TRANSFERS, TANTRUMS AND PLENTY OF MONEY Will 08/08/11
Oh the transfer window. The summer
saviour for football fans who have nothing better to do than discuss
the ins and outs of the beautiful game. From the moment the big hand
forces it open, rumours begin faster than Sepp Blatter can say "goal-line technology." In fact transfer speculation and rumours
are present all year round, but only in the illustrious window of
opportunity can teams splash the cash and act upon any potential
investments.
The summer window of 2011 has seen a few trends. The first is of course the multi-millions that have been spent in Europe's top leagues; from Barcelona snapping up Sanchez, to Manchester City's signing of Sergio Aguero, the recession has shown no signs of affecting football's elite.
The spending power of United's noisy neighbours means that there is nobody in world football that City's Arab owners cannot afford. This oil-soaked fortune has allowed the world media to link anyone and everyone with a move to the blue side of Manchester, and who can really blame them?
But the most prominent trend of the window has been the unhappy player. Increased player power leaves Chairmen and managers alike in a difficult situation; let their best players go, or put up with a sulking prima donna while he lets his contract run out and eventually leaves for nothing. Luka Modric was the first to announce his discontent following a mouth-watering offer from Chelsea. Big bucks and Champions League football - who can blame him? Carlos Tevez was next on the 'I want out' bandwagon, blaming homesickness and the need to be closer to his family in Argentina as the catalyst for it; although his most likely destination is Inter Milan. Work that one out.
So how does a manager deal with a situation like this? Harry Rednapp and Daniel Levy have held pretty firm over the Modric saga, insisting that Spurs are not going to sell their best players. But how much power does he really have? The force of players and their agents in the modern game is robust. It seems that manipulating your club is now as easy as bribing a FIFA official; if the toys come out of the pram, all the manager can do is pick them back up and ask them not to do it again. It's an ominous situation for clubs and in the case of Spurs, they may have to back down in time to get a replacement.
As far as transfer sagas go, Cesc Fabregas' potential move to Barcelona is beginning to get a little tedious. The sooner the Catalan club stump up Arsenal's asking price, the better. Cesc can go home to the Nou Camp and Wenger will have a larger kitty for him not to spend.
But it's not over yet; the remaining weeks of the window could be the most eventful. With names like Sneijder, Eto’o and Maicon being touted, there could be plenty of Saudi Arabian pocket money spent before September.
The summer window of 2011 has seen a few trends. The first is of course the multi-millions that have been spent in Europe's top leagues; from Barcelona snapping up Sanchez, to Manchester City's signing of Sergio Aguero, the recession has shown no signs of affecting football's elite.
The spending power of United's noisy neighbours means that there is nobody in world football that City's Arab owners cannot afford. This oil-soaked fortune has allowed the world media to link anyone and everyone with a move to the blue side of Manchester, and who can really blame them?
But the most prominent trend of the window has been the unhappy player. Increased player power leaves Chairmen and managers alike in a difficult situation; let their best players go, or put up with a sulking prima donna while he lets his contract run out and eventually leaves for nothing. Luka Modric was the first to announce his discontent following a mouth-watering offer from Chelsea. Big bucks and Champions League football - who can blame him? Carlos Tevez was next on the 'I want out' bandwagon, blaming homesickness and the need to be closer to his family in Argentina as the catalyst for it; although his most likely destination is Inter Milan. Work that one out.
So how does a manager deal with a situation like this? Harry Rednapp and Daniel Levy have held pretty firm over the Modric saga, insisting that Spurs are not going to sell their best players. But how much power does he really have? The force of players and their agents in the modern game is robust. It seems that manipulating your club is now as easy as bribing a FIFA official; if the toys come out of the pram, all the manager can do is pick them back up and ask them not to do it again. It's an ominous situation for clubs and in the case of Spurs, they may have to back down in time to get a replacement.
As far as transfer sagas go, Cesc Fabregas' potential move to Barcelona is beginning to get a little tedious. The sooner the Catalan club stump up Arsenal's asking price, the better. Cesc can go home to the Nou Camp and Wenger will have a larger kitty for him not to spend.
But it's not over yet; the remaining weeks of the window could be the most eventful. With names like Sneijder, Eto’o and Maicon being touted, there could be plenty of Saudi Arabian pocket money spent before September.
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