It has become a trend these days and virtually every other footballer is overpriced, as the clubs look to cash in on their star players. The amount of money which is spent by big clubs on buying players at times is just crazy, as the desperation to have big money stars in the club has now become a necessity. Further, one thing is certain that no one overpays for superstars more than Premier League clubs, as per a new study by the CIES Football Observatory.
A report which calculated the estimated price of footballers, comparing it with their actual transfer value was prepared. The transfer value of a player is calculated by looking at his age, position, contract situation, international status, experience, performance and the level of competition that the individual plays at. It was stated that half of the top 20 worst transfers by value were made by clubs playing in England’s top flight.
Here are the top five ones, as per the CIES report:
5. Arda Turan (Barcelona) Overpaid by £11million
The Turkish international left Atletico Madrid to move to the champions of Europe Barcelona though he will not be able to play until January due to their transfer ban. At 28, CIES priced him at £13.7m, though the fee paid was £24.7m
4. Angel Di Maria (Paris Saint-Germain) £11.1m
The Argentine winger left Old Trafford and signed for Ligue 1 champs Paris Saint-Germain, who were willing to spend big on him. His value should have been around £34.7m though Manchester United sold him for £45.8m
3. Christian Benteke (Liverpool) £14.3m
Aston Villa finally decided to cash in on their Belgian superstar and did some good business with Liverpool on signing a striker. The menacing forward was valued at £19.2m, though the Reds had to pay around £33.5m.
2. Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City) £19.4m
Former Premier League champions Manchester City spent a shocking £53.9m on the 24-year-old Wolfsburg attacker, though CIES calculated his worth to be only £34.5m.
1. Anthony Martial (Manchester United) £20.3m
One of the biggest shocks of the summer, as the Red Devils paid a reported £36.4m to sign an unknown 19-year-old Frenchman, who should have priced at about £16m. Monaco completed the deal of the season, selling him at nearly double his price.