Don’t Expect Moyes to be Bullied

In today’s transfer market the spending gulf between the top and bottom clubs is vast. But there is now even a money gulf between the top clubs. Two teams who have recently lived in their neighbour’s shadow are enjoying their own very different resurgences, one is free-spending whilst the other uses its limited funds wisely. Manchester city’s new owners have limitless bags of cash to spend and are attempting to mount an attack upon the established top four. Meanwhile, Everton have improved unrecognisably under the expert management of David Moyes. Everton, not a rich club by premier league standards, manage to consistently out-gun their big spending premiership rivals and to finish in the European places. I personally wouldn’t bet against them doing it again this year. Like their close neighbours, Everton could really do with some investment and a new stadium, But Moyes and chairman bill Kenwright continue to just get on with the job, and Everton continue to impress. Everton and Manchester City are now embroiled in one of the most interesting transfer stories of the summer.

Big Money has now made certain super-rich clubs capable of signing a all their transfer targets, leaving the smaller clubs in a position where saying ‘no’ is impossible. City’s impressive spending power has allowed them to amass a formidable strikeforce, but any armchair analyst can see that there is a lack of balance in the side and defensive players are urgently required. Mark Hughes’ primary target is Everton’s Joleon Lescott, who last year had the season of his life. In the Everton defence Lescot was partnered with Phil Jagielka who is now a long term injury victim. If Moyes were to lose Lescott to Man City, the defence that performed so well last year will be broken up entirely. Recent experience tells us that the amount of money available at Eastlands means that a deal is likely.

Hughes has made offers of 15 and 18 million to date, But Moyes has refused to do business, aware that selling his best players to what will probably prove his closest rival is a bad move. Hughes has clearly been riled by Everton’s position on the matter and has, somewhat embarrassingly stating that he would “go over Moyes’ head” and do a deal “with the decision makers”. This has left David Moyes understandably furious, and interestingly, reports have begun to emerge linking city with other defensive targets, notably Matthew Upson.

Even if Everton hold firm over the player’s not for sale status, they will never be able to match City’s wages, and Lescott, who is earning the going rate for a player of his ability at Everton, can suddenly match the league’s top earners with a move to City, tempting even to the most committed of players. In the face of these amounts of money the player will always want to move. In response Lescott has duly handed in a transfer request, which Moyes has rejected. His man-management skills will now be put to the test.

Looking at the transfer sagas of the close season in a wider context we can see that with such huge amounts of money involved managers will be made to work just as hard during the close season as they will have to during the regular season. The precedent was set last season by Martin O’Neil in the big story of last summer, the proposed transfer of Gareth Barry to Liverpool. O’Neil remained determined that if Barry was to leave, it would be for an inflated fee, regardless of the players wishes and contract length. This approach however achieved limited success, as Barry, who was nearing the end of his contract stayed at Villa, only to leave for Man City a year later, for 12 million, while Liverpool were willing to pay around 20 million. Similarly this year, Rafa Benitez attempted to keep Alonso at Liverpool in the face of heavy pressure from Real Madrid. Benitez ultimately failed, his position undermined somewhat by his willingness to sell Alonso for 15 million, just a year earlier. But for Moyes a happy ending is more likely, Lescott has four years remaining on his contract, so a the prospect of him leaving under the Bosman ruling in the near future is out of the question and with the transfer window set to slam shut in a little over two weeks, Hughes has little option but to look at other targets or make an over the top offer that has to be accepted. Either way expect more twists in this story. As for the impact of limitless money in football, it looks as though transfer market hostility is more popular than ever.