Huge risk in signing overpriced English players

Liverpool are widely expected to be very active in the transfer market as they continue their rebuilding process under Kenny Dalglish. It has been reported that the Merseyside outfit are looking to bring in home grown players, most notably Stewart Downing, Jordan Henderson and Gary Cahill; but over recent years the cost of English players has risen dramatically with the minimum expenditure on one player being around the £15 million mark. While it is commendable for Liverpool to looking to English talent,  is it really a good way for Liverpool’s owners to spend their money?
 
There is no argument that Liverpool do need to sign players in the positions they are looking at, Sotiris Kyrgiakos isn’t up to the Kop faithful’s high standards, Jordan Henderson is being lined up as Gerrard’s replacement in the middle of the park and Liverpool have been crying out for an out and out winger like Downing all season. I would argue that Juan Mata of Valencia provides better value for money than Downing, especially with the Spaniard’s Champions League and World Cup experience. Gary Cahill has had a solid season but not overly consistent season with Bolton, why not make a move for Christopher Samba who is available at £10 million and has been a solid performer for Blackburn for three seasons and Stevie G will still be around in five years time minimum, why the desire to splash silly amounts of cash out on Jordan Henderson, who has had one quality game against Chelsea.
 
If you look at the big money moves over the last few years of English players to the ‘bigger’ clubs, Michael Carrick to Manchester United for a reported £18.6 million, Gareth Barry cost Man City £12 million and James Milner nearly double what they paid for Barry. My point is, although we take each individual player on his own divine talent and ability to succeed, the fact that so many English players have moved for huge fees and lets face, it hardly justified such extortionate sums of money, means Liverpool would be taking a huge risk in signing the above mentioned players, despite impressive seasons.
 
Buying English, although commendable, just isn’t right for Liverpool or if I’m honest any of the ‘big’ teams, at the moment. Overpriced, over hyped and then ultimately they under perform…a slightly harsh assessment? Not in the slightest.


http://www.footballfancast.com/2011/06/football-blogs/liverpools-transfer-plans-are-commendable-but-foolish

You forget the most important factor. What happens when the Home Grown rule kicks in to full effect?

It's the main reason why British players are over priced. We are buying British so that we have the beat if them for the future.

Surely it's a "huge risk" signing any player? . ...they're either going to turn out to be sh*te or they're not.

Huge risk in any signing player to be honest, there has been just as many none English flops as there has been English flops.

To some degree there is a bigger risk with a continental signing as there is no guarantee they are going to adjust to the league, area and culture.

Agree with the article, you are massively overpaying for average English players

Surely it's a "huge risk" signing any player? . ...they're either going to turn out to be sh*te or they're not.

In a nutshell is that comment. What a stupid article!. Every signing is a risk, whether they cost £50 million or £1 million. They are speculative investments.

Agree with the article, you are massively overpaying for average English players

What's this F***ing "you"

It's "we".

What's this f**king "you"

It's "we".

I think he means if any team, not just us, goes after an average English player you are going to be paying way over the odds.

There is a English tax when you or we buy English players, look at some of the price of some of the English players sold the last few years Carroll £35 million Milner £24 million Lescott £24 million Ferdinand £30 million Bent £24 million.

Another one is look at Ozil last Summer after a brilliant world cup went to Real for £12 million because he was in the last year of his contract will someone please explain to me why Young who is in the same situation as Ozil was in relation to his contract is going to go for more.

Was talking about any team huyton

I think he means if any team, not just us, goes after an average English player you are going to be paying way over the odds.

Should of threw in a smilie really!

But it's been like that for the last ten years.

Do you remember how much Chelsea payed for Scott Parker? £10 million and he was way overpriced then.

So nothing has really changed has it, except the transfer fees have got more obscene.

I think the 'huge risk' means that it's a bigger risk because of the chance of losing more money. We would be spending a lot less if we were buying a player of similar skill, though any nationality except English.

English players are definitely overpriced these days. And I for one aren't overly excited at the prospect of Downing, Henderson, Cahill, Cattermole etc. I think Ashley Young is better than Downing, and the other 3 I don't think we should be looking at when there's better talent out there. We will be paying more than necessary because they're English.

Meh, Ferdinand cost 29.1 million and that was TEN years ago. Carrick, Anderson and Nani were around the 17 million mark and they are hardly world class. Hargreaves was 18 million and he's hardly played. Berbatov was 30 million and he's nowhere near Torres a couple of years ago. Even Ronaldo was overpriced .. 13 million for an 18 year old? Carroll is also overpriced but we had not much choice with the window closing quickly.

Makes me feel Suarez, Torres and Alonso were so damn cheap.

So, IMO, 15 million for players like Henderson, Young and such may be overpriced but that's just how the rate goes, IMO.

As much as I hate to admit it, money helps. It won't guarantee success but it surely helps.

There is a English tax when you or we buy English players, look at some of the price of some of the English players sold the last few years Carroll £35 million Milner £24 million Lescott £24 million Ferdinand £30 million Bent £24 million.

Is it really a tax though?

Or other teams knowing the buying team has money and tries to rinse them for every penny. Or the buying team, in the case of City paying way over the odds to stop other teams getting involved in auctions.

Carroll was way overpriced, but Newcastle had an idea we were selling Torres for big money and decided to cash in.

