Belgian striker Christian Benteke’s ill-fated one season stint at Liverpool came to an end when Crystal Palace parted with a huge transfer fee to acquire his services. According to a new survey by CIES, the sale is one of the best by a Premier League club this summer.
The CIES (Centre international d’étude du sport) football observatory in Switzerland have recently released their list of the best sales of summer 2016, after comparing the reported transfer fee to their own algorithm based estimate of the player’s value.
The best sale made by a Premier League club is that of Yannick Bolasie to Everton. Crystal Palace received a reported transfer fee of €34.6 million, but CIES estimate the Congolese winger is worth €12.2 million. This means Everton overpaid by €22.4 million.
John Stones is the next best Premier League sale, with the young Englishman joining Manchester City for a reported €58.5 million. However his estimated value is €38.2 million, which means Everton have received an extra €20.3 million.
In third place is the player who completes this roundabout of transfers. The Stones money was invested on Bolasie by Everton, and the Bolsie money was in turn used by Crystal Palace to buy want-away Liverpool striker Christian Benteke. The 25-year-old Belgian is worth €28.2 million, but the Reds received €37 million from Palace for Benteke.
Christian Benteke had made limited appearances for the Reds since the arrival of Jurgen Klopp. He started just 13 of 52 matches since Klopp’s arrival, and found himself behind the likes of Roberto Firmino, Daniel Sturridge and compatriot Divock Origi in the pecking order.
The 25-year-old had been looking for a way out since before the European Championships, a problem exacerbated by the Reds’ high asking price for him. Crystal Palace and Alan Pardew have come to the rescue though, and Benteke is sure to see plenty of first team action with the Eagles this season.
Benteke is a powerful goal poacher and a significant aerial threat. He likes to feed on service from the wings and bully opposition defences in the box to put himself in good positions. The 25-year-old was a dependable source of goals for Aston Villa in the three seasons before last, and it remains to be seen if Alan Pardew can bring out the best in the Belgian once again.
