And so, the summer chaos is over for another year. I'm not talking about the departure lounge of Manchester Airport, it is of course the transfer window. As part of my latest series, I wanted to review some of the biggest and best Premier League transactions this year, starting with the top 10 huge money moves.
It's been a record summer, with spending rising four per cent to £870m. As a result, we've got a strong top 10, with all of the deals highlighted in excess of £20m. With the new Sky TV deal, valued at a staggering £5bn, set to come into play next year, clubs have realised that they have money to play with, and as a result, are more willing to splash out the big bucks.
10. Pedro Rodriguez - Barcelona to Chelsea (£21m)
We kick off with Chelsea's big-name summer signing. Having struggled through their opening couple of games, claiming just one point, Jose Mourinho felt the time was right to make his move. Despite considerable reported interest from Manchester United, Chelsea met the buyout clause of Barcelona's Pedro, who had found himself less of a fixture at the Catalan club since the purchases of Neymar and Luis Suarez.
Cue merciless chants taunting United on the terraces, and rapid response from Louis van Gaal, claiming they never really wanted him - funny that! Meanwhile, the Spaniard, who has already won two Champions League titles and countless league crowns, has hit the ground running, with one goal and two assists in his first two games.
9. Heung-Min Son - Bayer Leverkusen to Tottenham Hotspur (£22m)
The first of our 'panic buys' to enter the list. Not unlike Chelsea, Spurs have had a rocky start to the new season, particularly struggling for goals. With Harry Kane having that typical 'second season syndrome', Tottenham swooped for Son, paying over the odds for a player that, while talented, has often struggled to be prolific. It remains to be seen whether this plays out well, but his debut will be eagerly anticipated by Spurs fans - but the last striker to cost in excess of £20m didn't really work out - Roberto Soldado.
8. Morgan Schneiderlin - Southampton to Manchester United (£24m)
Poor old Southampton. Their strong young side of a couple of years ago has been decimated, with Liverpool and Manchester United particularly guilty of stealing their players. This summer, it was the turn of Morgan Schneiderlin to depart, having come close to joining Spurs last year. At £24m, he seems extremely expensive, and he has hardly had the most auspicious start, frequently giving the ball away in the games at home to Tottenham and Newcastle. Nevertheless, it remains clear that Louis van Gaal considers him a ready-made replacement for the ageing Michael Carrick, and I expect to see the Dutchman continue to give him a chance to repay the outlay.
7. Nicolas Otamendi - Valencia to Manchester City (£28m upfront, will rise to £32m)
Another of Manchester United's failed transfer targets, and the first of Manchester City's big-money signings. Who would have thought that £28m would represent one of the club's cheaper purchases? Though a touch surprising, given the form of both Vincent Kompany and Eliaquim Mangala, Nicolas Otamendi adds further competition and strength in depth for City's European tilt, particularly given the typically ridiculous group the club has been given again.
It does have to be said, however, that one of the key reasons for the move to City is the transfer of Alvaro Negredo the other way last year. Expected cost in the region of £22m, Valencia have simply not got the money, so a part exchange was almost inevitable to come good on the money.
6. Roberto Firmino - Hoffenheim to Liverpool (£29m)
Liverpool have also been busy in the transfer window, financing the signing of Brazilian forward Roberto Firmino in June. The former Hoffenheim man has recently broken into the Brazil national team, popping up with some useful goals in recent friendlies, and seems to have the physical stature to cope with the rough and tumble of the Premier League. As with many of this year's moves, he looks overpriced by my estimation, and has failed to stamp his authority on the team in the opening weeks, but I do believe he adds something different to the Liverpool squad.
5. Memphis Depay - PSV Eindhoven to Manchester United (£31m)
The move finalised earlier than any other, Memphis Depay has had a considerable amount of time to gel with his new teammates, and you have to say it has worked. Of all of the United players so far this season, he has looked the most lively, and demonstrated his quality with his two-goal appearance at home to Club Brugge in the Champions League. Though he is often greedy and at times petulant, he is still young, and should learn quickly how to operate at a club the size of United. As a team, United has yet to hit top gear in the league, and you can be sure that Depay will be at the centre of activity once they do.
