Enter Jose Mourinho at Chelsea, Rafael Benitez soon at Liverpool and Jacques Santini at White Hart Lane. Next season, the Premiership will boast a European Cup, Uefa Cup and, according to the bookies, the European Championship winner. With Carlos Queiroz returning from Real Madrid to assist Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United — intending, indeed, to succeed him — these will be interesting, intriguing times, carrying a challenge for the English.
In fact, while Arsène Wenger at this remove still looks like the leader of the pack, he can expect a closer run for his euros — certainly when it comes to talking a good game. Mourinho bounced into London last week like the cocky kid gunslinger played by Horst Buchholz in The Magnificent Seven. The already irked Sir Alex will have to be at his world-weary, classy Yul Brynner best.
All the newcomers will speak of the passion and excitement of the English game. They will speak of a new quality that has aroused their attention and led to them generously offering their services. But they will not speak the word that enters equally into their thinking: money.
This week the financial analysts Deloittes published their annual report on the state of the Premiership, the latest figures being for 2002/03. Turnover — that is, the clubs’ combined income — was £1,25-billion, the highest of any league in the world.
Six clubs — Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Newcastle, Chelsea and Birmingham — even made a pre-tax profit. Next year’s figures at Chelsea should be interesting, mind.
There are two reasons for the increased prosperity. From an annual increase of 25%, players’ wages have slowed to an average 8% rise. A new mood of realism has arrived post Peter Ridsdale at Leeds; or had before Roman Abramovich. Second, television money, mainly from Sky, shows no signs of slowing, with 44% of clubs’ income coming from the medium.
Clubs in England have now accepted the common sense that if you are going to pay players £2-million a year and upwards, it is as well to get a manager or coach who can get them to play. That requires a commensurate salary and a man who is not resentful of what his players receive compared to him, so as to avoid any rift in the club.
Clubs have also recognised the value — necessity for the biggest among them — of success in Europe. For that, continental pedigree is seen as essential on the CV now. The Premiership will certainly have that next season.
Gone are the days when it was all about players and the managers were often anonymous (old quiz question: who was the coach of the 1970 Brazil team?). They have risen in stature to the point where they are frequently the headline names, even on top of match reports.
The manager is the pivotal figure in any club and, for the price of a top player, good value, even at the £5-million a year Chelsea are reported to be paying Mourinho. The demands now are huge, with an explosion in media to be accommodated, and that is just in-house — let alone keeping tabs on developments throughout the world as well as the day-to-day training and administrative duties. Then there is the odd match or two.
For the less brave among us, Liverpool would have been the plum job, any new man being given resources and time. Mourinho clearly has courage to go with the confidence, however. He intends to cull the squad and inject quality rather than quantity; stand or fall by his ‘methodologyâ€. The twin shadows of relative Claudio Ranieri-style failure and Abramovich’s impatience appear not to trouble him.
At Anfield, Benitez can expect to double his Valencia salary, and money is clearly an issue for him, with the in-debt Spanish club having refused to increase either his own wages or his player budget.
Santini, too, will have been impressed with what is on offer at Tottenham, knew indeed that England is where the money is, with his English ‘adviser†revealing that he has been marketing the Frenchman to Premiership clubs for three months. Sven-Goran Eriksson may have raised the bar for international coaches’ salaries but they remain some way behind the best club jobs.
And all cheap jokes apart, Tottenham does have the potential to be one of the best club jobs. Clearly Spurs need strengthening, especially in defence and midfield. They do have at least six players of quality, however, and Santini will be given time to identify and recruit new blood, if not vast sums of money.
He should comfortably better last season’s showing and will become a messiah at White Hart Lane should he improve on the mid-table mediocrity with which the club has become associated. Unlike Mourinho or Benitez, he will not be expected to win the championship. For Tottenham, sixth position would be riches indeed.
What is clearly emerging is that any top club in England, or one that aspires to be, now believes that foreign is best. English coaches may be fuming that they are not getting close to these jobs, but, just as overseas players arrived and revealed a new professional and personal regime, so the imported managers, with their in-depth training and qualifications, illustrate the standards required.
The day of the player stepping straight into a top job because of his name looks over. Back to school, and basics, for tyro coaches. And time for the English system to look at itself again. There must be the money to fund a training programme. —