The Tantrums of Kylian Mbappe and what it means for the future of superstar transfers
Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland might usher in a new market at the top level
Photo by Aurelien Meunier - PSG/PSG via Getty Images
The transfer saga of Kylian Mbappe is very dull.
Mainly because it involves a club who have indulged superstar behaviour over any semblance of team unity now getting annoyed that a superstar has ridiculous demands. It is like walking into a Tiger enclosure, locking the door, and then being annoyed they did not come and greet you like a normal house cat.
Mbappe is no more in the right here either. Why brief and posture your desire to join Real Madrid as your contract nears its end only to u-turn at the eleventh hour? Then mere months later expect sympathy for what you deem ‘a betrayal’ when the club don’t yield to all of your demands.
PSG and Mbappe are actually perfect for each other. A prima-donna club and a prima-donna player at odds feels like the snake biting large chunks out of its own tail.
What is more interesting about this recent news, and the reports regarding Erling Haaland’s “Real Madrid clause”, is the new era of superstar players we are entering in the 2020’s. The two outstanding stars of the previous decade: Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo spent nearly all of it with one club, with Ronaldo only leaving Madrid in the summer of 2018 for Juventus.
Messi looked destined to be a one-club man before Barcelona’s finances ended that narrative.
Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images
Haaland and Mbappe, both projected to be the next two leading stars as Messi and Ronaldo near their farewell ahead of, what is likely to be, their last World Cup, have already moved several times before the age of 25.
For the former, Byrne, Molde, Red Bull Salzburg and Borussia Dortmund preceded this summer’s eventual introduction to the Premier League with Manchester City. Whilst the latter has only moved once in his senior career so far, from Monaco to PSG. In both cases, particularly Haaland’s, the constant switching of clubs was a player increasing his level of competition and this demand for his services grew in stature.
It is from here that the path for both players might represent a new trend in transfers for the players of this calibre and value.
Pep Guardiola vehemently denied the existence of any clause in Haaland’s lucrative contract that would allow him to move on in two to three years, though there have always been suggestions the Norwegian’s methodical career plan will unlikely be confined to one club.
This was a subject discussed on the recent episode of Gary Neville’s The Overlap regarding the cost-benefit analysis of only having Haaland at City for a shorter period, before City receive an eye-watering compensation after he’s done wrecking every Premier League defence: which is likely to be achieved by May at the current rate.
You get this freakishly good talent for a limited period, but the value you get in that time is insane. You win more Premier League crowns, along with maybe finally reaching the holy grail of the UEFA Champions League too. Although it would be shorter than originally hoped, you’ve seen one of the greatest in the game grace your club, then he moves on to dominate the next territory.
It almost feels like a throwback to the days before Vince McMahon dominated the pro wrestling market with WWE, there would be numbers of promotions across the United States that wrestlers would frequent and succeed in. Being booked to win the title, become acclaimed by those local crowds, working with all the best local talent and gaining a reputation before packing up and moving to the next location.
Major players are now brands. Mbappe and Haaland will have their own fans, people just dedicated to following their careers with little care or affiliation to one particular club. This phenomenon of repping one player is not just isolated to the juggernauts of the game either, to some supporters dismay.
How do clubs prepare for this potential new reality? Where the idea of near-decade long spans at one club are a thing of the past, and record-breaking transfers for the next big thing do not necessarily guarantee you even half a decade with that player? Will that create the bubble of constant inflation in the market to burst? Or will simply the trade off in talent winning you the biggest prizes be enough compensation?
The concept of players at the highest level not committing themselves to five and above deals has merit, particularly if you are a talent who has the luxury of time and already sit on a very lucrative deal, with the addition of favourable brand deals and bonuses. Maybe Harry Kane regrets penning a six-year-deal in the summer of 2018 with Spurs, a move that handed Daniel Levy all the negotiating power when three years later, the striker angled for an exit to Manchester.
It will always be understandable why players lower down the food chain will always want the security of that longer-contract, potentially setting themselves and their families up for life in what is a volatile environment that can be altered by a career-changing injury or simply due to a coach not favouring you.
But should the ever-rising fees for the big names continue to soar as they have, would we actually see a £200m+ deal for a player who only actually stays at that club for 2 to 3 years? What are the steep financial implications? How does the market and other “super clubs” react?
Mbappe and Haaland’s demands limit them to a handful of clubs throughout the world. And even then, some of those clubs despite large finances, may not be prepared to throw everything at one name. The era of the superstar certainly has not dwindled, it has grown with the assistance of social media.
However, the conflict is on the pitch, where tactically coaches are less willing to indulge one player above the entire system. Rory Smith suggested this point in favour of Haaland on the Totally Football Show. That although City can be accused of evolving with Haaland, the fundamentals of City’s game under Pep Guardiola have not radically changed or deteriorated after his arrival. This tactical debate is something I aim to delve into further in my next blog.
In general, how certain clubs struggle with this and react to it will be more interesting than the playground gossip about Kylian.
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