4. Christian Benteke - Aston Villa to Liverpool (£32.5m)
Funded by another big-money transfer (which if you don't already know about, I'll get to later, but more importantly, where have you been?!) Liverpool hit the buy-out clause in Christian Benteke's contract to secure his services. A proven goalscorer, Benteke has outperformed a relatively poor Aston Villa side over the last couple of years, and his suitors included a host of Europe's top teams. Though his opening few games for the Reds have been underwhelming, with one goal a relatively poor return at this stage, I am confident he will deliver, but it will be interesting to see how the Belgian deals with the enormous pressure that comes with the status of the club and the price tag over his head in the coming months.
3. Anthony Martial - AS Monaco to Manchester United (£36.6m - could rise to £58m)
Quite frankly, ridiculous. So left-field, they've disappeared off the pitch and out the stadium. I think you get my point. The very fact that Wayne Rooney had to ask who he was demonstrates the fact that this is not a £36.6m man, and his record is hardly justification either. Just eight goals in 31 Ligue 1 appearances last season does not strike of a prolific goalscorer, and with Rooney well and truly out of form, a goalscorer is exactly what United need. The fact that the deal was completed on deadline day reeks of a panic buy from Louis van Gaal following their defeat by Swansea, and with clauses including 25 international appearances and 25 goals over the next four seasons likely to cost the club another £15m, this could be an extremely expensive failure.
2. Raheem Sterling - Liverpool to Manchester City (£49m)
Arguably the most obvious move of the summer (although I would have put the sale of David de Gea to Real Madrid in this category!). Though a silly price, City had identified the player they required to progress their title tilt, and made their move early. With Sterling using every tactic in the book (and a few perhaps not in there!) to get his move, Liverpool handled the situation admirably, maintaining composure and ensuring they got the best deal for the current European Golden Boy. They certainly made City pay through the nose, but given the way the club has started this year, a lot of which is the injection of pace and width that Sterling provides, it does seem like a deal that may pay off for the Blues.
1. Kevin De Bruyne - VfL Wolfsburg to Manchester City (£54m)
And if City's start wasn't frightening enough for their rivals, they've brought in the man who created the most chances in any of Europe's top leagues last year. Though again for ridiculous money, Kevin de Bruyne is another exciting young prospect with proven pedigree, and will add to an already embarrassing forward line containing Silva, Aguero and Sterling. The Belgian has flourished in the Bundesliga, scoring 17 goals and assisting 29 more last season, and I have no doubt that he will do well in the Premier League. He's going to have to though, particularly for the eye-watering sum that was paid for him.
Analysis of sporting events, talking points and controversies.
Showing posts with label Big Money. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Big Money. Show all posts
Saturday, 12 September 2015
Sunday, 2 August 2015
Summer Transfer Window Series: 10 Big Money Flops
With the recent commercialisation of global football, money has rarely been an issue for the largest teams. As a result of this, we've seen a period of valuation inflation when it comes to transfers, with some enormous sums of money flying around. Some of these make my 'Transfers that Shook the World' post, while others sneak under the radar. In addition, sometimes the money is justified by performances (for instance, Ronaldo's £80m doesn't seem too outrageous any more!), while others end up being an enormous waste of money.
But which are the biggest waste of money? And are there any trends that we can see when it comes to clubs and overpaying?
10. Robbie Keane - Tottenham Hotspur to Liverpool (2008, £20.3m)
A great example of a big money transfer dropping under the radar. In 2008, Robbie Keane made the move away from Spurs, a club he'd spent the majority of his career to that point with. Daniel Levy, as he so often does, managed to get an exceptional deal for the North London club, costing Liverpool £20.8m for the Irish international. However, the proven goalscorer proved to not be so prolific in red, waiting 11 games for his first Liverpool goal. He went on to only score five goals in 19 games for the side, though they did manage to recoup much of the fee they paid for the striker when he returned to Spurs just six months later.
