Sport
EURO STARS USE PREMIER LEAGUE FINANCES AS SPRINGBOARD
Euro Stars Use Premier League Finances As Springboard
Dimitri Payet’s transfer from Marseille to West Ham comes as a surprise. Marcelo Bielsa’s side were just two points from Champions League qualification during 2014-15, led by the Frenchman’s production of seven goals and 17 assists in 36 appearances. He contributed to 32% of the team’s 76 Ligue 1 strikes, more than any other player in the squad. Despite being a key player at the Stade Velodrome—where he was very much wanted—Payet decided a stint at the Premier League’s 12th best side was a progressive move for his career.
Or rather, his bank account.
Payet’s transfer is evidence of the Premier League’s £5.14 billion television rights deal coming into effect. Although the deal doesn’t officially begin until 2016, most top flight English teams will surprise with their expenditure this summer.
Whether it’s through one mega-transfer or the accumulation of stars, Sky Sports and BT Sports’ acquisition of TV rights ensures even Premier League strugglers can spend handsomely. Consider this: rights to show Ligue 1 football in France recently cost £515m for four seasons, running 2016-2020. Multiply that by 10 and you’ve got little over the cost for three years of Premier League coverage.
As such, the prolonged, over-the-top back and forth between Payet and his former club is an uneasy jig we’re destined to see play out numerous times across the summer. Players know where the money is and are already beginning to use this to their advantage. Holding a club to ransom is risky in football—where reputations can be built and destroyed through one action—but players who are generating Premier League interest now have the power in their hands.
Marseille claimed Payet and his agent Mark McKay agreed for the attacking midfielder to honour the final two years of his contract in June. This made sense; Payet was an integral part of a transitioning team and has reached peak form. Andre Ayew’s decision to sign for Swansea City and Andre-Pierre Gignac’s move to Mexican side Tigres upped Payet’s importance even more. This galvanised his ability to deal with Marseille on his own terms.
The club had “no intention” of selling, reported Sky Sports. McKay is said to have “demanded a huge and immediate revaluation of Payet’s contract to remain at Marseille” when West Ham’s interest swirled. Marseille’s official statement noted the player’s “reckless demands.” Many clubs would bend to accommodate—especially after losing other attacking stars before the window has even opened—but Marseille stood their ground. If Payet attempted to land an improved deal at the club, the plan spectacularly backfired.
Granted, Payet has plenty to look forward to at West Ham. The French international stands to earn £21.4 million across six years with the London side (if the Hammers take up the option of extending his five-year contract by an extra season). There’s also the 2016-17 move to the Olympic Stadium, plonked next to the Westfield Shopping Centre in Stratford, which enjoyed Justin Bieber turning on the Christmas lights in 2011.
Slaven Bilic’s recent installation as manager can move West Ham away from the long-ball game of Sam Allardyce, although in truth, the English boss was working to that end during the recently concluded campaign. Yet, for all the excitement around the Boleyn Ground, it’s been 14 years since West Ham finished in the Premier League’s top seven.
Bilic’s side aren’t going to penetrate the top four anytime soon, so there’s little chance Payet will play Champions League football if he remains with West Ham. It’ll be Europa League at best for a player who could have helped Marseille return to the elite tournament within a couple of years.
Payet’s alleged demand for cash actually serves to limit his own career; yes he’ll earn more in the Premier League, but exposure on the continent’s top stage and the potential to win silverware has all but ended.
We’ll see this scenario play out in public multiple times throughout the summer. Sometimes it will go right for the player—they’ll stay at their current club and enjoy an improved deal—but other times it will go badly wrong. Payet may turn out to be a star at West Ham, but the limitations are obvious.
Barcelona have already fallen for Dani Alves’ ploy of flirting with many top sides. He knew they cannot replace him until January 2016 due to the club’s transfer ban, so they yielded to his demands. On the other hand, wantaway Borussia Dortmund midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has (so far) failed to lure Manchester United and Arsenal—two teams vigorously linked to his capture—so his agent his began to publicly suggest the player will stay at the Westfalenstadion. It’s possible initial stories of his desire to leave were engineered to land massive terms, either in England or Germany.
Many will say Real Madrid’s Sergio Ramos is doing the same. However, his relationship with Los Blancos President Florentino Perez has been simmering for some time, so it’s important to note the personal relationship will be key to whether he departs the Bernabeu. Even so, Ramos wants €10 million per year and is happy to head to the Premier League if this isn’t offered.
The English division’s television rights have already allowed newly promoted Bournemouth to spend £8 million on Ipswich Town defender Tyrone Mings, while Leicester have bid £7 million for Stoke midfielder Steven N’zonzi. The overlying feeling is: “Where did they get that sort of money?”
Clubs are going to make the most of their added funds from the television deal, but as we’ll see throughout the next few years, so will players. This will improve the overall quality of Premier League teams while making the top sides more competitive on a European scale.
However, for many clubs outside of England, added wealth in the Premier League will lead to frustration and the inevitable loss of talent who are fuelled by cash, not the desire of winning silverware.
