Top of the flops
After Arsenal agreed to farm out Nicolas Pepe on mortgage to Nice, a unprecedented sample of switch exercise was accomplished this summer season.
It meant that Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham and the Gunners have all allowed their club-record signings — who value a mixed £313.5million — to depart with no single penny being recouped in switch charges.
There is little shock that these 4 members of England’s ‘Big Six’ have been left trailing within the wake of Manchester City and Liverpool in current seasons, with such haphazard and shambolic recruitment.
And no surprise that golf equipment on the continent speak of ‘silly English cash’, figuring out they’ll fleece filthy-rich Premier League sides available in the market.
First, United’s £89m man Paul Pogba was allowed to depart Old Trafford for Juventus on a free — for a second time — after a largely depressing six-year spell for the French World Cup winner.
Then Chelsea despatched £97.5m Romelu Lukaku again to Inter Milan, after a single season at Stamford Bridge, for a modest mortgage price of £7m — so determined was Thomas Tuchel to get the massive Belgian striker out of the constructing.
Last week, Spurs loaned their costliest recruit, Tanguy Ndombele — a £55m purchase from Lyon in 2019 — to Napoli. There is an choice, however no obligation, for the Italian membership to purchase the French midfielder subsequent summer season.
And Pepe’s mortgage transfer to Nice completes the set.