9. Angel di Maria - Real Madrid to Manchester United (2014, £59.8m)
Though the Argentine made the back end of my 'Transfers that Shook the World' post, he has failed to make the desired impact. He ends up lower down this list because of the fact that he's only been there a year, and I tend to give players a second season to take effect. However, with it looking increasingly likely that di Maria is on his way out of Old Trafford, the four goals and ten assists provided last season just isn't worth the money paid.
8. Dimitar Berbatov - Tottenham Hotspur to Manchester United (2008, £30m)
Back on that crazy deadline day in Manchester in 2008, it was the £30m signing of Dimitar Berbatov that paled into significance following the Robinho saga across the road. Manchester United, despite the wealth of attacking talent at their disposal, with the likes of Ronaldo, Rooney and Tevez all in form, dipped into their coffers to add another proven Premier League goalscorer. However, the big Bulgarian was always on the periphery, failing to rediscover his form and finding his most successful moments at Old Trafford in the cup competitions.
7. Diego - Werder Bremen to Juventus (2009, £23.8m)
A player who was among my favourites at Werder Bremen in my teenage years, Diego set the Bundesliga alight with his guile, creativity and flair, leaving many of the world's top clubs vying for his signature. Italian giants Juventus won the race, with the Brazilian signing for £23.8m in 2009. However, in 33 games, he managed just 5 goals, and was deemed to be surplus to requirements by the end of the following season, recouping just £12m when he moved back to Germany with Wolfsburg.
6. Mario Balotelli - AC Milan to Liverpool (2014, £15m)
Why always him? The enigmatic Italian had the world at his feet when he broke onto the scene in 2008 at the age of just 17, but his childish attitude garnered him a reputation both in Italy and in Manchester. However, there was no doubting his ability, and Brendan Rodgers looked to have pulled off a masterstroke when he signed Super Mario for just £15m last summer. To be fair to Mario, he certainly had seemed to work harder for his team, and improved his attitude, however, he just didn't have the goals. Mocked repeatedly for failing to score throughout last year, his days look numbered following the arrival of Christian Benteke last week. How much they can get for him remains a mystery.
5. Alberto Aquilani - AS Roma to Liverpool (2009, £17m)
AS Roma's 'Little Prince', seen as the natural successor to club legends Francesco Totti and Daniele De Rossi, made the difficult decision to leave his home town club in 2009, opting for Merseyside in a £17m deal. However, a series of injury problems and inconsistent form limited his opportunities in the team, with the Italian making just 18 appearances over an unsuccessful three year period while making loan moves back to Italy with Juventus and AC Milan, before a permanent free transfer to Fiorentina in 2012.
4. Juan Sebastien Veron - Inter Milan to Manchester United (2001, £28.1m)
The Argentine world beater's £28.1m move in 2001 was a club record transfer at the time, and underlined United's intentions to create their own Galacticos. However, it was not to be. Unlike the Italian game, Veron struggled to get to grips with the speed and physicality of the Premier League, scoring just seven times in 51 appearances for United. Such was his failure, Sir Alex Ferguson, who had publicly defender Veron on numerous occasions during the following season, sold him to Chelsea for a cut-price £15m in 2003.
3. Roque Santa Cruz - Blackburn Rovers to Manchester City (2009, £17.5m)
Very much like the signing of Dimitar Berbatov, Roque Santa Cruz was brought into a Manchester City squad already containing the likes of Carlos Tevez, Emmanuel Adebayor and Robinho. However, even worse, they had signed both Tevez and Adebayor for large sums in the same summer, making the purchase of Santa Cruz even more pointless. Though certainly only bought as Mark Hughes was his manager at Blackburn Rovers, the Paraguayan only managed three goals in an appalling 20 game stay at The Etihad, before being farmed out to Blackburn and Malaga on loan, before moving permanently to the latter in 2013.
2. Kaka - AC Milan to Real Madrid (2009, £55m)
Kaka, arguably the world's best player in the mid-2000s, leading AC Milan almost single-handedly to a Champions League title in 2007, became the first of the new Galacticos signed in 2009, being joined by Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema. However, he never hit the same heights as he did in Italy, scoring 23 in an injury hit four seasons, which saw the Brazilian make just 85 appearances before rejoining AC Milan.
