Samuel Eto’o to Anzhi: The Changing Face of Football

The surprise team of the year Anzhi Makhachkala are at it again and this time they seem quite serious… it looks like the Russian club really do want to sign Inter’s Samuel Eto’o in what would possibly be the biggest transfer coup in history.

Why Eto’o would want to move to Anzhi when he’s clearly still in the prime of his career is another matter because at this point talks between the clubs have brought the Cameroon international on the verge of a plane to northern Russia.

Samuel Eto'o to Anzhi?

Usually you would just laugh this sort of story off, but when Eto’o’s agent Claudio Vigorelli says they have “almost reached an agreement” then you begin to take notice. “We have almost reached an agreement with Anzhi. Now we hope that the clubs agree,” Vigorelli is quoted as saying in La Gazzetta dello Sport, perhaps not knowing the sort of reaction this type of quote would get.

So, true to form, this story has gathered steam over past few weeks with Anzhi reportedly offering Inter 35 million Euros for Samuel Eto’o in a megadeal that is said to be worth €115m in total.

The fact this Eto’o deal is even a discussion points to the increasing globalisation of football.

This week Ireland captain and tenth highest scorer in English Premiership history Robbie Keane joined MLS side LA Galaxy – a league that already houses Thierry Henry and David Beckham. A litany of mega stars meanwhile, headed by Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, have retuned home to Brazil in recent years while Corinthians’ audacious attempt to sign Man City’s Carlos Tevez were only scuppered by the impeding close of their transfer window.

And next door in South Africa, Bafana’s top scorer of all-time Benni McCarthy has dramatically returned home in what has been the story of the close season.

This growing phenomenon has many sides to it.

Benni McCarthy is now in the 18-area with Orlando Pirates

On a fundamental level it points to the emerging profile and muscle of the leagues in question. The Brazil top-flight is a fast growing league and one with deliciously rich roots.

“Brazil have a lot on their side,” South American football expert Tim Vickery said recently. “The size of the country and the passion for the game means an incredible amount of football consumers, and football is one of the most efficient ways for sponsors to solidify a relationship with the consumers – hence such high investment in clubs. I see Brazilian football today as similar to what happened in England in 1992.”

The Premier Soccer League in South Africa is experiencing a similar boom and, thanks to a massive increase in backing, is now placed seventh on the list of leagues with the largest sponsorship revenue worldwide and this morning announced a new five-year R2 billion-plus deal with broadcasting giants SuperSport.

The 2010 Fifa World Cup has also left a legacy of world-class facilities around the country and has given a huge boost to the profile of football in South Africa. Attendances in both Brazil and South Africa are also on the up and because of improved media, SuperSport for example, it is now feasible for a top local player to choose to stay at home and still reap the benefits of professional football.

Although not yet of the level of Europe’s marquee leagues, Brazil and South Africa point to a possible alternative at a time when the bountiful European model is beginning to show some flaws.

Meanwhile, China Super League side Guangzhou Evergrande – dubbed China’s Manchester City – recently launched an audacious bid of their own for Manchester United’s Korean star Park Ji-Sung. Guangzhou apparently offered to double Park’s salary. In July Guangzhou completed the high-profile signing of Argentine playmaker Dario Conca, who joined for a transfer fee of US$12 million from Brazil side Fluminense. Conca, was voted MVP in the Brazilian league in 2009 and 2010, and led Fluminense to its first Brazilian league title in 26 years in 2010. His annual salary of US$10.4 million puts him amongst the highest paid players in the world.

The rise of football wealth in countries such as Russia, Australia, Uzbekistan and the Gulf states for example now also offers previously uncharted options. These leagues are eager to tussle with the traditional top leagues and represent a world football map that would have been unrecognisable even ten years ago.

Does it point to a change in the future?

Well, right now Spain’s footballers are on strike because they haven’t been paid which has caused a delay in the kickoff of the La Liga season and has highlighted the precarious financial state of Spanish football. The once mighty Italian Serie A meanwhile has in recent years been dogged by damaging scandals and dwindling interest both cooperate and from fans.

The English Premiership – the world’s richest league – for its part remains in rude health in terms of its relentlessly popular product but it has begun to exhibit some characteristics of a bubble. While England’s clubs continue to benefit from a massive Sky television deal, because of higher costs – notably servicing buyout loans and the continued growth in players’ wages – they recorded a combined loss of half a billion pounds in the 2009/10 Premiership season. Of the top clubs, only Arsenal recorded a profit, and that was only because of property-related gains. Manchester City lost a monstrous £121 million, while Man United and Chelsea lost £79m and £78m respectively.

Two-time World Player of the Year Ronaldinho
is back home in Brazil

Players’ wages are extraordinarily high and the current European model is a bubble that may well burst if it remains unregulated. Throughout Europe clubs are run on debt and, coupled with rising wages and the economic downturn, this is a dangerous combination. Maybe it is why Uefa have proposed Fair Play Rules in an attempt to prevent a collapse akin to America’s economy – once the undisputed king but now in dire straits and in some ways increasingly at the mercy of emerging powers such as China, India and Brazil.

Of course there are always two sides to every coin. Definitely Europe is the spiritual pinnacle of football (with enormous revenue potential) but as far as the rest of the world is concerned there is a refreshing change.

At this point talks between Inter and Anzhi are serious and Inter are open to a deal.  

“There has been an informal meeting and we have listened to Anzhi’s offer. But because we are dealing with an important player, this is not a move that can be solved quickly. We will talk again.” Inter technical director Marco Branca said in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport.

One of the theories put forward by Goal.com is the income from the Eto’o sale will then be used to sign Genoa midfielder Juraj Kucka who Inter boss Gian Piero Gasperini supposedly wants in his midfield. Kucka was a key player for Gasperini during his time as Genoa coach and had already been earmarked Inter as a target for next year. But any Eto’o deal would bring Kucka during this transfer window. And then there is Inter’s interest in Carlos Tevez too.

Anzhi Makhachkala... Captain Roberto Carlos (right)

Another “reason” is Inter are reportedly trying to offload some of their highest earners and Eto’o, Inter’s top scorer last season with 37 goals in all competitions, will himself be enticed by Anzhi with a four-year contract offer which would earn him €20m a year, more than doubling his current €8m deal at the San Siro.

We will wait with bated breath then.

We also will wait for the day the true globalisation of football comes closer to fruition, when the playing field is evened and when the tangile socio-economic growth football can bring around the world is perhaps realised. Maybe hopefully one day the people of Cameroon will be able to entertain the exciting possibility of one of their heroes (like Eto’o) returning to play at home, even just for one season.

Though the Eto’o move to Anzhi remains highly unlikely it would be symbolic on many fronts.