Cattle market that threatens British beef

Premiership managers are ready to lavish millions on the tournament's outstanding talents. Matt Tench and Alan Nixon report

After Coventry City had won the FA Cup in 1987 and prepared to complete what for them was the audacious signing of Chelsea's David Speedie, their manager, John Sillett, remarked: "We won't be shopping at Woolworths any more. From now on we'll be shopping at Harrods." By the end of this month the majority of Premiership clubs are likely to be preparing to spend millions at football's equivalent of the duty-free.

Euro 96 will bring to England the cream of European talent, whether it is the Croat who cannot stop scoring, or this year's dazzling graduate from the Ajax academy. It is a mouth-watering prospect, and for those watching there will be an additional buzz. Come the start of the new season, a significant number will be donning the colours of Premiership teams. Indeed, the influx of foreigners that has taken place over recent seasons seems certain to be given further impetus by the Championship.

The class of 96 has begun to arrive. On Monday Florin Raducioiu flew in with the Romanian team apparently destined to join Harry Redknapp's increasingly cosmopolitan ensemble at Upton Park. Neither West Ham, nor Raducioiu's Spanish club, Espanol, would confirm the deal, but Redknapp made no attempt to hide his intention to use the Championship for recruitment purposes.

"I plan to watch as many games as I can, and I'm sure there will be the chance to get some very good players," he said. "At West Ham we are still short of three or four players.

"I have been looking at which European players are out of contract and there are world-class individuals available who are at the end of short- term contracts, and who want to play in the Premiership. Looking at the list of French players blows your brains out. Most of them are in the Ginola class, and there are enough to go round."

Redknapp's preference for buying from abroad instead of investing in up-and-coming British talent has already attracted criticism, but he remains unrepentant. It all comes down to money.

"When you can go to the continent and sign world-class players for around pounds 1.5m, it has to be a better option than gambling with three or four million on a young player over here who may or may not get on in the top flight. After the Bosman ruling it all comes down to the wages. I read that [Gianluca] Vialli is on pounds 40,000 a week. We can't compete with that. But there will be other outstanding talents who we have every chance of getting. I'm confident we will have few problems attracting them."

Howard Wilkinson, of Leeds, has had mixed experiences with foreign imports, but intends to make full use of the tournament. With three games at Elland Road, it will be one of his easier scouting trips. "It will be very convenient," he said. "I think the fascinating thing about championships like these is that they always throw up two or three new names who before were perhaps only well known in their own country."

Like Redknapp, Bruce Rioch is another to have benefited from relatively cheap foreign players. While in charge at Bolton he bought two Dutchmen, a Finn and an Icelander. "When you are quoted big prices for talent at home, then you go abroad and find players only too keen to come. I don't thing many have disappointed," Rioch said.

Now that he is manager at Arsenal, Rioch might be expected to be pursuing the biggest names of Euro 96, but here he sounds a warning. Europe's most wanted will still end up in Serie A. "Money that was unheard of here is now on offer," Rioch said, "but just as you make that stage, you find that the Italians have yet more again and have taken it to another level."

Significantly, Europe's two most dazzling midfield talents, Edgar Davids of Ajax and Zinedine Zidane of Bordeaux, will both be moving to Italy after the championships. (Zidane, incidentally, looks certain to be the most extravagant beneficiary of the post-Bosman era, whereby out-of-contract players will pocket money saved on a transfer fee. Zidane is said to be demanding a pounds 2m signing-on fee to join Juventus.)

Not that the attractions of playing Premiership football should be underestimated. Only last weekend Ajax's brilliant young striker Patrick Kluivert, who is expected to rejoin Davids in a year's time, suggested that a move to a leading Premiership club would appeal to him.

Fernando Couto, Portugal's highly-rated defender, who has a year left on his contract with Porto, has been linked with a pounds 4m move to Rangers. The player himself appears to prefer a move 300 miles south. "I love the idea of playing in the English Premier League," he said last week.

"These days any professional would feel the same. Manchester United are the champion club and have got to be the best. They are the team everybody would love to play for."

Whoever arrives, of one thing we may be sure. For each completed deal there will be many more speculative stories, fuelled by the plethora of agents that now seem to surround every major player. Before Dennis Bergkamp's arrival at Highbury last year, the club was approached by nearly a dozen representatives claiming to have the correct papers.

