5 clubs with unique Transfer strategies

Chelsea and PSG may have spent a lot on transfers but their strategies are still a lot differentAn opportunity to gain the competitive edge over your rivals off the pitch, the transfer window can prove pivotal in a club’s success and failures. The universal cry of only buying players better than those currently at disposal is somewhat over-rated; some of the most acute acquisitions in windows gone by have come as a result of strategic thinking and buying the individuals whose careers were deemed to be brown bread. Ultimately though, every club has their own policies when it comes to buying and selling and this is what fuels the transfer window to the very end. It comes as an expectation that we will see the emergence of footballing carousels over the coming weeks, with the departures of big-name players inaugurating the inevitable domino effect; in which a club will fill the void left by the departing player with another face from a different club, which will then have to supersede that individual with someone from another side and so on. Yes, it’s complex business. However, if chairmen and executives play their cards right in the market, they can transform a club’s fortunes simply through smart investments, spending very little. Meanwhile, some powerhouses of the game look to throw money at the picture in hope of racking up trophy-after-trophy as seasons pass. Whatever scheme a football club is looking to employ, from complex algorithms to straightforward switches, they may wish to take a look at the following list of the pioneers of the market, who have laid out blueprints which get the most out of their available finances and players.

#1 PSG

Could Di Maria be the next big buy at PSG?

Battling with mediocrity before the arrival of Qatari investor Nasser Al-Khelaïfï back in 2011, PSG’s objectives have undergone complete transformations. While the club dominate domestically, they are building to become more competitive in continental competitions. So how has this regeneration come to fruition you ask?

The French outfit have procured perhaps the most simple of all strategies on this list. The bare bones? Buy a short supply of top quality, costly players and ship out a large quantity of those who haven’t come to avail in the same window. Confused? I shall put it into context.

In the 2013/14 season, a time when the PSG powerhouse project began to gather momentum, the club invested an almighty €135.9m on just four players, including a deal in excess of €60,000,000 for Napoli forward Edinson Cavani. In stark contrast, sales were all about getting lots of faces out of the door for whatever prices possible, as thirteen team members parted company for combined sales failing to amount to €30,000,000.

To the naked eye, this policy looks rife with holes, with massive losses being made in terms of transfer fees. Look closer though and you’ll notice a large majority of the players allowed to go are approaching the end of their careers and so lay in the higher wage bracket of the squad. This flurry of departures frees up wage money to be splashed out on more affluent purchases, which will steer the club in the right direction.

Do not for a minute think that this plan has been completely infallible though. Like their English counterparts Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain have not been in the good books of Financial Fair Play in more recent seasons, failing to strike the balance between outgoings and income. Both sides have however just recently met the regulations set out by UEFA and will be free of any fines this time around.

Despite the burdening whisper of financial restraints, PSG seem keen to continue their aggressive approach, with talks emerging that Angel Di Maria could be on his way to the French capital while Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been linked with a move to Italy’s Serie A. Once again this highlights the policy implemented by PSG, as they look to buy the cream of the crop, give them a few seasons at the top and then offload them (along with their excessive wages) to fuel a deal for Europe’s next big thing. Genius.

#2 FC Midtjylland

Owner Benham spearheads the unusual transfer antics at FC Midtjylland

Here’s a club where meticulous scouting and thorough research is key to their transfer acumen. The first Danish football club to have its own academy, which was set up in 2004, FC Midtjylland have filtered through the headlines in England following the arrival of their owner Matthew Benham, who invested in Brentford back in 2012.

Benham’s strategy has been under fire after his dismissal of key figure Mark Warburton at the helm, as he looks to replicate the heroics of the Danish club in England using the same method of statistical analysis.

Initially an avid sports bettor, Benham outwitted the bookies using his seemingly foolproof scheme to unpick sporting events, using statistics to determine the victors. This is a strategy which has been transferred to his role as owner at Midtjylland, where he has used in-depth algorithms to win matches on the pitch and select the players best suited to the squad off of it.

