Wednesday 9 February 2011

January Transfers: Winners and Losers

After a record breaking transfer window which saw over £200m change hands, I thought it a good idea to see which teams are in better shape and which will think they could have done more. This entry will only focus on the Premiership but if you want to comment about your team’s signings, or anything else about the transfer window, then post it below.




Arsenal
In: Ryo Miyaichi (Chukyodai Chuyko High School, Undisclosed)
Out: Havard Nordtveit (B Monchengladbach, Undisclosed), Vito Mannone (Hull City, Loan), Jay Emmanuel-Thomas (Cardiff, Loan), Aaron Ramsey (Cardiff, Loan), Henri Lansbury (Norwich, Loan), Craig Eastmond (Millwall, Loan), Benik Afobe (Huddersfield, Loan), Carlos Vela (WBA, Loan), Cedric Evina (Oldham, Free), Wellington (Levante, Loan), Gavin Hoyte (Lincoln C, Loan), Giles Sunu (Lorient, Loan), Kyle Bartley (Rangers, Loan)



Another transfer window has closed and yet again Arsene Wenger has refused to address his goalkeeping shortcomings. This looks even more foolish considering Lukasz Fabianski’s season ending injury. With the Gunners challenging on four fronts, and with their best shot at a league title for years, this seems like a mistake. On the positive side for Arsenal, they have again let their bumper crop of promising youngsters go out on loan to gain some first team experience. This includes Aaron Ramsey, who’s rejoined Cardiff, and could play a big part in their promotion push as he tries to recover from his long layoff. 
Grade: D


Aston Villa
In: Darren Bent (Sunderland, £18m rising to £24m), Jean Makoun (Lyon, £6m), Kyle Walker (Tottenham, Loan), Michael Bradley (B Monchengladbach, Loan)
Out: Curtis Davies (Birmingham, £3.5m), Steve Sidwell (Fulham, £500,000), James Collins (Shrewsbury T, Loan), Shane Lowry (Sheffield U, Loan), Brad Guzan (Hull, Loan), Andreas Weimann (Watford, Loan), John Carew (Stoke, Loan), Jonathan Hogg (Portsmouth, Loan), Isaiah Osbourne (Sheffield Wed, Loan), Stephen Ireland (Newcastle, Loan)



For a while it seemed like Villa would be the side to make the biggest splash this January when they took Darren Bent from Sunderland for a fee that could rise to £24m. Adding Bent guarantees goals, something they badly need with their misfiring strike force only mustering four league goals between them. Jean Makoun will add steal to the midfield, American Bradley brings creativity and both will help take the burden off Stiliyan Petrov. Kyle Walker’s form since joining on loan from Spurs has been excellent and has seen him called into the England squad. Letting go of Carew and Ireland was another wise move, with both disillusioned with life under Gerard Houllier. 
Grade: A


Birmingham City
In: In: Obafemi Martins (Rubin Kazan, Loan), Curtis Davies (Aston Villa, £3.5m), David Bentley (Tottenham, Loan)
Out: Garry O'Connor (Barnsley, Free), Marcus Bent (Sheffield United, Loan), James O’Shea (Port Vale, Loan), Michel (AEK Athens, Loan), Jake Jervis (Hereford, Loan), Nathan Redmond (Burton, Loan), Daniel Preston (Hereford, Loan)



With their precarious league position it could have been easy for Birmingham’s board to push the panic button. However, they backed Alex McLeish and it has seen them rewarded with an appearance at Wembley at the end of the month. They’ve made some intelligent signings, bringing in David Bentley to whip in some crosses for Nikola Zigic, the leagues tallest player at 6ft “8. Zigic will also have a new strike partner in the form of pacey former Inter and Newcastle forward Obafemi Martins, and they’ve taken Curtis Davis across town from Villa to replace the injured Scott Dann. 
Grade: A-


Blackburn Rovers
In: Roque Santa Cruz (Manchester C, Loan), Jermaine Jones (Schalke, Loan), Ruben Rochina (Barcelona), Mauro Formica (Newell's OB, £3.5m)
Out: Alan Judge (Notts Co, Undisclosed), Alex Marrow (Crystal Palace, Undisclosed), Nick Blackman (Aberdeen, Loan), Amine Linganzi (Preston, Loan), Pascal Chimbonda (QPR, Loan), Aaron Doran (Inverness, Loan), El-Hadji Diouf (Rangers, Loan)



