that Sheffield Wednesday may yet be jostling for position somewhere behind the scenes.
Just as, in every likelihood given their 'relaxed' attitude to yesterday's developments, are Moxey and Co at Molineux.
Laws said he was hoping to “bring it to a conclusion” and bring the boy back to his home city of Sheffield – and, though it was not said, rub Sheffield United's nose in the fact that they let him go in the first place.
“In the end,” said Laws. “It will be up to the player where he goes, it is his choice…”
Or rather it is the choice of the player and his agent as to where he goes.
There are characters in this world who buck certain trends and Darren Huckerby is prime among them.
For the last three years, he has told his agent – more often than not, quite forcibly – where he wants to be. He'll get his ten per cent. But Norwich is where he wants to be. End of.
At 31-years-old, you sense that with Jamie Cureton, too. He'll want one last, decent contract, but he's old enough now to know what a return to Norfolk might mean; that at his stage of life, it's not all about money and keeping Mr Ten Per Cent sweet.
At 21, that's one of the questions that Billy Sharp and his family will have to face over the next few days. For if Norwich aren't now the only ones prepared to match Scunthorpe's ?2 million-plus asking price, what's his heart telling him? What's his head telling him? And what's his agent telling him?
After all, he has another option already on the table – to sign a new deal and stay at Scunthorpe. Which made the comment of Irons' chairman Steve Wharton very telling – that family and agent appeared to be singing off different hymn sheets.
“His agent tells us he has decided he wants a move – but Billy's father tells me he has still not finally made up his mind,” said Wharton.
His agent wants some of the same stuff that Varney's man is on. And where that is all about to lead us, heaven only knows… On a merry dance, would be my best guess.
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