Transfer Round Up #3

I'm back with another five transfers for you to take a look at. This one may not focus on the marquee signings, but I'd like to hear your opinions irrespective of your allegiance.

Raheem Sterling – Liverpool to Manchester City - £49m

I think everyone knew that Raheem Sterling’s departure from Liverpool was imminent, and it has finally happened. Manchester City’s need for English players did not help lower the price for the young winger. City are certainly paying for ‘potential’ and many people think that they have overspent. In a season of despair for Liverpool, Sterling was one of the stand out performers. He created the most chances for Liverpool with 75 and only Philipe Coutinho completed more take-ons (109). He was 2 goals behind their top scorer, Steven Gerrard and also two assists behind Jordan Henderson. City will be hoping for an improvement if he wants to stake a claim for a starting spot.

I have been focusing most of my attention on the marquee moves to the Premier League, so here are a few that have gone under the radar and could shine for their respective clubs.

Andre Ayew - Olympique Marseille to Swansea - free transfer

I was surprised at this capture by Garry Monk as I never thought that Marseille would let him go that easily. Having played the majority of his career in the south of France, Ayew became an ingrained name at the club. Completing 80% of his passes this season, Ayew will fit well into the mould that Monk is building in south Wales. He was at the forefront of Marseille’s early form which saw them lead the table in the early rounds, but eventually tail off. He scored 9 goals and created 18 chances this season. Garry Monk works his magic once again to seal this move, as the Ghanian international aims to boost Swansea’s quest for European football.

Dimitri Payet - Olympique Marseille to West Ham - £10.5m

Another player that was key for Marcelo Bielsa at Marseille is Dimitri Payet. There was outrage in France and the President of the French Football Association branded this as an ‘embarrassment’. There were suspicious rumours that Payet had gone behind Marseille’s back in order to force through a move to the London club anyhow, this is a terrific coup for the Hammers new boss, Slaven Bilic. Payet created the most chances (134) in Europe’s top five leagues last season. Similarly, only Kevin De Bruyne, Cesc Fabregas and Lionel Messi assisted more times than the French international. It is a very positive signing from West Ham and I cannot wait to see him play in the Premier League.

Gerard Deulofeu - FC Barcelona to Everton - £4.2m

Back for his second spell at Goodison, Deulofeu will be welcomed back with open arms after a tumultuous season for the Merseyside club last year. Gerard Deulofeu was a key component to the squad that Roberto Martinez assembled to guide Everton to their highest ever points tally the year before last. In that season, Deulofeu was successful with 44 take ons, more than any of the Toffee’s other forward options. This year however, they were unable to create chances and ultimately looked a shadow of themselves. The former Barcelona man scored 1 goal and created 14 chances in 12 league appearances on loan at Sevilla last season. Martinez has finally got his hands on the man that he wanted last year, and a man that can return Everton to the European stage.

Shinji Okazaki - Mainz to Leicester - £7.7m

Last in this issue is Shinji Okazaki. Despite failing to recruit the Japanese international in January, Leicester are finally able to land their man. Last season wasn’t the greatest for the 29 year old with 12 goals in 32 appearances. Currently he is the most prolific Japanese goal scorer in Bundesliga history and is third on the all-time goal scoring charts for the Japanese national team. Last year Mainz finished just below midtable, even though they narrowly missed out on European football the season before. Okazaki may not create fireworks that Payet, Deulofeu or Ayew will, but he will score goals and I see him doing a job similar to what Leonardo Ulloa did last season for the club.

It's very interesting to see how these players will fare in the Premier League. We know what Sterling will bring to City, and I do think he will get first team football. For the others, I'm looking forward to seeing them I'm action for their clubs. All have the potential to be wondrous signings if used correctly. I can't wait to see them in action.

Rights and Wrongs about the Premier League

Sky Sports have landed the rights to 126 Barclays Premier League games from 2016/2017 to 2018/2019 at an astronomical price. A total of £5.13b was spent by both Sky Sports and BT Sport. While Sky gets the pick of the games, BT have acquired 42, 4 more than the current contract details. Why are these rights so wrong?

As much as I love the Barclays Premier League, it does have quite a few fundamental flaws with the first one being it called the "Barclays" Premier League. It should be the Premier League and it alone. While this is a minor issue, the isolation of fans due to ticket pricing is a much more serious issue.

