Hoffenheim Sporting Director Takes Dig at Premier League Spending With Eddie Howe Story

Hoffenheim sporting director Alexander Rosen has lifted the lid on how English football clubs behave when it comes to recruiting players - by telling an anecdote about Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe.

Rosen alleges that clubs in England recruit players just for the sake of it, and that often they don't actually need an influx of players - it's just because of pressure to use the budget allocated by the owners.

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As quoted by Kicker, he said: "Their coach, Eddie Howe, once told me, that he needs to buy five more players, although they dont need any. But the owner said that they have a high transfer budget and that he should please buy some players with it. Such problems you would like!

"The money in the market is arousing interest from people who do not have a purely sporting interest and the development of a player."

The 38-year-old, who most recently played for Hoffenheim's second team before hanging up his boots, seems to be taking a dig at clubs' mentalities that benefit themselves in terms of economical interests.

He also said of clubs over in Spain: "The lower third in Spain is already hard on two million transfers, the upper ones take everything off and beat full pot. They do not manage."