why do players from the UK and Ireland cost so much?

[Paco]

my mate asked me this in a bar the other night and i didn't really have an answer for him. players with an ounce of talent like bentley, carrick, johnson and robbie keane are being bought for ridiculous money. I think that uefa home based players rule for european club competition only came into effect last season but these inflated transfer fees for half decent players from the uk and ireland has been going on for years. So who is to blame?

 

The selling club? taking advantage of wealthier clubs who are prepared to pay almost any price.

 

The media? overhyping players who have a few good games and just happen to be from england, scotland wales or ireland.

 

The buying club? prepared to pay any price for any player.

 

The agents? "Micah Richards has played for England twice so he must be worth £20 Million"

 

The players? Instructing their agents to get as much money as possible for them as they won't be in the game that long and have to think of their futures.

[kop]

The last two points you are making doesn't always make sense though. A player and his agent just as often has a personnal interrest in the prise being as low as possible. If it's high then there will be less money left for wages. I guess it sometimes makes sense when they get a percentage of the transfer fee, but I think that way of doing things is less common these days.

 

The most important factor must be the quota-argument. It's also the "English players know the game and the league" - myth though. I think the last one often shows to be "proven PL average" rather than "proven PL quality". One last thing is the fact htat English players actually are more expensive and the clubs therefore can afford to invest in them on that very basis in the hope of keeping a decent value on them if they fail (e.g. they have a history in the English league and will have a sell on value even if they don't make it (Keane/Bellamy)).

[aws]

they've got settleability

[Jonte]

They're proven in the league. Why was Berbatov so expansive?

[Unrighteous]

They're proven in the league. Why was Berbatov so expansive?

 

I wouldn't call it expansive, but his forehead is fucking big.

[JohnnyH]

they've got settleability

 

Good luck trying to get that one to catch on.

[RobbieOR]

my mate asked me this in a bar the other night and i didn't really have an answer for him. players with an ounce of talent like bentley, carrick, johnson and robbie keane are being bought for ridiculous money. I think that uefa home based players rule for european club competition only came into effect last season but these inflated transfer fees for half decent players from the uk and ireland has been going on for years. So who is to blame?

 

The selling club? taking advantage of wealthier clubs who are prepared to pay almost any price.

 

The media? overhyping players who have a few good games and just happen to be from england, scotland wales or ireland.

 

The buying club? prepared to pay any price for any player.

 

The agents? "Micah Richards has played for England twice so he must be worth £20 Million"

 

The players? Instructing their agents to get as much money as possible for them as they won't be in the game that long and have to think of their futures.

 

I blame the likes of City and Chelsea. Lets say we are interested in a player. City can outbid us and offer over the top wages. The club that has sold the player now has the funds burning a hole in their pocket. So if they are trying to find a replacement, the club that owns the player will now know that they have the money and will ask for a bigger transfer fee.

[Strontium]

They don't cost so much, it's a myth.

[Major Tom]

Economics 101.

 

The greater chance of a return on your investment; the greater price you pay.

[mattyq]

Supply & demand.

The supply of decent homegrown players is low whereas demand is high due to a number of reasons. Hence price rises

Proven in the premiership.

Homegrown rule etc

[Catch22]

This is a very good question.

 

It has to be because the buyer consistently overvalues British players, which isn't especially insightful but is the correct basis for discussion.

 

Why do they do that when on average a policy of signing from abroad gives greater returns/leads to greater success?

 

I think it is due to the demands of fans & hence mismanagement of the clubs.

 

They are way too short-term in focus.

 

Short term success is craved even at the price of long term failiure.

('Arry being the perfect example: he has built a career despite bankrupting every club he goes to because the excessive wages he sanctions leads to a shortterm rise in performance)

 

Players already in Britain take less time to settle in, both culture shock off-the-pitch & on-it.

(the premium exists for foreigners signed from the PL as well- see Berbatov)

 

Therefore a manager under pressure pays a premium for a British/PL player, even if it is to the club's long-term detriment.

 

We saw that perfectly last summer: Rafa was entering the last year of his contract.

His personal incentive was therefore skewed to the short-term.

Hence he overpaid for Robbie Keane who was never going to be worth the money at 28.

 

Another example is Newcastle, the most short-termist British club out there (how many managers?) which consistently deals terribly in the market.

[Newport]

Because learning English costs a fortune these days. Just imagine how much Real Madrid spent to get Ronaldo to tell Man Ure he wanted to leave the club.

[Bob]

I was going to start a thread today, but it might well fit nicely in here.

