More Overpriced: Adebayor or Arshavin?

By: chris | July 8th, 2008

As with every summer, a few names have dominated the headlines and transitioned from transfer story to full on midday soap opera. You’ve got The Ronaldo Who Can At Least Get Prostitutes’ Genders Correct, Krispy Kreme’s new spokesman Ronaldinho, and another guy who is no stranger to tasty snacks, Frank Lampard. All giant names in football, percolating the news down to enthusiasts and casual fans alike.

Then there are the cases of Andrei Arshavin and Emmanuel Adebayor. Two very good players who have suddenly become the bee’s knees, one on the back of a meteoric rise at Euro 2008 and the other after breaking through as a goal poaching striker. And they’re both on the markets. Nice. But both of their clubs want at least €30m.

They must be kidding.

Arshavin: Andrei is 27, even if he looks 13, and entering the prime of his career. He’s the very definition of an offensive catalyst who can, as we saw against Sweden and the Dutch, take an above average team to the next level. AA also helped lead Zenit to the UEFA Cup and Russian Premier League titles. All very good qualities. But €30m good? Is he that good? Because that’s really damn good.

There are plenty of questions surrounding Arshavin. Yes, he’s obviously a great talent, but we’ve seen great talents move from the East over to the West and simply not adapt. Serhiy Rebrov comes to mind. He and Sheva were the balls at Dinamo and even led their team to a Champions League semifinal birth before his big money move to North London. Now he’s a punchline when the transfer window comes rolling around. Is Arshavin the next punchline? Probably not, but it’s not a guarantee either.

Then there’s the semifinal against Spain in the Euros. No, tournaments are not something to base a scouting report on, but he spent 90 minutes paying a tribute to Caspar the Ghost. The number of touches he had could probably be counted on two hands, if that, and the great difference maker turned into The Great Houdiniov. No, he won’t face the likes of Spain week in, week out wherever he goes, but what happens when he gets lost on the way to the stadium again for a Champions League semifinal? Aren’t those times when €30m players are supposed to come through?

Adebayor: Tall, quick, powerful and finally showed the ability to finish this past season with 24 goals. Not bad. Also young, at 24, with his best years ahead of him, presumably.

Call me skeptical, but one year doesn’t do it for me - one year in the Prem, no less, which is far less technical than La Liga or Serie A. Yes, he’s gifted and very well might become the next big thing, but he hasn’t been good enough long enough to require a pricetag that absurd (Arsenal has reportedly set a €40m+ pricetag, which is so bullshit it can’t possibly be true). Of course it could be a purposefully high pricetag set to dissuade teams from making a bid in the first place; however, if either Barcelona and Milan legitimately offered €30m or more, as has been reported, shouldn’t Arsene have plowed through the front offices in a mad dash to scream his acceptance into the phone? That’s a ton of great twelve year olds who can work their way into the first team once Cesc breaks Ronaldo’s impending world record transfer fee.

If you’re going to buy a player worth €30m or more, then perhaps they should at least be a sure thing. Are either of these a sure thing for a new team in a new country? Hardly. These pricetags don’t say very good, they say greatness, something neither player is assured of. There are other players more deserving of that type of money. But who is more overpriced?