There seems to be an awful lot of panic about the transfer window, the forums are full of talk and gossip and frustration that we are missing out and not getting the players we obviously need.
Martin O’Neill said the other day we need five quality signings, (MON positive on the transfer front), so how come we aren’t getting them and why are we missing out?
Well, to be honest, having spent an hour looking at the movements in and out of all the Premiership clubs, we aren’t missing out at all, the main movements apart from a few big signings for Manchester City are still to be made by the looks of it. Maybe the market prices are too inflated after the massive Real Madrid move for Ronaldo, Sir Alex Chewalot certainly thinks so as he has declared his summer spending over (albeit the chief exec later said it might not be!)
So, despite that fact it is boring and we’d all like to see more players incoming, the manager included, I can’t see much in the list below that we’ve missed out on or any players who have gone to close competitors that have left me gutted or disappointed that we’ve not made the move also. In fact, most clubs seem to be waiting for everyone else to make the first major moves? Not so much a Mexican stand-off, more a Premiership one!
Villa defender Curtis Davies says that MON is right in taking his time. ‘All summer there has been talk of another striker and another centre-half, with Martin Laursen having to retire. Either way, whoever comes in, they are going to be improvements and it’s going to be competition for places. The manager doesn’t come flying out of the blocks and try and outbid people. I think he is very shrewd with his signings. He identifies who he wants and he tries very hard to get him behind the scenes.’
Adding on Sky Sports that Stewart Downing is a top signing and it is now a case of everyone having to be patient.
‘Some people seem to think we manage to lose out on players but that’s only because we’re not publicly throwing it out there who we’re after. I’m sure the manager has a game plan because he’s a very clever man. If we’re going to try and push on next season, we need numbers but also strength. There’s no point of signing people for the sake of it. If we are going to go far in the Europa League and a couple of domestic cups, we’re going to need a lot of players.’
So who have we missed out on? Lets look at it more fully:
Arsenal
In: Thomas Vermaelen Undisclosed Ajax
Out: 7 exits (one main sale, one loan and five contracts ended) Emmanuel Adebayor being the main one for an undisclosed fee to Manchester City
Aston Villa
In: Stewart Downing for an undisclosed fee thought to be in the region of £10m + add ons from Middlesbrough.
Out: Gareth Barry to Man City for £12million, Stuart Taylor free to City and Martin Laursen retired.
Blues
In:
Barry Ferguson Undisclosed from Rangers
Lee Bowyer free transfer from West Ham United
Christian Benitez undisclosed from Santos Laguna
Giovanny Espinoza undisclosed from Barcelona Sporting Club
Roger Johnson for £ 5,000,000 from Cardiff City
Scott Dann undisclosed from Coventry City
Joe Hart ON LOAN from Man City
Robin Shroot ON LOAN from Burton Albion
Not one we’ve missed there is there?
Out: 9 out, loans, contracts expiring etc.
Blackburn Rovers:
In:
Gael Givet undisclosed from Marseille
Steven N’Zonzi undisclosed from Amiens
Elrio van Heerden free from Club Brugge
Lars Jacobsen free from Everton.
Basically who times 4? Not missed any gems there I don’t think?
Out: 7 out including Roque Santa Cruz to Man City for £17m and Matt Derbyshire undisclosed fee to Olympiakos
Bolton Wanderers
In: Paul Robinson on loan from the Baggies and Sean Davis, a free from Pompey.
No misses there then.
Burnley
In: 5 in, none who would have troubled the Villa squad (Richard Eckersley undisclosed from Man Utd, Brian Easton £350k from Hamilton Academical, Tyrone Mears undisclosed from Derby County, Steve Fletcher £3m from Hibs, David Edgar free from Newcastle United)
Out: 4
Chelsea
They are discussing their own lack of transfers on Vital Chelsea: Chelsea – A Lack of Transfer News?
In:
Yuri Zhirkov – undisclosed from CSKA Moscow
Daniel Sturridge – undisclosed (goes to a tribunal I think?) from Man City
Ross Turnbull – free from Boro
Andriy Shevchenko back in after his loan
Scott Sinclair back in from a loan to Blues
Ok, we were linked with Sturridge, that doesn’t mean we bid for him though and the capital city does attract players, nothing we can do about that. As for the others… gutted or not? No, didn’t think so.
