Premier League Transfers: Competing with the "Big Boys"

It's one of those things that just seems to be accepted by a number of supporters in today's footballing world; when one of the "smaller clubs" (read: poorer clubs) has a player that has an excellent season, one can only expect for that player to be courted by "larger" clubs, inevitably leading to that player leaving for the allure of trophies, European football, premier league football, or whatever the situation happens to be.

It is accepted, however, until your team's star player is that one who is linked away.

You see it happen constantly; more and more in today's footballing world, contracts have become almost meaningless. You hope that when your player signs a five-year deal that he will be at the club to see that contact out. Realistically, however, his form and his own ambition are what dictate that.

In the lower leagues in recent years, we've seen players like Southampton's Theo Walcott and Gareth Bale leave for the allure of Premier League football, along with Cardiff City's Michael Chopra and Aaron Ramsey, Wolverhampton Wanderers' Jolean Lescott, and many, many others.

But of course, if you're a fan of the Premier League, you're probably writing that off as part-and-parcel of the footballing world. "Why wouldn't a player want to leave a Championship club to play for a big-time Premier League one? He'd get paid more, and have a much greater chance of furthering his career!"

Of course, of course. Who could be upset with that? Except, maybe, the Southampton, Cardiff City, and Wolves supporters. But after all, they aren't Arsenal, Tottenham, or Everton; they can't expect players to honor their contracts. They must expect their best players to leave for greener pastures.

The same, however, can be assumed for transfers within the Premier League and Europe's other elite leagues (Serie A, La Liga, Ligue 1, the Bundesliga, etc). Tottenham had to deal with the loss of Robbie Keane to Liverpool after another consistent season. Yossi Benayoun's controversially agreed terms with West Ham United, only to turn his back on the club when interest from Liverpool arose after a fine first season back in the Premier League with West Ham. Newcastle have reportedly been fighting to hold on to Michael Owen during every single transfer window since he arrived on Tyneside; the same goes for Middlesbrough and Stuart Downing. And of course, most recently, Dimitar Berbatov's acrimonious departure from Tottenham to Manchester United.

Being a Portsmouth supporter, I can only watch the performances of Jermain Defoe and, especially, Lassana Diarra, and worry that come January, a "big club" is going to come in with an offer that we just can't refuse, or that they will simply announce that they have "achieved all they can" with the club before demanding they be allowed to leave for nowhere near their real worth. While I certainly hope it isn't the intention of Lassana Diarra and that the club and fans can shower him with enough favor that he has no desire to leave, with each stunning performance he gives, I only become more fearful. Who's to say the only reason he came to us wasn't to prove his worth to the likes of Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger?

It's often written and spoken about by supporters of clubs present-day, that loyalty in football is almost certainly dead. And who can argue? Players depart clubs all of the time for more money and/or the chance for glory. But at the same time, clubs have no more loyalty to their players; I still won't forget the departures of Gary O'Neil and Matthew Taylor from Portsmouth, who had been two servants of the club for years, who were allowed to leave because it seemed management felt them sub-par for the level the club was now reaching.

The world of football is constantly changing into the beast where money is everything; even if a smaller club offers a player higher wages, teams in the style of the Premier League's "Big Four" will always win out. Even if they aren't offering quite as high of wages, their enormous wage bills and massive spending power ensures that they have teams that are constantly challenging for trophies domestically and in Europe's elite, making them such "Big Boy" clubs that players want to be there to further their careers.

After all, those are the only places that realistically challenge for silverware- and the limelight - that many ambitious players desire.

In the end, it means that the "smaller" clubs will be left to compete amongst themselves for whatever may remain against teams that have one player who can command a single transfer fee greater than an entire team of players from "smaller" clubs. And traditionally, it is only for the glory of a UEFA Cup place.

Do I believe that football should introduce salary caps? No, not really. Frankly, I really don't think it would be as exciting then. After all, what's better than hearing "Sir Alex" lose his cool after beating the Red Devils at Old Trafford, hearing Liverpool supporters complain that it was "a one off" that you held them to a draw at Anfield, or being "that team" that manage to beat Chelsea in the penultimate game of the season and prevent them from winning the title.

Who says supporting a "little guy" doesn't have its advantages?