Summer signings – Who has paid too much? (Video)
In the second part of my look at summer transfers so far, I turn my attention to clubs that have paid too much to sign a player and what they should have done with the money instead.
Paid too much – Paris St Germain’s capture of Edinson Cavani
Unquestionably a very talented striker and will probably score his fair share of goals in Ligue 1 this coming season. However, at almost £55m to take the Uruguayan from Napoli, this deal seems like it is a case of the Italian side realising that they can take advantage of the enormous wealth available to the Parisians and charging over the odds for what would normally be considered a £30m – £35m move to any other club. It is hard to blame Napoli president Aurelio de Laurentiis for squeezing every last penny out of the transaction though, particularly as he didn’t really want to lose the player at all. The club finished second in Serie A last year, largely thanks to the 29 goals that made him top scorer in the league. Now faced with Champions League football, they certainly need a prolific marksman and will have to reinvest the funds to try and replace Cavani.
He is deadly from outside the box and has scored countless curling efforts with a sweet right foot. Technically superb and with good movement and positioning skills, he has the ability to surprise opposition players with his quick feet, especially for such a tall striker. The reason behind his move to France does appear bizarre though, not least because they already have Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Lucas Moura, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Kevin Gameiro available for selection in the striking positions. The likelihood is for an Ibra – Cavani partnership, with Lucas and Lavezzi occupying deeper attacking roles, but it does seem like an unnecessary purchase. I would have thought that signing several world class defenders to line up with Thiago Silva would have been a better decision and left them with a much more solid team instead of a relatively top-heavy one.
However, if Laurent Blanc can find the right balance and keep all the stars happy then he may well find himself managing the most potent attack in Europe. I just wonder whether the other end of the pitch will be left slightly exposed in the process?
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