The Great Tottenham Bale Out

Maybe this story should come under the Silly Season comments because from a neutral position my mind boggles that this Summer's bun-fest of soccer transfers to has focused on one man and negotiations that have lasted longer than the season itself. Not that you can blame the player, he probably had very little say in the way the transaction took place or the timing of events. Ultimately I think Gareth Bale's move to Real Madrid will be a good deal for all for all concerned. Tottenham have already made some shrewd investments in anticipation of the 24 year-old's departure, partly through clearing out some of their own squad and bringing in new quality signing that will give the side options and balance. There is no doubting Bale's talents which will be well suited to both the Spanish league and the Champions league. From a marketing perspective he will be another hot property alongside the likes of Ronaldo, Messi and Iniesta so provided that the club can keep him fit it is easy to see how the club can turn a profit on their investment however substantial the final fee may be. There never appears to be a shortage of billboards in Spain when it comes to advertising. I'm sure that within weeks Mr. Bale's face will be endorsing everything from tooth paste and hair gel to luxury apartments and cat worming treatments.

The amount of hype that the 2 transfer windows generate is ridiculous, largely fuelled by speculative agents trying to talk up opportunities for their clients, or players trying to engineers deals for themselves. Whether you view the windows as a good or bad thing I suspect will be influenced by whether your club's manager has just secured the services of a top player or has been battling for the past few months to keep hold of a prized asset.

It would be interesting to know how many players have used the confusion in the transfer market to secure an enhanced contract with their current club. It used to be that transfers centred on players in the English, French, German, Spanish and Italian leagues, now the game is so global that the Americas, Asia, Africa, Russia and the Middle East are all competing in the same market place and all the top clubs in each country have cash to splash on the top players.

The downside to this is that there are so many competitions and so much football being played that every club needs a large squad simply to compete at the highest level. The fact is that there are only so many players that are world class and my fear is that with so much money being focused on the top players what will be the effect on the journeyman squad player. Will up and coming players get the opportunity of progress to the next level or will their places be snapped up by overseas players who have established themselves in foreign leagues?

The Bale deal has confirmed my belief that the transfer windows are not a particularly satisfactory way of transacting business. I have never understood why the Summer window extends for a month into the new season. It seems illogical to spend June and July building a squad to play in a certain way then have all those plans disrupted through the loss or addition of a player. 

What has been evident this Summer is just how the future of so many players has hinged on this one man (well perhaps 2 if you include Wayne Rooney having a sulk throughout the Summer). The fact that this deal has been drawn out until the last knockings means that there are 2 or 3 Real Madrid players who may now find themselves surplus to requirements, if they are then offloaded then the knock-on effect will be extended to other clubs and other players. The log jam that this one move has created could mean that the next couple of days before the closing deadline could see some high profile players changing clubs at over-inflated prices as clubs are forced to make some last minute enforced adjustments. This may be exciting to headline writers but I doubt that it is good for the game, the players, the managers, the supporters or the club chairman. (Never thought I would feel sorry for a football club chairman).