The summer transfer window has
slammed shut for another year and clubs will now have to wait until January
2013 to get new players into the squad on permanent transfers.
The Notables
Roberto Mancini had been
complaining all summer about EPL Champions Manchester City's lack of movement
in the transfer market with Everton's Jack Rodwell their only signing to date.
Then on the final day of the transfer window, City brought in the quintet of
Javi Garcia, Matija Nastasic, Maicon, Scott Sinclair and Richard Wright. City got
rid of their fringe players like Emmanuel Adebayor, Roque Santa Cruz, Stefan
Savic and Adam Johnson but the most surprising transfer out was Nigel de Jong,
who only had a year left on his contract, to AC Milan. The new signings will
certainly give Mancini more depth to compete in all competitions this season.
City's rivals Manchester United
did not get involved in the deadline day shenanigans besides letting Dimitar
Berbatov join Fulham. Sir Alex Ferguson had done his major business pre-season,
signing the likes of Shinji Kagawa and Robin Van Persie, both of whom have
already scored for their new club. However, Sir Alex really needed more cover
for his backline as playing Michael Carrick as a central defender is clearly
not working. Unfortunately, United have been unlucky with injuries given they
already have five central defenders in Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Phil
Jones, Jonathan Evans and Chris Smalling.
Like United, reigning European
Champions Chelsea had most of their major signings done during the pre-season
and the £32 million spent on Eden Hazard alone looks like money well spent with
the Belgian settling into the EPL with 4 assists and 1 goal in his first 3 EPL
matches. With plenty of numbers in midfield, Roberto Di Matteo has allowed
former midfield enforcer Michael Essien to join Real Madrid on a season-long
loan. Cesar Azpilicueta has been brought in to strengthen the right-back
position and so it looks like Paulo Ferreira’s days at Stamford Bridge are
numbered. Wigan’s Victor Moses has finally joined after a summer-long pursuit
and like Daniel Sturridge, he can play the forward wing position but it is
obvious that these two will be Fernando Torres’ main competition for the “no. 9”
position. Just because Torres wears the no. 9 does not mean he is the automatic
selection! So far though, Didier Drogba’s absence has not been felt thankfully
for Chelsea fans.
Arsenal on the other hand, look
to be on the decline this year as not only have they lost Van Persie but Alex
Song joined Barcelona recently as well. Only Santi Cazorla looks to have
settled into the EPL with Arsene Wenger's new first team strikers Olivier
Giroud and Lukas Podolski struggling to find the back of the net. Have Arsenal become
a feeder club for the likes of City, United and Barcelona?
Tottenham have managed to capture
one of the EPL stars of last season Clint Dempsey from Fulham along with his
teammate Moussa Dembele. Together with fellow new signings Gylfi Sigurdsson and
Adebayor, Andre Villas-Boas obviously feels that he has adequate replacements
to have let someone like Rafael Van der Vaart leave. The new signings will be
vital to the team now with Luka Modric and Van der Vaart having left for Real
Madrid and Hamburg respectively. Does Villas-Boas really have the tactical nous
to succeed in the EPL? He certainly has a squad capable of challenging
especially with his new no. 1 Hugo Lloris, signed from Lyon on D-Day!
Liverpool’s Brendan Rodgers is
clearly making his mark on his squad, wheeling and dealing in the transfer
market and letting the most expensive British footballer Andy Carroll, signed
for £35 million from Newcastle United, join West Ham on a season-long loan.
However, it will take a couple of years, if not a few, before Liverpool are
back challenging for the title. Former England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson is
correct in saying that Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard should leave Anfield if
he ever wants to win the EPL title. At 32, he is not getting any younger!
The Rest
Queens Park Rangers have really
strengthened their squad as they aim to survive in their second season back in
the EPL. Having already signed experienced EPL players like Park Ji-Sung,
Junior Hoilett, Robert Green, Ryan Nelsen, Andrew Johnson and Jose Bosingwa,
Mark Hughes managed to capture Esteban Granero from Real Madrid and Stéphane
M'Bia from Marseille. Bad boy and former club captain Joey Barton goes the
opposite way to France on a season-long loan. The key though for Hughes is to
have his new players integrate with his existing squad and gelling from the
get-go.
Like QPR, West Ham have really
strengthened their squad and Sam Allardyce managed to add Wolves’ Matt Jarvis,
Carroll and Chelsea’s Yossi Benayoun in the final week of the transfer window.
Expect the Hammers to stay up also.
Despite the surprise signing of Gaston
Ramirez from Bologna, Southampton are still one of the favourites for the drop.
Norwich are the favourites for
the drop and although they also have a new manager in Chris Hughton this
season, I think they have what it takes to stay in the EPL at the end of this
season. The Canaries have added the likes of Sebastian Bassong from Tottenham,
Robert Snodgrass from Leeds, Michael Turner from Sunderland, Steven Whittaker from
Rangers and Javier Garrido from Lazio as well as keeping club captain Grant
Holt who had submitted a transfer request during the summer when contract
negotiations broke down.
Although Reading have signed Pavel
Pogrebnyak, who was a success for Fulham last season, they are most likely to
join Southampton back in the Championship.
So who will be the third team
that will leave their fans crying at the end of the season? It could be a toss-up
between Aston Villa, West Bromwich Albion and Wigan.
Villa have brought in young
Belgian international striker Christian Benteke from Genk, Dutch international
Ron Vlaar from Feyenoord, Moroccan international Karim El Ahmadi from Feyenoord
and Australian international Brett Holman from AZ Alkmaar. Can all these
internationals help however?
Some of WBA’s signings include
Ben Foster from Birmingham, Swedish international Markus Rosenberg from Werder
Bremen, Belgian international Romelu Lukaku on loan from Chelsea and Macedonian
international Goran Popov on loan from Dynamo Kiev. Steve Clarke’s men have
started off the season strongly with a 3-0 hammering of Liverpool at home
followed up by a respectable 1-1 draw at White Hart Lane. If they can keep up
these performances then perhaps they will stay up.
Wigan have flirted with
relegation in each of the past 3 seasons but Roberto Martinez has managed to
conjure up some magic to keep them in the EPL each time. Having lost Hugo
Rodallega to Fulham and now Moses to Chelsea, will his luck run out? Can the
signing of Arouna Koné from Levante help Wigan get the goals they need? Will Ryo
Miyaichi’s season-long loan from Arsenal be as successful for the Latics as it
was for Bolton last season?
Keep An Eye Out!
As previously mentioned, Hazard
looks like money well spent and if he can keep this form up, then he certainly
could well be the signing of the season!
Other than him, Van Persie is
still a sensational signing for United along with Kagawa who adds that
creativity in the United midfield previously lacking.
Fulham will certainly not miss
Dempsey with Berbatov brought in and Hamburg’s Mladen Petric having already
scored a brace on debut.
Swansea’s Michu, signed for only £2
million from Rayo Vallecano, looks to be one of the bargains of the season! He
has carried his form from last season where he scored 15 goals from midfield in
a team fighting relegation in La Liga.
