Miguel Watch: Where will he end up?

[Razor]

It's with mixed feelings that I start this thread, as he's been my favorite Benfica player the past two years, but I've resigned myself to the inevitablity of his imminent departure. If he must go, I just hope we can max out his price. According to A Bola today, Real, AC & Inter are all in the hunt which bodes well, as they're all proven spenders. As an Interisti, I'm doubly torn: what does bringing in Miguel mean for El Capitan (Javier Zanetti)? Also - will Miguel be the same player he was before his injuries?

From www.abola.pt:

3 propostas para Miguel
Real Madrid, Juventus e Inter já apresentaram propostas para a compra do passe de Miguel.
A SAD pondera a resposta, mas é quase certo que o lateral-direito irá envergar outra camisola na próxima época. A SAD já recebeu três propostas para a cedência do passe de Miguel, apresentadas por três dos maiores colossos do futebol europeu: Real Madrid, Milan e Inter de Milão. Os números não foram tornados públicos, mas são suficientemente credíveis para levar a SAD a ponderar sobre a proposta que mais satisfaz as aspirações do clube. Luís Filipe Vieira gostaria de manter todas as unidades nucleares no plantel, mas, como o próprio Luís Filipe Vieira admitiu na entrevista concedida à TVI a semana passada, o Benfica precisa fazer 10 milhões de euros para saldar compromissos. Alcançar esse objectivo passa por vender pelo menos um jogador. A saída de Miguel poderá, inclusive, abrir portas à continuidade de Luisão, jogador que tinha como segura uma transferência no final desta época.

Manter os melhores

Face à firmeza do interesse manifestado pelos dois clubes italianos e o mais emblemático clube espanhol, tudo aponta, pois, para que seja Miguel a preencher a tal quota de jogadores transferíveis que o clube pretende institucionalizar, anualmente, de modo a obter receitas que lhe permitam encarar a temporada sem sobressaltos. Se Miguel for negociado para o estrangeiro, dificilmente a estrutura que superintende o futebol benfiquista permitirá a saída de outro elemento do plantel, já que é política da SAD evitar que se repitam situações do passado, quando saíam inúmeros jogadores no final de cada época, para dar lugar a igual número de reforços. Renovado o contrato de Mantorras, não existe neste momento nenhum jogador do plantel em final de compromisso, prevendo-se apenas que Petit e Ricardo Rocha obtenham melhorias salariais nos contratos, que seriam prorrogados até 2010. Para a SAD, este é o caminho certo.

[Timmy]

The comment about needing 10M pretty much sealed the deal on him being placed on the market.

[Pila]

10 million for Miguel would be the bargain of the decade for the buyer, considering how that piece-of-overrated-shit Ferreira took 22 million from Chelski.

[Flo]

Anything less than 20 million isn't worth it...Miguel has proven himself on the international level which is why his suitors are arguably the biggest clubs in the world.

[Pila]

15 million would be a fair price for Miguel if the market price hadn't been raised by Chelski. Though I doubt any other team would be willing to follow Chelski's price-setting, thus 15 million would be an acceptable price for Miguel. But less than half of what Ferreira got, no way!

[Marco]

10 million for Miguel would be the bargain of the decade for the buyer.

I think not.

[Razor]

I think not.

I'm not suprised, but here goes...

"Why?".

[Marco]

I'm not suprised, but here goes...

"Why?".

Everybody has a nasty habit of thinking that their players are "undersold". Miguel for 10 million is a fine price considering he has no experience outside of Portugal. What a lot of people don't realize is that Portuguese teams have no bargaining power in any of these negociations and what really hurts is that the players show no loyalty to the team and will side with the buyer over the club because they just want to leave for a bigger paydate.

(And yes, I do think Chelski overpaid for Ferreira)

As for bargain of the decade, I can't think of anyone other than Frank Lampard. Dude was bought for 10-12 million (95% certain) and is easily worth 4x that amount today.

[Pila]

I think not.No shit.

"Fair" is rather subjective, isn't it? That's why there's a market of supply and demand.

[Marco]

No shit.

"Fair" is rather subjective, isn't it? That's why there's a market of supply and demand.

Yes that is true. Unfortunately in the footballing market the "demand" for "portuguese" players is not as high as others, hence the amazingly low transfer prices paid for our footballers.

[Pila]

It's about exposure. Since the Euro, the stock of our Portuguese players rose considerably.

[Marco]

Yes the EURO and World cup are inflationary devices, however they expire one year later.

If you want a lot of money for Miguel, pray that Dinamo Moscow stops by da Luz after leaving Porto with a couple more Dragoes.

It's all about nationality and where you play.

[Razor]

Fair arguments Marco - I can't say I disagree. Still - when evaluating price paid for what you get & removing the tenet (which I agree with) that Portuguese players may not command the price of other national team players from other nations, I still feel that at 10 million, Miguel is a better bargain than a 30 million for someone like Ferdinand. I know they're different positions/players, but I mean...is the quality of skill/play that much higher?

[Marco]

Fair arguments Marco - I can't say I disagree. Still - when evaluating price paid for what you get & removing the tenet (which I agree with) that Portuguese players may not command the price of other national team players from other nations, I still feel that at 10 million, Miguel is a better bargain than a 30 million for someone like Ferdinand. I know they're different positions/players, but I mean...is the quality of skill/play that much higher?

