The amount of money that is being talked about in regards to the potential transfer of Kaka from AC Milan to Manchester City is hard to fathom, especially given Woolworths could have been thrown a lifeline for a fraction of the £108 million that could see the Brazilian move to Eastlands.
But according to City's manager, Mark Hughes, the deal makes "football and business sense" -a comment that would surely have raised a few eyebrows. Now you wouldn't have heard him saying that if he were still in charge at Blackburn Rovers but things have changed and now it appears that a bid in excess of £100m, with wages reported to be in the region of £500k a week, is considered normal business.
Everyone expected City to flex their financial muscle and to spend big but not to the extent that would see the previous world-record transfer fee that took Zinedine Zidane from Juventus to Real Madrid for £46m dwarfed by just over £60m. Kaka is an extremely talented footballer and one who has the undoubted technical ability to fit into the Premier League but, as many will testify, being a great player in Serie A is a completely different kettle of fish to being a great player in the Premiership.
When Manchester United bought Juan Sebastian Veron from Lazio for £28.1m in 2001 there was an air of expectation that came with the Argentinian because of his ability and status as one of the best footballers in world football at the time. However, it didn't quite go to plan for either United or Veron, who was eventually sold to Chelsea two years later. This is the huge cost that City need to wary of. Yes, Kaka is a supreme talent and he rightly earned the 2007 FIFA World Player of the Year Award but the speculated wage he would be on should he move to Eastlands would surely breed resentment, jealousy and maybe the odd pre-meditated tackle.
Of course, the same could be said of any big money transfer where there is always an evidential risk that the player could be injured in their first game and if this logic was applied before finalising each deal then there would be a shortage of big name players in the Premiership.
If City were to pull off this transfer it would draw a lot of conclusions, such as Abu Dhabi Group's seemingly bottomless well of money as well as Kaka's ambition, or lack of. But the profound effect that this transfer could have for City's fiercest rivals, United, will have Sir Alex Ferguson raising a glass of his favourite red wine - and it's not hard to see why.
Cristiano Ronaldo has just been crowned the 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year, a matter of weeks after picking up the prestigious Ballon d'Or (or European Footballer of the Year) following a mesmerising season in which he amassed 42 goals in all competitions. So if Kaka, who was the previous winner of the World Player of the Year, warrants a bid in excess of £100m then what would that make Ronaldo worth? Surely it would be more than what City would, hypothetically, pay Milan for Kaka. And given that Ronaldo is yet to recapture the form that won him universal praise last season and the continuous speculation about a move to Real Madrid, United might just be rubbing their hands at the prospect of giving their invaluable asset a price-tag.
But according to City's manager, Mark Hughes, the deal makes "football and business sense" -a comment that would surely have raised a few eyebrows. Now you wouldn't have heard him saying that if he were still in charge at Blackburn Rovers but things have changed and now it appears that a bid in excess of £100m, with wages reported to be in the region of £500k a week, is considered normal business.
Everyone expected City to flex their financial muscle and to spend big but not to the extent that would see the previous world-record transfer fee that took Zinedine Zidane from Juventus to Real Madrid for £46m dwarfed by just over £60m. Kaka is an extremely talented footballer and one who has the undoubted technical ability to fit into the Premier League but, as many will testify, being a great player in Serie A is a completely different kettle of fish to being a great player in the Premiership.
When Manchester United bought Juan Sebastian Veron from Lazio for £28.1m in 2001 there was an air of expectation that came with the Argentinian because of his ability and status as one of the best footballers in world football at the time. However, it didn't quite go to plan for either United or Veron, who was eventually sold to Chelsea two years later. This is the huge cost that City need to wary of. Yes, Kaka is a supreme talent and he rightly earned the 2007 FIFA World Player of the Year Award but the speculated wage he would be on should he move to Eastlands would surely breed resentment, jealousy and maybe the odd pre-meditated tackle.
Of course, the same could be said of any big money transfer where there is always an evidential risk that the player could be injured in their first game and if this logic was applied before finalising each deal then there would be a shortage of big name players in the Premiership.
If City were to pull off this transfer it would draw a lot of conclusions, such as Abu Dhabi Group's seemingly bottomless well of money as well as Kaka's ambition, or lack of. But the profound effect that this transfer could have for City's fiercest rivals, United, will have Sir Alex Ferguson raising a glass of his favourite red wine - and it's not hard to see why.
Cristiano Ronaldo has just been crowned the 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year, a matter of weeks after picking up the prestigious Ballon d'Or (or European Footballer of the Year) following a mesmerising season in which he amassed 42 goals in all competitions. So if Kaka, who was the previous winner of the World Player of the Year, warrants a bid in excess of £100m then what would that make Ronaldo worth? Surely it would be more than what City would, hypothetically, pay Milan for Kaka. And given that Ronaldo is yet to recapture the form that won him universal praise last season and the continuous speculation about a move to Real Madrid, United might just be rubbing their hands at the prospect of giving their invaluable asset a price-tag.
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