Bent

[Scott Brehaut]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/footbal ... 364092.stm

With Bent going for a potential £24,000,000!!!!, surely there are high hopes that we will be able to command huge fees for our players from now on.

In all seriousness, is Bent really, really worth 24 million pounds??!!

The world (or football at least) has gone mad!!

[happytorq]

a team on the slide desperate to stop the rot.

that said, if there was a striker in the Premiership worth that much, you'd have to say Bent would be a good candidate. since 2005 he's scored 81 goals in the Prem; only Rooney and Drogba (both 82) have more. And he's played for Charlton, Tottenham & Sunderland, rather than Chelsea or Man U

[Plymouth Gull]

From 2008/09-present, he's been the top scorer in the Prem, scoring 44. Two more than Tevez and Drogba..

[Scott Brehaut]

Going from this list: Top 10 Premier League Transfers

1. Robinho
2. Berbatov: Tottenham to Manchester United – £30.75m (2008)
3. Andriy Shevchenko: AC Milan to Chelsea – £30.8m (2006)
4. Rio Ferdinand: Leeds to Manchester United – £29.1m (2002)
5. Juan Sebastian Veron: Lazio to Manchester United – £28.1m (2001)
6. Michael Essien: Lyon to Chelsea – £24.43m (2005)
7. Didier Drogba: Marseille to Chelsea – £24m (2004)
7. James Milner: Aston Villa to Manchester City – £24m (2010)
7. David Silva: Valencia to Manchester City – £24m (2010)
7. Yaya Toure: Barcelona to Manchester City – £24m (2010)

Bumped from the list: Wayne Rooney (Everton to Manchester United for an initial £23m in 2004), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City to Chelsea for £21m in 2005), Fernando Torres (Atletico Madrid to Liverpool for £20m in 2007)

Read more: http://soccerlens.com/top-10-most-expen ... z1BQcjg8x4
He would slot in between Essien and Drogba (the list is as at Sept 2010).

Is he really value for money?? Is anybody REALLY worth that sort of money??
It really does show why the rich get richer and the smaller clubs go out of business trying to catch up when crazy money like this is thrown around.

[Yellow4life]

Over priced.

Simples.

[ferrarilover]

1. Robinho
2. Berbatov: Tottenham to Manchester United – £30.75m (2008) - One good season at Spurs, suddenly he's worth this sort of cash. Two Alan Shearers? **** off.
3. Andriy Shevchenko: AC Milan to Chelsea – £30.8m (2006) - World's best footballer for a time, then he went to Chelsea who have a habit of ruining top players. Deco anyone?
4. Rio Ferdinand: Leeds to Manchester United – £29.1m (2002) - Nothing like as good as a lot of people (himself especially) thinks he is. £29.1m in the Pre-Abramovich days, **** off.
5. Juan Sebastian Veron: Lazio to Manchester United – £28.1m (2001) - What did he score, one goal? **** off.
6. Michael Essien: Lyon to Chelsea – £24.43m (2005) - Ok, yup, I'll grant you this one.
7. Didier Drogba: Marseille to Chelsea – £24m (2004) - See above.
7. James Milner: Aston Villa to Manchester City – £24m (2010) - Who? Has he started for City, ever? **** off.
7. David Silva: Valencia to Manchester City – £24m (2010) - Good, but not THAT good. you only get £30,000,000 for winning the Champs League, this guy aint 4/5ths of that title.
7. Yaya Toure: Barcelona to Manchester City – £24m (2010) - Hell of a price to pay just on the strength of his brother's recommendation.

I don't like them, but Arsenal are the role models here. Made a profit over the last 10 years, despite building the best stadium in the country and, while not doing a Man City, they've hardly been short of a big purchase or two. Not won enough recently, but they stand a better chance over the next few years than City do, especially once the 'Spend what you earn' policy is introduced. City, with their 400 seater ground will be up the creek, as will Chelsea. Man Utd will be ok, what with tickets at OT being a billion pounds these days. TUFC for the Treble 2014/15?

Matt.

