Transfer Thread

[9 to 5]

That we can agree on then. Bent to me is a player who score no matter what, okay he may not be as good as say Berbatov in his all-round game but goals win games. I think he could be a good asset to just about any side in the Premiership but not at 17m.

[sirdavinator]

It's no wonder foreign clubs don't buy English players, with these hugely overpriced tags English clubs put on their players.

[IAceI]

Might as well not be signed and stay in the best league in the World though.

[therockbox]

It's not just foreign teams, English clubs are reluctant to buy English players as well.

[Matt]

With good reason when you can sign a player with the same ability, ten times cheaper for cheaper wages and all because he's Spanish and not British.

[Pesci]

To be fair, it's not that easy finding a player who will score the amount of goals Bent does in the Premiership for cheaper than 17m. It's hard enough finding one for more than 17m. They're about, definitely, but there's no way of knowing who'll be a success and who won't be, just look at Shevchenko. I'll agree that 17m is a huge price, but at least he's proven and he'll more than likely score goals for you.

[Matt]

Shevchenko will pull through next season (I expect this to be quoted when he gets less than 10 goals). To be fair, like I think Grounded Wingman said, you have no idea who'll do well at big teams. At Liverpool, Bent will be told how he's going to play alongside Kuyt, at Charlton his team mates were told how to play alongside him.

[Pesci]

Even so, it's nowhere near as easy as you made out to find somebody from abroad who will do better than an established player for a lesser price.

[Matt]

You miss my point, who's to say Bent will do well at Liverpool/Spurs. Bellamy didn't. But Berbatov and McCarthy were bought much cheaper and have scored well this year. British or foreign, you don't know how they'll settle into a new team.

[ONO]

Berbatov was dearer than Bellamy and McCarthy was always a good player where ever he went. Everyone knew Benny McCarthy.

[Pesci]

With good reason when you can sign a player with the same ability, ten times cheaper for cheaper wages and all because he's Spanish and not British.

[9 to 5]

Aye, Benni has scored wherever he has gone.

[therockbox]

Berbatov was dearer than Bellamy and McCarthy was always a good player where ever he went. Everyone knew Benny McCarthy.

[Matt]

Still, the point stands you're just as likely to get a player who'll settle well and score goals no matter where they're from, it's just foreigners are cheaper - on the whole.

And I thought Berbatov cost about 8m and Bellamy cost 15m, must be losing it

[Pesci]

Still, the point stands you're just as likely to get a player who'll settle well and score goals no matter where they're from, it's just foreigners are cheaper - on the whole.

[IAceI]

I think if it was a sale between a Spanish and Portugese team, it wouldn't be as big, because they play similar games. However the Premiership, along with a few other leagues, play quite a lot different to say a Spanish or Italian league. So I think Bent does have an edge over foreign players there, because he is already used to the Premiership system.

Wheras the foreign players it comes down to whether they are versatile enough to adapt to a new kind of football, whether the league they come from plays a similar style - which I would call a fast, physical game but still with it's flair, as opposed to just pacey and flair or slow etc. A lot of the English teams like to get stuck in and put in the challenges moreso than other leagues. So I think it's down to whether the foreign player can adapt to the new surroundings.

Like Rockbox said, signing any player is a gamble. But it's less of a gamble to get a player from the same league who is established, than an established foreigner.

[alldaws1]

Still, the point stands you're just as likely to get a player who'll settle well and score goals no matter where they're from, it's just foreigners are cheaper - on the whole.

And I thought Berbatov cost about 8m and Bellamy cost 15m, must be losing it

I'm not sure about Bellamy but Berbatov cost about £10.7m.

Edit: A quick check with Wikipedia, Berbatov cost £10.9m, Bellamy "in the region of £6.5m".

Edited June 17, 2007 by AD

[cmb211087]

Yeah Bellamy was 6.5 million, damn release clause or it would have been a lot more

[ONO]

Aliadiere joins Boro for £1.5m.

[therockbox]

Good job he's not English, he'd have cost at least £7m.