When Gareth Bale was unveiled with great pomp and gaiety at the Santiago Bernabeu by Florentino Perez earlier this month, twenty five thousand were present to witness the momentous arrival of the world's most expensive player. That of course is not considering the contributing effects of inflation, both monetary and Galactico -related. However, when one comes to the realization that the capacity of the Bernabeu is a quite astonishing 85,454 precisely, it provides food for thought. Barely one thirds of the historic stadium was filled to welcome someone who came with the humongous price tag of 86 million pounds sterling, or roughly 100 million euros. And what exactly were the Real Madrid faithful who happened to be present doing? They were proclaiming their disapproval at the impending transfer of Madrid playmaker Mesut Ozil to Arsenal, ostensibly for a record fee of 42.4 million pounds sterling for the London club. Probably the first thing that comes to mind is something many have pondered before, and in all likelihood will hereafter too: Has Florentino Perez lost his mind?
Florentino Perez may or may not have
lost his mind, but the moot question remains. Is Gareth Bale, or for that
matter, any footballer, worth the stupendous sum of 100 million euros? Can a
single individual truly be worth that much to a football club? And if so, how
exactly would they repay such ludicrous sums of money, aside from on the
football pitch? We take a look at these key questions, and more, in our
chronicle of the ten most impactful transfers of the hectic window just gone
by.
10.
Radamel Falcao – Value – 52 million pounds
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| Radamel Falcao Revealed at AS MONACO |
It may surprise many, but the
Colombian hitman comes in a lowly tenth on our list. This is because the impact
of a transfer should also take into account the value for money that a player
returns. Falcao, while unquestionably a prolific, and highly capable goalscorer
with a proven record, hasn’t come cheap for AS Monaco at a massive 52 mn pounds.
Now for someone who is primarily a lone striker, and is already 27 years old,
the figure represents Monaco’s desire to build a truly powerful and globally
visible squad, and his transfer seems a tad overpriced. There lie no doubts
about his ability, with an astonishing 52 goals in 67 games for Atletico Madrid
in the La Liga alone, and a further 16 from 16 in other competitions. However,
Falcao’s arrival in the French league implies that he shall not be plying his
trade at the highest level in Europe anymore, something a move to say the
English Premier league, or staying at Atletico, would have ensured. Hence, he
finds himself tenth on this list, given the reduced relevance of his move in
the overall European scheme of things. An incredible signing for Monaco
nonetheless, as he has already begun to repay their quite considerable investment
with 3 goals in his first 4 games for them this season.
9. Christian Eriksen – Value – Undisclosed,
rumoured to be around 13 million pounds
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| Christian Eriksen revealed at TOTTENHAM HOTSPURS |
8. Gareth Bale – Value – 85.4 million
pounds
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| Bale with Florentino Perez |
The highly protracted and widely publicized
transfer of the Welsh winger drew criticism from all fronts as the perfect
example of rank overspending and gross inflation of transfer fees by Real
Madrid. And for that simple reason, Gareth Bale makes it to only eighth on our
list. He represents by some way the worst value for money amongst all the
transfers in the top 10. Bale also enters a squad filled to the brim with
superstars, and even bigger egos. All this adds up to a potential recipe for
disaster. It seems difficult to see where exactly the Southampton youth academy
graduate will fit in, with his preferred role occupied at present by his idol,
Cristiano Ronaldo. Bale, for all the sums of money that Madrid have thrown in
his direction, will struggle to assert his place in this Madrid squad. Added to
that is his rather obvious lack of any considerable international experience,
and given Wales’ seeming ineptitude at qualifying for major international tournaments,
this does not seem likely to be rectified in the near future.Coupled with the
fact that his exposure to the highest echelons of European football consists
primarily of that one glorious night he spent ripping apart Inter Milan’s hapless
defence, and with it effectively destroying Maicon’s career, Bale seems to be
more of a desperate attempt by Real to compensate for the arrival of Neymar at
Barcelona.However, at just 24,he has won the PFA young player of year award
twice in a row, and piled on 22 goals from midfield in the most demanding
league in the world last season, with many of them absolute scorchers. 9 of his
goals were from outside the box, an attribute which combined with his tremendous
pace and brutal power makes him fit the bill perfectly for a Real Madrid player.One
way or the other, this move promises to raise hell in the La Liga. Theres a lot
riding on the Welshman, and the challenge for him is to make even
Zinedine Zidane eat his words.
7.
