Is it better to buy players from Spain or France?

Premier League clubs have done a lot of shopping from La Liga and Ligue 1 for years now. At one point France was the most popular place to shop, but as price rose and the quality weakened due to so much talent export, clubs had to look elsewhere. They started to focus on Spain when the quality there became so bountiful and affordable. But again, prices are going up. So is it better to shop in Spain or France? For the purposes of finding out, I have selected a composite XI of players bought from each country currently playing in the Premier league to compare and contrast.

Spain – La Liga

Spain is going to be a popular place to look in the summer again as it has been for a few years. What can you get from La Liga?

Strengths Technical capability. This team just oozes technical quality, as you would expect from a team of players bought from La Liga. Every player is comfortable on the ball in this unit and they would move the ball around mesmerically. They have goals scorers and creators throughout the attack and a rock solid defence.

Weaknesses They are a small team so defending set pieces could be an issue. The other problem could be defensive work rate as the likes of Mata, Silva & Santi Cazorla can sometimes be found wanting in that department.

How would they play? This would be an orthodox ‘tiki-taka’ type unit, moving the ball around quickly and looking for little angles to thread through tight spaces. They would have to play on the front foot with the ball as they lack enough pace to be considered a counter attacking team but they would be very hard to get the ball off.

Advantage of buying in Spain Quality. If you shop in La Liga you are getting players who know how to use the football and are tactically intelligent.

Disadvantage of buying in Spain Price. Although the likes of Michu and Rangel were bargains, the rest of this team was expensive to buy. There is over £150m worth of talent here. Although there are bargains to be found, it is expensive to buy from the bigger clubs.

France – Ligue 1

Newcastle’s success in France has brought the market back to the Premier League’s attention. Ten years ago it was THE place for Premier League clubs to go shopping but inflated prices and an emptying of the talent pool saw it go off the radar. However, there’s plenty of quality to be found;

Strengths Athleticism. This unit is big, quick and strong. They would be disciplined and well organised as well as very difficult to break down.

Weakness Attack. Only Hazard really stands out as an attacking force for this unit. The midfield can grab the odd goal but there is an overall flair deficiency. The could roll over teams but unlocking the door on a tight defence could be difficult for them.

How would they play? They would have to use their athletic advantage and just fly relentlessly forward at teams. They would press high to recover the ball quickly and put the opposition under pressure. They would be devastating on the counter.

Advantage of buying from France Price. Only Hazard was 8 digits here. Because the market went so cold after it was emptied 5-6 years ago the clubs haven’t made the money they used to on selling to England. Now is the time to strike and Newcastle were ahead of the curve on that.

Disadvantage of buying from France It is difficult to find flair and goals in France to match the value. Arsenal have tried buying both but the players have flopped in England. It isn’t somewhere that a Michu type has been found lately. The abundance of athletic players who can adapt quickly to the Premier League are much easier to find.