Why Andrea Belotti isn't worth £86 Million

WHY ANDREA BELOTTI ISN'T WORTH £86 MILLION
£86 million. That’s a lot of money. Even for football’s sky-rocketing transfer deals, only Paul Pogba has cost more money than that. Suarez, Higuain, Ronaldo and even Gareth Bale were all considered to be worth less than this gigantic sum. So why is Andrea Belotti, currently playing for 9th placed Torino and with just 3 competitive caps at international level, set to become the 2nd most expensive player on the planet?
Despite foreign interest, Belotti’s biggest admirer is a lot closer to home; Torino’s president, Urbano Cairo. Indeed, Cairo rates Belotti so highly, when the time came for contract negotiations in December, he stuck a whopping £86 million buy-out clause in the Italian’s contract. Belotti had only signed for the club 4 months earlier, after an underwhelming season at Palermo. While 10 goals from 13 games is not a bad return, it hardly warrants such a high valuation.
Belotti continued to score, and Cairo continued to get carried away. Come the end of the season, Cairo told the Italian press, "If I had to insert a figure in his contract right now I would go for €150 million." Belotti ended the season with 26 goals from 35 appearances, admittedly a stellar strike rate, yet he was still outscored in his native country by Dries Mertens and Edin Dzeko, with Kane, Aubameyang and Lacazette all scoring over 28 goals in their respective leagues.
I am by no means saying Belotti is not a fantastic player. I am just saying that clubs who are prepared to pay £86 million for him, such as Manchester United, Chelsea and even Barcelona, could use their money so much better than breaking the bank for someone who has only had one season of prolifically scoring goals. If someone signed him for £50 million this summer, I would say that is a good deal. But £86 million? Even Belotti himself said this was excessive, saying in April, “To be honest, I don’t feel I am worth it, the cost of players has gone up far too much.”

If the big European clubs want to pay so much for a mid-table player, then go ahead. Just don’t be surprised if he doesn’t set the world alight. As Paul Pogba has shown, a big transfer doesn’t always mean that you’re the best player in the world.

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