As for Utd buying Ferdinand, Ferguson was had off by Leeds, but again it's just about a club cashing in. Had Ferguson not been as thick as he is, he could of had Rio for £12 million originally from West Ham, but felt in his words "didn't need Ferdinand, because I've got Wes Brown and he's going top be the best defender in the world"

And it's a bit stupid trying to compare to Real isn't it. Any player would want to move to Real, so if they come in for a player, they know they don't have to pay full whack as the player will push for a move and the selling club will sell because they don't want a bad influence at the club.

It's just like Serie A in the 80s really, clubs just valuing players at ridiculous prices and some clubs continue paying those valuations. Hopefully the Premier League will go bust just like Serie A nearly did and these obscene fees will get fu**ed off.

But as there is that much money floating around the league, nothing is gonna change soon.

A player is worth what a team is willing to pay for him, simple as.  Whether that worth is linked to his ability, especially with English players is a highly debatable issue.  Reminds me of the saying

"You can please all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot please all the people all the time."

Though with transfer targets and reading through many a Liverpool forum, I think it's probably fairer to say that "You can please some people, none of the time" and they know who they are, don't you?

Did Real not have to pay full whack for Kaka Ronaldo Benzema etc. They all wanted to go there. I'm baffled how Young can go for more than Ozil does Young not want to go as well.

You only to look at the prices being bandied about for some English players to see how ridiculous the English transfer market is, £20 million for Cahill a lad with one cap that was sold for peanuts by Villa a couple of years ago, Ipswich looking for £10 million plus for a young striker who has an extremely average goal return, Southampton looking for £15 million for a young lad completely unproven, Sunderland looking for £20 million for Henderson a lad who has a long long way to go before he can be considered top class, Villa looking for £17 million for Downing, Spurs wanting £50 million for Bale. Everton wanting £25 million for Rodwell. I could on and on buying English doesn't work for 2 reasons, the price you have to pay and to be honest most English players are extremely average to be honest.

I suppose there is another way of looking at "overpriced English players".

With all the English lads we have in the Academy/Reserves we can make a fortune when we sell them to buy the much more talented and cheaper foreign players that some people would prefer us to have 

Don't care where the players come from as long if there good enough to play for the club. I'd prefer to see the club buy say a Spanish lad of the same quality as an English lad for half the price if it means the rest of the money can be invested elsewhere. A players nationality should mean F**k all, it is about quality and value sadly where the English players fall down

 I do not believe there is a risk in signing English players, the player knows the league, should settle quicker, no problems with language (que jokes) There are lots of benefits to signing English players
 I would say the risk we are taking is in signing young players.

there is definatly a excessive price on english player but club will need home grown talent for europe .at least fsg are willing to spend on players for now and the future so thats good they might pay over the odds for certain players but am sure they know what they are doing .also no debt as such so can afford to spend a bit extra at start of project get it all set up for future success also if england ever do well in any tournament just imagine how much we would earn in shirt sales if we had 3,4,5, players in team the players would nearly pay for themselves
so i say spend a bit now and reap the rewards later

There is a reason that young British players are apparently 'overpriced', it is because they have become an almost forgotten breed. They are a rare commodity in the heavily foreign influenced Premier League and that is such a sad thing to say, but it's true. While the Premier League created a new era in modern football it also lost its working class roots to some extent. The British players that we all identified with slowly petered out onto the periphery, not completely, but significantly.

Nobody can doubt that the influx of foreigners into the Premier League has probably made it the most exciting League in the world, but at what cost ultimately?. The Premier League has undoubtedly had a negative impact on young home grown talent, yet Kenny is tapping into a market that he has great knowledge of. Did Rafa or Roy throw the youngsters in during their tenures?, no, they felt that they were too big a gamble or risk. If a player is good enough then he is old enough, Kenny knows this and doesn't even see it as a risk.

To reiterate, the fact that exciting and talented young British players are overpriced is because they have become a rare commodity which will ultimately push the price up, as would the scarcity of any commodity.

I love some foreign players, many have graced the Anfield turf during my time as a Liverpool supporter. I'm not against foreigners in the Premier League but i think there should be a balance, unfortunately over the last decade or so that balance has become very one sided.

If i had the choice of a team containing more homegrown players than foreign players then i would choose homegrown everytime. At the very least i would expect a healthy balance. That's not me being nationalistic, that's me wanting to return to our roots. If that means us investing heavily in homegrown talent then so be it, even if it does cost more money.

End of the day Kenny has unearthed some Gems in his time, so I think we should just let him get on with his business if it doesn't work out Kenny will be the first person to hold up his hands and say "I got it wrong".

There are risks with any player signed foreign or not, Burdog mentions players like Carrick(average), Milner(avaerage) and Barry(decent) those three were probably considered among the best at the time but certainly not now, especially Barry & Milner who went for the dollar rather than the cause, personally iv'e never rated Carrick and considered him a poor mans Lampard,( no disrespect to the poor), English players will always be overpriced because the skill levels required in the EPL are so high, and that continental players are more accustomed to that level of play, there are more continental players in the EPL than English players and that can't be right, so when a above average English player shows he is better than most his valuation goes thru the roof,

is Carroll really worth £35m ? is Cahill worth £20m, is Henderson worth £20m, no they are not, no where near IMO, what have they proven, F**k all thats what, they are good players with lots of potential that have had their valuations bumped by their respective agents/clubs.

There is a solution to all this. We are in the midst of a youth system overhaul. In the event that this is a success, so far the signs are positive, then we can afford to gamble on more expensive players. English ones will cost more, but then they are less likely to look for a move to Spain thus losing vital cogs in our squad. Personally I'm glad to see us linked to quality young players and not over the hill squad fillers