Posted on 02/09/2009 at 11:15 by Glenn Pearson
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The transfer window in football is well and truly shut, until January at least, and has once again provided talking points.
Why do clubs wait until the last day to decide they want to make a signing that could potentially make or break their season? Is it just to watch Sky Sports News reporter Bryan Swanson run around like a kid in a sweet shop, announcing every time he has a text from the Wolves chairman or his Manchester City 'contact' that a deal is close and that club are about to sign some overpaid superstar?
In fairness, it's probably not, but it is thoroughly entertaining watching the Sky reporters around the ground getting the 'latest news' which in truth they get no earlier than a supporter reading it on the club's website. It's a bit like the early days of Big Brother - real car crash television - but something you can't turn away from. Is Georgie Thompson going to reveal your club are signing some Israel under-21 striker eight minutes before deadline? You can't help but live in hope as the clock counts down.
One thing that is hugely evident from this summer's transfer window is that the English Premier League is no longer the top competition in the world.
We've lost the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Xabi Alonso, and instead second-rate Premier League players are moving clubs for astronomical prices. Joleon Lescott's move to Manchester City makes him the third most expensive defender in history, while the going rate for average players continues to rise.
Mike Williamson signed for Portsmouth from Watford for £3 million, 18 games after having signed from Wycombe for £150,000. That's more expensive than Croatian midfielder Niko Kranjcar, who left Pompey for Spurs for about £2 million.
Michael Turner signed for Sunderland from Hull for £6 million after one season in the Premiership in which his side escaped from relegation by the elastic in their pants.
It seems clubs in this country are willing to pay a king's ransom for very average players, which begs the question; would foreign clubs pay the same amount for a defender like Turner? I'm not too sure myself.
La Liga has pushed itself to the front of the queue in terms of quality, with the likes of Ronaldo, Alonso, Xavi, Iniesta, Ibrahimovic, Ramos and the list goes on.
Even with Manchester City's billions, the Premier League was unable to lure a world class player from the likes of Italy or Spain to these shores. And it will be all the poorer because of it.