Takehiro Tomiyasu is not a name many Australian football fans will be familiar with.
The towering 22-year-old, 6’2 centreback sparked a last-minute scramble on transfer deadline day between North London rivals Tottenham and Arsenal, with the latter winning the race, completing a $37.24 million deal from Serie A side Bologna.
He started his professional career with J2 League side Avispa Fukuoka. This was followed by a stint in Belgium with Sint-Truidense, before landing with Bologna, where he became not only one of the best young centrebacks in Italy, but all of the world.
On the same day as Tomiyasu’s money-spinning move, Newcastle Jets recent signee Cameron Devlin left the club to join Hearts in Scotland for a minuscule figure of less than $100,000.
Devlin had been a standout player for the Wellington Phoenix and was one of the finest midfielders in the league before transferring in the off-season back to New South Wales.
Tomiyasu was a former J2 player and Devlin an A-League player, but the disparity between the respective fees, regardless of the different playing positions, shows how European teams value the Asian confederation – and in particular Australian players.
(Photo by Masashi Hara – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
There has been some conjecture over the actual figure, but Rosyton Griffiths’ move to Chinese club Guangzhou R&F in the vicinity of $1.3 million still stands as the record for an A-League player transfer fee. By comparison, the Australian record is $1.7 million – held by Zejlko Kalac in 1995.
Ryan Strain, Alou Koul, Jacob Italiano and Danny Vukovic have all made high-profile transfers to Europe in recent seasons.
The common denominator in all these moves has been a transfer fee in the mid-six-figure bracket – which seems to be the going rate for any A-League player moving to Europe currently.
Rewind back to the NSL glory days of the early-to-mid-1990s and you’ll see a much different landscape with lots of locally-based players making moves to Europe – with today’s level of inflation, these were decent sums for the 1990s.
Australian players had a reputation for being hard working and the success of their fellow countrymen made European teams take notice.
It was not uncommon for overseas teams to pay for the Australian players’ two week-trial, including accommodation for their parents or agent – a benefit that most European clubs don’t give anymore.
Fast forward 25 years and it is a concern to see Australia ranked eighth in the Asian Confederation for sales from their own league – beaten by the likes of the UAE, Qatar, China and, surprisingly, Iraq.
This could all be about to change though, with domestic transfer fees finally to be introduced in the coming seasons. This might give a clearer indicator for European teams in term of how much to pay for a player.
Many people have blamed the Australian scouting system for the issues.
I can assure you there is nothing wrong with the system in Australia – as reports are sent to dozens of European teams weekly and international scouts have been present at not only A-League, but NPL matches in the past year.
Abolishing the much maligned A-League salary cap could be an option – but doing so would see the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.
Maybe it’s just simply the lack of game time?
NSL players in the ’90s could play close to 50 matches in a season including internationals, compared to A-League players today who might play 30 matches if they’re lucky.
Or possibly it’s the Australian selling club not wanting to upset the perspective buying club by haggling over the fee.
I think it’s fair to say that Cameron Devlin is not worth several million dollars, but a player of his skill is definitely worth more than $100,000.
Until the transfer fee disparity is fixed, Australia will continually look on in envy at their neighbours in the far east – who regularly sell their J1 League players to Europe for sizeable fees.
NoMates
Roar Rookie
Maybe a move back to OFC where we had transfer fees and better players?
TheSecretScout
Roar Guru
easier said than done though, australian football takes 1 step forward and then 3-4 backwards
TheSecretScout
Roar Guru
the game on the weekend is an example of how teams approach adelaide united youth (because they cant match them skill wise) metro were hitting long balls for most of that match, because the united defence is extremly undersized in heigh and weight
chris
Guest
Those rankings aren't worth the pixels they occupy. Trust you to keep bringing that up.
NoMates
Roar Rookie
We have been ranked below India for more then 3 years not just this year because of the pull out of the ACL due to covid, so plz get your facts right. And its a ranking of national leagues not nation teams so again you are wrong (as always).
