“There is not, never has been, and never will be, a player worth £10,000.” Those words were uttered in 1928 from the then president of the Football Association Sir Charles Clegg.

You wonder what Sir Charles would have made of 20-year-old Raheem Sterling’s £49 million move from Liverpool to Manchester City.

Let me make something clear. This is not an article discussing the morality of transfer fees. No, this is an article about value for money.

If Manchester City believe the £49 million they’ve spent on someone who has played fewer than 100 Premier League matches is smart business then good luck to them. They may be proved right.

People scoffed when Chelsea paid West Ham United £11 million for Frank Lampard back in 2001. But after 13 years’ service, an incredible number of goals and trophies galore that deal now looks the bargain it was.

Watford owner Gino Pozzo is a smart man and his family’s entire business model – the Pozzos also own Udinese and Granada – is based on that all-important value for money.

Find a rough diamond, polish them up and sell them on for a lucrative fee.

Watford’s promotion to the Premier League has, however, given the Pozzos money to invest.

The Hornets have made seven signings, all of whom are full internationals, and haven’t spent more than £15 million. Shrewd business indeed it seems. The Pozzos have achieved that by firstly utilising their link with Udinese but then by taking advantage of a market they have an expert knowledge about, namely Serie A.

The Italian league is currently weak financially. Old grounds, frequent racism scandals and stadium violence inevitably frighten off potential big sponsors. Conversely, the Premier League is richer than ever.

So a newly-promoted club, such as Watford, can go to Genoa and offer £7 million for their star winger Diego Perotti. The Hornets’ bid was accepted but the Argentine didn’t want to move to England.

And while Bournemouth spent £8 million on 22-year-old Ipswich Town full-back Tyrone Mings, who has undoubted potential but has only made 56 professional appearances, Watford brought in Jose Holebas from Roma for an initial £1.8 million.

Holebas is a Greek international, has played in the Champions League, was named Serie A left-back of the season and kept one of England’s finest full-backs, Ashley Cole, out of the Roma team during the last campaign. He knows what he is doing in the big leagues.

At 31 he is unlikely to have much of a resale value but if Holebas helps Watford avoid relegation from the Premier League he would have paid his fee back and more.

And buying British, like Bournemouth did with Mings, isn’t likely to appeal to Gino Pozzo. Remember it is all about value for money.

Part of the reason Manchester City paid Liverpool £49 million for Sterling is the fact he is English. City need English players to fill their home-grown quota of players. Liverpool were fully aware of that and intelligently exploited it.

So why would a club like Watford pay £8 million for an untried English left-back when you can use your extensive scouting network to identify and then sign an experienced European international for a fraction of the price?

Yes Watford may not be boosting England’s slight chances to win a World Cup but they are giving themselves the best opportunity to survive in the Premier League.

And for Gino Pozzo, and one suspects a majority of Watford fans, that is all that is important.

  • If you are reading this on Friday morning then my colleague Tom Bodell and I are currently driving through Europe in order to cover Watford’s pre-season matches in Germany.

The Hornets have been in Germany since Monday and take on SC Paderborn 07, who were relegated from the Bundesliga last season, on Sunday night.

Watford had been due to take on Eintract Braunschweig this evening but this game was cancelled at short notice last night due to what the club have described as "unforeseen circumstances".

As a result, the Hornets are inviting fans in Germany to attend training tomorrow. Those affected should email a mobile contact number to themediateam@watfordfc.com

Tom and I will be at the Paderborn friendly and we will spend Saturday at the Golden Boys’ training camp.

We will have match reports, post-match reaction from Hornets head coach Quique Sanchez Flores, exclusive interviews and many more articles which will be uploaded to the Watford Observer website.

You can also keep up to date on Twitter by following @Observer_Owl, @adamnewson_wat and @TBBodell.

The Watford Observer's trip to Germany has been kindly sponsored by DAS Heating, Bathrooms & Lighting Supplies Ltd. Visit www.dasheating.co.uk/shop/ for more information. 

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