DISQUS

tyduffy · 2 years ago

I think that with high profile massive buys you may have a point. But, on aggregate, it is cheaper to bring in young foreign talent, much cheaper. Arsenal paid 1m GBP for Fabregas, splurged a bit on Denilson at 3.5m GBP, but have had to pay 12m GBP for Walcott. Look how much money it cost for Spurs to pry Bale from Southampton. Wenger isn't on a maniacal bent to destroy English football, he's doing what makes sense.

PremierLeagueGoals · 2 years ago

I think that Torres has an enviable goalscoring record for someone so young - and with a great team around him it could get even better (just like van Nistelrooy's strike record went up immediately when he moved to PSV...)
If you want to compare look how many goals these players scored with the same age like Torres:



Rooney - 132 league apps in first 4 seasons



van Nistelrooy - almost 100 league apps in 4 seasons - in the easiest goalscoring division in the world (Eredivisie) :D



Ibrahimovic - 113 league appearances in 5 seasons



Henry - 113 league apps in 4 seasons



Torres - 134 league apps in 4 seasons



Plus I think that Torres can bring alot more to Liverpool, not just goals.He has strong character, first touch, he is fast also.



Little overrated player, but he can really be excellent, now he is not... When Henry came to Arsenal, who would thought that he is going to be the best EPL player by many...

OZ · 2 years ago

Leave out the nationalities and look at it as a business proposition, which it is. If you can replace an employee with an equally competent but cheaper employee you would do it in a flash.


Developing your own talent is less risky and cheaper but it takes time and fans want to win now. Benitez needs to win the Premiership next year or he is out and Capello is in(unless England get him first). Big money means win now.



Bringing in older established stars, unless they are Pele, Maradona or of that class (very unlikely) is always a gamble(see Real Madrid).



The key is the ability to evaluate and utilize talent. Fergie and Wenger are great at it. Ferguson's failure came with older players (harder to judge) and Wenger by and large stays way from them. I think United are counting on the presence of Ronaldo and Quieroz to help ease the new player's transition.



If there is a bias against English talent, I doubt that it is nationality driven. Wenger, for example is not going to turn down a great English player just because he was English.



Underlying all this is the notion that a club has an obligation to develop players for the national team and that is simply absurd. Once clubs went public they belonged to the shareholders and as such are open to the highest bidder, whether they are from Thailand, the US or Mars. Everything now comes with a price.

Soccer Guru · 2 years ago

Without the budding foreign talent in the EPL, the premiership wouldn't be making the dent it is in the sports landscape in Asia and Africa. Perhaps buying young English talent is a better on the pitch investment, but it is not a better marketing investment.