Punter
Roar Rookie
Do you really think that Australia is ranked below Bangladesh because of playing level? No, you are being negative. Australia is ranked so low because they did not play in the ACL last season due to COVID & are being punished for it. China ranked 16 places above Australia, just got spanked 3 nil by the Socceroos, with mainly players who once plyed their trade the A-League. You are really clutching at straws in your dislike of Socceroos & A-League.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
West Ham toured Australia and Laziridis played against them. Most transfers based on Socceroos matches , when did they actually value the NSL? West Adelaide were kept afloat for a while? They were gone a few years after. Spoke the same language it must have been English . I didnt know there were Belgian clubs in the NSL . Level of trust ? They didnt trust in Vidukas quality to pay money for him it was all sell on fee. Thats the one transfer i can remember from ethnic club to home country club. The players you mention you got to be kidding. None of them near Laziridis. Atkinson the only one I think is a prospect.
Will
Guest
The fact that the largest transfer is still from 1995 which is quite alarming. Its clearly the system here doesnt help but also the clubs have to be smart in terms of getting the balance right and overall getting the habit of selling players to overseas. Also our reputation from overseas is hurting us, lets be honest we have gone backwards from where we were 10 or 15 years ago too.
jamesb
Roar Guru
A league is ranked low due to pulling out of the ACL.
sportstar111
Roar Rookie
I agree - that's definitely true, although the players are improving week to week playing against older players - Nestor and Mohamed in particular at times were able to adapt and even match the physicality of their direct opponents. I just thought D'Arrigo was noticeably below-par for a more senior player playing in the youth team. I thought Alagich stood out more in that game and Yull overall this season has been producing better performances as a 15-16 year old with a handful of AL minutes than D'Arrigo, who is an established AL player, did v Blue Eagles.
NoMates
Roar Rookie
$1m for McGree? Your dreaming and as you know he will leave for free anyway. And im not being negative towards the player as he is good, but like i have mentioned elsewhere the A-League is ranked below the Bangladesh league and I’ve never seen/heard any players from the B-League sell for more then $100k and by ranking rights they should.
TheSecretScout
Roar Guru
i can show you my email address list or mobile contacts lists and you'll see that the scouting network is not the problem
TheSecretScout
Roar Guru
i wouldnt read too much into the youth teams current form, they are getting bullied across the pitch by opponents with more size and muscle - literally boys against men
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
500k euros is a rip off and you want a sell on fee as well. Viduka was given away for free based on I think 50% of the next transfer, and he was the NSL's best ever youth player.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
Any genuine transfer fee has a percentage for all the clubs from a certain age onwards. Why should these clubs get a fee for when they charge super high fees for youth players. Overseas clubs subsidise their youth not the other way around like in Australia. A-league clubs the amount of rubbish players they have sold is phenomenal , while the value of the transfer fees is not high , charging a small fee for these players is a rip off , Genrau the most recent example.
NoMates
Roar Rookie
When your league is ranked below Bangladesh questions about low transfer fee’s should be put to rest, in fact they are redundant. Our league and players are ranked along side 3rd world country’s and in the eyes of scouts our league is 3rd rate. https://footyrankings.com/crank2021/
sportstar111
Roar Rookie
D'arrigo was very average in the midweek NPL game. Didn't look like a 50 game A-League player playing with kids against semipros.
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
Except the Kalac transfer never happened because he didnt get a work permit and he returned back to Sydney United. Furthermore the PFA around that time won a court case with Taliodoris that meant that off contract players could leave their clubs.
TheSecretScout
Roar Guru
its because veart persists with playing d'arrigo as an #8 like he did when he was with the joeys, but playing that role against under 18 boys compared to 30 year old men is a different beast. - He's never had that constant goal threat an #8 needs (even through the youth teams) hes a #6 in my eyes and thats where he got the interest from serie b for that role. the fact gomulka was streaking through, kind of forced vearts hand. I dont think anyone even expected him to leave the club in the circumstances he did. D'arrigo is the player who has all the pressure on him to keep his spot in the team this season, he's looked very sharp in training so far in pre season if thats any indication gotta try and keep yengi fit (and thats the big issue) dont forget hes lost over a year of his young career through injuries, hes another one thats looks very good in training so far
Franko
Guest
Good money, but again the sell on fee should be a good % for a guy like him.