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Paying Over The Odds for Antony

It was widely reported over the weekend that Manchester United and Ajax have finally come to an agreement over the sale of Antony. The fee is believed to be a stunning £85m.

Antony is clearly one of the rising talents in Europe, commanding a fee such as this after just 57 games at Ajax. During his time at the club, he has won the Eredivisie twice, scoring 18 goals along the way.

My personal opinion is that this transfer is massively inflated due to the current situation at Manchester United. They seem to do this with transfers, play the long game (Bruno, Maguire, and Sancho all spring to mind). But other than ultimately paying more money when the transfer goes through, what exactly are they waiting for? This feels like a transfer that could have been completed much earlier in the summer, benefiting all parties involved. Now Ajax has a lot more money, but little time to spend it.

Erik ten Hag obviously feels he can get a tune out of Antony, but there is still risk involved in this transfer. Playing well in the Dutch league does not always translate to the Premier League. Hakim Ziyech, who also played right-wing for Ajax, has struggled to establish himself at Chelsea during his time there.

Dusan Tadic was a solid Premier League player for Southampton, but after moving to Ajax went on to new levels, scoring 28 goals during his first Eredivisie campaign. In 130 games, he has scored 66 goals for Ajax. An incredible return, but one that also signals the strength of the Premier League.

There is no guarantee in football that a player will settle in or adapt to a new league quickly. At £85m, this will be the biggest transfer of the summer so far after Real Madrid paid £72m for Tchouameni and Liverpool acquired Darwin Nunez for £67m.

What should Antony be worth? I think this transfer has probably been inflated by ~£30m.

Written by Joe (Founder @ OddAlerts)

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