Over priced players

[The Fish 10857]

The transfer window has always been a time for heads to be scratched and brows to be furrowed, and this summer has been no different. £35million on two English players with one international cap between them, you say? Keep the change.

 

But with the season still almost a month away, why are clubs already scraping the barrel or paying mental prices for unproven talent, when some of the dross has already been signed?

 

Here are ten of the overrated targets punching well above their weight...

 

 

10) Aly Cissokho (Lyon)

The left-back is a target for Arsenal and Liverpool and would command a fee of around £10million.

 

This seems ridiculous for a defender that has been criticised for his performances in the last year, and was told by teammate Hugo Lloris: "You do not respect this shirt. It has been sh*t on and flushed down the toilet."

 

Still, they've got rid of Paul Konchesky, so the only way is up.

 

 

9) Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City)

It seems likely that SWP will be leaving Manchester City for the second time this summer. But whilst last time it was for the bright lights of the capital, this time it will be most likely be to Bolton or Wigan. Quite a fall.

 

But why would either of the clubs take him on? The fee may be only £4.5million but Wright-Phillips would surely become the highest earner at the club. The winger will turn 30 this season, played 202 minutes in the Premier League last season and you have to go back six years to find a season when he scored more than five league goals. Don't buy on past reputation, people.

 

 

8) Giuseppe Rossi (Villarreal)

Now it's clear that Rossi has improved greatly over the last few years. Let's face it, he had to improve - this is the kid who scored one league goal in three seasons in England.

 

His performances at Villarreal have been impressive, but does that really mean he should be linked with Barcelona and Juventus? And for around £30million? I'm unconvinced.

 

 

7) Cameron Jerome (Birmingham)

It makes me question my very football existence. Birmingham agree to sell Roger Johnson for £7million to one of their rivals, and then at a similar time turn down an offer of £5million for Jerome. Is he not just the poor man's Emile Heskey?

 

A return of three goals in 34 Premier League games last season doesn't necessarily appease my sheer confusion.

 

 

6) Adel Taarabt (QPR)

It seems as though Paris St Germain have forgotten that there is a reasonable-sized gap between the Premier League and the Championship. And this difference is most apparent in the time luxury midfielders receive on the ball.

 

Taarabt looked classy in the Championship, this much is apparent. But his temper tantrums when substituted hinted at a dark side to his character. And £13.5million is an awful lot for a player that Tottenham allowed to leave after nine games in the Premier League.

 

 

5) Samir Nasri (Arsenal)

Don't get me wrong, Nasri has talent and he played well for four months last season (tin hat suitably adorned). But with both City and United in the running, is a price of £20-odd million not ridiculously high for a player who is out of contract next summer?

 

Wenger might want to keep his man, but selling at that inflated price seems preferable to letting a 24-year-old run down his contract.

 

 

4) Scott Dann (Birmingham)

Dann has been a great success for Birmingham since his move from Coventry for £3.5million. But you're a Championship club that has just been relegated and Dann has not played for six months after surgery on his hamstring.

 

And Stoke have offered in the region of £13million. And that offer has been rejected. And the football world has gone genuinely mad.

 

 

3) Javier Pastore (Palermo)

Maurizio Zamparini is something of a hero in F365 parts, with his mental soundbites causing something of a titter. So when he declared that starlet Pastore would only leave the club for £50million, most of us turned a blind eye.

 

But it seems that someone might actually pay somewhere near that price. And with the player seemingly wanting to stay in Italy, Juventus could be the unfortunates. So that's £40million-plus for an attacking midfielder with 14 goals in 68 league games, four assists last season and only nine caps (no goals) for his country. Great.

 

 

2) Alexis Sanchez (Udinese)

In any other summer at any other time, Sanchezwatch would be the dullest transfer saga of the summer. As it is, it takes its place as a potential winner of the Ridiculous Overpayment of the Year award. Sanchez is quick and is mighty enjoyable to watch, but the £40million mark has only been passed five times in football history.

 

Six assists from a winger in a season in which his side scored 65 league goals? I'm not saying it definitely won't work but I'm definitely saying I'm sceptical.

 

 

1) Gary Cahill (Bolton)

It's like musical chairs with English centre-backs. Over the last few years Joleon Lescott, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and Cahill have all been chased by clubs prepared to pay top whack.

 

Smalling and Jones are young enough to be moulded by United, and City just needed a centre-back. But Cahill has only made three appearances for England and at £17million looks an unbelievable gamble. A reasonably consistent performer he certainly is, but a top-four centre-back at top-four prices? Hmmm...

[philippealbert 0]

I disagree with the inclusions of Rossi, Nasri and Sanchez on that list, all three are top drawer players imo.

 

Pastore will be a cracker (he already is pretty good) but that price is mental but you pay mental for "potential" as much as if it was already developed nowadays, not seen much in the way of french football so no idea about Cissokho.

[tinofbeans 91]

rossi's a great little player, but not suited to the premier league. sanchez is a fantastic footballer, better than nasri on my opinion, pastore is about potential. he's got tonnes of it.

 

the rest are very overrated.

[Monkeys Fist 42440]

I thought this was a Nick Kielce Poland thread.

 

Zoinks.

[Inglez 0]

I disagree with the inclusions of Rossi, Nasri and Sanchez on that list, all three are top drawer players imo.

 

Pastore will be a cracker (he already is pretty good) but that price is mental but you pay mental for "potential" as much as if it was already developed nowadays, not seen much in the way of french football so no idea about Cissokho.

 

Pretty much spot on.

[Monroe Transfer 0]

Read that earlier. I agree that they're perhaps over-priced but some of his actual journalism is woeful. Has an obsession with stats which suggests he hasn't actually seen some of those players play very much.

 

To be honest I'm always skeptical of people calling foreign players over-rated since you can never know how much they've actually seen of the players they talk about.

[sniffer 0]

You have to wonder if anybody at Newcastle has actually seen any of the foreigners we've signed over the years play. If they had, I doubt if we'd have signed one in five.

 

Thank God we've now got the best scout in the world working for us. At least, so somebody on here thinks.

[The Fish 10857]

I thought this was a Nick Kielce Poland thread.

 

Zoinks.

You're dead to me

[Monroe Transfer 0]

You have to wonder if anybody at Newcastle has actually seen any of the foreigners we've signed over the years play. If they had, I doubt if we'd have signed one in five.

 

Thank God we've now got the best scout in the world working for us. At least, so somebody on here thinks.

 

When was the last time you smiled?

[sniffer 0]

Smiling didn't make Viana any better than Luque.

[sweetleftpeg 0]

Sanchez is a great player I have to say. The problem is, if Jordan Henderson is worth £20m then it really does fuck up transfer fees. No wonder Spurs won't take £22m for Modric. Worth only £2m more than Henderson? Fuck off.

[Nobby 0]

1. Henderson