There is no better way to demonstrate the that football is moving further from its roots than the price of tickets. People claim that politicians are becoming out of touch with their constituents and the same is happening in football. Clubs will no longer cater for the working class, who effectively built the clubs over the past decades. Constantly clubs are favouring selling up-market tickets to 'men in suits' with no interest in the football. Several football personalities have expressed their concern about this on twitter.

"£5 billion for the new @premierleague TV deal. The game's awash with money. Cut ticket prices & make it affordable for real fans to attend." - Gary Lineker 

"Great day for @SkyFootball but with the amounts involved ticket pricing especially for away fans has too change. £20 for the 20 away games." - Jamie Carragher

I'll rhyme off some facts that I'm sure everyone is aware of: Arsenal have the most expensive ticket (£97) and the most expensive season ticket costing you a whopping £2,013. Charlton's £150 season ticket is the cheapest in England's top 4 divisions, while Barcelona's cheapest is £103, although I do hope this includes a pair of binoculars. Football is slowly pricing out the people that really matter. It is becoming corporate driven with ticket prices reaching astounding heights. Surely with the billions money given to the clubs they will be able to lower their ticket prices for their dedicated fans? I highly doubt it.

Clubs today want a quick fix. Buying ready polished talent is much easier than bringing a youngster up through the ranks. I certainly take more pleasure in seeing a youth product flourish and become a Premier League star than some import who made his name in a foreign league. From Chelsea's academy, the only name of note that plays regularly is John Terry. However, in fairness to Mourinho, he would use cup games as a platform for youngsters, although in small amounts.  Also  I have to note that Chelsea have some very promising individuals in the youth set up. Looking at Manchester City, they have only one player in their first team, Dedryck Boyata who has progressed from the youth academy. Although they do have a number of young players out on loan, are they likely to challenge for first team positions or will the manager just dip into the transfer market in order to replace and strengthen? The latter is more likely. Chelsea and City are easy targets but most English clubs are just as bad.

Lack of talent being progressed will lead to the detriment of the national side. I know many people that will say 'club before country' which I don't agree with. The situation in England is similar to the rugby situation in France. The French national team players are struggling to get game time in their clubs due to the imports from the Southern Hemisphere. The situation is much worse in rugby, but English football could lead the same way. Many people have lost interest in the national team because they aren't what they use to be. Quite often when I watch England play, the game is slow and lethargic evidence showing that the players just don't want to be there. Is the national team beyond saving? I don't know, but things need to be done quickly to save it.

The money from Sky and BT is likely to get spent on players wages and could lead to the first ever £500,000p/w Premier League player. It's quite staggering when you think of it.  It will also mean that transfer fees will rocket. Ever wondered why foreign teams love selling to the English teams? It's because they always overvalue the player therefore coughing up more money in order to acquire his services. 'Sterling offered incredible new deal' was the headline on Sky Sports' News last Tuesday, as Brendan Rodgers confirmed that the 20 year old was to be offered a bumper new deal. This set the ball rolling for an inflation of wages.

I can see why Rodgers is doing this to act as a deterrent for the Barcelonas and the Real Madrids of this world. But one thing I have learnt throughout my short time in football is that if they want someone then they will certainly spend whatever it takes to land their wanted player. See Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and Luis Suarez for evidence. Also, do these clubs really need Raheem Sterling? No I don't think they do. Is Sterling likely to remove Bale or Ronaldo at Madrid, or Suarez, Pedro or Neymar at Barcelona? He's good but he's not that good.

Looking at the player, does he deserve a pay rise? Currently on approximately £30k a week, it has been rumoured that he is being offered over twice as much as he is on. At 20 years old, I feel this is a bit much. Without doubt that Sterling has been one of the shining lights in Liverpool's season. He's likely to accept the new contract and with the extra money, he is likely to face even more temptations. Jack Wilshere is not the role model that kids should be aspiring to be. While he is an alright player, his off the field antics regularly make the news for the wrong reasons. Wayne Rooney was hardly an angel in his early days, the same with Saido Berahino. Sterling will face these temptations and will have to avoid them otherwise his career could stagnate and he will not reach the heights that he has showed over the last few years.

As much as we all love football, there's no denying that there are a few basic principles that need addressed. With everything becoming more and more commercialised, I am likely to be here next year, giving off about the same situation with no actions being sanctioned.