It's more than that though, it's just random examples of poor deals. There are loads of examples of signing players from overseas for inflated prices too. In fact the £27m we paid for Kean is probably being used on another team's forum as an example of such a deal at this very moment. People get hung up a bit on the 'english tax' but the main thing is just that English teams generally just have loads of money (relatively speaking) and everybody knows it. You're often not necessarily paying more because someone's English, you're paying more because you're buying them from another English club, who don't need to sell, and who know that you've got the money to stump up. Solanke was an awful bit of business at the time but he now looks like he could get 20 goals which might get Bournemouth promoted. £19m for someone who bags you 20 goals in the Championship is pretty much par for the course.
On the English tax thing youre certainly correct.
I kind of show my age a bit, but if we all rememeber what happened when Chelsea and to a degree City came into money? Everyone expected them to pay more. It was a well known phrase Evertonians had too "15m is the price or 20m for City/Chelsea".
The PL's deals over the last 5-7 years in terms of TV and international deals have taken the same approach mean to the continent, we are essentially their City/Chelsea.
I actually think British have got better at negotiating, and have began to negotiate downwards more. In fairness Brands has done this quite well.
Again to show my age, it's almost incomparable to see how Everton now run, to how Everton ran even 15 years ago. I mean it was hand to mouth back then. We weren't the iony club. If we didn't sell a player, people wouldn't be paid. That sort of pressure drives prices down. When it went, the opposite happened. THat summer with hus and Stones and WBA and Berahinho was the turning point, where it began to sink in, there's no financial necessity to sell.
English clubs are getting smarter, but the short termism is always easier. LIke even the top teams, who preach the right game, say like a Liverpool. They are supposed to have all these top kids (I don't actually think they do) yet they play 2 midfielders out of position rather than give a centre back a game last night. It's understandable when people know the money is there, to go and buy the player, rather than development them.
To circle it back to Kean, I've been brazen and called for 50m, but thats just the negotiator in me. If we got more than £30m it will have been good business from the club, and will justify sending him on loan to PSG, rather than on loan to Juventus with an option for 20m at the end of it.
