The transfer season has kicked in. The enormity of this is measurable considering the lavishness in the spending pattern. The clubs have already spent a large chunk of their bank account and the trend is expected to continue. The Premier League clubs have already spent large sums on their star acquisitions. Arsenal have bought Lacazette for an amount close to 50 million pounds, Chelsea have Morata for nearly 60 million pounds and mega clubs are bidding for Alexis Sanchez, who is currently the hot star of EPL.
The other clubs like Borussia Dortmund. There are rumors that Madrid and Arsenal are trying to go for Kylian Mbappe. The star shuffling is more than ever thanks to advertising, oil money and revenue cash of clubs in the Champions League. The other players who are often discussed about are Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Phillipe Coutinho. Teams like Barcelona are already in buying mode, whereas on the other end of the bridge, teams like Monaco are struggling to hold on to their star players.
Why is there so much speculation from the recent seasons? The total earnings for 2016 for EPL teams was nearly 3.5-4 billion pounds (Source: Guardian.co.uk and Express.co.uk). The dispensable amount for wages, incentives, purchase of players have gone up due to the increased income from TV Ads, sponsorships, inflated ticket prices differentiated based on the type of competition and the stadium. This is, simply, in mathematical terms, LHS=RHS.
Thanks to the increased prices, the expectation has also reached the rooftops. The “Manager Life Cycle” has come down to almost two years. Except the likes of Arsene Wenger not many managers stay in the same club for more than a year or two. This is an underlying reason for teams “Googling” for the right players in the market. The synergy between the style of the manager and the player must match. This is important in both on-field and off-field activities.
The early entrants into the market to complete the transfer process have a greater pool of players to choose from the platter. The exciting, attracting and most luxurious football leagues are in Europe, which is a no brainer as to why the market is also always stimulated. There are rumors that PSG are readying an audacious bid of 197 million pounds for Neymar. Government Organizations like ISRO in our home country can launch satellite with that price and Neymar is no wonder, a gem, worth investing. But speculation makes it harder for players and managers. The fans and journalists are the ones completely excited and hunky dory. But speculation is the driver of views, digital revenues and a medium to gain popularity in the market. Everything is business though!
Let the speculation continue and let the transfer saga roll on. The hot deals will be eye catching and I as a football fan would look forward for the same. The new season will yield more pressure to top clubs in England like Arsenal and Manchester City who haven’t performed to their fullest last season. The fans are eagerly waiting and let’s see where Aubameyang may end up. EPL has a star war with the current strike force. And addition of Aubameyang in EPL wouldn’t be a bad option for the bone of contention, which is the Golden Goal Award in EPL.
Article Written by Adithya N