I totally agree. I think it's a joke that Chelsea paid more for Duff than Barca did for Deco, but that's the penalty of being a Portuguese club/player. You'll never get anything near to what "fair market value" is.

I think Miguel is worth more than the 10 Benfica are asking for, but what can Benfica do? They can't negociate with these big clubs. Essentially these are take it or leave it offers, and clubs from Velha Lusitania are in no condition to ever "leave it".

[I-like-Chorico]

I think, if anything, Portuguese talent is overinflated at the moment, and doing quite nicely, as a commidity.

I mean, weren't the Fab5 sold off for large sums of cash, as largely unproven 19 and 20 yr olds?

Viana - 10 million euros
Postiga - 10 million euros
CRonaldo - 12.5 million euros
Quaresma - 8 million euros + Rochemback loan for 3 years
Tiago - 15 million euros

I mean, maybe I'm wrong, but isn't that a quite substantial amount?

What about Derlei, Maniche, Costinha, who were able to be sold off for 28.5 million euros? Hows that for market value for three guys on the backend of their primes (28-31)

You have to realize that in the world of soccer, its always a sellers market. If you've got a hot commodity, and have the patience to wait it out, you will get more than your money's worth. Problem is, teams like Sporting Lisbon and Benfica, at the moment, don't exactly have financial freedom and other teams know this. So basically, the buyers have the upper hand, sadly.

By the way Miguel is probably worth about 10-12 million euros, when you consider the guy is awesome but made of porcelian.

[I-like-Chorico]

I would also like to add, the Dynamo Moscow owner is spending his money rather foolishly! He overpaid for all Porto's players. All three are quality, but close to 30 million?

I wonder if Mourinho had a hand in these acquisitions, ...in terms of relaying messages off to Roman Abramovich, who inturn relays a message off to his comrade-oil tycoon - owner of Dynamo. Doesn't quite add up, when one Russian team decides to splurge between 50-60 million on Portuguese players alone.
??? for Loureiro
2.5 for Cicero
2.0? for Frechaut
2.0? for Danny
2.5? for Jorge Ribeiro
8.5 for Derlei
4 for Costinha
16 for Maniche
10 for Seitaridis (surprisingly cheap)

I have no problem with that of course, if anything, it'll bring added revenues to the Portuguese teams. Maybe this Russian Oil Tycoon just wants to copy Abramovich and Chelsea...best form of flattery is imitation.

[Marco]

I think, if anything, Portuguese talent is overinflated at the moment, and doing quite nicely, as a commidity.

I mean, weren't the Fab5 sold off for large sums of cash, as largely unproven 19 and 20 yr olds?

Viana - 10 million euros
Postiga - 10 million euros
CRonaldo - 12.5 million euros
Quaresma - 8 million euros + Rochemback loan for 3 years
Tiago - 15 million euros

I mean, maybe I'm wrong, but isn't that a quite substantial amount?

What about Derlei, Maniche, Costinha, who were able to be sold off for 28.5 million euros? Hows that for market value for three guys on the backend of their primes (28-31)

You have to realize that in the world of soccer, its always a sellers market. If you've got a hot commodity, and have the patience to wait it out, you will get more than your money's worth. Problem is, teams like Sporting Lisbon and Benfica, at the moment, don't exactly have financial freedom and other teams know this. So basically, the buyers have the upper hand, sadly.

By the way Miguel is probably worth about 10-12 million euros, when you consider the guy is awesome but made of porcelian.


Prior to Viana's sale, he was voted the best young player in Europe. Postiga was fresh off the heels of a UEFA Cup win in which he was a key player. Quaresma for 8 million Euros is reasonable. Tiago, bad example. Russian owner, will overpay. Next you bring up Derlei, Maniche and Costinha, again with Russian owners. They will overpay. This happens frequently in pro sports. New owner comes in, applies a winning at all costs philosophy within the organization and will overpay to get what he wants. Is Maniche worth 16 million? Well, based on this season he's worth $12 (that's Canadian dollars) but if you factor in the UEFA Cup and Champions League runs in addition to the EURO 2004 performance he'd be a lot closer to a 30 million EURO player if he wasn't Portuguese.

Again, I hate to repeat myself but it is nationality and the league they play in that is the most important factor in determining a players transfer value. Roma bought Cassano for over 20 million, is he better than our CRonaldo? In my eyes, no. Denilson was bought for 26 million, was he ever better than CRonaldo? Never. Damien Duff was bought for a higher price than Deco, is he better than Deco? Nope.

[Tinto]

don't you guys think that price is also a product of the player's ability to put asses in seats?

In that respect, I think Portuguese players are getting pretty good coin, because they are being purchased purely for ability and not because they are idols in the countries where they play. Does anyone believe Rooney and Beckham are worth the figures that regulary get thrown around in talk about them?

[Timmy]

In regards to Rooney and Beckham: Yes.

They are two of the five most marketable players in the world right now. It annoys me to no end that Rooney moves product. I don't know why it does.

[Marco]

don't you guys think that price is also a product of the player's ability to put asses in seats?

In that respect, I think Portuguese players are getting pretty good coin, because they are being purchased purely for ability and not because they are idols in the countries where they play. Does anyone believe Rooney and Beckham are worth the figures that regulary get thrown around in talk about them?


Part of the equation, yes but I don't think it's the determining factor. If it was, then every top team in Europe would have a Chinese/Japanese player on the squad.