Why are English footballers overpriced?

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Sportskeeda

Every two years, we see a flattering England team taking part in the Euros or World Cups, barely able to hold its own weight and crash out of the tournament at the quarterfinal stage. Over the years, the hype and expectation surrounding them has slowly decreased as there seems to be a sense of inevitability to the result.

As a long suffering England fan, it is quite surprising for me that, despite their consistent failings, the English players continue to be over priced and over-hyped.

A look at the recent transfers of British players sheds some light on this matter. Jordan Henderson – £20m, Phil Jones – £16m, Andy Carroll – £35m, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – £12 million and Wilfred Zaha– £ 15 million. Comparing these to the signings made by other clubs outside of England, Mesut Ozil – £14m, Nuri Sahin– £5m, Sami Khedira – £11m.

The fact that both set of players have such a huge gap in their price range is quite baffling. These English players signed by their clubs are, to quite a large extent, inexperienced at the highest league while their counterparts were all full internationals when they were signed. This calls into question, why are English players so over priced? Are they more talented? Or is it just because they are English?

To be quite frank, the simple answer is no. A look at the Spanish or German national and under 21 teams will provide numerous (and possibly better) options, who are likely to cost only a fraction of the transfer fee these players have garnered.

So why does this happen?

Media Hype

The first and the most obvious reason for this is the media. We see time after time the media putting some young player with just a couple of games under his belt on a pedestal, claiming to be the next big thing in English football and slapping a huge price tag on him when any club is rumored to be interested. How often have we seen this happen in recent years? There is also an immense pressure on the player to perform, which can adversely affect the players performance. A look at David Bentley, who was once thought to be the heir apparent to David Beckham, will clearly show the ill effects of the over enthusiastic media as he has found it unable to live up to his potential.

English players prefer to play in England

There has been a lot said and written about the influence of foreign players on English football. To an extent, this is true. But what most people don’t realize is that, for the better part of the decade or more, the England national team has been comprised of primarily players playing in the Premier League. The one notable exception being Owen Hargreaves, who made a name for himself in the Bundesliga before joining Manchester United. Even today, the entire English teams consist of players in the premier league. This is in stark contrast to the players from other countries (except maybe Italy).

In the English league, we see an ever growing influence of Spanish, German, French and Belgian players who have come and made their mark in this league and it’s been happening so for years.

This preference of British players has had its effect on the their price tags, as the clubs are unwilling to sell players to their rival teams for cheap, thus jacking their price up.

English clubs are richer

English clubs are, on an average, richer than their counter parts. Due to the vast popularity, television ratings and gate fees, the average English club is more financially stronger than other clubs in different leagues. This causes the transfer fees to rise even higher as the teams are capable and willing to pay more money. When a club like Manchester City or Chelsea comes along, only a fool would ask for less money, as their reputation as big spenders precedes them.

Homegrown rule

With the new homegrown rule applicable, the demand for English players has further risen up. With a maximum of 25 players eligible in the squad and 8 of them being homegrown (3 seasons in Wales or England before they turn 21), the demand for such players has increased. As opposed to massive spending to bring in top stars from abroad, clubs must now look for English talents to fill their ranks, to get a proper squad size to play in the premier league.

Whatever the reasons are, the fact remains that the English players are more costly than their foreign counterparts and with the homegrown rule in place, it has all but sealed the fact that that this trend will continue.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article are those of the author and does not necessarily reflect that of Sportskeeda