English Premier League – The Most Unprofitable Foreign Transfers

The English Premier League has at different times had some players who came as really great players from other leagues around the world, but such players failed to impress and went back disappointed to say the least. Some players that come to the Premiership from other leagues find it difficult to cope with the physical demands of the Premiership. One of such players is Uruguayan striker who had a previous unsuccessful stay with Manchester United between 2002 and 2004. He is due to try again in the premiership this coming season from Atletico Madrid where he has played very well.

Diego Forlan – Though he is about to play again in the Premiership, it is not going to be his first time. He joined Manchester United in 2002 from Independiente, an Argentine side. He however could only score 17 goals in 95 appearances for the team. When you compare this with another striker, Ruud Van Nistelrooy’s 150 goals in 210 appearances, you will understand why Forlan was quickly sent to Spain immediately Wayne Rooney joined the club in 2004.

Juan Sebastian Veron – Everybody thought that Manchester United has gotten a world class player when they paid the then English Transfer record of 28.1 million Pound for Veron. It didn’t quite play out as Veron failed to make the impact expected of him. Two years later, he joined Chelsea but still did not improve and had to move back.

Hernan Crespo – In 2003, Crespo joined the English Premiership team Chelsea from Inter Milan for 18.6 million Pounds. Prior to joining Chelsea his goal scoring ability was not in doubt. It was not difficult for Jose Mourinho to loan him to AC Milan when he took over as Chelsea manager in 2004 as he realized Crespo never fully adjusted to the Premiership style.

Andrei Shevchenko – With a splendid record of 173 goals in 296 games, Shevchenko joined Chelsea from AC Milan for 30.8 million Pounds. He could only manage to score 9 goals in 43 games over a 3 year period.

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English Premier League 2011-12: Is Arsenal On The Fall?

A year ago, one would have been surprised by my headline as Arsenal was almost fulfilling its potential in the English Premiership League and also in the Champions League.

However, a year can seem a long time and can make all the difference. With Arsenal, it is now difficult for them to keep their top players. Worse still, new players no longer find the club attractive. Nasri, Clichy and Fabregas are on the verge of leaving. Walcott is also contemplating leaving while Arshavin may no longer feel comfortable staying on.

The manager, Arsene Wenger however still hopes that things can still work out for good as he says no transfer moves has yet be finalized as every club is waiting for others to act first. This may not be entirely true as Manchester United has consolidated their offer to Alexis Sanchez.

Many people believe that Arsene Wenger is always happy with getting the best return on his investment in the players. A big team like Arsenal should be investing on new players. It is only the small clubs that are forced to sell their players to raise enough resources to buy new ones. Arsenal does not act like a big team in this regard. They just sell some of their best players simply because they want to leave. Now they are finding it difficult to buy new players because no player seems to be interested in joining them even though the club has resources in their disposal.

All the big teams in the English Premier League are more interested in European competitions. As a result, they need great players to do well in the Champions League. Good players are not just good enough here. You must be a great player in your ultimate form. It is easier for a team to attract great players when they already have some of such players in their team. It also applies that when a team has few star players in their roster, it becomes really difficult for them to attract great players.

If eventually Nasri, Fabregas and Clichy leave Arsenal, what do you think will happen to the creativity in their midfield? If the manager, Arsene Wenger is unable to recruit players with great play to replace them, then Arsenal may not be the same again. Also, it does any team or coach no good to experience such exodus of talent. Wenger can succeed in the transfer bid if he goes for younger players even if they are not well known, like Lille striker Gervinho.

Six years have gone by and Wenger has remained trophy-less. This definitely is not good for his credibility. It is difficult to predict the future of Wenger and also that of Arsenal with a new owner, Stan Kroenke.

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