[Awayday]

Matt

How can you say "Chelsea have a habit of ruining top players" and then in the same league table admit that Essien and Drogba are good singings for Chelsea?

Also Arsenal have made a profit over the last 10 years because they did not include the building of the stadium into their accounts. Arsenal FC made a profit but Arsenal Plc (or what ever the group company is called) made a loss because of the building of the stadium. I agree Arsene Wenger is one of the best managers around for finding young talent (Henry for example) and turning them into World Class players. However Arsenal's best ever signing was done before Wenger started..... I believe it has to be done by an old Torquay favourite of Bruce Rioch when he bought Dennis Bergkamp in his 1 year at Highbury. He did naff all else at the club but at least he can be remembered for that one transaction.

Lastly Man Utd will be in trouble with the wage caps as well. The cap will be based on gate receipts and as it stand Man Utd make a loss on match day. They make all their money on media, their TV company, franchises and sponsorship. Alex Fergusson gets fined £1000 by the FA every week for not being interviewed by the BBC for Match of the Day. Instead he has a deal with Man Utd TV for exclusive interviews and they pay his fine for him as part of the deal.

[ferrarilover]

Matt

How can you say "Chelsea have a habit of ruining top players" and then in the same league table admit that Essien and Drogba are good singings for Chelsea?

Also Arsenal have made a profit over the last 10 years because they did not include the building of the stadium into their accounts. Arsenal FC made a profit but Arsenal Plc (or what ever the group company is called) made a loss because of the building of the stadium. I agree Arsene Wenger is one of the best managers around for finding young talent (Henry for example) and turning them into World Class players. However Arsenal's best ever signing was done before Wenger started..... I believe it has to be done by an old Torquay favourite of Bruce Rioch when he bought Dennis Bergkamp in his 1 year at Highbury. He did naff all else at the club but at least he can be remembered for that one transaction.

Lastly Man Utd will be in trouble with the wage caps as well. The cap will be based on gate receipts and as it stand Man Utd make a loss on match day. They make all their money on media, their TV company, franchises and sponsorship. Alex Fergusson gets fined £1000 by the FA every week for not being interviewed by the BBC for Match of the Day. Instead he has a deal with Man Utd TV for exclusive interviews and they pay his fine for him as part of the deal.

I didn't say Chelsea ruin EVERY player they sign, just that they have a habit of ruining top players. Deco and Shev were two of the top names in world football, 'till they signed for Chelsea, then they went to pot. Take a look at what these respective players have achieved. Deco scored a screamer on his debut, did absolutely nothing else all the time he was there. Drogba scores every 10 minutes or so.
WRONG! Arsenal PLC (or whatever) have assets totalling almost the cost of the new stadium in the form of the flats they built on the old Highbury site. Bearing in mind they have sold half the flats already and STILL have something like 80% of the value of the Emirates in reserve. That and the money the Emirates brings in. The executive boxes alone at the Emirates are worth as much on a matchday as the whole of Highbury. Arsenal FC is a big red machine for printing money.

I love the FA. Why oh why oh why fine a geezer who earns, what, £150,000 a week and has done for 20 years now, a bag of sand? Do they honestly believe it will make him talk to the Beeb? Do they honestly believe he actually pays it himself? Hands up who thinks he claims it in his salary, then claims tax relief on it as a business expense.

Matt.

[Gulliball]

Deco and Shevchenko aren't the fairest examples, because they are 'footballers' rather than 'athletes'. The set-up in England is geared towards physical attributes like pace and strength rather than skill and finesse like Seria A and La Liga. They were in the twilight of their careers at the time they moved too. Drogba and Essien are absolute beasts and perfect for the Premiership. It's why England don't win when we play any half decent side in the quarter finals.

[ferrarilover]

Which makes it the fault of the Chelsea decision makers for trying to sign finesse rather than brute strength.
As it happens, I never recall Ronaldo having a problem, nor George Best, and he played when men like Chopper Harris were about. Maybe it's just the Shev and Deco weren't all that good in the first place?

Matt.