A Right-Royal Rip Off?
Last updated : 19 June 2003 By Rob Cooper
Alan Pardew seems desperate to get Scott Murray playing for Reading next season. Indeed, he is so keen on the 29-year-old Bristol City star that he has already had two approaches for the star.
A £500,000 offer for a 29-year-old seemed a bit excessive to many given the current depressed state of football's finances given the collapse of ITV Digital. Pardew even backed up this offer with a second approach of a player plus cash. The bids seem even more over the top when you consider that in a years time the Scotland B international will be out of contract and able to move on for free.
Amazingly, Bristol City, arch-rivals of Reading, are attempting to rip the Royals off still further by telling them they will have to pay a sensational £1 million if Scott Murray is to play his football at the Madejski Stadium next season.
Football is not the game it was two years ago, back then a £1 million price tag would have been more than reasonable, even given that the former Aston Villa man is unproven in the First Division and at an age where he is hardly likely to improve.
So why did Alan Pardew bid so much when £200,000 would have been more realistic? Pardew's answer: Wages. Murray, due to his lack of experience at this level, would demand a fraction of what a Premiership player would want.
 | Murray: Caught in a transfer tussle |
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£500,000 up front and then £3,500 a week over five years (total £1,046,000) works out much cheaper than getting an ex-Premiership player and paying him £7,000 per week over five years (total £1,820,000). Needless to say though, if we just waited a year we could sign Murray on maybe £4,500 a week over five years (£1,170,000).
There is a definite case of Reading being ripped off. Although Bristol City have a right to charge the highest possible price for one of their most valuable assets. When, come August, Murray is still at the club and no-one is willing to meet their asking price then they will only have themselves to blame. Their most celebrated player will merely leave for nothing at the end of his contract.
Despite the fact that Cardiff, Wigan, West Brom and Millwall are all reportedly in the hunt for Murray expect no-one to stump up the cash Bristol City chairman Steve Lansdown wants.
On the bright side, the fact that Reading were prepared to bid £500,000 for a player suggests that Alan Pardew has a sizeable transfer budget to spend this summer. It indicates that perhaps Reading could sign several high-quality players who would previously have been out of our reach. It all bodes well for another push for the Premiership next season.
However, earlier this week Real Madrid signed David Beckham, the marketing machine, guaranteed to earn your team millions in commercial revenue, was signed for just £18 million (although the deal could rise to £25 million). Two years ago Real would have had to pay £50 million for the world's most marketable player, such is the downturn in football finances.
If David Beckham is worth just £18 million then a 29-year-old Scotland B international, unproven in the First Division, who is hardly going to sell you millions more shirts, is hardly worth £1 million. Come on Bristol City lower your asking price or you will lose out in the end...