Sheffield United's Paul Heckingbttom and Leeds United's Jesse Marsch agree: Honesty and communication key when deadline-day plans backfire

For all the deals struck on transfer deadline day, plenty more fall by the wayside. Sometimes a player takes a better last-minute offer – like Leeds United target Bamba Dieng on Thursday, or fails a medical –Dieng again (at Nice), clubs cannot agree a fee – as those chasing Sheffield United's Sander Berge found, or the dominoes just do not fall into place in time– as at Barnsley, where Michal Helik was sold hours before the deadline and Callum Styles's loan to Millwall was only signed off the next day.

For those who were getting their head around or excited about a change of scenery (perhaps with a pay rise), returning to a club that viewed them as dispensable could be awkward and man-management skills come into play.

The key, Sheffield United manager Paul Heckingbottom and Leeds coach Jesse Marsch agree is honesty. A grumpy player is of no use.

Heckingbottom did not have anyone in that unpleasant boat this summer, but has in the past.

Berge was the only senior Blades player with a realistic chance of moving on last week and would no doubt have been excited about playing Champions League football again (for Club Brugge) or joining one of the "big Premier League clubs" Heckingbottom said enquired about him on Thursday. However it soon became clear what they were prepared to pay was way off his £35m release clause. For 2022 at least, Berge remains a Blade.

The Belgian transfer deadline only closed at midnight on Tuesday but without the Champions League carrot – the deadline for that was Friday (are you keeping up?) – it felt like Brugge had missed the boat.

Heckingbottom was in constant dialogue with the Norwegian and whilst kissing the badge, as Berge did after scoring at Hull City on Sunday, has been shown over the years to be fairly meaningless, the quality and commitment of his performances this season are not.

Keeping an under-contract player is easy, keeping a player happy can be a different thing altogether.

"When it's you and you're a player, it's the centre of your world, it's everything," says Heckingbottom. "When you're a manager, each window you're having the same sort of discussion with sometimes dozens of players and how many things come to fruition? It's slim. You've got to pass that on.

"You might have an agent or a club trying to drive a move and the player's in the middle. That's the thing about a window in season, the players are still trying to perform. The only person who usually suffers is the player.

"We didn't have any in that situation this summer but you just have constant conversations to guard against that."

Honesty is also the approach at Leeds, where Marsch allowed Dan James to travel to Fulham for a medical thinking Dieng would soon be joining, then made the Hull-born winger sit tight when they realised he was not. For James, who saw a move to Leeds fall through on a similarly uncertain deadline night in January 2019, it must have been an unpleasant flashback.

In the end, James's season-long loan went through after the deadline, even without Leeds getting the senior striker they wanted. They perhaps felt it was only fair, and had brought 18-year-old Willy Gnonto in one window ahead of schedule.

But whereas James was seen as dispensable, fellow winger Jack Harrison was not, despite Newcastle United offering tens of millions of pounds."I’m pretty open with them, I explained to them today where some of the situations were," said Marsch on Thursday afternoon, when James's future was still uncertain. "I don’t like secrets in the team. I like everybody to feel secure with what we're doing and how it pertains to their role and responsibilities.

"I find that if you invest in people that way and show trust and responsibility you get it in return. It's a respect thing but it's also what relationships are about.

"I want them to understand the why behind some decisions."(But) I haven't discussed anything with Jack about transfers because it's a non-negotiable situation."

After the event, Marsch admitted letting James leave was difficult.

“I wish we wouldn’t have had to do it and even the way it went down, it was kind of tough for Dan," he said. "We discussed with Dan weeks before the deadline about the possibility. We had a lot of open conversations and it was tough at the end because I know he likes it here and his family like it here."

In the carnage of deadline day it is important to remember paths might cross again. James could yet get a third chance to carve out a Leeds career – especially if Fulham are relegated – but reintegrating him will be more difficult if he is disenchanted.

Last January Leeds failed to agree a price with Salzburg for Brenden Aaronson, whilst Anel Ahmedhodzic preferred a loan to Bordeaux over Sheffield United. Both have since moved to Yorkshire.

Heckingbottom admitted Ismael Kone has not been wiped out of his thoughts because the £4.5m deal agreed for the midfielder on Thursday was not needed when Berge stayed."If you're up front about your agenda in terms of the conditions the move will happen under or not, you're less likely to fall out with anyone," explained Heckingbottom.

In the cloak and dagger of a transfer window, communication and honesty can pay dividends.