11 Transfers That Prove English Players Are Hideously Overpriced

Peter Byrne/PA Archive/Press Association ImagesThe recent transfers of Luke Shaw (£30 million from Southampton to Manchester United) and Adam Lallana (£25 million from Southampton to Liverpool) were a frightening reflection of how much money gets thrown around in football these days - and how nonchalantly clubs do it. It came as no surprise when those deals were completed and those fees were confirmed - especially not given the fact that the players in question are both English. What exactly is it about English players that make them so expensive? This is a country whose national side are perennial underachievers - they were knocked out of the current World Cup in the group stage, having scored a meagre two goals in three games, having amassed a single point from three games and having finished rock bottom of their group. England are becoming renowned for dismal showings. Now, the top domestic league in England - the Premier League - is a decent league, but it's certainly no longer the best in the world. La Liga in Spain boasts players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Gareth Bale and Andres Iniesta and teams like Barcelona, Real Madrid and even Atletico Madrid are leaving the Premier League behind in terms of quality. In fact, most of the reasons that the Premier League is considered a top league are foreign players like Luis Suarez, Yaya Toure and Eden Hazard, and the simple, head-turning issue of money. Simply put, England have no world class players, and yet even fringe international players are selling for ludicrous amounts of money and, after seeing two of those players sell for a combined £55 million in the last couple of weeks, now could be a good time to look back at eleven transfers that prove English players are hideously overpriced. On that note, here we go...