🎥 How Dortmund, Ajax and others have conquered the transfer market | OneFootball

“Buy low, sell high — that’s my motto!”

Even Homer Simpson can churn out a line of wisdom from time to time.

But it’s not quite as simple as just buying low and selling high, especially not in football.

Borussia Dortmund, Benfica and Ajax all consistently compete with Europe’s biggest clubs, who all boast much deeper pockets.

And they do so, in part, by developing young players and selling them for premium prices.

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Take Dortmund, where Ousmane Dembélé was sold for €100m profit despite spending just one season with the club. Or Christian Pulisic, who was sold for €64m to Chelsea. Likewise Jadon Sancho was signed for just €8m, had a hand in 114 goals and assists in just 137 appearances, and was then sold to Manchester United for €85m last summer.

That money is not reinvested in expensive replacements, either. Dortmund had a net transfer spend of nothing from 2008-18 yet average two points per game through that period, a similar return to Manchester United, who had a net transfer loss of over €900m.

Benfica and Ajax operate similarly, but with an even larger focus on their own academy products.

Ederson, João Félix and Rúben Dias were all brought through in Lisbon and sold on for a combined €235m when they left the club.

Likewise, Ajax had seven academy graduates on the pitch in their famous 4-1 defeat of Real Madrid in 2019.

The profits made on these players are put towards long-term growth and stability, not overnight gains, and it is paying off.

Over and over again these clubs scout or develop top young talent, keep them interested with regular game time, and develop them before selling for huge profits.

That is how they can sell their best players but continue to compete at the very top.