Opinion: Blues star worth more due to being English?

As many people know, the price of an English footballer will always be phenomenal but one question on most Birmingham City fans minds is why is Demarai Gray only worth £8 million when Liverpool forward Raheem Sterling is reportedly worth £50 million.

One of the main reasons there is such a gulf in transfer fees is because of the club that the two players play for. As it has been widely reported by the majority of the sporting media, the Reds recently turned down a £40 million bid for Sterling, where as the Blues have turned down £5 million for Gray in the past. The fact that Sterling is playing in the Premier League and he is with a big team means that they can demand more money but because Gray is with a mid table championship side, they are expected to roll over and accept less money.

A similar situation to Gray’s is Joe Gomez moving to Liverpool for a reported £3 million from championship outfit Charlton Athletic. If he was with a bigger side like Tottenham Hotspurs or Chelsea, Gomez would be worth five times that! It baffles many sports people as to why the price of an English star is so high for a bigger side and why it is so low for smaller side, even though both Birmingham City and Charlton Athletic have been big sides in the past.

If the Blues had returned back to the Premier League last season, the valuation of Demarai Gray would have soared! For all we know, he could be worth £20 million if Birmingham were in the top division.
As most know, the Blues are holding out for upwards of £8 million but I myself believe that he is worth more than that but he just needs another good season with Birmingham. Blues fans have enjoyed watching Gray progress over the course of the past two seasons and I am sure that they would like to see one of their prized assets go further than any of their previous stars.

However, going back to the fact that he is only worth a fraction of what Sterling is worth is because there are things going against him that most would look past. One of the reasons that mirrors the fact that he is not with a big club is the fact that he is yet to make his stamp on the national stage for the first team.

Many England fans have been delighted with the fact that the young talent is progressing well and I believe given another full season with the Blues, Gray will be knocking on the door of the first team. The likes of Charlie Austin and Harry Kane have both had terrific seasons and their valuations have now reached £15 million and £40 million because they have proved what they can do. Despite Gray not having the best of seasons last year, I still think that he is worth more than what is being suggested.

Given another season under Gary Rowett, I believe that the transfer valuation of Gray will almost double but it is all dependant on him having a good season.

Blues fans, why do you think there is such a gulf in the valuation of English players? Please let us know in the comment section below!