This window saw a hero return to Ewood Park, and a villain exit. Roque Santa Cruz has returned on loan after a disastrous spell at Manchester City. If he can rediscover his form, he could supply the goals that Rovers need to keep themselves away from danger. Steve Kean also made a statement by kicking pantomime villain El-Hadji Diouf out of the door. His signing for Rangers on loan has already stirred up passions in Glasgow, but is a show of intent from Kean, who also added American midfielder Jermaine Jones and promising youngsters Ruben Rochina and Mauro Formica to his squad.  
Grade: B+


Blackpool
In: James Beattie (Rangers, Loan), Salaheddine Sbai (Nimes, Loan), Andy Reid (Sunderland, £1m), Sergei Kornilenko (Zenit St Petersburg, Undisclosed)
Out: Louis Almond (Barrow, Loan), Ishmel Demontagnac (Stockport, Loan), Stephen Husband (Stockport, Loan), Ashley Eastham (Cheltenham, Loan), Mark Halstead (Kettering, Loan), Ashley Eastham (Cheltenham, Loan), Dekel Keinan (Cardiff, Loan)



It was more a question of who didn’t leave for Blackpool this January. They managed to keep hold of prize asset Charlie Adam, with manager Ian Holloway resorting to singing ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ on the radio to convince his playmaker to stay. Adding James Beattie gives the Tangerines another experienced striking option, and the signing of Andy Reid means Blackpool will have one of the most creative (and fattest) central midfields in the league. This may come at the price of defensive cover, but this fits with Holloway's refreshing ‘we’ll score one more than you’ philosophy.  
Grade: B-


Bolton Wanderers
In: Daniel Sturridge (Chelsea, Loan), David Wheater (Middlesbrough, £2.3m)
Out: Andy O'Brien (Leeds, Undisclosed), Riga Mustapha (Released)



Owen Coyle is rapidly enhancing his reputation as a top level manager by transforming Bolton into a solid Premiership outfit. Taking Daniel Sturridge on loan from Chelsea shows Coyle’s commitment to more attacking football than Wanderers fans enjoyed under Sam Alladyce and Gary Megson. They also managed to keep hold of England defender Gary Cahill, and bring in someone who appeared to have been lined up as his replacement, David Wheater. They now have to chance to star together in the Wanderers defence, for another six months at least, as they push for a Europa League place.  
Grade: B-


Chelsea
In: David Luiz (Benfica, £18m rising to £23m), Fernando Torres (Liverpool, £50m)
Out: Danny Philliskirk (Sheffield U, Loan), Gael Kakuta (Fulham, Loan), Patrick van Aanholt (Leicester, Loan), Jacob Mellis (Barnsley, Loan), Daniel Sturridge (Bolton, Loan)



Chelsea now have the fourth most expensive player in history coming in to join the likes of Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka, in what on paper looks a mouth watering forward line. But as we saw against Liverpool, incorporating Fernando Torres into Chelsea’s system may prove more difficult than first thought. But if they can then the rest of the league better watch out. The capture of David Luiz may prove to be the better of the two signings in time. A classy defender, he could fill the void left by Ricardo Carvalho’s departure and take the pressure of John Terry.  
Grade: B+


Everton
In: Apostolos Vallios (Iraklis Thessalonoki, £215,000), Eric Dier (Sporting Lisbon, Loan)
Out: Steven Pienaar (Tottenham, £3m), Kieran Agard (Peterborough, Loan), Zac Thompson (Leeds, Free), Yakubu Aiyegbeni (Leiester, Loan), James Vaughan (C Palace, Loan), Keanu Marsh-Brown (MK Dons, Loan)



When managing to hang onto Phil Neville is the highlight of your transfer window, you know your club has a lack of money to spend. Everton decided to cash in on star midfielder Steven Pienaar before losing him for nothing at the end of the season, but couldn’t even reinvest the £3m they got for him. You worry for Everton if they can’t find some investment soon. How long until the likes of Phil Jagielka, Mikel Arteta, Marouane Fellaini, Tim Cahill, Jack Rodwell and even their phenomenal manager David Moyes, decide enough is enough and move on elsewhere?  
Grade: E


