Why Do English Players Command Such Extortionate Domestic Transfer Fees?

It has become common practice for English Premiership clubs to pay extortionate domestic transfer fees for home-grown players. Some of this years big money moves in particular have shown just how much the top teams are willing to fork out for an Englishman, particularly when they're young and being touted as 'the next big thing'.

Whilst I'm all for clubs trying to build their teams around homegrown players, I think the premium being placed on some, purely because of their nationality, is ridiculous and a massive risk for the clubs dishing out the huge sums of cash.

Since Kenny Dalglish was given the job of Liverpool manager, he has made it clear that the focus will be on assembling a team he thinks can challenge for the title, built around a spine of English talent. But surely, in spending nearly £60 million on Jordan Henderson and Andy Carroll, two players who have yet to prove their real worth, he has been slightly foolish?

Carroll more valuable than Torres when he arrived at Liverpool?

Earlier this year Carroll cost them over £30 million, which is significantly more than the amount they paid for Fernando Torres in 2007, and few would argue which player had shown more potential before their big moves. The £20 million the Reds have just spent on Jordan Henderson is even more absurd to me. This is someone who played relatively well in the first half of last season, before tailing off when his team were under pressure and needed their main-men to stand up and be counted. When you consider that they may have been able to sign Luka Modric for a similar fee, it must make Liverpool fans wonder if their 'All-English' line-up is really what's needed.

It's not only Liverpool who are spending big on English players. Manchester United are expected to splash out £16 million on Blackburn's young centre half, Phil Jones. He has had a good season, playing particularly well against his new employers, but I still think that spending that much money on a player, who hasn't even been involved in the full national team, is a gamble.

£36m in Transfer Fees But Only 1 Full Cap Between Them... 

At the end of the day, the proof will be in the proverbial pudding, and if Andy Carroll and Jordan Henderson help Liverpool back into contention for the Premiership they will be seen as bargain buys.

EB...
Twitter: euanblack