Moneyball is not spending \u00a3225m on two of the biggest names in world football, no matter what the Liverpool propagandists tell you\u2026<\/p>\n
\u2018Wirtz and Isak cost just \u00a350m so far\u2019 is the bombastic headline on the back page of The Times<\/strong>. Well yes, because most transfer fees are now paid in instalments; this is not some transfer magic from the geniuses at Liverpool but standard practice across football.<\/p>\n \u201cThe rapid escalation of this in the past ten years ago has been incredible. Yes, fees have got bigger, but more and more clubs are effectively using a credit-card arrangement to buy talent,\u201d said football finance expert Kieran Maguire in The Times last year, sounding an alarm bell.<\/p>\n And now here we are in September 2025 with Richard Hughes being lauded in the same newspaper for \u2018negotiating payment structures\u2026that ease financial pressure at Liverpool\u2019. Well done Richard, you used the company credit card.<\/p>\n Premier League clubs collectively owed over \u00a33billion in future player transfer instalments as of February 2025, and that figure must now be close to \u00a34billion. When Chelsea and Manchester United play this game, it\u2019s a worry; when Liverpool play the same game, it is cited as a genius move.<\/p>\n And the tone taken by The Times washes down through other outlets with the Daily Mail<\/strong> telling us: \u2018Revealed: The surprising low transfer fee Liverpool are \u2018committing to Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz this summer\u2019 as details of their instalments and add-ons surface\u2019.<\/p>\n It\u2019s only a \u2018surprisingly low fee\u2019 if you are new to football. Or you just want to blow smoke up Liverpool\u2019s arses. Arsenal paid for Declan Rice in three instalments over 24 months; does that mean that Arsenal paid a \u2018surprisingly low fee\u2019 for their record transfer? Did Mediawatch pay a \u2018surprisingly low fee\u2019 for that trip to Lake Garda?<\/p>\n On paper, that amounts to \u00a3241m for just two attacking players. However, that amount of money has not just left the Liverpool accounts in one lump sum; no, the structure of both deals means that the Reds have only committed to spending \u00a351.25m on both players combined this summer, according to The Times.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Of course \u2018that amount of money has not just left the Liverpool accounts in one lump sum\u2019. Because This Is Not How Football Transfers Work Anymore.<\/p>\n Over at the Mirror<\/strong>:<\/p>\n Florian Wirtz\u2019s real Liverpool transfer fee emerges as Reds could cost themselves more money<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n And what is his \u2018real Liverpool transfer fee\u2019? Is it not \u00a3100m rising to \u00a3116m with add-ons as widely reported?<\/p>\n Florian Wirtz could end up costing Liverpool an extra \u00a316million, but the Reds will be quite happy to pay it.<\/p>\n Germany international Wirtz became one of the headline arrivals into the Premier League this summer when he joined the Reds from Bayer Leverkusen for an initial \u00a3100m which could rise to \u00a3116m with add-ons.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n We already knew every single word of that; nothing has \u2019emerged\u2019 other than the payment structure. It was a reported \u00a3100m rising to \u00a3116m fee and it remains a\u00a0\u00a3100m rising to \u00a3116m fee. And of course Liverpool \u2018will be quite happy to pay\u2019 the add-ons because add-ons mean that a signing is a success. Honestly, have people just literally been born, or are they feigning ignorance for clicks?<\/p>\n Clearly, Paul Joyce of The Times<\/strong>, Chris Bascombe of the Daily Telegraph<\/strong> and James Pearce of The Athletic<\/strong> have all been fed large spoonfuls of propaganda designed to dispel the notion that Liverpool have spent massive amounts of money this summer.<\/p>\n Bascombe writes:<\/p>\n Wirtz\u2019s fee is \u00a3100m spread over five years. An additional \u00a316m will be paid to Bayer Leverkusen should Liverpool win four big trophies during his Anfield career, inclusive of the Premier League and Champions League. Should that happen it will lead to significant prize money, which will cover the extra costs.<\/p>\n The straight \u00a3125m fee for Isak will be spread across four seasons, meaning this summer\u2019s first payments for Isak and Wirtz are a combined \u00a351.25m. That will affect how much is available to spend on new players over the course of their contracts, but should they deliver they are as Moneyball as it gets.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Moneyball? Really? We have seen various definitions of \u2018moneyball\u2019 and this is just one from The Football Analyst<\/strong>: \u2018The Moneyball concept centers on identifying undervalued assets through data. In football, this model has evolved into a detailed recruitment philosophy: blend analytics with traditional scouting, target system-specific profiles, and maximize both development and resale value.\u2019<\/p>\n Does that sound like spending \u00a3225m on two of the biggest names in world football? Frankly, does it balls.<\/p>\n \u2018As Moneyball as it gets\u2019 is just a collection of words that mean nothing. Four years ago Bascombe was writing about Liverpool and Brentford in the context of Moneyball being a \u2018blueprint for teams who want to work smarter with their money and overhaul heavier-spending rivals\u2019.<\/p>\n\n
\n
\n
\n