HEY BIG SPENDERS
Football hit by a poundemic as stars shatter all records
IT IS the transfer window which will go down as the most spectacular in history.
The two biggest players on the planet – Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi – have both completed moves while Premier League clubs have broken spending records.
Football has pressed the reset button.
It has gone back to the mega deals before the pandemic and the reality is the fans are revelling in the excitement of a summer full of incredible signings, sagas and spending.
Manchester City set a British transfer record with their £100m deal to sign Jack Grealish from Aston Villa.
Chelsea spent £97.5m on Romelu Lukaku, which makes him the most expensive player of all time, when you add up all the combined transfer fees spent on him, totalling £288m.
Even Arsenal have got in on the act, as the perennial transfer cheapskates have suddenly become the big spenders by splashing out £140m on deals for Ben White, Aaron Ramsdale, Martin Odegaard, Albert Sambi Lokonga and Nuno Tavares.
Make no mistake. If Covid had caused a multi-billion pound financial crisis within football and clubs had been cautious in the last two windows, then this time has seen a return to the spending of the past.
At least that is the story in the
Premier League because, having spent just £70m in January, the 20 clubs have splashed the cash and it is already over £1bn.
So much for football pleading poverty, wage deferrals and pay cuts – the Premier League suddenly looks awash with cash.
That, of course, is at odds with teams outside of the promised land in the EFL, grassroots football and beyond.
The Government intervened last year in the battle between the haves and the have-nots – and while the rest of football struggles, the Premier League has never had it so good.
Spain has generally struggled to buy players, Serie A clubs have tightened their belts, the Bundesliga have been cautious and yet the Premier League is on a different path altogether.
And no one can deny that Ronaldo (inset) and Messi have set the pulses racing again.
Messi’s move from Barcelona to PSG was one of the most incredible transfers football has seen because of the sheer drama, one of the best players of all time being allowed to leave the Nou Camp on a free. Argentina superstar Messi left in tears, arrived full of smiles and his move signals a power shift in Champions League terms because Barcelona look like also-rans while PSG are redhot favourites to win the trophy
For years, the rivalry between Ronaldo and
Messi has been so entertaining, as has the debate over which player is the best of their era.
It was almost as if Ronaldo could not bear to be outdone, could not bear for Messi to steal the headlines, so had to force an even bigger story with his return to Manchester United.
Even at 36, Ronaldo is still a phenomenon. He scored 29 goals for Juventus last season, outscoring Lukaku, and his is the biggest and most exciting of the lot.
However, this window has been a game-changer.
Maybe the big clubs knew they had to win back the fans after the European Super League fiasco.
And they have certainly spent like there is no tomorrow.