Premier League giants Newcastle United and West Ham are keen on Attila Szalai but the highly-rated centre-half is ‘overrated’, former Fenerbahce ace Servet Cetin tells FotoSpor.
We live in a world where Harry Maguire sets you back as much as Real Madrid once paid for Cristiano Ronaldo. Where you’d hardly get change out of £40 million for James Tarkowski.
Has a dearth of genuinely top-class centre-halves raised the market value of players who, in another era, would have been merely ten-a-penny rather than top of the class?
That’s Cetin’s theory, anyway.
Sky Sports reported last month that West Ham, Newcastle and Italian giants AC Milan were showing an interest in the £17 million-rated Szalai.
But, according to Cetin, the highly-rated Hungary international is not fit to even lace the boots of his Fenerbahce predecessors, let alone a Premier League club with lofty ambitions.
“Take a look at Fenerbahce’s old defenders. For example, there was (Fabio) Luciano, (Diego) Lugano, (Simon) Kjaer!” says Cetin, who won a pair of Turkish Super Lig titles in 2004 and 2005.
Is Attila Szalai good enough for West Ham and Newcastle?
Kim Min-Jae, a one-time Tottenham Hotspur target labelled Korea’s answer to Virgil van Dijk, has partnered Szalai during much of the current campaign.
But with Fenerbahce sitting sixth in the table, a colossal 20 points adrift of league-leading Trabzonspor, Kim was never likely to escape criticism either.
“There is a mountain of difference between (Szalai and Kim and Fenerbahce’s previous centre-halves),” Cetin adds.
“I don’t like either of them. Likewise, I don’t like Besiktas’ defenders. Marcao at Galatasaray is good. Others are not players (worthy) of those clubs, in my opinion. These teams can get better defenders.
“Since there are no defenders around, they gain value. It’s hard to find good defenders these days. That’s why they’re so appreciated.
“There were better quality defenders in my era. I think Szalai and Kim are overrated. Oh my god, they don’t do anything. They do not participate in the game. How many goals does he score? They don’t play well in defence either.”
A disappointing season at club level won’t exactly enhance Szalai’s hopes of a big-money move to the Premier League. Especially with Newcastle once again planning to go all out for Diego Carlos and Sven Botman.
West Ham, meanwhile, can sign long-term transfer target James Tarkowski at last when his contract expires in the summer.
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