New trends in the Premier League summer transfer market: Betting on young geniuses with heavy money

In today's Premier League transfer market, 23 years old may be "too old".

When Liverpool spent 100 million yuan for the 22-year-old Wiltz, and when Chelsea smashed checks for "little monsters" like Kessetto and Enzo, a new era has arrived: the giants in the Premier League are setting off an unprecedented "youth storm".

However, in this arms race where "the more tender the more fragrant it is", Arsenal is like an alien, throwing a lot of money on 27-year-old striker Victor Giocres. Behind this "anti-trend" contract, it reveals the profound changes that are taking place in the Premier League transfer market.

1. "Youth Faith": From Economics to Club Philosophy

Once upon a time, Sir Ferguson emphasized that signing young people is to allow them to serve the team for many years to come. Now, the "smart" club led by Brighton and Brentford has pushed the youth model of "buy low and sell high" to the extreme.

This is no longer just for the future of the team, but also a way to survive. Due to the lack of commercial income from top giants, they must rely on selling young players to "make blood" for the team. Chelsea’s strategy of crazily hoarding “little demons” is to “violently copy” Brighton’s model with ten times the budget.

Weighted calculation based on authoritative data (the higher the transfer fee, the greater the weight of the player's age), the average age of large-scale signings in the Premier League last season was lower than 23 years old for the first time in history. This proves that "scraping lottery" has evolved from a strategy to the "faith" of team building in the Premier League, especially top clubs.

2. "Change the Lord": From the center to the attacking midfielder

, along with the "Youth Storm", there is also the priority of the signing. In the 1990s, the requirements for coaches by team owners were usually very simple: "Buy me a forward!" Andy Cole, Hiller... The names that broke the transfer fee records one by one were almost all centers.

However, as football tactics evolve to a high-pressure and flexible style, the "altar" status of traditional centers has gradually been replaced by all-round and dynamic attacking midfielders and wingers like Wilz. The club no longer focuses on a terminator, but is more willing to pay a premium for the "engine" of the entire offensive system.

3. "The Return of the King"? Arsenal's retrograde gambling

Just when everyone thought the center had "out of favor", the wind direction seemed to have undergone a subtle change this summer.

The major clubs seem to be looking at the forward line again. Arsenal's pursuit of 27-year-old Giocres just confirms this. Why? Because the growth curve of the center is different from other positions, they often take longer to polish their bodies and skills, and their peak period usually arrives around the age of 27 - two years later than the attacking midfielder.

What Arsenal needs is a forward leader who can immediately shoulder the banner of offense and make a final decision. Giocres is at his peak and meets the requirements perfectly. For Arteta, age is just a number, that is, combat power is the key.

Most teams in the Premier League are betting on the future, betting on those promising young people. And was Arsenal's "retrograde" a short-sighted gamble, or an accurate prediction that has insight into the future? This may be the most interesting tactical game this summer.