Money in football is nothing new. For years, spending has shifted from Italy, to Germany, to Spain as the biggest teams compete for the newest talent from across the globe. But as the past decade has progressed, one country has been missing from the equation: England. While Real Madrid and Barcelona are shelling out record amounts for new players, clubs in what is often called the best league in the world have cut back on spending significantly. Instead, they have opted for a leaner, more precise method of soccer.
The Effects of the Cutbacks in Premier League Spending
It may seem counter-intuitive that a team like Chelsea is frugal, but the talent on the field really says it all. Naming the ten best players in the world, how many play in England? Suarez would surely break the list, but he was a player that Liverpool actually created. Anyone else good enough to make the list usually gets shipped out to Spain.
Looking at Champions League bouts between big spenders, it always seems that England has fallen behind. When’s the last time Bayern fought an uphill battle against Arsenal? When has Chelsea last looked favorites against Barcelona? While teams around the globe have inflated their spending patterns, the English have decided to put more faith in their managers.
To an extent, it even worked.
Parking the bus may seem like a tactic that is borderline cheating, but it’s a piece of tactical brilliance in the end. What’s the difference between Real Madrid paying millions for a player and Chelsea paying the same amount for a manager? A manager is essentially the same entity; they possess talent in relation to the game. This is something where English clubs are unbeatable. Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger, Jose Mourinho, Brendan Rodgers are all managers capable of making magic out of nothing. Of course there are some great managers outside of the Isle, but what league has its top five teams with unstoppable managers? Even this season, Everton were able to wreak havoc under Roberto Martinez. While the biggest players might want to go to Bayern Munich or Barcelona, the best managers would walk across Europe to hand in a job application at Old Trafford.
For the past few years, however, the tactic has slowly died down. The problem was that clubs began to become thinner and thinner, putting more pressure on management. Managers like Wenger and Ferguson were forced to play with spending that would be scoffed at anywhere else in the world. That’s where the problem spawned. How long can a team really expect to last if they refuse to keep up with the world? Teams like Arsenal and Manchester United came to a point of no return, where they had spent so little that they were running off fumes. Arsenal’s lack of success up until this year, and Manchester United’s utter collapse are prime examples of how clubs abused the lean system year after year.
Changing Spending Patterns this Summer
That’s about to change, though. Manchester United have created a budget of a reported £150 million for Louis Van Gaal, Chelsea are prepared to patch up the holes in their team with players like Diego Costa, and Arsene Wenger is being pressured to spend this transfer window to rejuvenate Arsenal once more. The problem, however, is that this shift is happening at the exact worse time. When you spend £28 million pounds on Marouane Fellaini, however, how far can that £150 million get you? The market is inflated more than Zimbabwean currency. There are also the PSG’s and Real Madrid’s who will fight to the financial death to outbid other clubs for players.
What does this all conclude then? That there’s a power vacuum, and the last season has confirmed that. Even the big spenders in the Premier League have failed to solidify their position on top, and with every single squad about to get influxes of capital, it means that next season will be one of the greatest bouts in footballing history.
Rumours indicate that Van Gaal looks set on Toni Kroos, Arsenal want to wreak havoc with a Cesc Fabregas return, and Chelsea will use Diego Costa to complete their squad. Manchester City can expect to work on defense and create more consistency, while Liverpool might just give Rodgers a big check to make another brilliant title run. And then there’s Everton who look ready to create bedlam with genius spending and a smart manager, while Tottenham will likely find a manager who can make use of the raw talent, much of which was purchased last summer. This transfer window will be the biggest for a long time, and the big names may once again return to England, but can the mix of management and talent rebuild the Premier League?
We’ll just have to wait and find out.
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