With the January transfer window being swung wide open recently and the rumour mill going into overdrive, I feel its time to have a look at the best and worst signings from last time the window was open.
Best Signings
Firstly its time for the best signings, it must be the best feeling for a manager when a signing comes off exactly how you planned it. But as in every season there are some who have been better than expected...
Richard Kingson - Free Transfer (Blackpool)
Due to an injury crisis manager Ian Holloway handed first team goal keeping duties to him and he has repaid his managers faith in him ten fold. He is now first choice ahead of the highly rated Matt Gilkes.
He has also been named best goalkeeper of the first half of this Premier League season in a poll by the Guardian newspaper and also voted Blackpool's best player so far this season by fans. His manager said after a 2-0 victory against Sunderland “Even my keeper has grown Kenny Everett hands today. Sixteen shots on target and he stopped them all" after an amazing performance he also went on to say “You need 32 (shots) on target to beat Richard Kingson."
Rafael Van Der Vaart - £7.5 million (Tottenham)
Half of Europe was looking for an attacking midfielder, Liverpool bought Joe Cole, AC Milan bought Kevin Prince Boateng and Manchester United... Well they gave up and bought lots of strikers. Whilst all this was going on Spurs snuck in under everyone's radars and snapped up Van Der Vaart. To sign a full Dutch international with Champions League experience at the peak of his career for £7.5 million pounds is a bargain in itself, but with the performances he has been putting in for Spurs since his move have rubber stamped his move as a complete success.
He has made 20 appearances 1 of which was as a substitute so far this season and scored an amazing 10 goals. When looking back on when Van Der Vaart was signed his manager Harry Redknapp said "I took a gamble with him because he has had a hamstring problem, and when he gets tired he tends to get injuries. So when he gets a bit fatigued he does tend to do a hamstring or something else, and that's what I was scared of. I probably left him on for 10 minutes longer than I was going to because when he got hold of the ball at least he would keep it." When talking about his performances Redknapp goes on to say "he has been fantastic for us. He's a 15- to 20-goal-a-year man, and he has everything as a player. He's not just a goalscorer, but a fantastic footballer.''
Marouane Chamakh - Free Transfer (Arsenal)
The Moroccan international is another one of Arsene Wenger's gems. Signed for nothing from French side Bordeaux he has played 21 matches and scored 10 goals so far this season. He has also provided Arsenal with an Aerial threat and physical presence up front and Arsene Wenger has said about him that “He has all you want from a typical centre-forward that we have known before in England before. He fights for the club and works hard for the team.”.
Although he has dipped in form recently, I feel that these statistics and the fact that he signed for free might put him up for signing of the season at the end of the 2010-11 campaign.
Javier Hernandez - £6 million (Man Utd)
Signed before the 2010 World Cup by Manchester United, could've already been considered a very good piece of business after his performances in the world footballs biggest stage which led to him scoring two goals at the World Cup.
Since his move to United he has scored some important goals including the winners against West Brom, Stoke, Wolves and Valencia. His goals from the United bench have turned potential draws into wins which makes him invaluable in their hunt for another Premier League title.
Just to show how much of a bargain he has on his hands Alex Ferguson said "I think our scouting people deserve 10 out of 10 for identifying him before the World Cup and I think if we had been trying to negotiate after the World Cup it would have been very difficult," Ferguson also went on to say "I think a lot of teams would have been after him and it would probably have cost us two or three times more,".
Cheikh Tiote - £3.5 million (Newcastle)
After his move from Dutch club FC Twente Tiote has wasted no time in establishing himself as a first teamer for Newcastle United. The skillful and strong box to box midfielder has already drawn comparisons to Michael Essien.
