So here we are, one month today fans around the globe will be frantically updating their Facebook status to “Finally” / “cannot wait” / “all day benders down the boozer” etc, etc!
August 17th will see us enter into another dramatic 38 weeks of joy, ecstasy, tears, tantrums but more importantly, we’ll be witness yet again, to some of the best players on the planet gracing our 48inch plasmas.
This brings me onto the madness of inflated transfer fees. Fees probably contracted in just to scare off other potential suitors. My question is this: is this ruining our game?
Take for example, the recent activity that saw Radamel Falcao arrive at Monaco for a whopping 50million, or even more bizarrely, PSG completing the signing of Edison Cavani for 53m.
Whilst on a much lower scale you could raise you’re eyebrow at Liverpool’s number one target Henrik Mkhitaryan flirting with the club for 2 months before Shakhtar Donetsk decided to complicate the issue and send him off to Borussia Dortmund in a 27m euro deal.
I could add to that list Hulk and Witsel to Zenit St Petersburg amongst others, but I won’t go on.
Just quickly, let’s go back to Edison Cavani…
Summer suitors
Manchester City were interested. Chelsea where also in the mix. Real Madrid were circling. So why did he end up at Paris Saint Germain?
Simply because they are owned by Sheiks who can afford to forget the game’s principles we all fell in love with and wade in with a ridiculous amount that others cannot compete with.
I’d say the same for Radamel Falcao, an immense number 9 who ran circles around Chelsea’s back 4 and was long rumoured to be joining the Russian revolution.
Again… Manchester United definitely enquired. Madrid no doubt put the feelers out. So why Monaco?
It wasn’t for the Island’s views, or the Formula One show once a year. Many say it wasn’t his decision and 3rd party ownership came into play. If so, I would shed a tear, because our beautiful game is now a monopoly with everyone jostling for position. It really is sickening, but it is a very real eventuality.
The fact of the matter is clubs who possess the power to implement huge buyout clauses into contracts are turning the game green and playing into agents hands by the day, hour and minute.
Players should be recognised for their ability and that should be the reason for a “promotion” upward. It should not be a sidewards movement, just to pacify the shark infested waters that clearly do exist here.
It’s a genuine shame, but that seems to be the way of the world at the moment.
What’s your take? Has the world gone transfer mad?
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