Zabs and Sagna did fine for their low cost.
Kolorov wasn't cheap. The mistake we made with him was extending his contract instead of cutting our losses and letting him go.
Widening it out to defenders - Mangala and Otty weren't cheap and it's hard to say either have been value for money.
I'm hoping Stones will be.
Otamendi actually has been value for money. But I agree we don't need expensive.
The problem here is that folks often mistake cost for talent. They are unrelated quite often. Cost often is a function of the player's hype and the doggedness of the owning club and league.
Players from Italy, are Portugal, overpriced and unreasonable, while players from Spain and Germany tend to be fairly priced. And players ft Netherland and France tend to be grossly underpriced.
If I was the Director of a midtable English club, you can easily close the gap on the top by bargain shopping in France and the Dutch leagues.
And if you are a smart top club you should get your role players from these leagues too.
So the question here is this? Who are the best fullbacks in the Netherlands and France? Figure who are rated in the top 6 fullbacks, then take the 2 that best fits your Philosophy.
Neither would cost more than 8 million. But we don't do this, instead we chase after overhyped players in the Italian and Portuguese leagues. This leagues profit by selling at exorbitant prices.
I mean, fucking Alderwierld, Wildnajnum, Erickson, Payet, Blind, Vertonghen, Vermaelen e.t.c. They almost all tend to cost less and give value.
Dutch league players a technically proficient, while French league players tend to be more aggressive.
Give me the best left back in the Dutch league and the best RB in the French league.
I bet you 15 million secured both with some change.
