David Prentice: A tale of two Everton FC centre-backs
JOLEON LESCOTT stopped short of saying he'd joined a bigger club - after all, his new manager had already done that for him.
But the inference was clear at Wednesday's press conference.
"Everyone outside the top four is aiming for the same thing, but I think City are better equipped to get there faster than Everton," said Lescott.
For better equipped, read richer. And that, sadly, appears to be the currency which motivates Joleon Lescott.
City have spent wildly and impressively this summer, but does that make them a bigger club than Everton?
If you were talking about the size and loyalty of their admirable fanbase, you could have an argument.
But ultimately a losing one. Because despite the increasingly persuasive argument about the size of your wad, the length of your honours list is still the most impressive statistic for membership of football's 'Big list.'
And City have failed to win a trophy in Joleon Lescott's lifetime.
Actually Huddersfield have won more league titles than City. So have Derby, Burnley, Portsmouth and Preston.
Which brings us back to money, surely the primary motivation for Lescott's move.
He said he was "over the moon" at a move worth ã94,000 a week to him - surely a contender for the John Cleese "stating the bleedin obvious" award.
But the argument that we'd all jump at the opportunity of doubling our wages doesn't hold.
Of course we would. But if you're elevating a nurse's wages, a taxi driver's take home or even a journalist's monthly to a bank manager's salary, we're talking serious life-changing sums.
But how much can Lescott's already luxurious life change?
When you already earn in the region of ã40,000 a week, how much more can you do with ã94k?
Have diamond studs on your Louis Vuitton washbag?
Apply gold plating to the monogrammed gates at your mock Tudor pile?
Leave another Lamborghini in the stately home sized garage to gather dust?
Joleon Lescott can talk about City's ambition, his international prospects and the "project" City have embarked upon.
But he's just left the club which has twice finished best of the rest in the Premier League.
His penultimate appearance for the club was in a Cup final, and he was confident enough in Everton's prospects to sign a new contract barely 12 months ago.
Money, once again, appears to have won the day. But before you get too down-hearted at the cynicism and greed of modern footballers, let me remind you of the experience of another Everton centre-half from not so long ago.
In 2001 a newspaper carried the following news item.
"Alan Stubbs will take a pay cut to complete his dream move to Everton after turning down a three-year deal to stay at Celtic.
"The central defender, 29, could have earned around ã20,000 a week at Parkhead but has agreed to write off ã1m over three years to play for his home club."
Celtic a bigger club than Everton?
You'd have to concede defeat on that one, but Stubbs still let his heart rule his wallet.
Sadly that kind of story is disappearing from football.
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I still don't get why we seem to be taking this personally. The truth is one moment we are crying cos we don't have a billionaire owner that will allow us to break the top 4 then we think it unreasonable that Lescott join a club that does.
Until we get that owner Man City are in a much healthier state to challenge in the medium term. Lescott is NOT an Evertonian... we didn't think any worse of him for leaving Wolves for us...
Lastly... 40k to 94k is a massive jump for anyone! He has doubled effectively his playing career in earnings... and to compare to a player losing 1m over 3 years... ?? have you done the math on what Lescott would lose over his career?
I don't want to wish JL bad luck at siteeeh but I do wish it to them .Let's hope that should we one day attract a big investor that we don't lose sight of our principles and carry on producing young raw talent such as Rooney,Rodwell,Vaughan(one day!), Baxter, ETC;ETC.
So what if we have to sell a player at an over exagerated price - let's keep on building, Arsenal manage to do it.It's not all about who you sell, it's also about who you buy or bring through.
coyb
I dont agree that Celtic are a bigger club than ourselves. How successful would they have actually be if they were in the top flight of English football.
I did the math re above -
Stubbs chose his hometown club for a deficit of under 7k a week, a million over three years (before tax). At the later end of his career he was prob happy to settle back in the north west with his family.
Lescott chose citeh for an extra 54000 a week, making nearly 11 million quid over a 4 year contract! He is entitled to feel citeh will challenge for honours over the next 4 years (though prob not this?) further raising his earning potential. As Dave says he is not a blue, I am, and I would leave EFC for those figures! He could snap a cruciate tomorrow (though I wouldn't wish that on him of course).
Good common sense Dave.
Everton are doing brilliantly considering the resources available and in making that sort of return on the Lescott investment should be considered good business for the club and a good career move for Lescott.
I'm a City supporter and wish Everton all the best (apart from that prat Mark Reid that is :-) I only wish that it hadn't got so needlessly messy at the end. TYhis is football and ther's no room for vestal virgins in football!
Wow, thats a really clever way of thiinnkg about it!
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