Fulham
In: Steve Sidwell (Aston Villa, £500,000), Gael Kakuta (Chelsea, Loan), Eidur Gudjohnson (Stoke, Loan)
Out: Robert Milsom (Abderdeen, Free), Fredrik Stoor (Valarenga, Free)



Mark Hughes quietly went about making a decent side that little bit better this window. Steve Sidwell has been given the chance to re-establish himself at the top level after stagnating at Chelsea and Aston Villa. Hughes also added the exciting attacking talents of Chelsea’s Gael Kakuta on loan, and swooped for a player he tried to sign in the summer, Eidur Gudjohnson, on loan from Stoke. These signings, and the return of strikers Andy Johnson and Bobby Zamora from injury, should help Fulham’s continued climb up the table.  
Grade: A-


Liverpool
In: Andy Carroll (Newcastle, £35m), Conor Thomas (Coventry, Loan), Yusuf Mersin (Millwall, Undisclosed), Luis Suarez (Ajax, £22.8m)
Out: Fernando Torres (Chelsea, £50m), Ryan Babel (Hoffenheim, £6m), David Amoo (MK Dons, Loan), Nathan Eccleston (Charlton, Loan), Stephen Darby (Notts Co, Loan), Paul Konchesky (Nottm Fst, Loan), Daniel Ayala (Derby, Loan)



Whether or not new signing Luis Suarez would gel upfront with Fernando Torres appeared set to be the biggest topic of conversation on Merseyside until a crazy deadline day. El Nino has now become a hate figure at Anfield, but his departure has brought the Kop another potential hero. Andy Carroll’s price tag of £35m looks steep for a player with only six months top flight experience, but his potential has been evident since the start of the season. It’s a big gamble by manager Kenny Dalglish, who continued to shape his new look squad by offloading flops Ryan Babel and Paul Konchesky. However, Sunday’s win against Torres’ new club Chelsea may mean he’s in place to make more signings this summer.  
Grade: B


Manchester City
In: Edin Dzeko (Wolfsburg, £27m), Gai Assulin (Unattached)
Out: Ben Mee (Leicester, Loan), Wayne Bridge (West Ham, Loan), Abdisalam Ibrahim (Scunthorpe, Undisclosed), Roque Santa Cruz (Blackburn, Loan), Javan Vidal (Chesterfield, Loan), Emmanuel Adebayor (Real Madrid, Loan), David Gonzalez Giraldo (Leeds, Loan), Andrew Tuffe (Yeovil, Loan)



I wonder if Manchester City’s billionaire owners thought anyone would spend more than them this January. Bringing in Edin Dzeko for £27m now looks like a drop in the ocean compared with the £70m plus Chelsea spent, but it added to an already strong squad. Roberto Mancini also offloaded some deadweight in this window by allowing the likes of Bridge, Santa Cruz and Adebayor to go out on loan. City seem on the cusp of something big, but may still be a player of two short to really challenge for the title.  
Grade: B+


Manchester United
In: Anders Lindegaard (Aalesunds, £3.5m)
Out: James Chester (Hull, £300,000), Ben Amos (Oldham, Loan), Ritchie De Laet (Portsmouth, Loan), Corry Evans (Hull, Loan), Federico Macheda (Sampdoria, Loan), Joe Dudgeon (Carlisle, Loan), Danny Drinkwater (Watford, Loan), Cameron Stewart (Hull, Undisclosed)



With everyone else going crazy, United stuck to their policy of not going mad in January. And who can blame them. Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City are all conspiring to not win the league, whilst United continue to coast. Even when they suffered their first league defeat of the season to Wolves, the Old Trafford outfit remain in poll position to win a 19th league title, eclipsing Liverpool’s record. They also brought in long time goalkeeping target Anders Lindegaard from Aalesunds, but replacing current number one Edwin Van der Sar may prove a far more difficult prospect.
Grade: C


