Catalancs wrote:
Had you heard of Pastore or Sanchez before they came to Europe? I hadn't and I don't think I'd be the only one. English clubs don't have a history of going to South America and picking up gems for next to nothing. It's been going on for decades in Italy and Spain. Wasn't Özil coming to the end of his contract when Madrid signed him? They got a bargain anyhow. The same can't be said for his mate Sami Khedira who's been average at best. Rather than foreign players being cheap I think British based players are overpriced, sometimes grossly.
I'd heard of Pastore, just because I'd been reading a few things about South American talents and he came up a lot, but I'd never seen him. Thing is, I'm not paid to hear of these players, clubs employ scouts in just about every footballing country in the world, yet they resort to spending vast sums on players from their home nation, even if it doesn't make business sense. Ozil was coming to the end of his contract, as are Ashley Young and Charlie Adam, yet they're still commanding decent fees as though they're under a long contract.
My point is still the same, whether it's worldwide players being cheap or English players being dear, the point is: we spend too much on homegrown players when it's available cheaper on the continent.
