The fee millstone

kirsikka

UTC Legend
£25-£30 million on a player? The Twilight Zone episode of supporting AFCB continues apace although, the truth be told, we're only spending tv money so shouldn't really be all that shocked when we look at the amount coming in. In fact, there's an important point to remember in all this.

Two summers ago, Chelsea signed Kante for not a lot more than that. A midfielder that had dominated the Premier League the prior season and was about as sure a bet as you can get in football these days and he cost close to their ceiling on a transfer fee that summer.

This summer the big clubs are throwing around £50-80 million in the same way as they were spending £30 million in 2016. That's what it costs to buy players deemed of the quality they expect now. To buy a player considered a PL sure thing success? I guess the closest move this summer would again be for a Leicester player, this time the mooted Harry Maguire move and that's being mentioned at £80 million.

There's no doubt the Lerma fee is huge by our standards but it means nothing when the whistle blows and, anyway, we might not see the real him straight away. Some overseas players immediately adapt to English football, some show sparks of life before petering out (see Boufal up the road, now loaned out for the season), some take a season to settle in before really showing their quality and others simple never look comfortable here.

The fee isn't his fault and he shouldn't be berated for it when he has a bad game or makes a mistake. He didn't ask us to pay that, his former club did.

Obviously I hope he has the same instant impact as the aforementioned Kante. However, as the season wears on we should remember that despite the fee he isn't at the 'guaranteed' success level. A little patience can sometimes go a long way in helping a player to settle and I hope we can show that.
 
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My dad (who is 88) can’t get over 80m keepers. Apparently anyone half decent can go in goal and you should save that money for a good number nine. :)
 

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