It was “The Deal” of the deadline day. It was by far the most high profile of the transfers this winter, not only in terms of the amount involved but also owing to the circumstances of the move.
Enzo Fernández left Benfica to join big spending Chelsea in what is a British record transfer deal, worth 121 million euro (£106.8mn)—besting the €121mn (£100mn) perennial high spenders Manchester City paid for England midfielder Jack Grealish in August 2021.
Besides the amount paid, what is significant about this transaction is the fact that the Argentine had only joined the Portuguese club in August. The fact that he played a stellar role in Argentina’s World Cup win in Qatar—the South American nation’s first world title since 1986—as also the fact that he won the FIFA Young Player Award, succeeding Frenchman Kylian Mbappé (another high-profile transfer), meant the 22-year-old’s stock rose considerably.
As such, the struggling Stamford Bridge side didn’t hesitate to shell out almost 10 times the amount Benfica had paid Argentine club River Plate to acquire Fernández at the start of the summer transfer window. Of course, the Buenos Aires based club will earn 25 percent of the transfer fee (about 30mn euros) owing to a sell-on clause.
The economic aspect notwithstanding, Benfica was left to rue the acquisition of Fernández, with club president Rui Costa claiming that the player displayed a desire not to stay in Lisbon, lacked commitment and forced the move through. All the attempts at persuasion by the Portuguese side fell on deaf ears, and the protracted transfer saga eventually ensured the inevitable.
That being said, the debut of Fernández at his new club was anything but memorable, with the Argentine able to do little to ward off Fulham from taking a point from the encounter at Stamford Bridge. Graham Potter’s side is ninth in the Premier League table, outside of the places required for qualification for European competitions, and the 22-year-old has to do a lot more to justify the high hopes as also the massive price tag.
Now that you have read up to this point, it is imperative to clarify that this analysis is neither about Fernández nor his multi-million move to London. The Argentine has been mentioned only as an analogy to something similar that happened a few months before, and somehow escaped the radar rather didn’t exactly grab the headlines despite of being a success story.
The transfer saga involving a certain Rasmus Højlund has an uncanny resemblance to that of Fernández. In fact, the Dane’s transfer can be labelled as the precursor of the Argentine when it comes to the similarities. For starters, the two players are of similar age. Secondly, the duo made the switch in about six months. Finally, both of them earned their respective clubs almost 10 times the amount they were acquired for.
In terms of the financials involved, Højlund’s deal without doubt is considerably lesser, but when it concerns the impact, the player does set a higher benchmark. Last August, Serie A side Atalanta paid Sturm Graz €17 million to secure the services of the Danish forward. That’s almost 10 times the amount (€1.8mn) the Austrian club had paid FC Copenhagen towards the end of the January transfer window that year.
Højlund’s impact on the Austrian Bundesliga was immediate. He scored twice on his league debut—a 2-2 draw away at WSG Tirol in February, and in his first three matches totaled four goals, also finding the net against both Rapid Vienna and TSV Hartberg. Even though Graz finished the season a distant second, behind Red Bull Salzburg, the Dane had made an impact.
His start to the new season was even better. Højlund scored both the goals as Graz got the better of champions in Salzburg in July. The 2-1 result at the Merkur Arena helped Christian Ilzer’s side take over the top spot in the 2022-23 table.
A couple of weeks later, he also found the net in the UEFA Champions League 3rd qualifying round match against Dynamo Kyiv, his effort making it 1-1 on aggregate and taking the match into extra-time—where the Ukrainian side scored twice to advance.
That being said, a dozen goals (and four assists) in only six months (21 games) were good enough to grab the attention of clubs in the Premier League among others. It was Atalanta who made an early move, acquiring a promising striker as part of their overall summer overhaul that cost the club around €100 million. Despite paying close to 10 times of what Graz had paid Copenhagen, the Dane was still a steal for the Bergamo side.
His promise and performance notwithstanding, Højlund is not even among the top three acquisitions made by Atalanta in the transfer market. The Dane is well down on that list, in seventh position. In fact, Brazilian midfielder Éderson, acquired in the same window, cost more (€22mn), as did two players—Jérémie Boga (€22mn) and Merih Demiral (€20mn), whose initial loan moves were made permanent.
But the Højlund impact was immediate. He scored the opening goal in La Dea’s away win over newly promoted Monza in September, a result that moved the club to the top of the table. Never before in their history had Atalanta managed to be on top alone in the standings. The Dane also scored away league goals against Spezia and Bologna. His first goal in front of the home fans, at the Gewiss Stadium, came during Atalanta’s 8-2 annihilation of Salernitana last month. That the Dane has made an instant impression cannot be denied.
There will be critics who will palpably point out the quality of the leagues and the huge difference in the price as discerning factors in the two transfers. For starters, another striker from Scandinavia, a certain Erling Haaland, also made his first significant impact in the Austrian Bundesliga (with Salzburg). That he is now busy breaking records with Premier League champions, and the favorite club of most television pundits, Manchester City, is something to be taken note of.
It is also imperative to note that City didn’t exactly have to break the bank to acquire the Norwegian. They acquired him from Borussia Dortmund by activating his £51.2 million (€60mn) release clause. To say that Haaland’s impact has been instant and immense will be akin to stating the obvious.
As such, while football these days is a lot about money, it is also about the impact. When it comes to the latter, suffice to say new Chelsea owner Todd Boehly spending in excess of £550mn on many new players in the last six months hasn’t necessarily translated into tangible results, as the Blues’ position in the Premier League table indicates.
Atalanta, on the other hand, are very much on track for a top four finish in Serie A, and consequently Champions League qualification.
Højlund, who turned 20 only recently (February 4), definitely has age on his side. Besides, many have pointed out that like Haaland he is tall and fast, has a knack for creating scoring opportunities and is a good finisher. Considering the improvement he has shown in the last year or so, it is a matter of time before he makes a move to a club in one of the top three leagues. The Dane may or may not make the headlines, but he definitely has the potential to make an impact. Moreover, the chances of a striker scoring more goals are always on the higher side.