Hadn't We Moved On From Crazy Transfer Fees?

2 for 1 deal: For the price of one Berbatov, you can get a Chopra and a Koumas.

Yes, that's right. For approximately the price Spurs paid for Dimitar Berbatov, you could buy Michael Chopra (struggled at Newcastle, wasn't even much good on loan to Barnsley). And you get a Jason Koumas thrown in (shown up as mediocre in the Premiership last time around).

Don't get me wrong: both players have some talent. But my question is this: is Chopra a five million quid player when Cardiff bought him for £500,000 only 12 months ago ?

And is Jason Koumas, a 27 year old who has failed to deliver at the top level, really worth the 5.3million that Wigan have just paid for him.

Despite the claims of Wigan boss Chris Hutchings, Koumas will never be anyone's Paul Scholes.

Which begs the question: why are Premiership clubs spending such outrageous sums on this calibre of player. I thought we had all moved on from the crazy transfer fees of a few years back.

The obvious answer is that the new Sky deal combined with new investment in Premiership football has made the clubs - yet again - feel flush.

Knowing the club interested in a player has lots of cash to spend invariably pushes up the asking price. That's just good business from the point of view of the selling club.

But clubs who wish to take a chance on the likes of Chopra or Koumas should be holding firm for the £1.5 - 2million that these players are really worth.

Surely Premiership football clubs have learnt the lessons of the past by now? But the inflated transfer fees of this summer suggest that, no, they haven't.

It's a ridiculous and unsustainable state of affairs and will, ultimately, only cause financial problems for Premiership clubs that really can't afford it.

Wanna take bets on who the next Leeds United will be ?