Thiago Alcantara – Value – 22 million pounds
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| Guardiola with Thiago |
Bayern Munich finally broke free of
all the negativity associated with their tag of being perennial chokers in
Europe with their win over arch-rivals Borusssia Dortmund in the hotly –
contested final of the Champions League in May. Jupp Heynckes bid farewell to
the Allianz Arena, with an incredible season the highlight of which was
undoubtedly their ruthless demolition of Barcelona, seven goals to nil across
two legs in the Champions League. Many consider that result to be the
definitive end of the great era of Catalan domination, which was initiated by
the wily Pep Guardiola. Pep has now taken over at Bayern, ushering in a new
generation of Bavarian talent that he looked to stamp his own identity on by
signing Barcelona central midfielder Thiago. His performances at the U-21 Euros
for his adopted country of Spain left little doubt that he was indeed
blossoming into the brilliant creative midfielder with the ability to dig deep
in the heart of midfield that he has promised to be, since his formative years
at La Masia. The son of Brazilian World Cup 1994 winner Mazinho, Thiago scored
a stunning hattrick at the Euros final, one goal with his right foot, one with
the left, and one with his head. Blessed with the composure on the ball that is
second nature to Barcelona players, and with the ability to both create and
score goals, the 22 year-old represents fantastic value for money at a shade
above 20 million. This combined with the fact that Bayern Munich are the team
to watch and beat next season means that Thiago under the tutelage of Guardiola
is a massively important and defining transfer in the context of European
football. He looks poised to become a mainstay in Bayern’s already incredible midfield
line up, given Pep’s well documented high opinion of him. Born in Italy, to a
Brazilian father, playing for Spain and now plying his trade in the German
Bundesliga, Thiago spurned interest from Manchester United to go to Bayern, and
is a highly significant transfer given his shift from the team that dominated
football and our imaginations for years, to the team that is most likely to
replicate that feat in the years to come. One only hopes that Pep handles
Thiago’s transition much better this time than playing him in 2 games across
two seasons during his initial years in
the main squad at the Camp Nou.
6. Edinson Cavani – Value – 56 million pounds
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| Cavani unveiled at PSG |
Edinson Roberto
Cavani Gomez, the intimidating Uruguayan hitman, comes in at sixth on this list
given his fantastic return of 29 league goals for Napoli in the Italian Serie A
last season. Add to that his 23 goals the season before, and 26 the season before
that, and put it together with the fact that only Lionel Messi and Cristiano
Ronaldo have scored more goals than him over the last five seasons across
Europe’s top leagues, and you have a compelling case for his inclusion here. A
marquee signing for Paris Saint Germain, Cavani will slot right in with Zlatan
Ibrahimovic up top for PSG, and clearly Nasser el Khalifa believes that his
arrival will also boost shirt sales. While many may feel that Falcao has been hard
done by, Cavani has an excellent goalscoring record, combined with remarkable
consistency, and has run sturdy Italian defences ragged on the pitch year after
year. The real significance of this deal though, lies in the fact that PSG
emerged last season as a force to be reckoned with in the Champions League, and
with this arrival they seem to be realistic candidates for Champions League
glory. This along with the promise of forming a deadly striking duo with Zlatan,
makes Cavani a highly valuable asset for PSG, even though if he is a tad
overpriced at 56 million pounds. One hopes that with his move to a darker shade
of blue, Cavani will continue to progress on his path as a fearsome predator,
an epitome of the modern number 9 and an explosive striker as well as a perfect
target man.
5.
Mario Gotze – Value – 32.5 million pounds
Nicknamed ‘Gotzinho’, or little Gotze,
Mario Gotze does indeed resemble a small kid and also happens to live with his parents
even now. For a player that diminutive though, Gotze possesses a massive
reputation as a potential footballing phenomenon, at the tender age of just 21.
In 2011, the young central midfielder had his breakthrough season at Borussia
Dortmund, and announced himself to the football world with six goals and an
incredible 15 assists, an effort enough to promptly land him the coveted Golden
Boy award. He quickly grew into a mainstay for both Dortmund and Germany, and
won the Bundesliga twice with Bees, and also reached the finals of last
season’s Champions League. It was just before that time, that his contentious move
to Bayern Munich was announced, which inevitably opened a Pandora’s Box of
troubles for the young prodigy. Fans may well remember his maniacal celebrations
when Dortmund scored that momentous night. The man who had just begun to form a
deadly midfield combine with Marco Reus, will now play in Bayern’s packed
midfield, which has also seen the arrival of Thiago. Although he is known to
prefer playing in the hole, with the likes of Mueller and Kroos already
established in the Bayern hierarchy in that position, Gotze will have to fight
for his place. The upheaval that a transfer of this magnitude has caused in
Germany is tremendous, particularly given that these are two of the very best
teams in Europe. Gotze could be instrumental both in Europe and domestically,
as Bayern look to clinch their sixth Champions League crown. Where Dortmund’s ‘Echte Liebe’ failed to captivate him, maybe
the Allianz Arena and the glamour of FC Hollywood, as Bayern are called in Germany,
will keep him occupied and fulfil his undeniable potential.
4. Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre- Emerick Aubameyang
– Value – 24 and 14 million pounds
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| Klopp with Mkhitaryan |
If there’s
one aspect of the Borussia Dortmund squad you simply can’t get enough of, it
has to be the magnificent names sprayed all across their young and vibrant
squad. Names like Jakub Błaszczykowski, Robert Lewandowski, Iikay Gundogan
sound as enticing as the brand of football that they play. This summer, we saw
the addition of two more such ridiculous yet brilliant names to the squad, with
the arrival of Armenian attacking midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan from Shakhtar Donetsk
and pacy striker Pierre –Emerick Aubameyang from St. Etienne. The reason our panel considers them as one significant
transfer is because they were both quite clearly financed by the sale of Mario
Gotze to rivals Bayern Munich, and because they both stand testimony to Jurgen
Klopp’s shrewd tactical acumen. In Mkhitaryan, Dortmund have the perfect
replacement for Gotze, a man who prefers to slot in just behind the striker,
and can both create and score goals, as proved by his league-high 25 goals last
season in Ukraine. With some dazzling performances in Europe, and his fantastic
start to his Dortmund career, the 24-year old looks set to repay every penny of
his transfer value. As the Signal Iduna Park following call him, Micki could
potentially inspire Dortmund to another incredible run in the Champions League.
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| Aubameyang and Reus - A Deadly Combo |
All set to receive his defence splitting passes, is Gabonese international
Aubameyang. The former Milan youth academy player, who in training clocked a
speed faster than that of Usain Bolt over 30m, is blessed with tremendous pace
and goalscoring instincts. This in combination with his 6ft 1’ frame makes him
a devastating long term replacement for Lewandowski, who is set to depart for
Bayern next summer. He too has enjoyed a scintillating start to his Dortmund
career, scoring a hattrick on debut in the Bundesliga against Augsburg. His
athletic ability will stand him in good stead at Dortmund, given their
counterattacking style and Klopp’s preferred training exercises like
constructing a goalscoring opportunity in under 10 seconds. Dortmund have thus covered all their bases
with these two crucial moves in the transfer window, and having gone in for
their men early, avoided the fracas generally associated with the transfer
window. The club with the highest average attendance in Europe and where the demand
for season tickets far exceeds the supply, look set to dominate Europe with
their highly exciting style of play, and these two signings fit in perfectly
with their footballing philosophy.
3. Isco Alarcon – Value – 23 million pounds
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| Isco unveiled by Real Madrid |
Martin
Ferguson once famously described Isco as ‘rather slow and does not make enough
of an impact in midfield’. That perhaps explains the reason behind Manchester
United’s dearth of any real quality in central midfield, but we’ll leave that
for another time. The Spanish playmaker, highly versatile in his positions on
the football pitch as he is as capable of playing down the left flank as down
the centre, is one of the foremost young talents in European football. His
virtuoso performances at the U-21 Euros lit up the tournament, and entranced
football fans all over the world. He eventually ended the tournament as its
third highest goalscorer, as Spain lifted the trophy on the back of his
brilliant displays. At 21 years of age, and of considerable ability, with a
heady mix of passing, vision, skilful dribbling, finishing and a wondrous final
ball that can unlock the tightest of defences, Isco’s transfer at a fee of merely
23 million pounds represents a coup for Real Madrid, and possibly for once a degree
of business acumen. Carlo Ancellotti clearly has a great deal of faith in this
young man, as the departure of Mesut Ozil proves. While that may seem to place
even more pressure on Isco’s young shoulders, he has lit up Real’s play so far
this season, with a goal and an assist on debut for them. The former Malaga
man, who was also pursued by Manuel Pellegrini and Manchester City, rejected the
lure of oil money for Spain and Los Blancos. Even in a team as blessed with
attacking flair and quality as Real, Isco could soon be pulling the strings
from midfield for this new generation of Galacticos, and maybe help bring home their revered Decima. His fee also serves as something
of a balancing act for the torrid amount that Madrid paid for his U-21
teammate, Aiser Illaramendi, who though a fantastic talent, is certainly not worth
more than Isco. The Madrid faithful have already begun to sing his name, as a
bitter Ozil noted, and in time the wounds left open by the German’s abrupt departure
may fade into merely a faint memory, as Real’s new Spanish midfield maestro
looks set to take the world of football by storm with his own brand of genius.
