Feyenoord president Dennis te Kloese has described the transfer spending by Premier League clubs as “madness” and has warned that English teams still need to know what to do to develop players as well as just buying them.
We’ve just seen a record-breaking January transfer window, with Chelsea’s spending in particular really catching the eye as new owner Todd Boehly looks to rebuild the club after a difficult period.
Huge amounts have been invested to bring in big names like Enzo Fernandez, Mykhaylo Mudryk, Benoit Badiashile and others, and the spending of Premier League clubs now dwarfs what other major European leagues are doing.
Te Kloese has had to sell a number of Feyenoord players recently, and it seems he finds what’s happening in English football at the moment a little crazy.
“It’s amazing what happens in England at the moment,” Te Kloese told The Athletic. “A lot of it is madness. There is no guarantee when you spend money.
“You always need to retain a good perspective on how to develop the players once you sign them. The scouting has to be top-notch, but so does everything around the team.”
It will be interesting to see if this major overhaul works out for Chelsea, or if the Blues end up being exposed for a lack of a coherent strategy.