The transfer policy is relatively simple. Midtjylland are not a club ‘rolling in it’ and therefore have to be clinical with their funds. Basically, the Danish club focuses on players who are most undervalued at big clubs, but who still have good potential to flourish; this is where the science comes in.

Although the specific details of the method are not made aware to the public, the plan involves a series of formulae which eventually unveils the players which meet the criteria of not being played a lot, being fairly young, but being home to some top potential.

Many clubs are careful in the market and will bypass the restrictions a poor budget brings by investing in youth, but few match the originality of Benham and Midtjylland’s way of finding the correct fits. The analytical style aims to eradicate emotions that stimulate bad decision making, to ensure the right players are being pursued and tactics on the pitch are suitable.

Be a critic of this method, which some believe strips back the tradition of the beautiful game, by all means, but the proof is in the pudding. The likes of Arsenal’s Kris Olsson and Krasnodar’s Marco Ureña have helped guide the club to their first ever major trophy, lifting the Danish Superliga title last season.

#3 Juventus

The Juventus Stadium has sparked the Old Lady’s Financial Revolution

One could be forgiven for thinking Juventus’ strangle-hold of the Italian game was all but flickering embers come the unveiling of the 2006 Calciopoli scandal, which saw the Old Lady stripped of two league titles and relegated to Serie B, but times have changed in Turin. Fast forward to the end of last season and Juventus had secured a fourth consecutive Scudetto.

Times now look good for the club, who’ve invested more heavily than any other Italian side this summer so far, but how exactly did the club rectify the grand collapse and turn their fortunes around?

Firstly, the implementation of the Juventus Stadium in 2011 must be factored in. Football in Italy is very different to that in England, with just three stadiums used in Serie A owned by football clubs and Juve’s UEFA category four venue is one of them. Formerly, the club shared its ground with Torino; which meant less money could be reaped from tickets, revenue etc.

Allegedly, a visit to the Premier League captured the imagination of Juventus officials, who looked to emulate the likes of Arsenal, whose Emirates Stadium really does fatten the wallet. Now, as the Juventus faithful glance over at the likes of the Milan clubs, who still have to split the income made by the San Siro, the Turin-based club can enjoy the money earned by the stadium via tickets and merchandise, supplying them with a financial edge.

So what do they do with this money? Juventus win the award for one of the shrewdest clubs in the market, due to the timing of their purchases. As far as I see it, the club works on two ends of a spectrum. At one end, you have the young, promising talent who are not getting matches and are worth taking a gamble on, while at the other end, you have those players thought to be past their best, but who actually turn out to be late bloomers.

An example includes their signing of Paul Pogba from Manchester United for a nominal fee in 2012, who has turned out to defy all odds and become a world-class midfielder attracting the interest of some of Europe’s hottest clubs. Comparatively, their pursuit of the aged virtuoso Andrea Pirlo has proven to be one of the smartest signings in world football.

By working at these opposite ends of the scale, you may question where the players at peak age factor in. Of course, they look for these kinds of players too but, once again, there’s a twist. There are exceptions, but generally the additions to the squad smack bang in the middle of their careers tend to come from Italy, with Juventus using the promise of many a Scudetto and European football, as well as their mammoth reputation to tempt homegrown talents out of their boyhood clubs to join the Italian giants.

#4 Chelsea

England U-20 captain Lewis Barker – One of four Chelsea players on his way to Vitesse

The transfer policy at Stamford Bridge is somewhat of a sore subject for England’s big boys, with many feeling the Chelsea revolution was artificially crafted by the financial injection from Roman Abramovich. To a great extent, this is true – Chelsea would not be where they are without the money that’s been made available to them.

However, take a moment to ponder something, which I may add is difficult to say as an Arsenal fan myself. The Blues monetary overhaul was matched by Sheikh Mansour’s investment at Manchester City and, through comparing the London club’s business with last season’s runners-up, one must say Chelsea have utilised their additional funds far more effectively.

