Bayern Munich and World Cup winningGermany midfielder Toni Kroos has joined Real Madrid for an undisclosed fee.
Kroos, who is only 24, was a consistent and influential performer for Germany throughout the World Cup, and scored two goals in the decimation of Brazil in the Semi-Finals. He made 173 league appearances for Bayern Munich, winning three Bundesliga titles, three German Cups and a Champions League title. With that in mind, it seems preposterous to me that the undisclosed fee that has secured Real Madrid his services is rumoured to have been a “mere” £20m.
Now, that is still a lot of money, but when you consider who Kroos is and what he has achieved, I am sure that most of you will agree with me in saying that it is utterly ludicrous that he is worth less than Adam Lallana and Luke Shaw in the transfer market, to name but two.
Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew recently had to defend himself with regards to the fact that he prefers to bring in foreign talent to his club rather than buy English or British players. Pardew claimed that it was very difficult to justify spending extortionate sums on English players when he can buy cheaper and better players from the continent. As an example, he stated that he had recently made enquiries at a Championship club as to how much they would be charging for an English player with no experience of Premier League, International or European football. Pardew was apparently told that he would have to pay upwards of £11m to land the player in question. Pardew clearly has a point, which has been further enhanced with the Kroos signing.
If Ross McCormack is valued at £11m, which is what Fulham recently paid for him, then Toni Kroos must surely be worth more than £20m. The Kroos price tag is laughable, but the price tag attached to English players is beyond laughable.