That is an incredible reply. Absolutely incredible. 
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*Except Michael, who died. -
FreddieBoswell7 Christian
See Anzhi Makhachkala trying to sign Pastore £96,000 a week,5 year deal.No way he go's there though.Thanks very much for being ‘This Mornings’ Farmer’Comment
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There is a good article in the Guardian which is about the increase in transfer fees and salaries, apparently the clubs in China, Russia and Brazil are in a better state economically and don't have to sell their players or can shell out big fees for players, meaning more demand for good players and everyone having to pay more.
Ohh, might as well post it now.
Premier League big guns splash the cash to defy the age of austerity
In an age of austerity that football has forgotten, Stewart Downing is worth £19m, the 21-year-old Jordan Henderson costs Liverpool £16m, and Manchester City hang a £50m price tag on Carlos Tevez.
While the government forces through painful cuts the game's financial incontinence continues. Despite a fall from the previous year, the collective debt of Premier League clubs in the 2009-10 season stood at £2.6bn, with the decrease due only to debt-to-equity conversions at Chelsea and City, and property sales at Arsenal, according to Deloitte.
Clubs just cannot stop spending. With 56 days to go until the summer transfer window closes £118.6m has already been splashed, with last year's corresponding outlay of £345m a certainty for obliteration. Charlie Adam, Gervinho and Stefan Savic were all on the move on Wednesday to Liverpool, Arsenal and City respectively, but there are several big-ticket moves still in the offing for Tevez, Luka Modric, Cesc Fábregas, Samir Nasri and Scott Parker.
With all the penny pinching elsewhere why is football doing this? Gordon Taylor, the chief executive of the Professional Footballers' Association, said: "Clubs are looking to the future – particularly the big ones playing in Europe, bearing in mind the Uefa criteria of having eight homegrown players in the squad of 25. They are also thinking about Uefa financial fair play [so are buying players now]. Henderson, Phil Jones – Ashley Young is another youngster."
Jones is 19 and has started only 31 Premier League games yet Blackburn Rovers could demand £16.5m from Manchester United. Young is an established operator but at 25 has sell-on value, with United prepared to pay £17m for a player who had only a year remaining on his Aston Villa contract.
The major clubs are stockpiling talent ahead of new financial regulations from Uefa. They will be implemented from 2012 and demand that clubs break even on transfers or face expulsion from competitions but Simon Chadwick, a professor of sports business strategy and marketing at Coventry University, outlines other factors contributing to ballooning fees.
"There's a limited talent pool and an increasing demand for it. That demand is from the Premier League but also Europe-wide, [and] globally too. We're starting to see spending on players in Russia and China, bringing [more] inflationary pressure. This week the Fluminense midfielder, Darío Leonardo Conca, went to Guangzhou Evergrande for $10m [£6.2m], then Demy de Zeeuw has gone from Ajax to Spartak Moscow for €6m [£5.3m]. Also the Brazilians – their clubs, backed by big corporations, are in a better financial position to hold on to domestic talent. It's hard to prise away the likes of Neymar, whereas 10 years ago it would have been relatively easy: now you're talking about £40m-plus to get this guy.
"It's a rapidly overheating market place. The transfer fees and wages will [continue to] increase dramatically – what we see with the likes of Jordan Henderson is that for younger players, and also players not particularly skilful, they will begin to attract fees and salaries that five years ago they weren't able to." Bit harsh on Jordan that
Deloitte's annual report states: "For a successive year the Premier League clubs' total wages increase has outstripped revenue growth, rising by £64m (5%) to over £1.4bn in 2009/10. As a result, the league's wages/revenue ratio reached an all-time high of 68%."
How are clubs affording this? "At the top end clubs like Manchester United and Arsenal are pursuing revenue generating activities, to try to off-set their increased costs," Chadwick said. "A lot of people criticise United for the bond issue of a year and a half ago [which raised £500m]. But that was evidence of the club trying to manage their debt.
"But as you start coming down the league structure, where the revenue generating opportunities are not there, the alternative is that you cut your costs."
Or not. For the 72 Football League clubs there is no sight yet of balanced books. Deloitte states that a record loss in the Championship alone of £133m outstripped the Premier League's operating profits of £83m. With a 6% decrease in Football League attendances in 2010-11, a bleak picture is offered: "Match-day and commercial revenues have already begun to fall back and, from 2012-13, the value of the new domestic broadcast deal will be 25% down on the current one."
The squeeze is affecting players' livelihoods. "In the Football League the average is a 12‑month contract, [and there are even] one-month rollover contracts," Taylor said. "The big problem is keeping heads above water in League One and Two. Because of the greater solidarity payments from the Premier League to the Championship, and the biggest share of the TV money – an approximate ratio of 80% compared to 12% for League One and 8% for League Two – it is becoming more and more a Premier League Two."
While City can afford to price out any buyers with their valuation of Tevez, Chadwick warns that every other club at every other level must begin taking their affairs seriously. "We're going to see much better financial management of clubs. It has to happen: the current position is untenable."* The above is posted in my opinion. Feel free to disagree.Comment
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barcastuff barcastuff
French left back defender Eric Abidal (31), whose contract expires in 2012, doesn't accept the renewal offer made by Barcelona. [md]Thanks very much for being ‘This Mornings’ Farmer’Comment
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interesting - after what he went through I am sure i remember hearing he wanted to completley change his life - i wouldn't be suprised if he retires after his contract expires to spend more time with his family and get involved with charity shizzlei own everton fans on the internet....that's what i doComment
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Yea, he said all his priorities had changed. Didn't want the flash cars and the footballer lifestyle. Wouldn't surprise me if he went back to France and be closer to where he came from.*Except Michael, who died.Comment
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@AbyKopite
Manchester City has agreed a naming rights deal for the City of Manchester Stadium with Etihad airline.Member #1 of the Luis Suarez fan clubComment
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How very convenient for them.
No links between their owners and that company, i'm sure....
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Helps with the FFP stuff too, doesn't it?Thanks very much for being ‘This Mornings’ Farmer’Comment
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It helps to make a mockery of it, yeah.Comment
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Beeb
1544: FOOTBALL - Former France playmaker Zinedine Zidane confirms he will start working as Real Madrid's 'director of football' from next week. He says: "[Jose] Mourinho has been fundamental in this, but so has the president as well."Comment
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This bloke's a Spurs fan.
JamesMawFFT James Maw
Ben Alnwick - 24 years old, 3 apps in 4 years (nine goals conceded), fourth/fifth choice keeper...signs a new contract. Brilliant.
JamesMawFFT James Maw
He's played more competitive games at White Hart Lane for Sunderland than he has for Spurs. Surely that would tell you something...?Thanks very much for being ‘This Mornings’ Farmer’Comment
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Originally posted by Craig_H View PostHow very convenient for them.
No links between their owners and that company, i'm sure....
The only gracious way to accept an insult is to ignore it; if you can't ignore it, top it; if you can't top it, laugh at it; if you can't laugh at it, it's probably deserved.Comment
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