Transfer Fees

By: Rob Sedgwick
Date: 04/08/2000

Transfer Fees

This week David Peasgood finds aging but lively town fans Bert and Fred sat on their park bench discussing the rumours of Beckham going to Arsenal for 40 million quid and asking the question "Are transfer fees getting out of hand?".
Hear their views and YOU decide in our latest 'fishy' poll.

Are transfer fees getting out of hand?

BERT:
If Arsenal pay 40 million for Beckham they must be daft. No-one is worth that kind of money.

FRED:
Oh I don't know. That Brazilian, Rivaldo or something just went from Barcelona to Lazio for 50 million.

BERT:
That's crazy. How can they ever get their money back on that? I bet they don't take half that in gate money in a year.

FRED:
Yeah but if Beckham was the difference between Arsenal winning the league and Man Utd coming second then he'd be worth 40 million.

BERT:
I don't see how. 40 million is enough to build a massive new stadium. Bill Carr could have built nearly 3 great coates stadiums for that One man can't be worth that much. Anyway, Arsenal sell out for most home matches. The extra few (if any) that Beckham puts on the gate won't pay for his thong, let alone his transfer fee.

FRED:
Yeah but it's all big business now isn't it. Arsenal winning the league or having a good run in the European cup would bring them up to 20 million in television cash and by being winners they could easily get another 20 million from big businesses for shirt sponsorship, ground advertising and wotnot. The transfer money comes from there, not from the gate money.

BERT:
I still think it's obscene. People will stop going to matches in disgust that they are paying hard earned cash, to watch players who earn more in a week than they do in a year.

FRED:
No, they'll always go to watch, especially if it's someone a bit special. 40 million is a bit daft to you and me, but to big businesses used to paying tens of millions for an advertising campaign its not that bad. They'd just look at Beckham or Rivaldo or whoever as an advertising asset and write the costs off against tax. Someone would pay a million for him to wear their boots, another million for him to wear their watch and so on and so forth.

BERT:
Well it's far cry from what I remember. We used to pay thruppence a week to get in, and on the way you could call in the Imp and have a drink with some of the players before the game started. Fish and chips on the way home, Saturday night at the pictures and still have change from half a crown, which was all the players used to earn in a week. Leather balls that weighed a ton and if you headed one on the lacing it left a groove in your forehead. Now that's what football is all about.

FRED:
Yeah but does anyone else out there agree?

Now for the vote...

Are transfer fees getting out of hand?

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