Premier League chairman, Richard Scudamore, said on Thursday that seemingly higher average transfer fees are necessary for clubs to keep investing in required talent, keeping the Premier League attractive for viewers.
Citing Zinedine Zidane’s transfer to Real Madrid for £46 million in 2001 being 10 percent of the Premier League’s turnover that year, he said if transfers continued to grow at the same rate as turnover then they would be in the £300 million range today.
“Well obviously, the more income the Premier League clubs generate – and this has always been the same since football began 150 years ago nearly – they’ve invested that money in trying to acquire better and better talent, but again, I don’t think we should get too carried away by necessary transfer fee inflation, I think (Zinedine) Zidane for £46 million back in 2001.
“In 2001 the Premier League’s turnover was about £460 million, and so 10 percent. If that were true today then transfer fees would be £300 million and so we’re nowhere near that level, but clubs obviously spend because the most important thing is to have the talent on the pitch, the most important thing is to make sure that talent is brought together cohesively by a manager, and that’s what creates the excitment for the game, without that investment you really don’t have the show from which all else flows.” Scudamore said.
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Scudamore also said a more unified approach in the regulation of agents in the game could improve the game further.
“The one thing I do think we need to get back around the table and discuss again is the role of intermediaries, and the regulation of intermediaries. FIFA decided really to de-regulate the activities of intermediaries a couple of years back.
“Each national association had its own type of rules and regulations but again I think there is a degree of mistrust in terms of the public as to what the role of intermediaries is, there are a lot of good ones and again, that should be communicated better as to what a good one is, but there are some that clearly are making it difficult for the rest and I think that is something that we ought to get back around the table (for), and we are doing that in the Premier League and again with our friends at the European leagues and other organisations to see if there’s something we can do to improve that,” he said.
