Sneijder, Tevez, Carroll, Torres and football’s £30m+ players: the hits and misses
talkSPORT has been told by our Italian correspondent Paddy Agnew that Man United have offered £35m for Inter's Wesley Sneijder, while Carlos Tevez's agent Kia Joorabchian confirmed live on talkSPORT Drive that Brazil's Corinthians have bid big money for Man City's Carlos Tevez and the player could be open to a Spanish move.
When a football club pays over £30m for a player, they expect the best, but does it always work out that way? talkSPORT investigates the big money transfers involving English clubs…
Dimitar Berbatov £30.75M FROM Tottenham TO MAN UNITED
Bulgarian Berbatov earned a move to Man United in 2008 after two impressive seasons at White Hart Lane, when he struck up a fruitful partnership with Robbie Keane. On paper, his time at Old Trafford has been a success: two Premier League titles, a Club World Cup and League Cup in three seasons is not too shabby, as well as a Premier League Golden Boot in 2011. However, it is clear that Fergie doesn't trust him on the really big occasions, having made him a sub in the 2009 Champions League final defeat to Barcelona and, worse, not even naming Berbatov on the bench in the 2011 rematch. For £30.75m you expect far more than that.
Verdict: What a waste of money!
ANDRIY SHEVCHENKO £30.8M FROM AC MILAN TO CHELSEA
The Blues had convincingly won two Premier League titles on the spin when Shevchenko was signed in the summer of 2006, but they had failed to win the Champions League, despite going close. Shevchenko, by contrats, had fired Milan to the 2003 European Cup and should really have done the same in 2005, so Roman Abramovich probably expected the Ukrainian striker to be the missing piece in his Champions League puzzle (sound familiar?). Trouble was, Jose Mourinho didn't specifically want the player and he was also past his best, all of which led to the once great Shevchenko's distinctly underwhelming contribution at Stamford Bridge. After two mediocre seasons in which the Premier League title was relinquished to Man United and Champions League glory continued to elude the Blues, he was farmed out on loan to old club Milan, returning to Chelsea to play just one more game.
Verdict: What a waste of money!
ROBINHO £32.5M FROM REAL MADRID TO MANCHESTER CITY
Chelsea were desperate to sign Robinho from Real Madrid in summer 2008, but it was Man City – only hours previously taken over by the supremely wealthy Abu Dhabi United Group – who snapped up the tricky Brazilian on transfer deadline day in a stunning statement of intent. Sadly for City's owners and then-manager Mark Hughes, this statement turned out to be that it's very easy to waste millions on knee jerk signings. During his first season at City, Robinho showed why he cost so much money with a series of quality performances, but his contribution to the Citizens' cause dramatically waned in his second season, when his only goal came against Scunthorpe in the FA Cup. With Hughes replaced by Mancini, Robinho went on loan to Brazil's Santos, before signing for AC Milan in the summer of 2010 for around half the fee City originally paid. Well and truly robbed by Robinho.
Verdict: What a waste of money!
Andy Carroll £35M FROM Newcastle UNITED TO LIVERPOOL
Unquestionably the most overpriced player on this list… for now. Carroll's fee was largely driven by Fernando Torres' transfer deadline day move from Liverpool to Chelsea, as the Reds lost a key striker but gained a huge transfer fee and, when they decided not to let the cash brun a hole in their pocket, Newcastle cashed in. With new owners FSG looking to make a statement of intent and instigate a policy of signing young, potentially top class talent, Liverpool stunned the football world by spending £35m on a player with less than 100 senior games under his belt and just half a season of Premier League promise to show for it. Carroll is rated highly by the experts, including his new manager Kenny Dalglish, but is he worth the eye-watering amount paid by the Anfield club? Time will tell, but it's a big burden to carry.
Verdict: The jury is out
FERNANDO TORRES £50M FROM LIVERPOOL TO CHELSEA
When Chelsea paid £50m for Fernando Torres in the January 2011 transfer window, they certainly did not expect a return of just one goal in 14 games. Prior to getting injured in 2010, Torres had proven himself as one of the most deadly forwards in European football, scoring the winning goal at Euro 2008 and delighting the Kop with his explosive form. After missing the end of the 2009/10 season at Liverpool, he laboured through the World Cup – despite picking up a winner's medal – then played poorly in an admittedly dire Liverpool team under Roy Hodgson. Carlo Ancelotti failed to get the best out of the Spaniard at Chelsea, as he struggled to adapt a team that had achieved great success with Didier Drogba as its spearhead. One of new Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas' greatest problems is how to get Torres back to his best, because Roman Abramovich did not sanction the spending of 50 million big ones to see the Spanish striker score one slightly jammy goal.
Verdict: The jury is out
CRISTIANO RONALDO £80M FROM MAN UNITED TO REAL MADRID
When Man United coughed up £12m for a teenager named Ronaldo in 2003, a few eyebrows were raised considering his age and the fact that the club had missed out on signing the proven world class talent of Ronaldinho earlier that year. Six years later the only eyebrows being raised were at the incredible, world record £80m it took for Real Madrid to sign a player who had taken United to Champions League glory and a hat-trick of Premier League titles. Since joining Real, Ronaldo has failed to taste the success he had at United, but that is more to do with the phenomenal force that is Barcelona, rather than any failing on his own part. Indeed, his goal scoring since joining Real is ridiculously impressive, including a record 40-goal haul in 2010/11 to give him the European Golden Shoe. He may irritate people, but boy can this man play football.
Verdict: Money well spent
What do you think Wesley Sneijder and Carlos Tevez are worth? Have your say by commenting below…