8 Potential Game Changers For Football In The Near Future
7. Smaller Transfer Fees?
It is far from original to profess that football transfer fees are other-worldly. The seismic fees paid for players has increased exponentially over the past 40 years, reaching an almost staggering summit (or nadir depending on your stance) when PSG paid €200 million for the admittedly brilliant Neymar.
But fees such as this raise serious questions- and not just whether PSG have noticed their complete lack of midfield or defence whilst splurging €360 million on two attackers.
Given that around 10 years earlier Cristiano Ronaldo set the world record transfer fee, when Real Madrid purchased the Ballon D’Or winner for €80 million, the rise from €80-200 million has hardly been gradual. Gareth Bale and Paul Pogba incrementally raised the record by around €5 million each, but Neymar’s transfer record did what Lionel Messi does to actual football records - it decimated them.
What must be asked now is what is the future? Whilst many argue that fees will continue to increase, it could firstly be argued that there is a dearth of talent in world football right now that could exceed €200 million - with the only real challenger for the fiscally irresponsible throne being Kylian Mbappe who plays for the only side likely to pay a greater fee.
Secondly, given the current world financial crisis, and the fact that there must be an economic ceiling to player transfer fees, the money may simply not be there to spend on what is a fairly volatile asset.
The global financial crisis may also impact transfers in general, with struggling clubs necessitating fire sales to stay afloat. Bigger clubs snapping up top talent for next to nothing may become the norm. Even in a time of economic crisis it could well be the case that football transfers remain as mad and disconnected from reality as they ever have been.
Extrapolating from the last 40 years it is reasonable to posit the idea of a billion pound player. But surely even Manchester United would see the lack of sense in such a move? Perhaps not...