Newcastle United
In: Hatem Ben Arfa (Marseille, £5.75m), Stephen Ireland (Aston Villa, Loan)
Out: Matthew Grieve (Stockport, Loan), Joan Simun Edmundsson (Gateshead, Loan), James Tavernier (Gateshead, Loan), Tamas Kadar (Huddersfield, Loan), Wayne Routledge (QPR, Loan), Ryan Donaldson (Hartlepool, Loan), Andy Carroll (Liverpool, £35m)



Another team hit by the Fernando Torres saga knock on effect, and definitely the team to come out of it much worse off. The Magpies lost their most iconic centre forward since Alan Shearer and didn’t manage to replace him. This was made even worse by the injury to Shola Ameobi and chairman Mike Ashley looks set for more abuse from the Toon faithful. Promising French midfielder Hatem Ben Afra made his loan move from Marseilles permanent, but has been injured for much of the campaign, and Stephen Ireland came in on loan from Villa. However, if they cannot replace Andy Carroll’s goals, Newcastle may be in trouble.
Grade: E


Stoke City
In: Jermaine Pennant (Real Zaragoza, £1.725m rising to £2.8m), John Carew (Aston Villa, Loan)
Out: Tuncay Sanli (Wolfsburg, £4.5m), Lewis Moult (Mansfield, Loan), Liam Lawrence (Portsmouth, Undisclosed), Eidur Gudjohnsen (Fulham, Loan)



Stoke continue to defy the critics and perform admirably in the top flight of English football. Flops Sanli Tuncay and Eidur Gudjohnsen have moved on, and Tony Pulis has recruited the services of big John Carew from Aston Villa, a man built to play in Stokes battering ram long ball system. Jermaine Pennant signed a permanent contract after impressing on loan by providing ammunition for Stokes man mountains, and the Potters look set to continue getting in the faces of the Premierships big boys for another season at least.
Grade: C+


Sunderland
In: Stephane Sessegnon (Paris St Germain, £6m), Sulley Muntari (Inter Milan, Loan)
Out: Darren Bent (Aston Villa, £18m rising to £24m), Liam Noble (Carlisle, Loan), Matt Kilgallon (Doncaster, Loan), George McCartney (Leeds, Loan), Michael Kay (Tranmere, Loan), Michael Liddle (Gateshead, Loan), Trevor Carson (Lincoln City, Loan), David Healy (Rangers, Free), Paulo Da Silva (Real Zaragosa, Undisclosed), Andy Reid (Blackpool, undisclosed)



Steve Bruce performed a classic case of ‘the pot calling the kettle black’ by questioning Darren Bent’s loyalty after he jumped ship to Aston Villa. Bruce himself left Wigan after just two months in charge to join Crystal Palace. Bruce also wasn't able to replace Bent, and will be hoping loanee Danny Welbeck makes a swift recovery from injury. However, he did bring in Beninese midfielder Stephane Sessegnon and former Portsmouth star Sulley Muntari on loan from Inter to bolster his squad for their European push. Bruce also managed to offload some of his squad’s excess baggage and will be looking forward to using the rest of the money from Bent’s departure this summer.
Grade: C-


Tottenham Hotspur
In: Bongani Khumalo (SuperSport United, £1.5m), Steven Pienaar (Everton, £3m)
Out: Jonathan Obika (Peterborough, Loan), Harry Kane (L Orient, Loan), David Bentley (Birmingham, Loan), Kyle Walker (Aston Villa, Loan), Andros Townsend (Watford, Loan), Ryan Mason (Doncaster, Loan), Tommy Carroll (Leyton Orient, Loan), Jamie O’Hara (Wolves, Loan), Robbie Keane (West Ham, Loan), Giovani dos Santos (Racing Santander, Loan)



A surprisingly quiet window from the league’s most notorious wheeler dealer. Harry Redknapp moved for Steven Pienaar early on, but did very little else. A late bid for Charlie Adam seemed bizarre as there appears precious little room for him in the Spurs squad, and the lack of a central defensive signing may surprise some given the clubs extensive injury list at that position. They did allow some players to go out on loan, most notably Robbie Keane, but perhaps failed to make the splash that would elevate them into the Champions League places for a second season in succession.
Grade: D+


