Tomorrow, January 31st, is one of the two craziest days in English football. It is transfer deadline day. The other one, August 31st, is a lot more unbelievable, ridiculous and almost revolting in terms of the amount of money that is spent by football teams on players. It is what huge television revenue has done, allowing clubs to inflate the prices of players on the market and they will out spend each other not to become champions of England but to qualify for the Champions League and earn even more money from UEFA television deals. Football clubs are run by owners who are in the business of making money. Winning is but a useful tool.
One thing I enjoy about transfer deadline day is all the ridiculous rumours that fly around. All the English newspapers and TV stations have constant updates on their websites. In an effort to keep ahead of the competition they publish many reports they receive from questionable sources about certain players, or agents, seen talking to a manager or owner of a club for which they do not play. There is a lot of humour amongst the huge transfer fees.
Of course there are numerous stories leading up to the day. This is my favourite one and we will have to wait to see if it is true. Newcastle want to buy Andros Townsend, the sometime or former England winger, from Crystal Palace. Manager Rafa Benitez has allegedly insisted that the Newcastle cheque-signers do indeed authorise one for £15m. That seems like a pretty reasonable amount for a team at the top of the second tier of English football to spend as they attempt to return to the promised land of the Premier League. Why not add some attacking firepower? Well, this is the same player they sold to Crystal Palace last summer for £13m after they were relegated. They didn't need a luxury player like Townsend in the rough and tough battleground of the Championship. And this is the same player they bought from Tottenham last January to help with their battle against relegation to their Championship, for £12m.
So, £12m for a saviour who didn't work out, a £1m profit to offload the same player who would be of little use in the Championship and a £2m loss to bring him back a year later to be the the star player who ensures they get out of the Championship, where they ended up with him in the team. But I could go round in circles for ever, just like Townsend might keep going back and forth between London and Newcastle.
It adds a, well, added twist to the player loyalty argument.
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