KENNY DALGLISH
Don’t knock players for chasing fortunes
THE Transfer Window is now officially open, and there will be plenty of business done in the next 31 days.
All clubs will explore every avenue available to them as they look to strengthen their squads.
Whether their aim is to win the league, get in the top four, avoid relegation or even just attain mid- table security, their needs will be great.
In England, in particular, thanks to the EPL’s television deal, there will be huge sums of money available to do business with.
But I don’t think there is the talent around to justify the amounts of cash that will be spent in the new four weeks.
All managers will want to do their best at improving their team for the second half of the season.
However, you tend to find that there is a better chance of doing something extraordinary in the summer.
That said, if you have money to spend, then try to use it because it gives you a better chance of being successful.
It used to be that the clubs in the English Premier League would be competing with their counterparts in Spain, Germany, Italy, France, Turkey and Russia for players.
But it appears the landscape is changing, and clubs in China are now major players.
So the amount of clubs spending money has increased, but they are chasing a small pool of talent.
It’s been reported that the owners and executives of the Chinese teams are willing to pay around £ 500,000 or £600,000- per-week for players.
I’ve no reason to disbelieve that these figures aren’t accurate, and some of the world’s best players have been linked with moves to China.
There is no doubt the money must be attractive to the top players, and they can’t be criticised for signing contracts that will set them up for life and give them tremendous financial security.
However, at this moment, I don’t think players would be going to play in China because of the quality of competition on the pitch, and in the league, overall.
The attraction is what is available to them off the pitch.
However, in time, if China can develop its own players and grow a successful national team, then they can enhance their reputation for their football and that will be a positive for them.
That, though, will take years. But there does seem to be a determination around their country to make a success of it.
It will be interesting to see how it all unfolds over there in the next three to five years.
They are also attracting top European coaches, with the likes of one-time Chelsea boss, Andre Villas-Boas, and former England manager, Sven- Goran Eriksson, now working there.
But it’s also about getting good scouts into places where they can identify talent and bring them to clubs without paying tens of millions of pounds every time they sign a player.
Good scouts have an eye for a player, and contacts to point them in the right direction.
John Park was very successful at Celtic for a number of years and identified the likes of Victor
The attraction is what is available off the pitch
Wanyama and Virgil van Dijk, who were bought relatively cheaply and sold on for big money.
Ewan Chester was also very successful for Rangers at bringing quality players to Ibrox.
Of course, there will be the usual mad rush in the final 48 hours of the month to get the necessary paperwork completed and signings over the line.
I don’t have a problem with the transfer window, but I was also happy with the way things used to be when you could sign a player at any stage of the season, apart from the last five or six weeks of the campaign.
When I was managing at Liverpool and Blackburn Rovers around 25 years ago, there was a restriction whereby you had to register a player by 5pm on a Thursday if you wanted him available for a Saturday.
At Blackburn, I signed a few right on the wire, such as Gordon Cowans and Alan Wright, and I remember our secretary John Howarth used to panic to get it all done and dusted in time with the authorities.
He used to come in on a Thursday morning and say: “Well, Mr Manager, who might we be trying to sign at 4.55 tonight?”
So we‘ll see what happens in the next four weeks.
Agents will also play a vital role, and they can very helpful when clubs want to move players on.
The bottom line is if players want to move, and it’s advantageous for them, then it’s very hard to stop them.