Premier League - Spending Gone Mad?

Sometimes I think the Premier League clubs have done it to themselves. They've allowed the transfer market to go nuts.

I mean, Arsenal once signed a 16 year old unproven Theo Walcott for at least £5million, potentially rising to £12million - he hadn't played a game in the Premier League yet. Shaun Wright-Phillips had played in the Premier League and for England, but £21million was paid by Chelsea for him to just be a squad player in 2005. Manchester City payed a then club record £19million for Brazilian Jo who had only managed to make a name for himself in Russia, to see him barely score or play. Manchester United signed a 19 year old Anderson for a reported £18million when he had barely proved himself in Portugal. David Nugent was taken to the Premier League for £4.5million after what was only an adequate lower leagues career and a surprising England call up where he stole a goal on the line in Andorra.

If you look around the Premier League, every club has paid record fees for previously unproven or unsuccessful players. Lots haven't worked out. Should it really surprise us then that a player who followed an inspirational half of Champions League football against Inter Milan with a couple of years of personal reputation enhancement, whilst not translating this to real success for his team, is now the subject of a world record transfer bid?

The £85+ Gareth Bale deal is reportedly close to completion as I write this. All this money for a player who hasn't won a trophy. He hasn't even pushed his team into the top four of it's division - he was fairly regular but not a driving force in Spurs' 2009-10 season when they finished fourth. It was only in the back stages of this season that he found himself a regular in the position he would begin to tear teams apart from, before he was an attacking full-back who couldn't find himself in a Tottenham winning team.

What about the signings coming in to the Premier League? How do they rank in this world of crazy money?

Well, the biggest deals have yet to be struck with Wayne Rooney still sulking and Luis Suarez not having promises kept to him. However, both are likely to move when money around £50million gets put on the table.

However, the biggest deal so far strikes of the craziness of the transfer merry-go-round. Manchester City have paid £30million for a Brazilian midfielder who has played most of his career in the Ukraine. Yes he has played plenty of Champions League football and has a UEFA Cup winning medal to complement all his domestic titles with Shaktar, but is a 28 year old with only 5 international caps who has never played in a top league really worth £30million?

City have spent biggest overall as well. Montenegro international Stevan Jovetic cost £22million from Fiorentina. Never won anything major, but experienced international and only 23 years old. Potentially overpriced. £20million went to Sevilla for Alvaro Negredo, a goal every other game striker with 14 Spain caps. 27 years old - compare it to the Spurs-Soldado I'll discuss below and its probably quite reasonable, but otherwise its silly money. Around £15million for Jesus Navas isn't lots by City's standards and he has featured in Spain World Cup and European Championship winning sides. Vastly experienced in Europe and a top league, maybe this one is sensible.

Tottenham are looking to compensate for Bale somewhat by signing Robeto Soldado for £26million. Developed at Real Madrid and featuring at all levels of the Spain youth teams, he has some pedigree. A decent goal scoring record in a three year stay at Valencia and a goal every other game in his 11 cap senior international career suggest he could be worth the spend. Again though, he's a player who hasn't won anything during his career. All this money for a dependable rather than prolific goal scorer who hasn't really led his team to much success. And at 28, is he going to improve to a world class standard?

Spurs' other big money signing is Paulinho from Brazillian side Corinthians for around £17million. He has European experience, but only in Lithuania and Poland, but in his South American career he has some significant silverware - a Cope Libertadores and a FIFA Club World Cup. He also played a part in the semi- and final wins for Brazil in this years Confederations Cup in the warm up to next years World Cup. He'll be keen to play well to keep himself in the national team picture for that world cup and add to his 17 caps so far. At 24, maybe this isn't so ridiculous.

There have been a few other eye catching deals. Chelsea paid £18million for promise in terms of young German Andre Schurrle, but 7 goals for Germany in 24 games is impressive - just getting into that squad as a forward is good work. Its massive money, but compared to some signings that have been made this year and in the last decade or so, this one isn't that crazy. Although, describing an £18million deal as not being that crazy just shows where we are.

Lower down the league, Victor Wanyama has only one season of major European football, playing and impressing in the Champions League with Celtic in 2012-13 season, but managed to command a £12.5miilion fee to take him to Southampton. A player worth less than a million two years ago is now apparently worth over £10million. Cardiff have arrived in the Premier League with a club record signing at £7.5million in Andreas Cornelius. Who? Well, he's a 20 year old Dane and has come from FC Copenhagen where he was top scorer in their most recent season - his only full professional season. Yep, that's right, one season in Denmark and he's apparently worth £7.5million. In my opinion this could be the craziest deal of them all.

