Taylor warns the big spenders
The PFA have unveiled their shortlist for their prestigious annual player and young player of the year awards, with Wayne Rooney hot favourite to become only the third player to land both prizes.
Rooney has certainly impressed this term, and in Didier Drogba, Cesc Fabregas and former team-mate Carlos Tevez, has three worthy challengers for the crown.
But if it paints a picture of a game in rude health, Taylor believes it would be a false image. With Portsmouth in administration and both Hull and West Ham also warning of major cutbacks if they ended up accompanying the south coast club into the Championship, the alarm bells are ringing.
At the top level, the huge debts incurred by Manchester United, Liverpool and, albeit for the constructive of an impressive new stadium, Arsenal, make them vulnerable to being cherry-picked, especially now the new 50% tax rate for higher earners is not making the Premier League quite so attractive as it was before.
“To assume everything in the garden is rosy would be wrong,” said Taylor. “Football is a mirror to what is happening in this country and the rest of the world. With the credit crunch it is a fact that we have serious financial problems. This country is in the red. That has to impact on football.
“Nobody would have ever thought a Premier League club would go into administration. But that has happened and when you see the debt levels of Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal, you feel if they do need to balance the books they are going to be open to a bid they may not be able to refuse.”
Fabregas and Rooney would undoubtedly be on the wish-list of every major club in the world should they signal a desire to leave Arsenal and Manchester United respectively.
The Gunners have already responded to renewed speculation linking their captain with Barcelona by claiming the Catalan giants have assured them there will be no bid this summer.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been trying to entice Rooney to Real Madrid, although admittedly without much chance of success.
Clearly though, there are problems to be addressed.
“I felt it was very dangerous to assume we had the best league in the world, even when we had three teams in the Champions League semi-finals,” said Taylor.
“It is offensive to La Liga, Serie A and the Bundesliga to name just three. It is not just about club success. It is about international success as well.”
At least England’s World Cup dreams have a worthy talisman in Rooney, who despite his best efforts, looks certain to end the season with just a Carling Cup in terms of club trophies.
Drogba, Fabregas and Tevez have all, in their own way, been just as electrifying at times, with Fabregas joining Rooney on the young player shortlist that also includes Aston Villa’s James Milner and Joe Hart, who has benefited from spending the season on loan at Birmingham after his route to the number one jersey at Manchester City was blocked by Shay Given.
“This award comes from your peers. There is no finer honour,” said Taylor.
“All four contenders for the Players’ Player of the Year award are key figures for their country as well, so we hope to see them all at the World Cup.”
The PFA’s nominations for player of the year are: Didier Drogba (Chelsea); Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal), Wayne Rooney (Man Utd) and Carlos Tevez (Man City).
Young Player of the Year nominations: Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal), Joe Hart (Man City, on loan at Birmingham), James Milner (Aston Villa) and Wayne Rooney (Man Utd)
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