Nevertheless, Scudamore’s complacency on this issue is misguided. With vast wealth being created at a select band of clubs simply by virtue of participation in the Champions League, the number of foreign adversaries willing to spend big to lure the game’s treasured assets is on the rise. Furthermore, with private investors happy to spend hugely on transfer fees and, most importantly, wages, the choice of potential homes for the sought after elite continues to widen.
Paris St Germain, backed by Qatari billions, have wielded their new-found clout, most notably taking advantage of the poor financial climate in Italian football and signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva from the once mighty A.C. Milan. While Carlo Ancelotti’s team are unique in their country in having the ability to compete on an equal footing at the top of the European market, indications are that French football is in the ascendancy.
The strength of Ukranian football continues to grow, exemplified this week by Metalist Kharkiv’s Brazilian attacker Taison choosing to remain in the country and join his mini-enclave of compatriots in the dazzling Shakhtar Donetsk side which is performing so wonderfully in Europe this year. In opting to move to Shakhtar, Taison rejected interest from Chelsea.
The petrodollars of Russia are proving equally persuasive to some illustrious names. Axel Witsel and Hulk, two renowned players, and still aged only 23 and 26 respectively, opted to sign for Zenit St Petersburg ahead of strong interest from elsewhere on the continent.
Germany’s Bundesliga, having already usurped Italy’s Serie A in terms of style and prestige, is fast catching Spain’s La Liga, and our own Premier League, as a division to watch. Bayern Munich remain capable of enticing and retaining some of the world’s premier performers. They have been joined as a European giant by Borussia Dortmund, who so captivated in outclassing Manchester City twice earlier this term. Schalke and a re-surgent Bayer Leverkusen are adding to the dynamism of the German domestic game.
The challenge for the Premier League then is two-fold. The priority must be for our clubs to keep the authentic galacticos they already possess. The second task is to tempt yet more individuals of comparable quality, in order to spearhead top level football in England back towards the heady standard we marvelled at during the noughties.
The billions of Chelsea and Manchester City have been lamented in many quarters as skewing competition. Indeed, the money-no-object spending tactics employed by those two clubs have been denounced by Arsene Wenger as ‘financial doping’. It is hard not to feel sympathy with those who rail against a cash dominated game, but without the investment at Stamford Bridge and the Etihad, the Premier League would be left with only Manchester United and their envied worldwide reputation and capacity to shell out huge fees as the sole English force able to attract legitimate headline footballers.
That statement may attract opprobrium from followers of Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur but the evidence is incontrovertible. Recent history at the Emirates is littered with players seeking money and trophies elsewhere, while their great North London rivals, having already lost Modric, appear increasingly resigned to losing Gareth Bale. Modric isn’t alone in deciding his chances of tangible success would benefit with a move away from White Hart Lane. Both Michael Carrick and Dimitar Bebatov were unable to resist a move North to Old Trafford.
The Premier League does still manage to entice plenty of the world’s top footballers, but some of the advantages it presently holds as an attraction are dwindling. A generation of young boys abroad were captivated by watching the English game on the television, subsequently adopting sides to support and developing a yearning to play in front of the raucous and packed stadiums that hosted the majority of matches.
With Champions League football now enjoying equal status, and with the far greater worldwide coverage of leagues across Europe, there is a desire among the modern day burgeoning player, as well as more established stars, to experience different clubs and cultures across the continent.
Additionally, regardless of Scudamore’s claim concerning 95% attendance across grounds, the atmosphere at a regular English top-flight fixture is often sterile, with away supports diminished in number by inflated ticket prices and unfriendly kick-off times.
The continued arrival of many excellent French, Belgian, African, and South American players, points to much being right with the Premier League. Crucially for the clubs and administrators, the latest broadcast rights sale adds weight to that pronouncement. Nevertheless, the strongest national teams in Europe – as evidenced by the 2012 European Championship Finals – are Spain, Italy, and Germany. Only a handful of individuals who represent those countries earn a living in England.
Richard Scudamore and his cohorts are getting plenty right. They cannot though, become blasé about the product which they sell. There continues to be a lazy reliability on fans to keep flooding through turnstiles out of loyalty to their chosen club. As has been demonstrated by the recent uproar around ticket prices, taking the paying public for granted is a dangerous strategy. The discerning football supporter, already dissenting at excessive charges, will soon withdraw their custom if a perceptible decline in quality sets in.
Any obvious answer to the question of how the Premier League can re-establish itself as the world’s pre-eminent stage for its most gifted footballers isn’t forthcoming. What is certain is that the correct response to a slip in standard isn’t an apathetic shrug of the shoulders.
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