Now obviously Aguero and Rooney might bring more to the table than just goals but the most expensive ever EnglishmanAndy Carroll and the British transfer record Fernando Torres who cost a combined £85.5m appear to be bringing far less to the table than most other strikers in the league. Did you know, for example, that Fernando Torres has, at Chelsea, a worse goal to game ratio than Arsenal’s left back Andre Santos?
It’s not just up front either that expensive players are shown up by their price tag. It happens in all areas of the team. Take arguably the season’s stand out goalkeeper MichaelVorm of Swansea. He joined the Welsh club late in to pre-season for £1.5m and therefore had as much time to settle in as someone like David De Gea. The difference is, apart from the fact that you could buy thirteen Vorm’s for every De Gea, Vorm has easily outperformed the other goalkeeper who is new to the League; what is more he has done it with a far inferior defence in front of him. Vorm has not only consistently put in excellent performances for Swansea this season; he has also saved over sixty per cent of the penalties he has faced.
We could also look at some of the season’s other standout performances such as that of Newcastle’s £4.5m midfielder Yohan Cabaye. The Frenchman has been crucial to Newcastle’s form so far this season and is a genuine triumph for the Newcastle scouting team. He is a living vindication of Ashley’s plan to reinvest the money from Carroll in scouts rather directly in players. He makes a mockery of Liverpool’s £18m spent on Henderson who is supposed to be a similar creative midfielder. Cabaye is barely even older than Henderson.
You can infer from these examples that perhaps money simply isn’t a guarantor of instant success whilst it still remains indicative of lasting worth. However I would urge you to think back to Liverpool’s signing Robbie Keane, Or Tottenham’s ofDarren Bent for £16m, or Arsenal’s record signing Arshavin, or Veron for Chelsea, or Forlan for United. So many owners and chairman now have such important roles in football without, you fear, the proper knowledge of football.
It appears by many to be treated as a rather expensive game of Football Manager rather than the running of a business come hobby. Players like Ba, like Yakubu, like Vorm, like Cabaye and like van Persie should be a stark reminder that some of the best players in this league were the cheapest. And some of the most expensive are some of the worst.
For more news and articles follow me on Twitter @H_Mackay
Written by Hamish Mackay for FootballfanCast.com
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Logical article