The Silly Season is undoubtedly here. Transfers rumours are everywhere, all the time. Now and then some of them transform into done deals, some more silly then others. I mean, 235 million quid for a player with less than 20 international caps and less than one hundred Premier League appearances is just utterly ludicrous. Oh, sorry it wasn't 235, just 49? Well, the figures don't really seem to mean anything anyway.
As an eager tweeter, I'm amazed by the amount of arrogant judgements on if a player has made the right choice. "Asmir Begovic doesn´t really think he will play any matches for Chelsea, so he must just be after the salary! Nabil Bahoui of Swedish AIK is moving to Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia. That must be a VERY bad move for a 24-year old still in the beginning of his international career! Claire Lavogez doesn't have her heart in Montpellier! And why oh why would Big Zlatan ever move to Milan and miss the chance to play Champions League?"
You can quite rightfully criticise the lunacy of the transfer market, but are you and I in a position to criticise a certain player's choice?
Each and every player is (more or less) a grown-up man or woman with a unique set of life circumstances. Some are young, single and adventurous. Some are older with families to support. Some have grown up in the toughest suburbs of big cities, some in the safest and most prosperous. Among today´s top players there are more than a few that have awful memories from wars in West Africa or the Balkans.
We can't ever be certain how these circumstances influence a player's choice.
We all go through different phases in our lives, with different incentives. Most of us have other people to take into consideration before making life-changing decisions. Personally I would never move to another city if I didn´t think I could find a good school and a good life for my children. I would like to think that even the best athletes in the world actually are humans who care about their loved ones, don't you?
Moreover, there are of course the questions connected to the game itself. "Will I be able to compete for playing time? Who is manager? What kind of physiotherapy is there? What kind of football is played?" and so on.
I hope, and sincerely think, that our favourite players are mature enough to balance all aspects well enough. Now and then, time will show that someone perhaps took the wrong turn, but all put together, we as outsiders should refrain ourselves from playing presumptuous judges in advance. We should respect the players' choices!
That said, humble analysing and speculations are always welcome! That's what makes the Silly Season sizzle!
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