There are some deals that stick out like a sore thumb even in the crazy world of football transfers. No matter how many months or years pass, the vast sum of money paid becomes like an inseparable partner to the player. Andy Carroll is the latest player to become shackled to a price tag after his £35 million move to Liverpool in January. Carroll was suddenly propelled into the limelight, notable not because of his football but because of the disparity between his proven quality and his transfer fee. Memorable for the disbelief his deal prompted rather than for his ability.
The previous owner of this unfortunate role was Gaizka Mendieta. (There have been some eye-watering fees in between but these are exceptional). At the time of Mendieta’s transfer to Lazio in 2001, he was considered one of the best midfielders in the world. It was his dramatic decline that made his price tag so unforgettable. Mendieta signed for £29 million, becoming the most expensive Spanish player in history and the sixth most expensive player in the world. 2 years later he was at Middlesborough, signed for around £3.5 million. Mendieta became synonymous with bad business. He may have been proven but he was not a superstar. His name, like Carroll’s, is noticeable out of place on the list of the most expensive transfers.
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Andy Carroll is currently sandwiched between David Villa and Hernan Crespo. Villa currently has 305 career goals, Crespo 273. Carroll has 36. Of course Andy Carroll is an investment, the problem is that he will have to become one of the greatest players of all time to justify his transfer fee. There is a real danger of him being affected by the price tag. He is now unable to become ‘the next Duncan Ferguson’ as many predict he will. Instead he has to become the next Alan Shearer.
Andy Carroll is not necessarily a disastrous piece of business, he is young enough to hold his value if he performs exceptionally well in the coming seasons. Similarly Mendieta was not a terrible signing until he completely and utterly failed to perform. Unfortunately Carroll’s is not a price tag that you can just snip off with a pair of scissors and forget about. It’s been fired into his buttock with a nail gun or cruelly smeared into his ponytail with chewing gum. Either way it’s going to take some serious work to get rid of it.
Who else has crumbled under the weight of a price tag, or just been a complete waste of money? Publicise their inadequacy on twitter http://twitter.com/#!/philipwroe
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