David Hodgson, the former Liverpool and Middlesbrough player who is now an agent, feels there is a growing danger that signings are made in haste and for the wrong reasons. "I used to take every case with care," he said. "Now there are people everywhere offering free foreigners. It's now a case of the price being right, including wages, rather than the blend between club and player.

"The appeal of a new face can outweigh the reality of whether he will fit in or not. In many ways Bosman has spoiled it, though if I was still a player I don't suppose I would argue."

THE SHOPPING LIST

France

Christophe Dugarry

Bordeaux

Big striker who helped his club reach the Uefa Cup final. Watched closely by Blackburn Rovers and Arsenal, though he has also been linked with Juventus, Internazionale and Napoli. Rated at around pounds 4m, but may be reluctant to come to England.

Bixente Lizarazu

Bordeaux

Arsenal are keen on him, but he is perhaps more likely to end up at Athletic Bilbao. Valued at pounds 1.5m and rated as one of the best left-backs in Europe.

Netherlands

Patrick Kluivert

Ajax

Brilliant young striker whose season was blighted by injury and his appearance in court after a fatal road crash. However, Milan may still pay about pounds 6m for him - next year.

Gaston Taument

Feyenoord

Flying winger who is a free agent, a fact noted by Celtic among others.

Clarence Seedorf

Sampdoria

Outstanding former Ajax midfielder who has been linked with Real Madrid after a mixed year in Italy's Serie A.

Portugal

Fernando Couto

Parma

Classy and combative attacking centre half who is on Alex Ferguson's short list at Manchester United and has also been the target of interest from Rangers. He struggles to get a game in Serie A and is on offer at about pounds 4m.

Germany

Jurgen Klinsmann

Bayern Munich

The politics at his club, involving rows with his former coach and Lothar Matthaus, suggest he could move on again, with the suspicion that he has a free clause in his contract. Chelsea and Real Madrid are among those interested.

Denmark

Michael Laudrup

Real Madrid

The elder statesman wants a final pay day and can go for nothing, with the Japanese club Vissel Kobe beckoning, although he claims to have spoken to British clubs.

Mikkel Beck

Fortuna Cologne

British type of striker who is keen to join Middlesbrough and has also been linked with Rangers. He is valued at pounds 1.3m although he is contesting this through Fifa.

Croatia

Zvonimir Boban

Milan

Strongly fancied by Manchester United, but has made more appearances for Milan lately. His future is still unclear at his club, who are signing more foreigners. Comes with a pounds 4m price tag.

Robert Prosinecki

Barcelona

Troubled by injury before he joined the Catalans and is being touted around Britain and elsewhere now at pounds 3m.

Switzerland

Ciriaco Sforza

Bayern Munich

Unhappy at the club, but who isn't? Wants to join his mentor Roy Hodgson at Internazionale.

Russia

Yuri Nikiforov

Spartak Moscow

The perfect attacking defender, who will move on as his side is broken up, with Everton's Joe Royle a major admirer.

Bulgaria

Hristo Stoichkov

Parma

Stormy striker who wants a move and has been approached by a British agent on behalf of a club, believed to be Chelsea.

Romania

Gheorghe Hagi

Barcelona

Has been available for a season without takers - he saves his best performances for his country and the major occasion. Manchester City material.

Already moved

Davor Suker

Top scorer in qualifying games and an Arsenal target in George Graham's time, but Croatia's top scorer is now bound for Real Madrid from Seville for pounds 4m.

Alen Boksic

Lazio's Croat striker has been pursued by Newcastle and Middlesbrough in the past year, but is staying in Italy and has just joined Juventus.

Edgar Davids

Regarded as virtually the complete midfielder, Davids, out of contract, has signed for Milan. Key player for the Netherlands.

Michael Reiziger

Powerful Dutch right-back and another member of the Ajax academy who is Milan bound.

Zinedine Zidane

Tipped as a likely star of the tournament, France's midfield playmaker moved from Bordeaux to Juventus at the end of last month.

Youri Djorkaeff

The man who has made France realise they can do without Cantona has left Paris St-Germain for Internazionale.