Humphrey Carter23/08/2016 00:00
TW
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Already this summer Premier League clubs have surpassed the £870m mark and could be well on the way to having spent £1bn by the time the window shuts on 31 August., with winter spending still to come and the best the footballers can aim to win for their clubs is the league or the Champions League - if any of them are picked to represent their countries, even more money is involved.

Remember the cost of accommodating the England team at their base for Euro 2016? It was 500 euros a night per room, must have been extremely comfortable because they failed to wake up through their short-lived tournament.

Now, compare that money to the near £300m which was invested in Team GB during the four-year run-up to the Rio Games.

The team landed back in the UK today as one of the greatest British Olympic teams for a century and, compared to the top-flight Premier League teams, they managed to achieve this milestone on a shoestring, the equivalent of what some clubs get through in a week or two.

What is more, they will inspire another generation of youngsters, much more so than footballers. Why can’t England breed world-class footballers? Well perhaps the few that do exist are not providing enough inspiration for the younger generations, unlike the British Olympic heroes, some of whom will have to go back to work to make a living while training.