Plus, the top talent is usually under contract at one of the large firms and may be unable to move, he adds.

FORBES: Emerging RIA: Atlanta Capital Group

Owen will add extra experience to an attack that still boasts plenty of established talent in Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov, plus youngsters Danny Welbeck and Federico Macheda.

BBC: Ferguson rules out more signings

On the plus side, the same market forces driving the competition for top new talent are also spurring the search for hot, young entrepreneurs with cool ideas to back.

FORBES: Show them the money