Football in the poorhouse
THE WEEK IN SPORT
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WAS that it? Talk about a damp squib. No move for David Villa to one of Europe's big clubs. No move even for Kenwyne Jones from Sunderland to Liverpool.
What's going on here? Last year consultancy firm Deloitte and Touche estimated that, in England alone, £170m was spent by clubs on player transfers. This year's January transfer window on the otherhand saw only around £21m spent.
The recession it seems is finally having an effect on football. Manchester United's debt issues have been centre stage over the last couple of weeks, but they're by no means unique to the Red Devils – Liverpool and Portsmouth to name but two clubs overburdened by debt.
There wasn't a single big money move for a big star. The only big stars on the move did so on loan – Robbie Keane ( below) to Celtic to the end of the season and Robinho to Brazilian club Santos again unti the end of the season. Were it not for the massive spending binges by Manchester City and Real Madrid last summer the impact of the recession would surely have been felt sooner.
The fact that Man United, despite some obviously problems with their squad (though they weren't overly evident last Sunday), didn't spend a penny during the window suggests that they don't have the money to throw around that they used to.
Chelsea didnt spend either. Arsenal's big January (re?)signing was Sol Campbell on a free transfer. Liverpool too went down the freebie route with Maxi Rodriguez and Vasilis Torosidis on loan with an option to buy. The fact that clubs didn't (or couldn't) splash the cash this winter hints at the dawn of a saner age for football, where restraint is the order of the day. It won't make the action on the pitch better or worse. If this is indeed the case, we might miss some the deadline day excitement, but a more responsible approach to finances by clubs – avoiding the Leeds and Portsmout syndrome – is a price well worth paying.
- Damian Stack
