Strikers and Record Deals : What happens to the rest of the team?

We read countless articles on transfer rumors and player purchases almost everyday. There is always a new story that pops up every time a player wants a new contract. His agent, quite brilliantly, says the player is either unsettled,sad, or ‘angry and confused’ in Rooney’s case. That is a well documented ploy to extract more money from the club for the player. And if the said player is extremely valuable to the club ; all hell breaks loose.

The stories of Ronaldo being sad, or Rooney wanting to leave makes headlines everyday. Though we as fans don’t know the inside story (believe me, when someone says insider news, it’s just hokum), there is a possibility of that particular player making the move to a bigger (richer) club.

Players often leave their club for greener pastures for 2 reasons, and 2 reasons only :

1) The chance of more silverware in the new club and/or

2) Astronomical sums of money.

The only time players leave their current clubs, for a reason not mentioned above, is to return to their boy-hood club (a la Fabregas). We read these stories with excitement everyday, and as fans we find utmost joy at the possibility of a new arrival or feel disappointed that one of our heroes will leave the club in the transfer market.

Though we find big money moves for almost all types of players, the strikers are the ones that demand the maximum amount of money to make the move. When was the last time you saw a goal-keeper making a big money move? Not every player is in the same class as that of say a Buffon. This will be the basis for this article, strikers and their big money moves, which more often than not deprive the team of similar class in other parts of the pitch.

I’m sure of  the fact that most of you will disagree with the price tag that Fernando Torres carried when he moved to Chelsea, but the fact remains that he was at his prime in Liverpool: he scored a lot of goals. And there is the point that you must pay a lot for talent. What everyone will now understand is that he is a ‘striker’, and managers believe their strikers are worth their weight in gold.

Look at the current transfer market, other than strikers and attacking mid-fielders who double up as strikers, there are no players who demand a hefty transfer fee. Edinson Cavani, one of the most dangerous modern players, is the most expensive player to be bought in this transfer window so far, and it is no surprise that he is a striker.

What is it that makes good strikers so desirable and expensive? Isn’t it more important to have good players creating chances and decent strikers taking them? I would’ve agreed with that analogy if it were a few years ago, but now there is no doubting that a really talented striker with a decent midfield (and equally decent defence) can single-handedly take the team to victory.