Is Anelka All He Is Cracked Up To Be
Friday, January 11th, 2008 by Stuart Stratford
Nicolas Anelka’s move to Chelsea was finally sealed, the £15m transfer fee bringing the total spent on the player to £85m (including additional fees / players), a truly astonishing sum for a player who has never ranked in any World Footballer awards.
In buying Anelka, Chelsea is assumed to have bought an outstanding goalscorer. His record appears at odds with that belief, 128 goals in 423 appearances does not seem to warrant such sums being spent on him, the record of a goal every 3.3 games is nowhere near as prolific as his top echelon peers. Indeed, his international record is equally patchy, 11 goals in 42 appearances is consistent with his club performances but neither outstanding nor spectacular. The best opposition that he has scored against at this level are England, Russia and Ukraine which with all due respect, are hardly impressive, even more so when you consider that the first two opponents in that list were 1998 and 1999. He missed out on a considerable number of caps through his personality and competing with other more highly rated forwards which explains some of the record.
Statistics can be deceptive though but in Anelka’s case they bear out the fact that he is overrated. He has played in two of Europe’s premiere Leagues, England and Spain where his record dips further, 345 League appearances for Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Bolton Wanderers and Real Madrid yielded 86 goals, an average of a goal every 3.6 games.
So why has he been so apparently sought after? The media have much to answer for in this case, consistently linking him with top notch clubs, psychologically improving his standing within the game. He is undoubtedly fast and can be relied upon to cause problems for defenders, helping others to score. However, for the best part of £100m, clubs are entitled to expect more consistency in front of goal. One wonders if Anelka has regrets about his career. He recently admitted that he left Arsenal too soon, his head turned by advisors and the bright lights of the Bernabeu. When he finally hangs up his boots, will he look back and believe he should have achieved more than a Champions League winners medal and three League titles in England, France and Turkey? He has the opportunity to add to that haul with Chelsea, who will always challenge for honours with Abramovich’s backing. Yet the doubts will always be there.
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