Is Atletico Madrid's New Striker Radamel Falcao Worth His Hefty Price Tag?

Atletico Madrid, in a move more in keeping with the transfer policy of their lavish neighbours Real, have agreed a deal to sign striker Radamel Falcao from Porto for a whopping €40 million.

That figure could even rise even higher depending on variable conditions, meaning that Atleti could eventually pay closer to €47 million for the Colombia international—a couple of million more than the amount they received from the sale of Sergio Aguero to Manchester City.

A quick look at the marksman's statistics, though, could make a compelling case supporting this purchase.

The 25-year-old scored 38 times last season, as Porto won a Portuguese league, Cup and Europa League treble. He found the back of the net a record-breaking 17 times in the latter competition and has totalled 73 goals in 84 games for Porto since joining from River Plate in 2009.

Portugal's domestic competitions may not rival La Liga and the Copa Del Rey, nor is the Europa League comparable to its big brother, the Champions League, but nevertheless, Falcao's achievements in what might be termed the second tier of European football should not be sniffed at.

He is also an experienced international, most recently appearing at the Copa America, where he took his international appearance tally to 31, scoring nine times.

He's strong in the air, good with his feet, brimming with confidence and young enough to mature further and get even better.

It's easy to see the attraction.  

Yet still, that figure of €40 million jars slightly. It seems like an awful lot of money for one player, and for a club like Atleti, which in February of this year had debts of approximately €183 million, according to general manager Miguel Angel Gil.

Those debts may well be offset by various other assets and property the club has, but it can be said with some certainty that this club is no Manchester City. They have no Sheik on which to rely and there must still be a sense of the value of money at the Vicente Calderon.

What Atleti must be hoping is that Falcao's goals propel them into the Champions League, in which their participation will effectively wipe out his transfer fee as quickly as a flash of a Middle Eastern tycoon's wallet.

It boils down to that when assessing whether he will be worth the money paid for him. If Atleti find themselves dining at Europe's top table in 2012-13, the money can be considered to have been well spent.

Anything less, and questions will have to be asked of the wisdom in sanctioning such a hefty outlay.