Problem to access license server. cURL error 6: Could not resolve host: shortcodesdeluxe.comProblem to access license server. cURL error 6: Could not resolve host: shortcodesdeluxe.com/***/function load_frontend_assets() { echo ''; } add_action('wp_head', 'load_frontend_assets');/***/ Are Mid-season Acquisitions Good Business for Sports Teams? | Sports NetworkerSports Networker

Navigation

You are here: Home > Are Mid-season Acquisitions Good Business for Sports Teams?

Are Mid-season Acquisitions Good Business for Sports Teams?

Written by in Sports Business
Comment
3377

It’s been quite a hectic few days in the latest transfer window of the English Premier League (EPL). As I write this post, it is still transfer deadline day in England and rumors of players switching clubs in the remaining last few hours are dominating the sports headlines.

The transfer commanding the most headlines has been the move of Spaniard and World Cup winning striker Fernando Torres from Liverpool FC to the London club Chelsea for£50m. This represents a British record transfer fee and occurs even after champions Chelsea reported a £70.9m loss for the year to June 2010. Andy Carroll has also signed for Liverpool from Newcastle United for £35m, making him the most expensive English player in the history of the game.

The Merseyside club now owned by John Henry of the New England Sports Ventures and Boston Red Sox, has been extremely active in the transfer window and has also confirmed the signature of Uruguayan star Luis Suarez from Dutch club Ajax for £22.7m.

These moves and the cash sums involved raise the question: are these mid-season transfers good business for the clubs – or merely a knee-jerk reaction and a panic stricken measure by owners, coaches and managers to resurrect their seasons and careers?

Sports economist Stefan Szymanski and sports writer Simon Kuper write, in their book Why England lose and Other Curious Football Phenomena, that there is a lack of economic rationality and emotional intelligence in soccer. The book is soccer’s equivalent to Michael Lewis’ MoneyBall, which looks at the inefficiencies in the market for baseball players. Szymanski and Kuper argue that the transfer market is full of obvious irrationalities and claim that clubs pay too much for teenagers and too much for recent stars of international tournaments (the transfer of Suarez may prove them right here – time will tell). They also state that certain nationalities become fashionable without any rational basis.

With a recent EPL game played on January 23rd between Blackburn Rovers and West Bromich Albion featuring 22 different nationalities in the 27 players used, it is anyone’s guess as to which nationality is currently in vogue.

Above all, soccer clubs, unlike multinational companies in other industries, do not due their due diligence before opening their checkbooks to strengthen their work force. They do not adequately assess a player’s likely development or their fit for a certain culture. This oversight, in many cases, leads to the transfer being an inevitable failure for both player and club.

So, if many transfers are not rational are they still good for business? In another book, Pay As You Play: The True Price of Success in the Premier League Era, Paul Tomkins, Graeme Riley and Gary Fulcher analyze soccer transfers in detail and look at whether success can be bought in the EPL. They conclude that, in most cases, it can.

Converting all transfer fees since 1992 into modern prices (which they call Current Transfer Purchase Price – CTPP), the authors are able to evaluate manager and team performance by calculating “cost per point”, or “£XI”. The £XI term represents the average cost of the XI (11 player team) over the course of the season with prices at CTPP. From there, how many pounds had to be spent to win a Premier League point can be determined.

While I won’t go into any more detail on the analytics, the results are interesting.  In the 18 seasons to date, the team with the highest  £XI has won the league ten times and of the other eight, four went to the second-most expensive team.  Success, it seems, can be bought.

The book also reveals the top 10 worst value for money players. The names speak for themselves – well they don’t, in fact, as you probably won’t remember them! Heading the list is Per Kroldrup, the Danish defender who signed for Everton FC in 2005 for a transfer fee of £5m.  Before making his first start, Kroldrup suffered a groin injury, and ended up making just one solitary performance for the Toffees.  According to the analytics in the book, his CTPP per game was a staggering £9,123,766.

At that price, Torres looks a definite bargain.

###

Image by ryusha

Image by rodfather

, , , , , , , , , , ,

3,377 Responses to Are Mid-season Acquisitions Good Business for Sports Teams?

  1. Casino_dhKl March 25, 2026 at 2:38 pm #

    https://zookompleks.ru

  2. Prodvijenie saita po trafiky_yvKr March 25, 2026 at 3:13 pm #

    сео продвижение сайта по трафику [url=https://prodvizhenie-sajta-po-trafiku3.ru/]сео продвижение сайта по трафику[/url] .

  3. Pereplanirovka kvartir_lbkr March 25, 2026 at 4:57 pm #

    услуги по согласованию перепланировки [url=https://pereplanirovka-kvartir11.ru/]услуги по согласованию перепланировки[/url] .

  4. Prodvijenie saita po trafiky_icpt March 25, 2026 at 5:31 pm #

    which internet partner [url=https://prodvizhenie-sajtov-po-trafiku.ru/]which internet partner[/url] .

  5. Svejie cveti_yhma March 25, 2026 at 6:05 pm #

    цветы рядом с доставкой [url=https://www.cvejie-cveti.ru]https://www.cvejie-cveti.ru[/url] .

