A Transfers Tale

He said: “It would be interesting to see who’s spent what and how it tallies with success.” And he pays me, so I said: “Good idea.” At which precise moment my troubles began..

Harry Harris made the point recently but it’s a good one nonetheless. Why are so many transfer fees ‘undisclosed’? Players’ wages are routinely splashed on sportspages and they ARE none of our business. I’d have understood a press embargo on spending £22m on Damien Duff. But Reading, understandably happy to admit to an £80,700 outlay on Kevin Doyle, ‘undisclosed’ the outlay on Shane Long, at the same time, to the same club – Cork City. Likewise Fernando Torres is a very £26.5m move in most newspapers, yet officially ‘(undisc)’. And Kenny Miller’s deadline day trip to Derby was £3m AND undisclosed in the same Independent article.

It isn’t easy to quantify what portions of disclosed fees go to clubs, players, agents or some bloke who happened to be walking by (maybe not that last one… maybe). Emile Heskey, for instance, cost ‘Liverpool’ £3.5m or £6.25m, depending on your news source.

The fees themselves aren’t the whole story, either. Michael Ballack was a ‘free’ and barely good value for money at that, some argue. But his cost was on his payslip. Harry Redknapp’s boasts of £848,000 profit on his non-stop wheeler-dealing at Bournemouth overlooked the near-ruinous wage bill it produced.

One man’s bargain is another’s “what a waste of money”, although it’s usually clear who’s barking. TV’s Brian Moore pleaded Paul Stewart’s case when Spurs’ striker was branded financially wasteful at Old Trafford, crying: “He’s scored seven goals this season.” This was in March.

The last five years’ transfers have told tales, though. Surprise, Redknapp was the ‘busiest’ manager, barely slowing since his Bournemouth adventure and equally fraught West Ham spell, until last September – unconnected to any ‘Panorama’ investigation, whatever ‘they’ say. Portsmouth have looked better for it, the UEFA Cup may yet await. But whether Harry learns a lesson is, let’s say, another matter.

Restraint has been shown by relatively super-rich John Madejski at Reading and Dave Whelan at Wigan, more in tune with Steve Coppell’s attitude than Paul Jewell’s. At the other extreme, leaving aside the small country’s national debt that exited Chelsea before chief executive Peter Kenyon’s call to self-sufficiency, the big-spenders are the big four less Arsenal, who’ve had a stadium to fund. Plus top-four wannabees Newcastle and Tottenham.

Manchester United aren’t the big-spenders they were, the Glazer debt seeing to that. But they’re trying to look like they are, with big headline fees paid in dribbly news-in-brief instalments. The logic of disclosing Nani and Anderson’s combined fee but not their individual ones, however, escapes me.

Liverpool are high-rollers because Gerard Houllier bought half of France’s available players before Rafa Benitez bought half of Spain’s. A contrast with Bolton whose money, £8m Anelka apart, went on wages. And none inappropriately to players’ representatives with relevant family connections.

The venerable Sir Bobby Robson can’t escape part-responsibility for the Toon’s profligacy. Newcastle have disclosed more fees than other clubs (they kept quiet about Craig Bellamy, though who wouldn’t?). Which confirms that latest owner Mike Ashley should have glanced at the books before buying his shares. Their transfer debt dwarfs even ex-chairman Freddie Shepherd’s various pay-offs.

Ashley shouldn’t repeat the mistake if he’s really sniffing around Spurs, as some respected newspapers – and the Express – claim. The venerable, if you’re not Daniel Levy, Martin Jol can’t escape part-responsibility either. Darren Bent will only be a bargain if he matches Jimmy Greaves goal-for-goal or finds a cure for cancer. Nearly £6m more than Berbatov – who, even at £10.89m, was a top buy. Which touches on how domestic players are dearer than foreign counterparts from rich and poor parts of ‘abroad.’

Was Deadly Doug Ellis less tight than we thought? He let John Gregory spend wads earlier in the decade (and Derby feature as major dealers over the last five years thanks to Gregory’s ‘pro-active’ dealings in the first three months of 2003). And he was similarly unable to resist David O’Leary’s shopaholic urges.

Fulham’s ever-increasing indebtedness to Mohamed Fayed restricted transfers-in until Lawrie Sanchez’s recent trolley-dash. While necessitating transfers-out like Louis Saha, who might have gone for more than £12.82m had they not been an obvious selling club. Again, though, the wage bill under Jean Tigana must have dwarfed the Frenchman’s toothpick bill.

Manchester City have recently played catch-up, and won, thanks to Thaksin, Sven and agent Jerome Anderson. I’ll reserve judgement on what money has gone where for the moment…and possibly for legal reasons. But I don’t think anyone has over-paid as much as Everton for Yakubu Ayegbeni. I haven’t seen panic-buying like that since the 2001 fuel crisis, Middlesbrough’s 2007 transfer debt nearly wiped out in an instant.

Few candidates for Chancellor among this lot, then. Spending sprees often co-incided with TV deals. But announcements rather than actual pay-outs, hence this busy summer. Some stinking buys too. Adrian Mutu for £15.8m. Craig Bellamy for anything more than a packet of polos. Chelsea swapping Gallas’s wages for Cole’s. And Newcastle agreeing to indemnify Joey Barton against court costs (not strictly a transfer fee but funny nevertheless).

Some deals made me feel old. Not only Peter Schmeichel’s son but Tobias Hysen, son of Liverpool defender Glen who I thought had only just retired himself. Some made me laugh. Not only £7.5m for Bellamy but also Charlie Daniels, whose band had a 1970s hit with ‘The Devil went down to Georgia’, has gone down to Leyton Orient.

Some good ones, too. Cork City could have got much more for Doyle. And there’s an increasing ‘wow’ factor in Blackburn to £20,000 for Matt Darbyshire. But first prize to Arsene Wenger. A huge transfer profit, Diarra for £2m, swapping Cole’s wages for Gallas’s. For TWO Emirates Cups.

So, a good idea after all. Even if the picture taken by transfer fees is incomplete, complex and too secretive for the good of the game.

‘MotorMurph’ is written by Mark Murphy

Entry Filed under: MotorMurph Column

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