Now that the dust has settled
on the transfer window, we can look back at a summer that saw a number of key
moves but also a number of players, including Luis Suarez, Wayne Rooney, Angel
Di Maria, Juan Mata and Kareem Benzema, who didn’t. What might stand out in
this window is a return to the old adage that you don’t sell to direct
competitors. That rule has been broken on numerous occasions, most obviously by
Arsenal with the sale of RVP to Manchester United and Samir Nasri to City (and
lest us forget Cashley Cole), but Chelsea, United, Tottenham and others have
often been forced into this “come back to bite you” gamble. But this summer,
the two American owners in the EPL decided they would not allow this trend to
continue. Wayne Rooney was forced to stay at United even as he clearly wished a
move to Chelsea and the mercurial Luis Suarez was forced to stay at Liverpool
when he was vocally agitating for a move. And we have just learned that Chelsea
went a step further with Ba, after refusing to sell Mata to Arsenal or
Tottenham (though I prefer Ozil) … wasting several hours negotiating with the
Gunners over a move for the striker before pulling out at the last second. This
essentially ended Arsenal’s attempt to bring in any striker reinforcements and,
though it was their own fault for not signing Jovetic or Higuian earlier, seems
like really cynical business that goes beyond not strengthening a rival to borderline
malfeasance. Tottenham attempted to do the same, holding the Bale deal up for
at least a week in the hopes it would undermine any deal Arsenal could make for
Ozil, Benzema or Di Maria – while ironically maybe having the negative effect
of keeping Suarez at Liverpool – who I hope beat the Spurs 9-0.
The reality of modern football is
the players have gained considerable power in the past few years, able to
demand moves even those as unsavory as Van Persie being the first player to
exchange the red of London for that of Manchester since Wenger took over. But
this year numerous players, both stars and at the periphery, were forced to
stay put, even when it was bad for their careers or pocketbooks. Is this a good
thing? To Arsenal fans, the answer is probably yes, even as it cost us Suarez,
given how many players we have lost like this over the past eight years. On the
other hand, it is unfortunate for football, with excellent players like Rooney,
Mata, Modric and a whole host of others forced to sit on the bench or not
compete in the ultimate club competition (like Suarez). Rooney will clearly
feature a lot for United this season, but the others are in a purgatory that is
hard to understand. If Mata and Ba are not in Chelsea’s plans, let them go. If
Suarez really wants a move, sell him and use the 50 million pounds to bring in
reinforcements (as Tottenham did). If you have enough players in a position,
don’t buy simply to weaken your competitors – as Chelsea did buy stealing
William at the last second from Tottenham (as happy as that made me in the
end). If a young player wants to get time on the pitch, isn’t that in everyone’s
best interest. And as players like Kolarov and Bendtner stand on the precipice
of seeing their careers go up in flames, why not provide them with the exit
they are so hungry for?
Chelsea clearly stands out as
the worst of the worst, being strategic with almost everything they did this
summer, often working to undermine their competitors rather than strengthen
themselves. But it is becoming a common theme in football overall, from diving
and tapping up to the deep corruption of Italian football in general.
Competition is clearly the essence of the game, but one hopes that it does not
blur the line between clever strategic decisions and the sacrifice of players
and ethics in the pursuit of silverware at any cost. This is one area where
Arsenal and Arsene must be respected, as they have always worked aboveboard and
with dignity and respect for the players, the game and the limitations of
buying a winning team. Let’s hope that ethical behavior finally pays off this
year with some silverware and a recognition that building a team around
self-trained youth can work. Barcelona has certainly shown that potential,
though with the ability to buy talent when their famous academy fails.
The most striking aspect of the
transfer window, however, has been the incredibly inflated prices being paid.
Bale is an exceptional talent who scored most (or was it all?) of his goals
from outside the box last season. He combines strength, speed and incredible
skill with a creative flair. But is anyone in the world really worth over 80
million pounds? Is Fellaini, while a quality player, really worth 27 million?
Is Ozil worth the 45 we paid for him? Is Suarez, with all his trouble, really
worth more than the 40 million we paid? And a step down, we saw potential and
mediocrity valued way above what one would expect. What it really tells us is
that the players at the top can pay you back in merchandising and marketing
appeal (as Ronaldo already has for Real), that winning is worth a considerable
amount of money and that football, like Wall Street, lives in a world isolated
from the reality of market fluctuations, decreasing quality of the life in the
West and concern for humanity. Again Wenger stands out as a voice of reason in
these trends, though some might argue the inflated price paid for Ozil
undermines his own claim to work above the throes of greed and win-at-all-costs
that have muddied the game, and most sports over the past few decades. Yet
world football, in many ways, simply feels like an amplified microcosm of the
world we live in today – though maybe it’s a bit more fun. Or maybe I’m just nostalgic for a world that never existed to begin
with.
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