Even without taking into account the moral pressure on the player.
When a club spends a lot of money to sign a new player, it is usually well received. After all, the team is getting stronger, which means they have to progress and claim more. But such a direct linear relationship is not always observed. History knows many costly bankruptcies. They all happened for different reasons. But most often this was influenced by pitfalls that are not customary to talk about in connection with large purchases.
They don’t always have an impact, but it doesn’t happen without them, and that needs to be taken into consideration when considering your next expensive move. Big money spent does not always lead to a proportional increase in success. And if your club has signed a sensational newcomer with great prospects, but for big money, this can bring different consequences.
The dynamics in the locker room change
News of the high-profile takeover is likely to be met with mixed emotions among existing gamers. Some may fear that the price paid is excessively high. Especially with the current trend where clubs are spending record sums on non-famous players where previously only the most famous were rewarded.
A rookie in the locker room must show the right attitude towards the team and the cause. If we are talking about a famous football player, most likely, his arrival will be accompanied by an a priori positive attitude. There is more distrust and potential dissatisfaction with an unknown player: “They paid a lot for it, but much less for me.”
For obvious reasons, the players in whose position the newcomer enters will have a special attitude towards the acquisition. This is a direct competitor. And if the competition spurs some, suppresses others, it can anger some and provoke someone to spread rumors and create a toxic atmosphere in the team. This must be kept in mind.
Salary impact
Now, player salaries are going public rather quickly. Formally, this is the business of the club and the player, agreements between them. But we are with you on the football portal and we know it well averageagents and other experts create an understanding, if not of specific amounts and bonuses, then of the general order of numbers in contracts.
High-class footballers are unlikely to be very offended or jealous of other people’s salaries. But in every club there is a certain layering. A newcomer bought for a lot of money, as a rule, sets a new benchmark for the level of salaries. If someone who comes early proves his worth by playing, then hardly anyone will complain. But as soon as he hesitates, agents of other well-paid players in the team will go to suggest to the club’s management that it would be worth their clients to raise their salaries. So the high-priced newcomer is potentially setting the stage for a new round of the wage race.
High expectations from management
It is logical that a player bought for a lot of money will attract additional attention from the club’s management. They spend these funds, hoping to get some kind of return. And the higher the amount, the higher the expectations from his return in the form of trophies or tangible progress of the team. This is an investment. And their risk is growing every year.
Previously, clubs had to spend far less on future stars, for promising players who only show promise. And really a lot of money has been spent on already established players. Now the trends have changed. The best clubs have concentrated recognized masters and can afford not to give up at least for money. The teams have to anticipate and snatch from each other what are considered the stars of tomorrow, but for now they play in a more modest team in terms of resources, from which its top club can be taken quite easily.
But this growth in external competition, coupled with the creation of a stir in the press, drives the price to insane values. A footballer may still be nothing, by and large, but they fight for him as if he is destined to become a three-time Champions League winner. Only on the basis of the assessment of the prospects. There are fewer guarantees and more expenses. And the expectations of progress are getting stronger. If it’s not there, frustration, financial hardship, and personal consequences ensue.
Problems for the coach
One can imagine that any expensive purchase is a boon for the coach. Hard to imagine otherwise. But not many coaches are ready and able to work with expensive newcomers. They must be correctly integrated into the system, many of them have character traits that need to be taken into account precisely during this embedding, so as not to break the game atmosphere and connections. This is not a football manager where you can just pick up the most expensive and strongest players for each position – you have to take into account many psychological factors.
Let’s add here more pressure from the management and the fans. After all, it seems obvious: such an expensive player was bought for this coach, but he doesn’t show anything, he didn’t win everything right away, which means that he is a very bad helmsman and needs to be changed.
A mentor can spend years trying to build chemistry with their team. Often with careful rotation of the composition, creating a special atmosphere. The inclusion of a powerful new factor is sure to change something. And not always for the better. Moreover, you can quickly buy a newcomer, but selling dissatisfied people takes time, and this spoils everyone’s mood. One way or another, it is the coach who has to constantly interact with everyone and bear this load.
Let’s not forget about such stories when the coach did not want to sign this or that player at all. This significantly worsens the situation. Very often this approach ends in failure for a football player, for a coach, for a team, and therefore such a transfer ends up on the list of the most terrible and unfulfilled hopes. Meanwhile, it is not always clearly revealed that the owner of the club was a fan of this player and wanted him in the team, or the sports director insisted on the transfer, pushing him against the wishes of the coach.
A manager of the level of Ancelotti or Guardiola has nothing to worry about when he has an expensive new player. But there are many such specialists who will immediately receive a wave of criticism and accusations that they do not know how to dispose of the talents that have fallen into their hands if something goes even a little wrong. Ultimately, it is the coach who is responsible for the result.
Therefore, at first glance, the purchase of an expensive promising player looks like a good investment and a clear strengthening of the team on all fronts. But you have to take into account many factors that can level these expectations and even ruin the relationship.
