But isn't the difference that if there was no PO for 2025 and just a normal contract, other clubs wouldn't have been allowed to make approaches to him until Nov 1 this year? Instead, the terms of the PO in this case allowed him to opt out of his option earlier in the year, after he had made his debut and looked decent, and so it became a free for all. A normal contract would have given the club the luxury of being able to upgrade/extend him based on his promising first grade performances without having to compete with other clubs...