Premier League chief 'glad' clubs didn't spend €222m on Neymar
Premier League chief 'glad' clubs didn't spend €222m on Neymar
Premier League executive chairman Richard Scudamore is glad it wasn't an English club who spent a world record fee to sign Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar, he told Sky Sports.
The Ligue 1 side paid a €222 million buyout to secure the Brazil No. 10's signature from former club Barcelona last week, more than doubling the previous transfer record Manchester United sent Juventus for Paul Pogba last summer.
Manchester City have spent more than €230m on a number of players this window, including Bernardo Silva, Kyle Walker, Ederson and Benjamin Mendy. And crosstown rivals Manchester United have exceeded the €160m mark with just three signings.
But Scudamore on Wednesday said he wasn't sad to see United's milestone deal for one player eclipsed, and reckoned PSG's mammoth layout won't be matched anytime soon.
"There is a point where you say actually 'no,'" Scudamore said.
"I am glad that is not us who has got that particular record.
"That is an unusual set of events I think. The Qataris -- who own PSG -- have suddenly decided they want to make a statement.
"And the rather perverse thing with having these buyout clauses is they are meant to prevent players moving.
"This one was tested and it does not worry me at all and I am kind of sitting here glad it was not a Premier League club who spent that much money on a player."
Scudamore also told BBC Radio 5 live: "I can't see anything like that [in the Premier League]. When the previous record was £89m [Pogba], to suddenly go to £200m that is something else going on there.
"They [PSG and their owners] have made a huge statement but I don't think we are going to see that replicated."
Scudamore defended the large sums some Prem clubs have invested, saying the economic realities of the league support the spending.
He continued: "The reality is there are pressures everywhere, fans want their clubs to go sign players, always have done.
"The economics of the game are straightforward. Clubs have assets, particularly broadcasting rights, we have global interest in that.
"That generates income, that income is then invested and clubs have always pretty much spent what they can on acquiring talent and then on other infrastructure, like stadia and community schemes.
"We have rules in place that ensure the clubs are sustainable, clearly you cannot pay the absolute top dollar for every player."
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