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January transfer window ends with a whimper
Published by Ian John on February 3, 2010
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The much vaunted and hyped January transfer window closed at 5pm for Premier League teams on Monday night and despite satellite television’s attempts to make the day seem apocalyptic in nature, the truth is that the deadline passed with little more than a stifled whimper. The only deals of real note being the signing of Adam Johnson from Middlesbrough by Manchester City and the loan of Tottenham striker Robbie Keane to Scottish Premier League giants Glasgow Celtic.
The lack of genuine transfer activity over the month has led to some managers, such as Tony Pulis, saying the transfer window should be scrapped because of the destabilising effect it can have on players who are the subject of speculation in the media. Others, such as Roberto Martinez of Wigan Athletic, have stated that football should be cancelled during the window because of the effect the speculation can have on players. In effect calling for a winter break.
Other critics have suggested that the lack of activity during the window could be down to the financial situation in football finally coming home to roost. Certainly for clubs like Portsmouth, this may well be the case, but it doesn’t really stand up when you look at the supposed amounts of money the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Birmingham City and Manchester City have available. So the question must be, why did the bigger teams choose not to spend?
The answer I believe is not due to a lack of funds, but due to the timing. The midpoint of the season is seldom a good time to make big changes to key areas of your team. Take the top three sides in the Premier League. Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal were hardly busy during the window. Chelsea, true to Carlo Ancelotti’s word, signed nobody. Manchester United snapped up Chris Smalling from Fulham but even he isn’t arriving at Old Trafford until the end of the season. Arsenal, despite rumours linking them with a move for several strikers and manager Arsene Wenger stating he was looking at David Villa and Marouane Chamakh, also never made a move for a single player, other than Smalling where they lost out to United.
The truth is, the players these clubs are interested in are the players who traditionally move at the end of the season. The reason for this is, for some, their contracts run out on the 30th June and they can move as a free agent after then (as in Chamakh’s case) and for others, such as David Villa, clubs spending vast sums on a player don’t want him to come in mid-season and then have to settle into league football within a day or two of arriving. In the summer, the player can spend pre-season working with his team mates, playing friendlies and understanding what his new role is in the team. This makes it a much easier transition for the player and the club, not to mention the selling club who then have the same chance to work with his replacement. It is that why the bigger clubs have kept their powder dry and that is why there have been no deals, despite the pre-window hype, for the likes of Sergio Aguero, David Villa, Alexandre Pato and so on…
However come the Summer, it will be a different ball game.
Image Courtesy of ***Eamzo*** at Flickr.com
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Nabyl Charania on Wed, 3rd Feb 2010 1:26 pm
was a pretty boring transfer window. Like you say it makes little sense to bring in a key player mid way thru a season and just hope he fits in to your plans. Is it just me or is it surprising that Robbie Keane was transferred out of the EPL?