Out: 6, free’s and loans etc.
Everton
Sure to be one of our main competitors again.
In:
Anton Peterlin on a free from Ventura County Fusion
Jo on loan from Man City
Out: 3 released + free.
So nothing missed there?
Fulham
In:
Bjorn Helge Riise, undisclosed from Lillestrom
Stephen Kelly undisclosed from Blues
Who?! That said, I rate Hodgson to do the business for Fulham!
Out – 2
Hull City
In: Steven Mouyokolo undisclossed from Boulogne
Out: 5
Liverpool
In: Glen Johnson undisclosed but thought to be over £15m from Portsmouth
Out: 6 including Jermaine Pennant on a free to Real Zaragoza
Manchester City
Ok, so this lot have bought a lot, spent a lot and actually got some very good players in. Can we or any team compete with the obscene wages from their obscenely rich owners? Nope, so we can’t over worry about it can we?! :o) or should that be :o( They will buy the league at some stage I’m sure.
In:
Emmanuel not so popular with gunner fans anymore Adebayor for an undisclosed fee
Carlos Tevez, £25million from … whoever owns the bugger…!
Gareth Barry £12m say no more
Roque Santa Cruz for £17m from Blackburn Rovers
Stuart Taylor – free from Villa.
Ok, would have loved Tevez and for Barry to stay. Santa Cruz? Not sure, bit of a one season wonder so far?
Out: 10
Manchester United
In:
Michael Owen, free from Newcastle United
Antonio Valencia undisclosed fee from Wigan Athletic
Gabriel Obertan, undisclosed from Bordeaux
Not exactly torn the world apart with signings and Sir Alex Chewalot says that is that for this summer because of the inflated prices and that despite selling Ronaldo for £80million!
Fair enough I’d have liked Owen or Valencia but it is just fact, if Man Utd come in for players, they go there… end of for us, end of for 95% of all clubs!
Out: 6, most notably Ronaldo to Real Madrid for £80m and Fraizer Campbell to Sunderland for £3.5m
Portsmouth
In: Aaron Mokoena on a free from Blackburn Rovers
Out: 10, some free, others contacts ended + Johnson to Liverpool.
Stoke City
Two out, none in
Sunderland
In:
Paulo Da Silva on a free from Toluca
Fraizer Campbell for £3.5m from Man Utd.
Campbell looks a handy player but probably a bit similar to what we already have? Other than that, nothing going on…!
Out: 8
Spurs
Another who will no doubt be back up there and fighting for the top 4-8 positions with us this season.
In: Kyle Naughton and Kyle Walker from Sheffield United for undisclosed fees.
We were linked to Naughton, but that doesn’t mean we actually bid for him, just that the press say we did.
Out: 4
West Ham United
In:
Luis Jiminez on loan from Inter Milan
Peter Kurucz undisclosed from Ujpesti FC
Herita llunga undisclosed from Toulouse
Again, missed nothing there and another team who could well be fighting 6-8 next season.
Out: 4
Wigan Athletic
In:
James McCarthy from Hamilton Academical for an undisclosed fee
Jason Scotland, £2m from Swansea City
Hendry Thomas undisclosed from Olimpia
Jordi Gomez, undisclosed from Espanyol
Nowt there I feel we’ve missed out on?
Out: 3 including Valencia to Man Utd
Wolves
In:
Ronald Zubar from Marseille
Greg Halford from Sunderland
Nenad Milijas from Red Star Belgrade
Kevin Doyle from Reading
Andrew Surman from Southampton
(all undisclosed)
Marcus Hahnemann free from Reading
Only one that might become a ‘why didn’t we go for him’ (and who was linked to us numerous times) is Kevin Doyle, apart from that, we’ve not been beaten to the punch on any player there have we?
Out: 2
Main source: www.skysports.com/football/transfers although they’ve not updated the Spurs purchases as yet.
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