Vertonghen talks transfer fees and TV money

Transfer fees seem to have got a bit silly. They had taken a rise and average players are now expected to fetch £15-million. Clubs like Manchester City where money is no object it seems will pay daft fees for players, some succeed some flop.

Vertonghen feels transfer fees will continue to rise


The effect is that it makes clubs push up their prices for everyone, they price their players on being purchased by a Manchester City or a Manchester United now and not what they are actually worth. Southampton slapped silly fees on their players last summer, virtually all of them weren't worth what they were sold for, as last season proved, how many of them had a season commensurate with their transfer fee? None, one?

Saido Berahino, for instance, would have cost £25-million for 20 goals, 4 of those were penalties and 4 were against a non-league side, so in other words, easy goals. That leaves 12 goals so he would have cost over £2-million per goal, no wonder clubs prefer to go abroad and buy players.

Belgian international Jan Vertonghem feels they will continue to rise report Sporza.

"I did not feel that the roof has already been achieved. It will be worse. Television monies in England are again gone up by half again. The end is not near. The Premier League is the toughest competition in the world anyway, in the depth of the quality and by far the largest in terms of reach. 
"Just playing in Germany and Spain is perhaps the best teams, then I am talking about the summit, including the Premier League again stronger teams. 
"Spain does have five teams in the Champions League, but the Premier League remains the most attractive league. That's what I hear from guys in other competitions. 
"As a footballer can change your little about it, we are also but a part. I hope that it [money] stays all fairly distributed."

It is not just the fans who say the Premier League is the best league in the world but the players too, it has the strength in depth other league don't have and a competitiveness other league don't have. Spain is a two team league where defeat for the top two is a rarity, while Germany is a one team league, as is France and Italy at the moment. Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester United have already stumbled and can't take victory for granted.

In Spain TV money has not been evenly distributed, everyone wants to watch Barcelona or Real Madrid. The new TV deal was to try and change that, but the Spanish league and the government have come up with rulings that negate the principle of TV deal.

Madrid and Barça earned €140m (£100m) apiece last season compared to €48m (£34m) for Valencia, €42m (£30m) for Atletico Madrid and €32m (£23m) each for Seville, Athletic Bilbao and Villarreal. Despite the new TV deal supposedly distributing things more evenly, no club can earn less from TV revenue  for 6 years after it comes into effect in 2016/17. Barcelona and Real Madrid maintain their stranglehold until 2022 and the other clubs have to effectively subsidise the big two.

The money in the Premier League is distributed more evenly while the difference between second and third was £66-million in Spain, in the Premier League it was £3.4-million. You can see why Vertonghem feels the Premier League is a fairer system, which makes it a more competitive and more popular league.

Further Tottenham Reading
Vertonghen - I want for nothing at Spurs
Yedlin and the statistical approach