Proof that clubs are willing to pay much more for domestic goods
The national team couldn’t muster the will to qualify for Euro 2008, but somehow clubs continue to demand mega money for home grown talent. With David Bentley costing a princely sum, Gareth Barry’s non-negotiable fee and Andy Johnson’s imminent trade, it’s clear that players are far too expensive if they were born on this tiny island.
Hence, we think the time is right to consider ten of the most overpriced Englishman currently plying their trade in the Premier League, comparing their lofty prices with some better value foreign equivalents…
Shaun Wright-Phillips
Manchester City were heartbroken to lose their star player to Chelsea, but in hindsight getting £21 million was fantastic business. Four league goals in three seasons compared to ten in his last year at Citeh highlights his failure to step up.
Foreign equivalent: Amantino Mancini to Inter - £10 million
Owen Hargreaves
£17 million might not have been too steep for a 26-year-old midfielder, but his failure to dislodge Michael Carrick, his predecessor in the overpriced stakes, shows he has yet to live up to his price-tag.
Foreign equivalent: Yaya Toure to Barcelona - just over £7 million
Scott Parker
The midfielder moved from Charlton to Chelsea to Newcastle and then to West Ham for a combined fee of £23.5 million, but has still managed just three England caps. Injury limited Parker to 17 league starts last season, meaning West Ham are yet to receive value for their £7 million investment.
Foreign equivalent: Tim Cahill to Everton - £1.5 million
Dave Kitson
The ginger striker’s invaluable contribution to Reading’s relegation battle was to score just two goals in his 16 games in 2008. So how does a player who scored 11 league goals in two seasons suddenly warrant a £5.5 million price tag? Stoke boss Tony Pulis must know something we don’t.
Foreign equivalent: Cristian Bucchi to Napoli - just over £2.75 million
Dave Nugent
Portsmouth signed him for £6 million last summer but Harry Redknapp announced just over a month later that he would listen to offers for the striker. Nugent persevered and is thought to have turned down a move to Ipswich this summer. This season he is hoping to actually score a league goal.
Foreign equivalent: Guillaume Hoarau to PSG - just under £400,000
Darren Bent
If value for money was determined by goals in pre-season then Tottenham would have every reason to be delighted by their £16.5 million investment after ten goals in friendlies this summer. But it means nothing. After all, Milan Baros was a regular scorer in pre-season but rarely converted that into league form.
Foreign equivalent: Cristiano Lucarelli to Shakhtar - £6 million
Leighton Baines
Everton bought the left-back from Wigan last summer, but preferred employing Joleon Lescott there with Phil Jagielka and Joseph Yobo in the centre. He has yet to be picked in an England squad, with Chelsea reserve Wayne Bridge preferred, so despite his potential £6 million seems too steep.
Foreign equivalent: World Cup winning Fabio Grosso to Inter - just over £4.3 million
Curtis Davies
The deal may have been finalised this July, but it was last summer that Aston Villa agreed a fee ranging between £8 or £10 million depending on who you believe for the uncapped centre-back who, at that point in time, was at a Championship club.
Foreign equivalent: Slovak international Martin Skrtel to Liverpool - £6 million
Peter Crouch
The lanky striker’s international goal ratio of 14 goals in 28 games is impressive, but at club level his record is not quite as hot. So for Portsmouth to spend £9 million, rising to £11 million, on a player who scored 22 in 85 for Liverpool and had only a year left on his contract is quite a gamble.
Foreign equivalent: Luca Toni to Bayern Munich - just over £8.6 million
Nigel Reo Coker and Marlon Harewood
These two traded West Ham for Aston Villa in 2007 for a combined fee of £12.5 million, a fee that is heavy enough when neither have been capped by England, but bordering on ridiculous when you consider they were two of the Hammers worst performers in their relegation near miss of 2006-07.
Foreign equivalent: Roque Santa Cruz and Morten Gamst Pedersen to Blackburn - £6.3 million
If you disagree with any inclusions, or think there are some gaping Joey Barton or Alan Smith-sized holes in our list, leave a comment below.