1. Andriy Shevchenko - AC Milan to Chelsea (2006, £30.8m)
Another world class forward player from AC Milan makes a disastrous move abroad for an astronomical sum - I guess this proves that Silvio Berlusconi got something right, cashing out at the best moment. Ballon d'Or winner Andriy Shevchenko made the move to London in 2006 for £30m, joining up with Jose Mourinho's two-time champions as Roman Abramovic targeted the Champions League title. However, nine goals is not enough for just one season for a top striker, never mind being spread across three years. Every goal scored by the Ukrainian at Chelsea cost over £3m, which everyone would agree is expensive!
So what trends can we see from these ten? Firstly, it seems that for all of his good signings (Vidic, van Nistelrooy and Ronaldo etc.) Alex Ferguson also wasted an awful lot of money, and Louis van Gaal appears set to do the same. In contrast, both AC Milan and Tottenham Hotspur seem good at getting the best deals for their players, in addition to selling them at the right time - just as they go off the boil.
And are we likely to see any big-money flops this summer? Of the transfers already done, it seems unlikely that either Arda Turan or Arturo Vidal will fail to live up to their valuations, while though it pains me to say it, Raheem Sterling may well struggle to meet the £49m valuation placed on him. Similarly, £60m and £70m valuations for Kevin De Bruyne and Paul Pogba also runs the risk of making this list, as they would have to go some to make the deal worthwhile.
Nevertheless, it's worth noting that a high profile failure can have a disastrous impact on a player's career - will Angel di Maria be able to make his seemingly inevitable move to Paris Saint Germain work to be the exception to the rule?
But which are the biggest waste of money? And are there any trends that we can see when it comes to clubs and overpaying?
10. Robbie Keane - Tottenham Hotspur to Liverpool (2008, £20.3m)
A great example of a big money transfer dropping under the radar. In 2008, Robbie Keane made the move away from Spurs, a club he'd spent the majority of his career to that point with. Daniel Levy, as he so often does, managed to get an exceptional deal for the North London club, costing Liverpool £20.8m for the Irish international. However, the proven goalscorer proved to not be so prolific in red, waiting 11 games for his first Liverpool goal. He went on to only score five goals in 19 games for the side, though they did manage to recoup much of the fee they paid for the striker when he returned to Spurs just six months later.
9. Angel di Maria - Real Madrid to Manchester United (2014, £59.8m)
Though the Argentine made the back end of my 'Transfers that Shook the World' post, he has failed to make the desired impact. He ends up lower down this list because of the fact that he's only been there a year, and I tend to give players a second season to take effect. However, with it looking increasingly likely that di Maria is on his way out of Old Trafford, the four goals and ten assists provided last season just isn't worth the money paid.
8. Dimitar Berbatov - Tottenham Hotspur to Manchester United (2008, £30m)
Back on that crazy deadline day in Manchester in 2008, it was the £30m signing of Dimitar Berbatov that paled into significance following the Robinho saga across the road. Manchester United, despite the wealth of attacking talent at their disposal, with the likes of Ronaldo, Rooney and Tevez all in form, dipped into their coffers to add another proven Premier League goalscorer. However, the big Bulgarian was always on the periphery, failing to rediscover his form and finding his most successful moments at Old Trafford in the cup competitions.
7. Diego - Werder Bremen to Juventus (2009, £23.8m)
A player who was among my favourites at Werder Bremen in my teenage years, Diego set the Bundesliga alight with his guile, creativity and flair, leaving many of the world's top clubs vying for his signature. Italian giants Juventus won the race, with the Brazilian signing for £23.8m in 2009. However, in 33 games, he managed just 5 goals, and was deemed to be surplus to requirements by the end of the following season, recouping just £12m when he moved back to Germany with Wolfsburg.
