Barcelona, arguably the best footballing team we’ve seen in the last twenty years, certainly one of them, decide they want to enhance their already formidable squad by pursuing Fabregas, Torres and Villa (the latter already being signed) during the domestic summer break.
Surely, even for a club of Barca’s wealth and stature, that would be too much to achieve in one summer. Even they, mind games or not, are claiming they don’t have the funds to finance a move, according to Arsenal’s valuation, for the ‘one that got away’ Fabregas. So what becomes of this highly ambitious, but surely unlikely, summer shopping spree? Delay the inevitable signing of Fabregas and possible signing of Torres for another year until the funds are available?
Enter Manchester City, a club so eager to flex their muscles with the giants of European football, so desperate to grab that one marquee player that will finally give them worldwide recognition, and so pathetically irresponsible in the transfer market. Unfortunately, from City’s perspective, it appears the biggest names are not yet convinced that ‘selling out’ and moving to Eastlands is the best option for their careers, but players of genuine quality are now arriving there and eventually, money talks.
This week, they completed the signing of Yaya Toure for an incredible 27.5 (various figures have been quoted) million pounds. A top quality player with international pedigree? Certainly. A player worthy of laying claim to being in the Premier League’s top ten highest transfer fees ever? Not a chance.
Manchester City fans will argue that, given their mass riches, clubs are going to inflate their prices dramatically when they come knocking, but this attitude of blowing everyone away is very damaging for the Premier League – not that City’s owners will be concerned with that, and why should they? Considering City already have the impressive De Jong and Gareth Barry, who both play similar roles to Toure, it’s hard to imagine why they so desperately wanted him in the first place.
Barcelona must be laughing all the way to the bank. The transfer fee they received for Toure was not so far off what they paid for David Villa – his fee effectively has been recouped by this latest piece of business. This season saw the emergence of yet another local talent from the Barcelona school of excellence, in Sergio Busquets, which relegated Toure to the bench for a large part of the season.
Even towards the end of the season, when injuries hit harder, Seydou Keita was often preferred to Toure in midfield. Barcelona’s team has not, in any way shape or form, been weakened by this sale. In fact, the exact opposite has occurred, as Barca now have the funds in place to go out on another raid on the transfer market.
Manchester City are of no threat to Barcelona at this given time and, in my opinion, are a long way from being any kind of concern for them. Financially, City can beat them every time but you’ll be be hard pushed to find any player in the world who would opt for Eastlands ahead of the Nou Camp, even for double the money.
The consequences for the Premier League could be far greater than just Manchester City beating whoever else was in for Toure to his signing. A number of the top Premier League clubs, especially Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal are greatly restricted in the transfer market.
At the same time, the world’s best now seem to be flocking back to the two Spanish giants. The Premier League’s argument that the Primera League only boasts two top sides in false and always has been. A quick look at the UEFA Cup/Europa League’s history over the last fifteen years, shows you how well a number of Spanish teams have done (far better than the English sides), in turn, showing the strength and depth of the league.
Granted, it boasts two massive teams who are now threatening to dominate for years, but to compare it to the Scottish Premier League, for example, is laughable. Barcelona’s pockets have now been nicely lined by City but, why not continue the trend?
Why not offer City other players who will surely be no more than fringe players in the coming season? Bojan, Milito and even Ibrahimovic could be available and, you never know, Barcelona could come out of the summer break with their three targets signed on lucrative deals and yet still boasting a profit from summer transfer dealings – an exaggeration maybe.
So what now for the Premier League? We have the very realistic scenario of two of the Premier League’s biggest stars following Cristiano Ronaldo to the sunnier climates of Spain. We are faced with the fact that the top clubs can no longer afford to replace the stars they let go with the same calibre of player.
And we have Manchester City intent on outbidding any club, or unsettling any player as soon as there is the slightest scent of an agent’s comment but, long may it continue, still unable to bring in the cream of the crop to Eastlands. For now, I hope my pessimism is unfounded.
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