West Bromwich Albion
In: Carlos Vela (Arsenal, Loan)
Out: Luke Moore (Swansea, Undisclosed), Leon Barnett (Norwich, Undisclosed), Luke Daniels (Bristol Rovers, Loan), Joe Mattock (Sheffield U, Loan), Romaine Sawyers (Port Vale, Loan), Kayleden Brown (Port Vale, Loan), Ishmael Miller (QPR, Loan), Reuben Reid (Oldham, Free), Paul Downing (Shrewsbury, loan)



A poor run of recent results have unfortunately cost Roberto Di Mateo his job. However, the question has to be asked that if the board where leaning towards this sort of decision, why didn’t they do it in January and give a new manager time to bring players in? The addition of Carlos Vela on loan from Arsenal is a good one, and he will compliment their attacking, passing style. But it seems strange that more wasn’t done to either back Di Mateo or get a new manager in earlier. They could be in real trouble.
Grade: D


West Ham United
In: Gary O’Neil (Middlesbrough, £1.5m), Wayne Bridge (Manchester C, Loan), Demba Ba (Hoffenheim, £500,000), Robbie Keane (Tottenham, Loan), Paul McCallum (D Hamley, Undisclosed)
Out: Frank Nouble (Barnsley, Loan), Valon Behrami (Fiorentina, £3m)



West Ham’s signings smack of desperation to me. Wayne Bridge is passed his best and has proved that in a Hammers shirt thus far. Demba Ba failed a medical for Stoke and Gary O’Neil has been out of the Premiership for a while. Robbie Keane could be their one saving grace. A proven goalscorer at this level that could help kick start the seasons of Carlton Cole and Victor Obina, Keane might just be able to keep West Ham up. It’s good to see the board finally backing Avram Grant after the appalling way they have treated the Israeli during his tenure, but it could be a case of ‘too little, too late’.
Grade: C+


Wigan Athletic
In: Adrian Lopez (Deportivo La Coruna, Free), Connor Sammon (Kilmarnock, £600,000)
Out: Mauro Boselli (Genoa, Loan), Lee Nicholls (Shrewsbury, Loan)



Well on the plus side Wigan managed to keep hold of stars Hugo Rodallega and Charles N’Zogbia, and have promising youngsters Victor Moses and James McCarthey back from injury. The bad news for Roberto Martinez’s side is that they had to let their flop of a record signing leave without replacing him and they remain firmly in the bottom three. It’s always going to be difficult for Wigan to splash the cash with such a low fan base, but by not doing so they may have condemned themselves to Championship football next season.  
Grade: D+


Wolverhampton Wanderers
In: Adam Hammill (Barnsley, £500,000), Jamie O’Hara (Tottenham, Loan), Adriano Basso (Unattached)
Out: Andy Keogh (Bristol City, Loan), David Davis (Shrewsbury, Loan), Jelle van Damme (Standard Liege, £2.5m), John Dunleavy (Barnet, Loan), Greg Halford (Portsmouth, Loan), Matt Hill (Barnsley, Free)



Wolves have been great value this season, playing in some absolute crackers. The bad news for them is that they were on the wrong end of the result in most of them. Despite their big name scalps this season they remain in the relegation zone, and must start turning their good performances into win soon if they want to stay up. Adam Hammill will add creativity, as will Jamie O’Hara, who performed admirably in trying to keep Portsmouth up last season. They really need their expensive and misfiring strike force of Kevin Doyle and Steven Fletcher to find the back of the net more often and they may just hang onto their Premiership status.  
Grade: C+


With these squads now in place, I am going to predict who will finish on top, who will qualify for the Champions League, who will grab the Europa League places and who will go down.


Champions: Manchester United
Champions League: Arsenal (2nd), Chelsea (3rd), Manchester City (4th)
Europa League: Tottenham (5th), Liverpool (6th), Sunderland (7th)
Relegated: Wigan (20th), West Brom (19th), Wolves (18th)


What do you think? Let me know.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Agree with most of it and I predict the same league positions but one point i disagree on is the newcastle grading. I think they done ok because to bring in 35 million for a home-grown player is outstanding and Ireland on loan could prove to be smart business.