Ridiculous…you may as well compare Joe Cole and Chris Smalling
There has been incredulity in the press this week at a certain set of transfer figures. HM press couldn’t wait to express their shock at how Real Madrid could buy Ozil and Khedira for the same price as Manchester City paid for James Milner.
Shock horror! Sometimes players go for more than they are worth and sometimes they go for less, for numerous reasons that the media were well aware of.
It is a stupid and pointless exercise comparing transfer fees as journalists are so keen to do every now and then, to make some irrelevant points about the state of the sport in this country. To compare the transfers of Ozil, Khedira and Milner in simple black and white terms is schoolboy journalism.
We all know English players have a premium added to their market value. This is old news, and doesn’t need revisiting. The new rules on squad sizes and homegrown players can only exacerbate this.
The value is added to further when the selling club doesn’t want to sell (and doesn’t need to), the buying club is desperate for the player (and Milner was a primary target for Mancini), the buying club is wealthy (very, very), and the player is tied down on a long term contract.
A situation we don’t encounter when discussing Ozil and Khedira. Yes, Madrid are capable of splashing the cash (the purchase of Ronaldo from Manchester United fits all the criteria above), but both players had a year to run on their contract. Khedira had said quite clearly he would not be signing a new contract. So the selling clubs had a choice – sell at a knock down price now, or keep a possibly unmotivated player for a year then lose them for nothing. It is this reason, and this reason alone, that they went for such (relatively) small fees. If they had both been on long term contracts, their combined fees would have far outweighed the fee for Milner.
And yet again we see the fawning over a player who has had a good world cup. Don’t get me wrong, I am sure Ozil will become a top class player. But he was nothing special for his club last season, whilst Milner was the Premiership’s Young Player of the Year. I am not for a moment trying to claim Milner is a superior player (they are different types of players anyway, so comparisons aren’t easy), but let’s at least have some perspective here.
The fact is, sometimes great players move clubs for small amounts, sometimes for nothing at all. You might as well compare Joe Cole moving for nothing against Chris Smalling for a fee approaching £10m. Or putting my “I’m paranoid about Manchester United” hat back on, why don’t a few journalists question why Ferguson called City’s spending kamikaze having just purchased a player for £7m he has never even seen on youtube, or question why he has purchased a player for £7m that was available on a free transfer three months ago?
But no, better to appear incredulous and wonder how this could possibly happen, as if the Bosman ruling and its endless ramifications have completely passed you by. Though having said that. I can’t believe Ozil went for less than the price of Ronaldo’s left knee!
Yours sincerely, a bitter blue.
Written By Howard Hockin
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you took the words right out of my mouth
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Excellent blog Howard. The so called inteligensia pseudosports editors of the tabloids and broadsheets empathize with your position, but as they say. “Why let the truth get in the way of a good story”…Unfortunately once respected journalist have resorted to the gutter press.
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Isn’t length of contract irrelevant? It’s all about value for money. Yes, Ozil and Khedira’s contracts only had a year to run, but that doesn’t affect whether they were value for money. It affects the transfer fee, obviously, but you can’t factor it in retrospectively when you’re talking about who was better value for money. The bottom line is that Madrid got Ozil for a lot cheaper than Milner and (despite your claims) he’s probably a more proven player. That makes him significantly better value for money. Period.
Also, you can’t try to justify Milner’s transfer fee with the new rules and then mention Joe Cole in the very next paragraph! England international, Champions League experience, prime of career, free transfer. But City pay millions for the relatively unproven Milner. Maybe a better signing for the future, but ludicrous for a team that craves instant success.
The argument about comparing Joe Cole and Chris Smalling is similarly crazy. Would Manchester United have paid £10m for Smalling if there was a 20-year old centre back of the same standard cheaper? No. Milner and Ozil play in pretty similar positions. Unless you can say that Milner is a significantly better player than Ozil, Manchester City should not have paid so much more for him. If they think he is, then fair play, spend the extra money.
I understand what you’re getting at. It’s sometimes hard to compare values on different types of players. Strikers are overpriced right now, for example, as there aren’t many around. But Ozil, Cole and Milner definitely are comparable, and City gor Riiiiiiped ooooffff
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Blanco, well done on missing the point.
What’s ‘value for money’ go to do with the media comparing transfer fee’s of certain players i.e. the point of tha article?