Does anyone have their own personal favourite modern extravagance of a football signing for the new season? And does anyone really thing any player, let alone one that hasn't really done very much yet, should command the £100million Spurs are 'holding out for' in their negotiations with Real Madrid? Comment away football fans.

Managerial Merry-Go-Round

Pep Guardiola has really put the proverbial cat amongst them this week as it was confirmed that he'll be joining Bayern Munich for next season. This after the Catalan manager had cheekily proclaimed his dream to work in England, a dream he couldn't fulfill as a player but hopes to as a manager he says.  

Now Chelsea's plan, and maybe that of Manchester City, has been thrown into disarray. 

To be fair, if the Bayern deal was done before Christmas, the Blues' hierarchy probably knew the Pep dream was over for them, for now at least. A lot of their suddenly disillusioned fans had also realised Pep might not go for their club, who despite signing a very Barca style of player in recent times haven't done a lot to make a manager believe he'll get time to put his shape on things. Or choose who he signs. Or choose who he plays.  

The question they'll be asking is Who will they be able to get? 

You expect Ambramovic will want a big name with a history of success. But you have to ask who he hasn't already had and who he hasn't already put off the club. And who in a job at one of the top European clubs would want to leave what they have.

Well, there are obvious 'never going to happen' guys like Fergie and Wenger. Anchellotti won't be an option either, despite the success he has shown in his career - what's that Roman, he won you a league and a cup? Well, he can't be any good for you now can he. 

The time has probably now passed for others who've reportedly been in the frame in the past. Sven - not any more. Hiddink - doesn't seem to want to be Roman's full time fall guy. Harry - was that ever a real possibility? Frank Rijkaard - a forgotten manager, now coaching Saudi Arabia national team, doubt he's in the picture anymore at the top level. 

Roman might go for a talented young up and coming manager with a knowledge of English football...but then again, that will only lead to a Champions League victory and three points off the top of the league. 

No, I'm expecting him to look around the top clubs in Europe. So who are the options?

Jose Mourinho has been there before, has fallen out with Roman before. Now all his boys has left or are on the way out of the club. But the likelihood is he'll be available. He'll probably go back if he doesn't get another offer. His ego will want to go in and finish the job he left behind and win a Champions League with Chelsea. His stock may has fallen with his further antics including eye-gouging and upsetting the Real Madrid legend and club captain Iker Casillas.  

If Mourinho isn't available, this may mean another man has become available. Roberto Mancini probably needs to mount a comeback in the league to save his job after more Champions League disappointment this year. Even that might not be enough. If he gets the axe, Jose is the overwhelming favourite to succeed him with Pep in Munich now. 

Who else? Jurgen Klopp's stock has risen considerably with what he has done at Dortmund in the last few years. He may see more of the team he has built head off around Europe to bigger named clubs. That might encourage him to take on a 'new challenge'. The type of player Chelsea now have might well suit his style.  

In Italy, there is Andrea Stramaccioni at Inter and Massimiliano Allegri at AC. A bit of experience at clubs like that will potentially put them in the frame. Allegri has a league title under his belt and is in the process of making the Milan side younger. That might give him some assets Roman might like. Antonio Conte has done a great job in getting his Juventus team back in European contention and they almost unbeatable in Serie A. His team also knocked Chelsea out of Europe this season. Whether his defensive mind will be what Roman wants is questionable. Whether Conte would want to leave a club very close to his heart at this stage in his career is questionable too. Walter Mazzarri at Napoli may be ready for a new job, and his team gave Chelsea a big scare on the road to the 2012 Champions League final. 

An outsider I would throw into the mix is Manuel Pellegrini. He is going well at Malaga, who aren't afraid to splash the cash themselves, and he must be spending it well to be showing the progress in Europe they have. He has experience at a big club in Real Madrid and did a great job at Villarreal. 

Of course they could keep Rafa Benitez in place, but he hasn't got the support of the fans and can't win a game at home. He didn't help himself by not lifting the Club World Cup either.

As a Manchester United fan what I would want to happen is Klopp to Chelsea, Mourinho to Dortmund to resume battle with Guardiola for a few years, and then when Fergie hangs up his stopwatch and chewing gum in two or three years we'll have our choice of the two. And I think now Pep is off the market Klopp is a realistic shout for Chelsea, but I also think Jose will be at City next year, so my ideal won't come through, but it'll be interesting to watch it unfold.