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Big Money Clubs Can’t Afford The Young Talent Wait

By on July 21, 2014

This summer, Real Madrid have launched a bid to sign James Rodriguez, the Golden Boot winner and arguably one of the best players at World Cup 2014. Following the 23-year-old’s incredible breakthrough performance at the tournament, Madrid couldn’t stay away from the world’s latest star. However, Monaco are believed to be asking up to what would nearly be a transfer record of a sum in the region £80 million for Rodriguez. Madrid can splash that amount of cash, but under UEFA Financial Fair Play rules have to fund that with the sales of other players. So if Rodriguez comes in, Madrid are expected to sell Isco, another young starlet.

But just last summer, Isco was what Rodriguez is now. Just at 22-years-of-age, Isco has made a €30,000,000 move to Real Madrid, and already been kicked to the curb. And Isco is by no means the only example of a young star hardly even given a chance at a big money club before finding himself unwelcome. Just look at Alvaro Morata, Madrid’s up and coming bright young forward last year; at the time Los Blancos wouldn’t even trade him to sign Gareth Bale from Tottenham Hotspur. This year, Carlo hardly gave the Spaniard a substantial chance to prove his value with just twenty-three league appearances. And yet, he is already out the door, sold to Juventus for only €20 million. Just one season to prove himself, and even if he just wasn’t on form, understandable for a 21-year-old, he is out the door to make way for the next big thing. These cash rich clubs like Madrid have the money to replace just about anybody, so if one doesn’t provide immediate return on their investment, they pull out. No long term deals.

Take another example at Manchester City – Jack Rodwell. The English prodigy had been playing for the Everton reserves from the age of just 15, and then breaking into the Everton starting lineup in 2009. After impressing for the next few seasons, City decided to take the chance and splash £12 million on the midfielder. Since, Rodwell has made only 25 appearances for The Sky Blues in two seasons. And after hardly giving the youngster a chance, Javi Garcia and Fernandinho came in to take his position. Pedro Leon, Sergio Canales, and to some extent even Jose Callejon have also gone through this, and once you have been dumped off, it is even harder to get back up to the top level at all.

Really, what young stars should do is move to the somewhere near the top level, still a club in Champions League football but not a big spender like Madrid or Manchester City, when they are under twenty-five or so. Then, once they are nearing their prime they should move to those with the big bucks – only when they are ready to fill their potential. Madrid and City, they simply don’t have the time or patience to grow the players. They want results immediately. That isn’t to say that it can’t be done, especially at a position like center-back, when the player is a prophet, much like Rodriguez was at World Cup 2014. However, move to a club like Juventus, Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, or Borussia Dortmund in their respective leagues and they won’t have the money to offload a player without a thought, especially those with promise. Still up with the best, but not to those with the money.

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.