The "real story of the explosion of spending power" in English football in '16 is "not even told" by ManU breaking the world transfer record by signing Paul Pogba for £89.3M ($117M), according to Jack Pitt-Brooke of the London INDEPENDENT. The "real story lies in less good players, out of their early 20s," being signed by mid-table clubs for fees that few English clubs "would have paid for anyone" less than 10 years ago. This is the summer of Crystal Palace paying £27M ($35.3M) for Christian Benteke, Everton paying £25M ($32.7M) for Yannick Bolasie and West Ham paying £20M ($26.2M) for Andre Ayew. It is "the biggest recalibration of transfer fees in English football history" and it has "transformed the playing field for everyone in England," even those clubs with "no interest in being dragged into the inflationary spiral." Clubs in England’s second tier "are now able to pay more in salary and wages than many Champions League sides in mid-ranking European leagues." What this means "is that the whole of the top end of English football is awash with money and the promise of money." Even those who do not have it yet "are acting as if they do." This has had a "levelling effect on the Premier League." It is "not so much a case of haves and have-nots any more, but haves and have-mores." Base Soccer agency Chair Leon Angel said, "The money that is in the game now is throughout the Premier League. In the past, if you wanted to buy a player for £30 million ($39.2M) or even £20 million, that would be a top player and you would probably be competing with the top six clubs or a foreign team. But now, because the money is so big, every club can go for a £20 million or £30 million player" (INDEPENDENT, 8/30).
