Euros showed it’s not all about money
THE last four weeks in France have provided uplifting stories to showcase football’s finest qualities.
The efforts of Wales and Iceland at Euro 2016 have captured the imagination across the continent.
These sides have shown what is possible with a sprinkling of quality, organisation, total commitment and a real pride in representing your nation.
The Welsh upset World No.2-ranked side Belgium in the quarter-finals with their finest-ever performance. Iceland, population 332,000, humiliated England in the last 16. Following on from Leicester’s success in winning the Premier League, they have been feelgood stories that have gone beyond football.
But as the Euros wrap up with tonight’s Final between France and Portugal, the shadow of the new domestic season is already starting to loom.
With most clubs now back for pre-season training and the transfer window opening for business, the money from the TV deal is already burning a hole in most clubs’ wallets.
Crystal Palace, the 16th best team last year, spent £25m on Andros Townsend from Newcastle United and West Ham’s James Tomkins.
The Magpies, now in the Championship of course, responded to losing Townsend by signing Bournemouth’s Matt Ritchie for £10m.
And so it continued as the Cherries agreed a £15m fee with Liverpool to take young Jordon Ibe to the South Coast in place of Ritchie.
All good players – but are they worth their fees? Absolutely not. At one time, £10-15m would go a long way. Now it just gets you another run-of-the-mill player.
International football is about working with what you have. There is no transfer kitty. It’s about finding the system that best suits your players. It’s why little old Iceland toppled the mighty England.
The only way to solve a problem in the Premier League is to spend, spend, spend. If one player doesn’t work, buy another one.
Manchester City have spent roughly £70m in the last two summers on Eliaquim Mangala and Nicolas Otamendi. Neither has looked the part, so new manager Pep Guardiola will probably look to spend another £50m for a new defender.
We keep hearing that international football is not what it was, that the club game is everything.
But the Corinthian values on display at the Euros have reminded us that money does not always talk.