It’s a seller’s market out there in transfer world, writes Kevin McCarra of The Guardian. That translates to a glut of money and a shortage of talent, which means clubs with talented players know they can hold out for the right price. How else can you explain Michael Carrick’s $35 million transfer from Tottenham to Manchester United? Yet there’s more evidence of the same in the lower leagues, too. League Championship-bound Birmingham City is being forced into paying hefty $7-$8 million price tags for promising youngsters like Gary McSheffrey, and Cameron Jerome. The club is desperate of course to make its way back to the Premiership next season. For movie star clubs like Chelsea, AC Milan and Real Madrid, they’re being forced to pay $50 million for players like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, as “high quality footballers in their prime are pursued more desperately than ever,” says McCarra, but with “decreasing” success. “Judging by the evidence of the World Cup, truly outstanding players are more scarce than ever,” he said. Case in point: France, a team of veterans who were coaxed out of retirement, managed to brush aside younger, more athletic teams like Spain, Brazil, and Portugal with their guile and patience. All this means that when Franck Ribery hands in a transfer request, we can be reasonably certain it’s going to cost somebody north of $25 million given the dearth of talent out there.