Being transfer season once more we are all rather used to seeing huge sums of money being exchanged all over the Premiership. Players climb the ranks and the clubs with the most cash to splash get to play real live fantasy football.
In this volatile time of the year for clubs and players alike the usual issue of tapping up inevitably raises its ugly head. The image comes to mind of a smoke filled dimly lit bar with the likes of Ferguson, Wenger and Benitez, dressed in long trench coats and Trilbys and groups of innocent young men all shiny, with halos over their right feet. The trench coat clad managers shuffling up to the angelic players badgering them with all of their might and filling their heads with promises of goals, gold and girls.
In reality it seems that for the most part the players are totally in control of this wooing process. Take Cristiano Ronaldo’s recent dealings with Real Madrid. It seems that all summer long Real have been doing their best to woo Ronaldo onto their squad and whilst Ronaldo has made it public knowledge that a place at Real would recognise a life long goal for him, he continues to play cat and mouse, perhaps to drive the stakes up, or possibly to encourage a last minute offer from a more desirable club.
The career of a footballer is short and practicalities kick in. Some are driven by the love of the game, some by the money, and some by the desire to make their mark as a legend. But whatever motivates them, they have little time to make the dream a reality. Ultimately, as with any career, footballers want to get as far as they can as fast as they can, and clubs are fully aware of this.
Robbie Keane signed for Liverpool on Monday, and no one could deny that this is the best move for his career. Tottenham are a great side but their finances sometimes seem a little shaky, particularly now following their recent acquisitions, but Liverpool not only offer security, but also a chance to play Champions League football and the realistic chance of a League win at some point. The recent transfer of Peter Crouch, along with Keane’s record of being the all time leading goal scorer for the Republic of Ireland have left him with pretty much guaranteed place on the first team squad and his five year contract mean that the twilight years of his career are looking pretty good.
The £20 million offer from Manchester United for Dimitar Berbatov could also see another of Tottenham’s good players, also in his late twenties, making a great move to further his career, provided that the terms can be agreed. This does however leave Tottenham in a less secure position than at the end of last season.
Some argue that football has been reduced to a battle of the finances… he who has the most cash wins. This is of course true, however we also have to factor in the power that the players and managers have, not just financially either. Personally I feel that this whole tapping up issue is rather simple. It is merely just another tactic, in a game that was built upon them.
