If you had a million, what would you do? Well, Union managed to put together the best team in the Jupiler Pro League with that limited amount. Excellent scouting and shrewd merchant skills ensured that the leader trumps all competition on a limited budget. The contrast with the top clubs is enormous.
A million euros.
In modern football you don’t even buy a strong holder for a Dutch mid-range player anymore.
Nevertheless, Union bought its full starting eleven for that limited amount, which put an exclamation mark behind the unexpected leadership position in Ostend on Sunday. Yet another fact that only makes the performance of the PhD student even better.
Unlike Manchester City or PSG, the tradition club did not in the least sprinkle with euros to achieve success. Okay, the very wealthy Tony Bloom took over Union three years ago. But it is not the case that in recent years he has unpacked with millions of transfers or sends an army of mercenaries from Brighton – the other club he owns – to Brussels.
Data and scouting
One of the secrets at Union is a shrewd data system that identifies potentially interesting players. “But it’s not like a machine shows us which players to buy,” CEO Philippe Bormans said earlier.
Sports director Chris O’Loughlin, among others, dives deeper into the figures and filters out the potential reinforcements. But Bormans, an excellent negotiator, and trainer Felice Mazzu also have an eye for potential bargains at home and abroad. The latter kneaded it all into a rock-solid collective.
Take a look at last weekend’s basic team. The list speaks for itself.
The absolute star Deniz Undav? Picked up for free from the obscure SV Meppen in the German third division.
Strongholder Dante Vanzeir? Removed for a bargain price of about 300,000 euros when he was completely sidetracked at Racing Genk.
Guys like Damien Marcq and Bart Nieuwkoop? Picked up for free after being shoved from their previous clubs.
| Player | Previous club | Cost price |
|---|---|---|
| Anthony Moris | Virton | 0 euro |
| Sieve Van Der Heyden | Eindhoven | +- 100.000 euro |
| Christian Burgess | Portsmouth | 0 euro |
| Ishmael Kandouss | Dunkerque | +- 100.000 euro |
| Damien Marcq | Zulte Waregem | 0 euro |
| Teddy Teuma | Red Star FC | +- 200.000 euro |
| Bart Nieuwkoop | Feyenoord | 0 euro |
| Loïc Lapoussin | Virton | 0 euro |
| Casper Nielsen | Odense | +- 300.000 euro |
| Deniz Undav | SV Meppen | 0 euro |
| Dante vanzeir | Racing Genk | +- 300.000 euro |
Multiplicity at top clubs
The difference with the Belgian top clubs is huge. On the basis of the specialized Transfermarkt, we made the sum of some other basic teams last weekend.
At Club Brugge we come to at least 36.5 million euros – Simon Mignolet alone cost blue-black 7 million. Antwerp (19.35 million), Anderlecht (15 million), Racing Genk (28 million) and AA Gent (20 million) also counted many times over for the team that kicked off this weekend.
A good proof that success cannot always be bought.
| Club | Cost price last starting eleven |
|---|---|
| Union | +- 1 million euros |
| Club Brugge | At least 36.5 million |
| Antwerp | At least 19.35 million |
| Anderlecht | At least 15 million |
| Racing Genk | At least 28 million |
| AA Gent | At least 20 million |