29 responses so far
1 Thierry_yiddo // Aug 4, 2008 at 2:39 pm
so many bad points in this article, Bent and crouch hardly played last seaosn, and when they did were given the odd 15 minutes. A striker needs to have his eye in and confidence, so you cant expect them to be scoring all the time
2 Farmdog // Aug 4, 2008 at 2:40 pm
I would like to add Robbie Keane to this list.
£20 million for a striker who before the arrival of Berbatov to Tottenham was being touted to the like of Celtic (Was he not originally a hoops fan?) and Everton for the princely sum of £5mill.
A very large sum of money for a player £ seasons ago seen as average and hard working.
3 Upminster Iron // Aug 4, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Why didn’t Bent play then? Quite obviously because he didn’t show enough in training or on the pitch to convince Jol or Ramos that he could displace Berbatov or Keane. It’s all well and good saying ‘oh they didn’t play enough so you can’t call them a waste of money’ but if they are fit and not even getting into the team that makes them even bigger flops in my book.
4 Alan Parks // Aug 4, 2008 at 2:44 pm
I disagree with the leighton baines one, ur saying he is more over priced then thug joey barton, leighton is only young an was injured most of last season, he will be a first teamer next year
5 Rover4Life // Aug 4, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Farmdog, Robbie Keane isnt English!
David Bentley has to be the most overpriced, inconsistant, big headed fool ever to have graced the Premiership
6 Goggins // Aug 4, 2008 at 11:00 pm
It´s a bit unfair to put Baines on this list. This was his first season at Everton and he was in the starting XL in the beginning but after that he was injured most of the season. So it´s a bit harsh isn´t it to put him on this list?
7 Goggins // Aug 4, 2008 at 11:01 pm
Yes and he will so prove this list wrong this season! You´ll see!!
8 Pekka // Aug 5, 2008 at 12:23 am
You cant compare Bent to Lucarelli and Crouch to Toni. The reason why they were so much cheapre than the english players is because they were much OLDER when they moved, they were 30+.
9 McVilla // Aug 5, 2008 at 12:29 am
you really have to give some of these guys a chance- davies at Villa got into the England squad after playing a few games for Villa, so that obviously means that he impressed. then he got injured, let’s review again at the end of this season.
Not sure if you are including past players in this or not- but Bosko Balaban only played a few games, so many more to choose from
10 Charlie // Aug 5, 2008 at 6:43 am
You said it all with Smith and Barton. Thanks big Sam you fat moron! Way to give 60 grand a week to two of the biggest knobs the game has seen.
11 Dave // Aug 5, 2008 at 8:00 am
no disrespect to Spurs but what is the betting than when he sparked off about wanting a move away from Blackburn that he thought that the top 4 would start a bidding war for him, instead nothing no interest whatsoever. It seems that not everyone rates him as highly as he does.
12 Tyler C // Aug 5, 2008 at 10:39 am
what the hell! skrtel is quality and i dont even support liverpool! how is he an equivalent for curtis davies!
13 Upminster Iron // Aug 5, 2008 at 10:48 am
Tyler mate I think the point is that Aston Villa were willing to buy an uncapped defender from a Championship side for almost eight figures when a top quality international defender like Skrtel was available much cheaper. I think if anything it’s a compliment to his abilities!
14 Big Stan // Aug 5, 2008 at 3:01 pm
El-bollocks Diouf for 10m to liverpool was a joke.
15 Rick // Aug 5, 2008 at 3:08 pm
This may seem like nit-picking to some, but I would like to point out that Owen Hargreaves is not an Englishman, he was not ‘born on this tiny island’, and he is not “home grown talent”. Even though he does play for the English National team, which in retrospect, doesn’t look like much of a step up from the Canadian equivalent.
Born and brought up in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, developed by Bayern Munich farm team there…. doesn’t anybody know this?
16 Upminster Iron // Aug 5, 2008 at 3:23 pm
He was born in Canada but if he had spent the summer of 2006 on holiday with Canadian teammates instead of putting in ‘that performance’ against Portugal in the World Cup quarter final and getting voted England’s player of the tournament, do you really think he’d be worth £18 million a year later? His England performances saw his value skyrocket as happens with England players so I think he’s a fair inclusion.
