Spurs Transfers: Is Gareth Bale Really Worth £100 Million?
a world record £100million? In times of such economic and social discord, is this not just the epitome of irresponsible frivolity? Its there for all to see that football has become very much divorced from financial reality. With the Financial Fair Play regulations coming into application we may in the future, start to witness their effects. For now though the inflation in world transfer fees seems set to climb yet further. I would firstly like to point out that I know stats cannot tell you everything, especially about an individual in a team sport. I would like to have a look at some though. As an avid football fan myself (Newcastle) I can only admire Gareth Bale as a wonderful talent. He has had two extremely productive seasons in the Premier League. This got me to thinking about how he would compare statistically to the current world record transfer subject Cristiano Ronaldo. What I want to measure is the tangible Goals & Assists that the players have contributed and then work out based on their appearances; what their measurable contribution per appearance is. So firstly lets look at Cristiano Ronaldo world record transfer and arguably one of the most talented players of a generation. He appeared in 196 Premier League games and contributed 131 Goals and Assists (G84, A47). This equates to a contribution in 66.84% of his league appearances. Based on his minutes played in the Premier League 17,326 he contributed a goal/assist every 132 minutes. As you would imagine extremely impressive stats from a truly great player. So how does Gareth Bale compare? In his 146 Premier League appearances he has contributed 74 goals and assists (G43, A31) which has yielded a contribution in 50.68% of his appearances. Based on his minutes played in the league 13,033 he has contributed a goal/assist every 176 minutes. Obviously its tough to compare the two as they played in different teams/positions and at different ages. I dont want to suggest that Bale isnt as good as Ronaldo or will never be. It actually just goes to show how good they both are. To put it into context tied with Gareth Bale on 74 (combined Goals & Assists) is one Fredrik Ljungberg who was a key player in a generation defining team. The thing is, it took him 95 more appearances to get to that total. I think most will remember the marauding Gunners team of that generation, which just shows you how much of an impact Bale has had in his 146 appearances. Clearly Bale is a rare talent and has threatened to be since he first broke onto the scene as a 16 year old. I personally just think £100 million is an irresponsible amount of money to spend on a player. To put this into context as well, based on squad valuations from Gareth Bale is worth almost as much as the three newly promoted clubs squads combined. Crystal Palace (£33mil), Cardiff City (£38mil) & Hull City (£44mil) totalling £115 million. What do you all think, is Gareth Bale really worth £100 million?