Why transfers between Premier League clubs could become more common
This summer has seen a number of departures from Manchester City that have provoked interest from onlookers. Raheem Sterling’s decision to leave the club shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, with the England forward seemingly falling out of favour with Pep Guardiola in recent years, as the Catalan coach has started to reinvigorate his frontline.
The departures of Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko to Arsenal are also not overly surprising. Jesus was only a rotation player in Manchester and that situation was not likely to improve with the arrivals of Erling Haaland and Julián Álvarez in Manchester. Likewise, Zinchenko has found himself in a squad role for Manchester City, not once playing more than 1,500 minutes in the Premier League in a season.
None of the departures are likely to significantly affect Manchester City’s betting exchange odds, but sales between clubs in the Premier League top six are traditionally something of a rarity, and the recent change has had punters wondering whether it signifies a potentially growing trend.
It’s easy to see why sales between clubs at the top of the Premier League have been infrequent in nature — nobody likes the idea of strengthening a rival. When such moves do happen, they tend to be along the lines of Robin van Persie’s move from Arsenal to Manchester United, with the Dutch striker having forced through that transfer.
By contrast, all three of Manchester City’s summer departures have been far from acrimonious. The trio appear to have left with good wishes from both the club and the fanbase. So, why have the moves happened?
While Premier League clubs usually looked to sell players abroad, the financial landscape has shifted in recent years. The financial bubble created by the Premier League’s broadcasting rights — particularly the domestic TV deal — has massively boosted the finances of the clubs in the English top flight. Mid-table outfits are able to offers wages, and transfer fees, to match clubs qualifying for Europe in other leagues.
This has seen the clubs at the top of the English football pyramid more or less unmatched when it comes to their financial firepower. The Premier League’s top six are able to spend on a level that all but a handful of continental clubs can match.
As such, the likes of Manchester City, looking to renew their squad, find themselves in the position where few teams, aside from their Premier League rivals, are able to find the money required to sign one of their players.
That leaves them with a choice: get a higher fee, while selling a player to a rival, or earn less by selling the player abroad. Man City, more than any other side, are likely to find themselves in this situation regularly, given the strength in depth that Guardiola’s squad has. Squad players at Man City include the likes of Riyad Mahrez, who they would understandably want a large fee for. Other clubs at the top of the Premier League tend to operate slightly leaner outfits, with the likes of Liverpool’s Kostas Tsimikas and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain unlikely to be so prohibitively priced.
Whether this is the beginning of a long-term trend remains to be seen. It could be the case that European clubs catch up with the Premier League in terms of revenue, which would see them achieve parity when it comes to spending power. Alternatively, the Premier League’s advantage could continue to grow, making transfers between clubs in the league, rather than externally, only more and more common.