Length of contract has everything to do with it. If Milner was in the last year of his contract, we’d have got him for far less. Simple facts. Making the price comparison with Ozil is daft.
Are the media saying that we should have gone for Ozil instead of Milner? Maybe he is the better player, and cheaper, but was that ever an option once Madrid wanted him?
Even taking your value for money point further, how can you possibly call it now? At 24, Milner has just moved into the middle as of last season. In a midfield 3 with De Jong and Yaya…who is to say he is not the next Lampard? If it pans out that way, £26M is a snip.
The Smalling comment made be giggle. Leaving aside the fact he is crap, two words: Jerome Boateng. £10M, 21, proven German International footballer that can play anywhere in the back four.
£10M for Smalling. There is value in the market, then.
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@ Blanco…How can length of contract be irrelevant? You obviously haven’t, as the Americans say. “Done the sums” surely a child could work that one out. Period!
Also. You justify a players worth by the value of the player to the value to the club…its subjective and proportional. In man city’s case the value probably doubles because we are perceived in market value terms as having…” a lot of money” again a child could work that out. Period! As for James Milner who not only is a PROVEN England international was also voted last season’s young player of the year is also considerably younger than, Joe Cole and so simple children’s maths would obviously increase his value proportionately…period
Blanco…you are obviously a Manchester UTD glory follower from the south and as you constantly mention Value in the market, have been brainwashed by the American Glazer sir Alex Mantra “there’s no value in the market” crap…which as a child could work out means…we got no money honey…PERIOD.
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It must be proper sh*t being a City fan. Your European games aren’t even on the telly and Chris Smalling wins more in 20 minutes than your team have in nearly 35 years.
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James Milner has 12 England caps, most of which have come from the bench and, furthermore, have been pretty unimpressive. To call him a proven England international is beyond a joke, really. Joe Cole has over 50 caps and has played in the Champions League. He is undoubtedly more proven. Don’t even make me laugh by trying to argue about that.
When the media compare transfer fees they are comparing ‘value for money’. On that basis there clearly is a link. I think most people who compare the transfer fees probably are suggesting that City should have gone for Ozil instead of Milner. He was always going to leave Bremen this summer, and Real were only willing to go to £13million-ish. If City had bid £17million, they would have got him at a signicantly cheaper price than Milner.
@Dave, are you trying to say that prices go up for City because they are perceived as richer than Real? I don’t think they are.
I guess what I was trying to say is that contract length obviously does alter a player’s transfer fee, as a short contract lowers his value at his current club. If Milner was in his last year, he obviously would have been cheaper. However, it doesn’t affect his value at his new club. As far as the buying club are concerned, Ozil was available for £13million and Milner was £26million. This was because Bremen considered Ozil to be less of a financial asset than Milner. However, who is a better asset now that they both have long term contracts? Ozil. So, regardless of contract length, City have paid twice as much for a lesser financial asset. On that basis we can compare transfer fees.
Does anyone get what I’m trying to say at all? It’s hard to express without being an economic genius…
I don’t agree with Ferguson. There was value in the market this summer. It just wasn’t Milner. Period.
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well my friend blanco 1st of all i suspect you only on a blue blog because you are jealous of whats happening at our beloved manchester club so you resort to petty comments that dont make any sense at all and second you probably just looking for an argument..you my friend is where hooligansim starts from and no sugar coated big words can hide that. now than let me get to millner v cole. personally i think cole was a decent player..back in the days but now he has lost his pace and can hardly dribble what else is he about? ancelloti is not a man who comes across as stupid if cole was as good as you say he is why not offer him an contract? (apart from the 1 way back where he demanded more than he was worth) he would have bit romanz hand off improved or no improved and millner you are the same person who will look in awe if my man comes good which he has the potential for. and last thing ozil 1 year left on contract clearly states he will not be signing an extension that gives the germans 2 options keep him a year pay his wages with no guranteed success or sell thier asset and get something rather than nothing madrid aware of this offer a decent but not extravagent fee which the germans have no choice but to accept.same for khedira.millner on the other hand who by the way is a totally different operater to ozil more of a grafter than slickness has a long contract which is why the club are not desperate to sell cheap. you get me sonny?
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None of that changes the fact that Ozil was better value than Milner though does it?…
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