It seems a case of evolution for Jose Mourinho’s men nowadays, as the foundations have been laid and it seems each season will merely offer a little re-decoration to the squad instead of an annual metamorphosis.

Take last season as an example of Chelsea’s more measured approach. Timing between deals was a lot longer and rumours came about long before signings were confirmed, suggesting the Blues took a lot longer over contemplating a player’s worth and the eventual additions of Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa for under £60,000,000 supplied the boost they needed to secure the league title.

Meanwhile, Manchester City were left snapping at Chelsea’s heels, adopting a scattergun approach in which they seemed to buy the likes of Mangala and Bony for the sake of buying.

So Chelsea will still spend big if they see a player that fits, but it seems they have addressed another qualm critics have had with the South-London club’s policy – youth. With great money comes the ability to sign a large number of Europe’s finest young talents and the club’s buy now, play later strategy looks masterful.

Last summer saw a total of 28 of the Chelsea crop sent out on loan, with a large proportion in the early stages of their career. Vitesse Arnhem of Eredivise are the most common destination for the side’s loanees and four have already signed season-long deals at the Dutch club this season.

Although not unique in planning, Chelsea’s execution in the transfer market is very tactical and can only really be carried out by clubs with a budget to bring in lots of players. With a stellar squad at present, perhaps the best in the Premier League, Chelsea are turning their attention to the future and are ensuring the best for their youngsters, by sending them out to clubs across Europe for brief stints, until they are ready to start life in England’s top flight.

#5 Liverpool

Are Liverpool becoming a selling club?

Labelled as the main perpetrators in the Southampton exodus, Liverpool and Brendan Rodgers have become a bit of a laughing stock in the transfer window, with their love of signing English players from the South Coast prompting criticisms of Liverpool’s narrow understanding of the transfer market. This could not be more wrong.

In fact, many teams will target specific clubs or leagues for players because they are looking to play a certain way; in Liverpool’s case, Southampton’s high pressing, quick style mimics the successful, fluent game the Reds made great use of in their 2nd place finish in the 2013/14 campaign.

One big blot on the Liverpool copy-book though is their elevated risk of becoming a selling club. Luis Suarez’s inevitably bumper departure to Barcelona for £75m last summer was one thing but, following the exit of Raheem Sterling this week, questions arise over whether Liverpool are selling better players than they’re bringing in. Steven Gerrard’s sorrowful farewell saw the arrival of James Milner in the other direction, a hardly worthy replacement. So Liverpool could run the risk of going backwards.

One big arrival this summer is that of Roberto Firmino, who actually contrasts with Liverpool’s usual transfer strategy. Ordinarily the characteristics of a Liverpool deal are a rough-around-the-edges player, who has failed to make the breakthrough at their club.

Daniel Sturridge and Phillipe Coutinho were both on the back-end of poor displays at their former clubs and it looked like neither would ever be able to re-capture their potential. Then, Liverpool came in and the two have improved vastly in their times at Anfield to date.

The Merseyside club shy away from ‘ready-made’ individuals normally and this allows them to wipe the slate clean and mould players into their style. Therefore, when they are pursuing players that don’t necessarily need big improvements, they must suit how Rodgers wants to play, otherwise it just won’t work (dare I say, Mario Balotelli?).

Like a large majority, Liverpool also invest in younger talents for success; which makes up the second part of their transfer strategy. The likes of Adam Lallana, Emre Can, Lazar Markovic and Alberto Moreno all made the switch to Anfield off the back of the Suarez departure and time was needed for the group to gel. But where does this lay compared to other clubs?

Liverpool tend to network using a method I call ‘safety-netting’, in which they buy from a variety of different leagues to ensure the accumulate different mentalities and strengths to back up others’ weaknesses. One would still expect a few more names to join the Liverpool squad before the summer’s close if they are to compete for European football though.