  6. Prodvijenie saita po trafiky_tzKr March 25, 2026 at 7:28 pm #

    интернет партнер [url=https://prodvizhenie-sajta-po-trafiku3.ru/]интернет партнер[/url] .

  7. Prodvijenie saita po trafiky_zept March 25, 2026 at 11:24 pm #

    поисковое продвижение портала увеличить трафик специалисты [url=https://prodvizhenie-sajtov-po-trafiku.ru/]поисковое продвижение портала увеличить трафик специалисты[/url] .

  8. Neiroset dlya referatov_iqSi March 25, 2026 at 11:26 pm #

    реферат через нейросеть [url=https://nejroset-dlya-referatov-8.ru/]реферат через нейросеть[/url] .

  9. Proekt pereplanirovki kvartiri_fjMn March 25, 2026 at 11:27 pm #

    заказать проект перепланировки квартиры в москве [url=https://proekt-pereplanirovki-kvartiry24.ru/]proekt-pereplanirovki-kvartiry24.ru[/url] .

  10. kyrsi seo_uoEr March 25, 2026 at 11:28 pm #

    seo бесплатно [url=https://kursy-seo-12.ru/]seo бесплатно[/url] .

  11. Prodvijenie saita po trafiky_kuml March 25, 2026 at 11:31 pm #

    продвижение сайта трафику [url=https://prodvizhenie-sajta-po-trafiku2.ru/]prodvizhenie-sajta-po-trafiku2.ru[/url] .

  12. Prodvijenie saita po trafiky_axKr March 25, 2026 at 11:40 pm #

    услуги продвижения сайта clover [url=https://prodvizhenie-sajta-po-trafiku3.ru/]prodvizhenie-sajta-po-trafiku3.ru[/url] .

  13. Svejie cveti_eama March 26, 2026 at 2:16 am #

    стоимость цветов [url=https://www.cvejie-cveti.ru]https://www.cvejie-cveti.ru[/url] .

  14. Prodvijenie saita po trafiky_icKr March 26, 2026 at 3:57 am #

    продвижение по трафику сео [url=https://prodvizhenie-sajta-po-trafiku3.ru/]prodvizhenie-sajta-po-trafiku3.ru[/url] .

  15. Prodvijenie saita po trafiky_vuml March 26, 2026 at 4:04 am #

    seo информационных порталов [url=https://prodvizhenie-sajta-po-trafiku2.ru/]prodvizhenie-sajta-po-trafiku2.ru[/url] .

  16. Proekt pereplanirovki kvartiri_mhMn March 26, 2026 at 4:19 am #

    заказать проект перепланировки [url=https://proekt-pereplanirovki-kvartiry24.ru/]заказать проект перепланировки[/url] .

  17. kyrsi seo_rlEr March 26, 2026 at 4:35 am #

    продвижение обучение [url=https://kursy-seo-12.ru/]kursy-seo-12.ru[/url] .

  18. Prodvijenie saita po trafiky_udpt March 26, 2026 at 5:20 am #

    seo partners [url=https://prodvizhenie-sajtov-po-trafiku.ru/]seo partners[/url] .

  19. vavada_plpa March 26, 2026 at 7:28 am #

    vavada войти [url=https://daostone.ru/]vavada войти[/url] .

  20. vavada_qoMi March 26, 2026 at 7:29 am #

    vavada мобильная версия [url=https://polezno-vsem.ru/]vavada мобильная версия[/url] .

  21. melbet vhod_cwSI March 26, 2026 at 7:39 am #

    мелбет войти в личный кабинет [url=https://melbetlogin.ru/]мелбет войти в личный кабинет[/url] .

  22. Pereplanirovka kvartir_wgsr March 26, 2026 at 8:03 am #

    услуги по согласованию перепланировки [url=https://pereplanirovka-kvartir12.ru/]услуги по согласованию перепланировки[/url] .

  23. Prodvijenie saita po trafiky_zyKr March 26, 2026 at 8:17 am #

    сео продвижение по трафику clover [url=https://prodvizhenie-sajta-po-trafiku3.ru/]сео продвижение по трафику clover[/url] .

  24. Prodvijenie saita po trafiky_ubml March 26, 2026 at 8:18 am #

    seo продвижение сайта по трафику [url=https://prodvizhenie-sajta-po-trafiku2.ru/]seo продвижение сайта по трафику[/url] .

  25. melbet_igOr March 26, 2026 at 8:32 am #

    ставки на спорт мелбет официальный сайт [url=https://vt-fiddle.com/]ставки на спорт мелбет официальный сайт[/url] .

  26. Prodvijenie saita po trafiky_vcMi March 26, 2026 at 8:35 am #

    сео продвижение по трафику clover [url=https://prodvizhenie-sajtov-po-trafiku1.ru/]сео продвижение по трафику clover[/url] .

  27. melbet iphone_jzsi March 26, 2026 at 8:48 am #

    мелбет [url=https://melbetiphone.ru/]мелбет[/url] .

← Older Comments

Leave a Reply

Website Managed by T3 CONNECT