17 Dickybran // Aug 5, 2008 at 3:24 pm
SWP is always my yard stick when it comes to arguing about players worth. Recently my Liverpool supporting mate was questioning Berbas £30m price tag, I just point out Chelsea paying £21m (I thought it was £25m) for SWP, who I rate and would have in my team, but not worth that much and not worth nearly as much as Berba.
18 Simon // Aug 5, 2008 at 3:28 pm
Bit harsh on Bent and Baines, weren’t they both injured most of last season? Also lescott had a blinder last season but Baines has a lot of potential and is young.
Completely agree with Kitson, Harewood and Reo-Coker!
19 Martin // Aug 5, 2008 at 4:00 pm
Rick Mate, Lennox Lewis was born in Jamaica,raised and trained in England,briefly moved to Canada then came back to England again and calls it home.In Canada they call Lennox a “Canadian Boxer” even though he has a cockney accent,British passport and enters the ring with a British flag on his shoulders. Also,the famous “Canadian” Olympic gold medal winning sprinter Johnson was actually born and raised in Jamaica and still has his accent to prove it. So, in answer to your question about Hargreaves: “doesn’t anybody know this”? My answer is “Who Cares”? And before I forget,I hear that Stevie G and Joe Cole want to take out Canadian citizenship so they can leave the England squad and play for that prestigious power house of a Canadian National squad…..LOL!!!
20 chody // Aug 5, 2008 at 4:30 pm
Jose Antonio Reyes for £16m was bad business
21 chody // Aug 5, 2008 at 4:35 pm
as was francis jeffers at £11m
22 Spoony // Aug 5, 2008 at 6:35 pm
Farmdog you are an idiot. Keane was a rip off granter but he isn’t English, not even British. Tit
23 Martin // Aug 5, 2008 at 7:27 pm
Spoony : Although the Rep of Ireland is now independent(recognised:1922) and not part of the ridiculous political farce known as the UK , IT IS , however, still part of the British Isles. End of discussion. Farmdog does make some good points about Keane’s terrible form up until the last 2 seasons with Spurs.This cannot be denied unless one has been in a coma for years.
24 RedbyDawn // Aug 5, 2008 at 8:29 pm
Lennox Lewis has a Cockney accent?
Ever seen Mary Poppins?
25 Martin // Aug 5, 2008 at 9:10 pm
RedbyDawn: Ha ha…nice one….Mary Poppins he he.. Maybe a slight exaggeration but you get my point.
26 Stan // Aug 5, 2008 at 11:54 pm
Lennox Lewis - born in West Ham (England, last time I checked) in 1965, moved to Canada 1977. NOT born in Jamaica! He fought two Olympic games as a Canadian before moving back to Britain in the late 80s to assume British citizenship again. Hargreaves - yes, born in Canada, but to British parents who had moved there only a couple of months previously, with two brothers who were both born on ‘this tiny island’, where Owen himself was probably conceived!
One of the issues IS the over-inflated price for British players, yes, but why are clubs spending nearly £20 million on a player, then never letting him have a start (Darren Bent)? Bent will score plenty of goals this season IF he’s given a chance - pace, height, strength, he’ll do OK.
27 Martin // Aug 6, 2008 at 3:42 am
Stan: Thanks for correcting me about Lennox!
28 Kid In A Candy Store! : Bright Black Internet // Aug 7, 2008 at 2:48 pm
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29 azza // Aug 9, 2008 at 10:17 pm
Just wanted to point out that Robbie Keane hasn’t only been good since Berbatov has been playing with him. He had his best ever Prem season the year before Berbatov arrived, scoring 16 goals. In terms of goals per minute, his best season was 2004/5, as though he scored just 11 goals, he spent far less time on the pitch, as Defoe was 1st choice at the time. Keane’s upturn coincided with being coached by Martin Jol and not as a result of playing with Berbatov. Even so, £20 million is silly money for him.