He has injected energy into Newcastle's midfield and has shone in two games particularly against Arsenal and Everton. In the Arsenal game he shackled opposition playmaker Cesc Fabregas and helped his side to a 1-0 win at the Emirates. He was given recognition by The Guardian who covered his performance:
“Chris Hughton gave full Premier League debuts to two new midfielders on Saturday – Hatem Ben Arfa and Cheick Tioté. Ben Arfa made the most obvious impact, with a stunning 30-yard drive that turned out to be the game’s only goal, but Tioté also impressed in a more low-key role. Starting in place of Alan Smith, Tioté’s calm, reliable distribution in the centre of the pitch allowed Newcastle to control the midfield. Indeed, they actually out-passed Everton on Saturday, recording 276 passes compared to the home side’s 260. It may be a narrow margin but not many sides will achieve that at Goodison Park this season – not even Manchester United, who lost out 329-298 in that respect. Tioté was the key to this – completing all of his 43 passes. He also made two interceptions, completed all three of his attempted tackles, and his only shot was on target.”
Worst Signings
Now its time for those signings which haunt managers throughout the season. Whenever a manager makes a signing there is a spotlight on the player to see if the performances put in the player matches his value. Here are a few that haven't matched their values by quite a long way...
Christian Poulsen - £4.5 million (Liverpool)
Mauro Boselli - £6.5 million (Wigan)
He has played 8 Premier League games and he hasn't come close to scoring... Oh yes he has he's missed a penalty.
His manager Roberto Martinez defended him by saying, "He is a real asset to our football club but we need to be patient and fair with him. He is coming from a different league, different environment, different culture. If you look at the way he has adapted, the workrate, the way he took the goal, it is very pleasing. I am sure Wigan Athletic fans will see the best of him very soon." In case your wondering the goal was in the Carling cup against Swansea in November and yes we are still waiting to see the best of him...
Stephen Ireland - £8 million (Aston Villa)
Signed from Manchester City after the sale of James Milner and he's done a very good job at showing why they froze him out and sold him. So far he has played 581 minutes of football, scoring no goals and has earned an astonishing £1.2 million his troubles or lack of them...
A Villa fanzine has said of the midfielder "Ireland has clearly got an attitude problem," and then went on to say "Sadly, it seems like he could be another Stan Collymore - a very rich footballer who ended up doing very little in the game, and who left fans with a feeling of ‘what if?'
Paul Konchesky - £4 million (Liverpool)
Even his current manager and manager from his days at Fulham, Roy Hodgson got the message in Liverpool's last game against Bolton. Konchesky was dropped and didn't even make the squad for the match.
Joe Cole - Free
"[Lionel] Messi can do some amazing things, but anything he can do Joe can do as well, if not better. He used to shock us in training by doing footy tricks with a golf ball that most players can't even do with a football. I really fancy Joe for the [player of the year] award this season." Those were the words used by one Steven Gerrard to describe Joe Cole. Just like Audley Harrison he talks a good game but just like Harrison, Cole has failed to deliver.
His first notable moment in a Liverpool shirt was to get a red card against Arsenal. He has admitted he has had poor form and it can be clearly seen why Chelsea were happy to let him go. Manager Roy Hodgson hasn't been the most supportive “Joe has to come to terms with the fact that he has come here after an unsuccessful period at Chelsea with high hopes of taking Liverpool by storm and unfortunately it’s not happened,” said Hodgson. “If he says ‘Well I’m not playing in my right position’, then you’d have to ask him what his right position is. If he says the only place he can play is behind the striker, then he is limiting his chances of playing here.”
Rumours are that he is already a target for former club West Ham, that's always bad news if you look at their signings in past seasons. One more thing I said earlier "you can't go wrong with a free transfer", well I lied...
Conclusion
Well that was quite a Liverpool heavy flop section, its not been the best of seasons for the Merseyside club who could soon be counting their manager in the flop section. But in a time when teams can't splash out as much as they used to, we're a bit short on flops this season as teams now bother to do their scouting or don't bother signing anyone. With the successes, they could easily turn into flops if they're not careful as there still is the second half of the season to go, penalties to be missed and managers to fall out with, we shall see what happens. As usual thanks for reading....
2 comments:
entertaining read mate
thank you for your support!! It's very much appreciated.
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