 

Rather than why are english players so expensive, i was thinking should promoted sides be given some incentive to buy british? If you look at the players that wolves and other promoted clubs are linked with this summer and every summer, the majority of them are players from abroad, who whilst being decent players, are certainly not brilliant top level players, and i doubt would be too much better that younger british lads not making the grade at the top clubs (danny guthrie for example).

 

These promoted clubs are taking a risk in hoping that these foreign players will have the quality to keep them up but it is probably not much less risk that some of these british players. The difference is that for the same money, if not a little less, they are getting someone with more experience and who has established themselves elsewhere, even if that 'elsewhere' is a backwater or a shit club in a decent league.

 

So english talent isnt all of a sudden going to be cheaper, but the FA (and SFA, FAI whatever) will want these players to have a chance to progress. The clubs who own these players arent going to let them go any cheaper because its a newly promoted side either. So could the FA(s) consider some kinds of supplementation.

 

Rules such as;

A side promoted from the championship to the premier league;

A player who is under 23 years of age;

A player who currently plays for a premier league side;

A Player who has british nationality;

 

The buying side can get £2m or 50% whichever is the lesser figure, towards the transfer.

[silverlining]

I don't think anyone can ignore the settleability factor when it comes to signing indigenous footballers

[aws]

I don't think anyone can ignore the settleability factor when it comes to signing indigenous footballers

 

spot on

[Teflon Don]

I don't think anyone can ignore the settleability factor when it comes to signing indigenous footballers

 

Don't forget their bouncebackability - stiff upper lips, you see, unlike Johnny foreigner....

[Stoney79]

It's because the PL is so financially successful and money is evenly distributed. Therefore even the smaller clubs are financially sound (ish!) and therefore there are very few "selling clubs" left in the PL (clubs that rely on sales to stay afloat like Wimbledon used to). In other countries money isn't distributed evenly (eg real madrid, ac milan, etc own their own tv rights) and there are more selling clubs in those leagues who find it hard to refuse offers for their players. I remember Crystal Palace refusing an £8m bid for Johnson after they were relegated. I doubt if that would happen in many other countries.

 

The PL is also a very difficult league to be successful in. It's style of play is different from any other and therefore buying foreigners is often more of a risk in England than elsewhere. I remember Juninho describing the PL's style as fast-fast-fast whereas he described Spain and south America as slow-fast-slow-fast. Buying players with PL experience therefore reduces the risk (robbie keane excluded!).

[Code]

Because in the main they are pretty average, so those with an actual ounce of talent and ability will go for big money because of the homegrown rule.

[SpeedyG]

Because in the main they are pretty average, so those with an actual ounce of talent and ability will go for big money because of the homegrown rule.

 

So that's why they call it the average :whoops:

[ATXRED]

Because in the main they are pretty average, so those with an actual ounce of talent and ability will go for big money because of the homegrown rule.

 

Agreed, there are so few top quality English players, that there's always going to be a fight for them, and you'll always have to pay a premium to get them

[Code]

So that's why they call it the average :whoops:

 

I was originally going with shite, and seeing that you absolutely have a good point I should have sticked with it.

[Catch22]

It's because the PL is so financially successful and money is evenly distributed. Therefore even the smaller clubs are financially sound (ish!) and therefore there are very few "selling clubs" left in the PL (clubs that rely on sales to stay afloat like Wimbledon used to). In other countries money isn't distributed evenly (eg real madrid, ac milan, etc own their own tv rights) and there are more selling clubs in those leagues who find it hard to refuse offers for their players. I remember Crystal Palace refusing an £8m bid for Johnson after they were relegated. I doubt if that would happen in many other countries.

 

The PL is also a very difficult league to be successful in. It's style of play is different from any other and therefore buying foreigners is often more of a risk in England than elsewhere. I remember Juninho describing the PL's style as fast-fast-fast whereas he described Spain and south America as slow-fast-slow-fast. Buying players with PL experience therefore reduces the risk (robbie keane excluded!).

 

 

I think your 1st point is very interesting but it still doesn't explain why the top clubs pay the hi asking prices.

Why not buy from the selling clubs in La Liga,which are of a much higher standard than their English equivalents?

 

The 2nd is saying that they are actually worth the extra money.

I have a hard time believing that- "PL proven" just means "proven to be overrated & overhyped" as far as i can see.

Robbie Keane was a perfect example of that.

[Stevie P]

Kevin Doyle to Wolves for 7 million.

[SpeedyG]

I was originally going with shite, and seeing that you absolutely have a good point I should have sticked with it.

 

Hey you can always count on me to add value :smile:

[Karl_b]

Don't forget their bouncebackability - stiff upper lips, you see, unlike Johnny foreigner....

 

[YOUTUBE]mpmvgZwunB4[/YOUTUBE]