2. Neymar Junior – Value – 49 million pounds
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| Neymar Junior at the Camp Nou |
Pele and
Diego Maradona have never been cronies so to speak, but nothing has ever had
them so much at loggerheads as the raging debate over who exactly is the best
player in the world? Where the puny Brazilian claims it is the young Neymar,
from his club of Santos, the stout and stubborn Maradona sticks blindly to his
belief that it is another one of Newell’s Old Boys, Leo Messi. Both ofcourse
have quite conveniently forgotten Cristiano Ronaldo in the heat of their
debate, but as far as the other two are concerned, football fans now have a
unique opportunity to observe them both at close quarters, with Nemyar’s much
talked about arrival at Barcelona. To many he seemed a complete waste of money,
given the fact that all his talent had been exhibited in only the Brazilian
league. But then came the turning point for the young forward, the
Confederations Cup held in his own Brazil. Amidst riots and violent protests
lamenting the corruption deeply rooted in the Brazilian administration, as well
as the unnecessary expenditure involved in hosting the FIFA World Cup 2014, his
outstanding performances replete with stunning goals provided a platform for
Brazil to win the Confed Cup for a record fifth time. Although painfully thin and physically
unimposing, Neymar is a truly explosive player. Blessed with great pace,
coupled with fantastic and often outrageous skill and the ability to score
absolute scorchers, Neymar’s ability was enough to entice Barcelona to pay nigh
on fifty million, where many would argue that the money would have been better
spent on a centre back, or even two. So far this season though, Neymar has only
played a bit-part role under new manager Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino, being brought
on as a substitute. Once he gets going though, he may prove impossible to stop.
The most vital aspect where Neymar could affect Barcelona’s play though, lies
in the fact that he will in time reduce their over- reliance on Messi, and
provide another focal point of attack for Barcelona when Messi fails to provide
the answers. The mouth-watering prospect of seeing two of the finest players in
the world combine, and leaving decimated defences in their wake, could just
about ensure that the catastrophic loss to Bayern was nothing but a minor blip
on the railroad of the Barcelona juggernaut.
1. Mesut Ozil – Value – 42.4 million pounds
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| Ozil and Per : Germany and Arsenal |
There are
some players who are spectacular in nature, and yet they deliver very little,
while there are some who go about their business quietly, but with deadly
precision and impact. The very same words could be use to describe Mesut Ozil’s
deadline day transfer to Arsenal. The wide-eyed German has left Arsenal fans
wide-eyed and open-mouthed with his absolutely unprecedented last-minute move
to the red side of north London. Possibly the world’s most gifted playmaker and
the finest exponent of the number 10 role in the modern game, Ozil is the
archetypal team man, a perfect blend of individual
ability and vision. He rose to fame at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, when Jaochim
Low’s young German squad raided the likes of England and Argentina. A move to
Real Madrid followed, and in time he established himself as one of the world’s
finest passers. Surrounded by the likes of Ronaldo and Benzema, Ozil pulled the
strings in Madrid’s midfield, their primary creative outlet, with a penchant
for picking out outrageous assists and key passes on the drop of a hat. Since
his arrival at Madrid, no player across Europe’s top leagues has clocked up
more assists than him. However, Ozil’s ability is of the kind that need not be
reinforced by mere statistics. Jose
Mourinho once compared him to Zinedine Zidane, and while not quite possessing
the flamboyance of the legend, Ozil can be just as deadly a provider as the
Frenchman. Just 24 years of age, and already a playmaker of remarkable
abilities, Ozil seems to be a fantastic buy for Arsenal, and completely worth breaking
their transfer record by almost 3 times its previous value. For Wenger and his
trophy-deprived fans, Ozil could well be the Messiah who changes them back into
genuine title contenders, like the halcyon days of the Invincibles. He also
fits into the Gunners’ short, swift passing style like a glove. With managerial changes rife amongst their
primary title rivals, and riding on the back of a fantastic second half of the
season in 2012/13, Ozil’s arrival is a signal of intent and purpose from the
Londoners, who with one single bold transfer overshadowed all else in North
London, and ensured it stayed red.
You may
not necessarily agree with us on all aspects of this compilation though, so we’d
definitely like to invite more viewpoints on this debate from all of you.
-Somdeep Dey - follow me on twitter - @Red_deyvil
or
contact us attbegame@gmail.com or follow us on twitter at - @tbegame
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