6. Mario Balotelli - AC Milan to Liverpool (2014, £15m)
Why always him? The enigmatic Italian had the world at his feet when he broke onto the scene in 2008 at the age of just 17, but his childish attitude garnered him a reputation both in Italy and in Manchester. However, there was no doubting his ability, and Brendan Rodgers looked to have pulled off a masterstroke when he signed Super Mario for just £15m last summer. To be fair to Mario, he certainly had seemed to work harder for his team, and improved his attitude, however, he just didn't have the goals. Mocked repeatedly for failing to score throughout last year, his days look numbered following the arrival of Christian Benteke last week. How much they can get for him remains a mystery.
5. Alberto Aquilani - AS Roma to Liverpool (2009, £17m)
AS Roma's 'Little Prince', seen as the natural successor to club legends Francesco Totti and Daniele De Rossi, made the difficult decision to leave his home town club in 2009, opting for Merseyside in a £17m deal. However, a series of injury problems and inconsistent form limited his opportunities in the team, with the Italian making just 18 appearances over an unsuccessful three year period while making loan moves back to Italy with Juventus and AC Milan, before a permanent free transfer to Fiorentina in 2012.
4. Juan Sebastien Veron - Inter Milan to Manchester United (2001, £28.1m)
The Argentine world beater's £28.1m move in 2001 was a club record transfer at the time, and underlined United's intentions to create their own Galacticos. However, it was not to be. Unlike the Italian game, Veron struggled to get to grips with the speed and physicality of the Premier League, scoring just seven times in 51 appearances for United. Such was his failure, Sir Alex Ferguson, who had publicly defender Veron on numerous occasions during the following season, sold him to Chelsea for a cut-price £15m in 2003.
3. Roque Santa Cruz - Blackburn Rovers to Manchester City (2009, £17.5m)
Very much like the signing of Dimitar Berbatov, Roque Santa Cruz was brought into a Manchester City squad already containing the likes of Carlos Tevez, Emmanuel Adebayor and Robinho. However, even worse, they had signed both Tevez and Adebayor for large sums in the same summer, making the purchase of Santa Cruz even more pointless. Though certainly only bought as Mark Hughes was his manager at Blackburn Rovers, the Paraguayan only managed three goals in an appalling 20 game stay at The Etihad, before being farmed out to Blackburn and Malaga on loan, before moving permanently to the latter in 2013.
2. Kaka - AC Milan to Real Madrid (2009, £55m)
Kaka, arguably the world's best player in the mid-2000s, leading AC Milan almost single-handedly to a Champions League title in 2007, became the first of the new Galacticos signed in 2009, being joined by Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema. However, he never hit the same heights as he did in Italy, scoring 23 in an injury hit four seasons, which saw the Brazilian make just 85 appearances before rejoining AC Milan.
1. Andriy Shevchenko - AC Milan to Chelsea (2006, £30.8m)
Another world class forward player from AC Milan makes a disastrous move abroad for an astronomical sum - I guess this proves that Silvio Berlusconi got something right, cashing out at the best moment. Ballon d'Or winner Andriy Shevchenko made the move to London in 2006 for £30m, joining up with Jose Mourinho's two-time champions as Roman Abramovic targeted the Champions League title. However, nine goals is not enough for just one season for a top striker, never mind being spread across three years. Every goal scored by the Ukrainian at Chelsea cost over £3m, which everyone would agree is expensive!
So what trends can we see from these ten? Firstly, it seems that for all of his good signings (Vidic, van Nistelrooy and Ronaldo etc.) Alex Ferguson also wasted an awful lot of money, and Louis van Gaal appears set to do the same. In contrast, both AC Milan and Tottenham Hotspur seem good at getting the best deals for their players, in addition to selling them at the right time - just as they go off the boil.
And are we likely to see any big-money flops this summer? Of the transfers already done, it seems unlikely that either Arda Turan or Arturo Vidal will fail to live up to their valuations, while though it pains me to say it, Raheem Sterling may well struggle to meet the £49m valuation placed on him. Similarly, £60m and £70m valuations for Kevin De Bruyne and Paul Pogba also runs the risk of making this list, as they would have to go some to make the deal worthwhile.
Nevertheless, it's worth noting that a high profile failure can have a disastrous impact on a player's career - will Angel di Maria be able to make his seemingly inevitable move to Paris Saint Germain work to be the exception to the rule?
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