Transfer windows in the current time and age are akin to a season in itself. Whereas in earlier times off season was considered a getaway from the usual brouhaha of the ferocious August to May dogfight, the status quo now is to expend as much energy in the muddle of the transfer window as possible, and come away with non-existent winners and losers medals at the end of it.
Money has never been in such great supply in the
beautiful game, and football clubs are creating the impression of being
blinded by the enormous riches being thrown their way with consumption
of the sport, both locally and globally, on an all-time high. Transfer
records are broken on a weekly basis, and the game’s capitalist forces
continue to determine the fate of the food chain.
Pogba money funding Higuain’s transfer?
When Gonzalo Higuain was signed by Juventus in a move
that defied the Bianconeri’s recent business model of not spending
exorbitant amounts of money on a single player, it initiated what we
should call a chain of transfers
that finally culminated in the world record Paul Pogba to Manchester
United transfer. The flow of money here is clear: Juve flush €90m down Napoli’s coffers which is then used by the Partenopei to bring in Ajax’s Arkadiusz Milik for €32m, Napoli’s second biggest outlay on a single player.
The money spent by Juve was offset nicely by the €105m received for Pogba, who moved to the moneyed dreamlands of the Premier League.
Swap deals are much talked about by excitable news outlets and
papers but rarely happen; what really happens is that one transfer
(usually a big one) creates a ripple effect down the food chain where
either the superior club (Juve) recoup their initial investment or the
inferior club (Napoli) utilise the money they receive to bridge the gap
in quality created by the transfer.
This leaves Manchester United with a potential Ballon
d’Or player and an instant upgrade of their profile which in turn
attracts greater capital into the club. Being one of the biggest brands
in world football, Manchester United needed their timely dose of a
player of Pogba’s mould; after Cristiano Ronaldo there has been none at
United. Pogba was the only Serie A player in the last two seasons to
make the Ballon d’Or shortlist. As James Horncastle pointed, a win-win situation for all parties.
The John Stones Domino Effect
Manchester City haven’t sat tight in their couch all
summer as their cross town rivals brought in one big name after another,
and their desire to make the young, defensively uneducated John Stones the most expensive British defender
has triggered another set of transfers if we look at it top down.
Everton, the main beneficiaries of City’s £47.5m written off their
books, have quickly put the money received into bringing in the 31-year-old Euro 2016 semifinalist and an apparently better defender Ashley Williams from Swansea City.
Not only Williams, Everton are also close to
finalising Yannick Bolasie’s move to Merseyside from Crystal Palace in a
club record £28m transfer, which again sets off another chain of
transfers. Palace, armed with the Bolasie money, can go out and buy
Christian Benteke from Liverpool, who can again put that money into use
by plugging holes in their defence. It is effectively a domino effect
triggered by Manchester City, with various clubs beneficiaries of their
generosity including the likes of Barnsley and Bristol City.
And some of that Stones money might go full circle
and end up at City should Everton make advances for Wilfried Bony to
replace Chelsea-bound Romelu Lukaku. All of that is speculation as I pen
this, but nothing can be ruled out. That is modern football in a
nutshell; a particular transfer setting off a series of other transfers
with money being no barrier, and quite often the bigger fish feasts on a
smaller fish and this goes on until we reach the smallest fish in the
pond.
Transcending Divisions
Dwellers of Premier League’s lower houses like Palace
and Bournemouth have also indulged in sorts of chained transfers that
might look isolated at first glance, but are interconnected with
divisions being crossed over as money flows like never before in the
Premier League as well as the Championship. Newcastle United have bought
the likes of Matt Ritchie, Dwight Gayle and Mo Diame from Premier
League clubs while sending Georginio Wijnaldum and Andros Townsend up a
division.
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| Rough depiction of a transfer chain |
Bournemouth used the £11m received for Ritchie from
Newcastle to fund Jordon Ibe’s move from Liverpool, who in turn
effectively used the £15m Ibe money to prise Wijnaldum away from St
James’ Park. On the other hand, Palace used most of the £10m Gayle money
received from Newcastle to land Townsend, a move that virtually seemed
like a player swap deal with neither club netting any significant
profit. The aforementioned transfers aren’t directly linked, but it is
clear how they have affected one another.
For every Wanyama there is a Hojbjerg somewhere out
there, and likewise for every Kante there is a Mendy, for every Ayew
there is a Baston and for every Skrtel there is a Klavan. The
astronomical rise in the Premier League’s money has heralded an era of
newer possibilities for its clubs; even the most frugal of clubs have
set about acquiring new players riding the gravy train, and the wads of
cash trickling down the ladder have encouraged those with insignificant
standing to raise their profiles, and what better way to do it than by
making a statement in the transfer window, the proverbial winners medal.
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