Pep Guardiola's Premier League move is 'a dream fulfilled'
Tuesday 2 February 2016 12:01, UK
Former Barcelona marketing chief Esteve Calzada says it is "a dream" for players and managers to work in England.
And Calzada, who was chief commercial officer at the Nou Camp between 2002 and 2007, says Pep Guardiola's decision to accept the Manchester City job will only enhance a league which has become the dominant financial power in Europe.
"Coming to the Premier League is an aspiration for any person working in football - players, managers, executives," he told Sky Sports News HQ.
"For some people it is like fulfilling a dream. Guardiola going to Manchester City can only enhance the Premier League."
Of the top 10 transfers completed during the January window, nine involved English clubs with only Gerson's £8m move from Fluminese to Roma breaking in.
Many of those deals involved clubs fighting against relegation from the Premier League and one - Jordan Rhodes' £9m move from Blackburn to Middlesbrough - was by a club targeting promotion into the English top flight.
La Liga president Javier Tebas has previously spoken of concerns that the Premier League will soon become "like the NBA", in that it is the sole destination of the world's best players, and he also said the Spanish league needs to prepare for the departures of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo "in the next three years".
When asked if the financial power of English clubs is a source of envy abroad, Calzada said: "Definitely. One of the phrases by the La Liga president is that they need to work hard otherwise the Premier League will become the NBA of football. Every league is trying to look at what they are doing.
"In Spain in particular there has been a growth in TV revenues but there is a long way to go to catch up on the Premier League."
And he added: "It is not only the ability to spend money and bring these players in but also to retain the players already at the clubs.
"For example, Everton have two highly demanded players, Romelu Lukaku and John Stones, and they could definitely sell those players for a big amount of money."
