Ten January Transfer Window 2009 Related Thoughts

(Note – Follow this link to read our coverage of the 2010 January transfer window).

1, Manchester City’s audacious move for Kaka may not have materialised, but when the dust settles on their transfer activity it should be concluded that the Eastlands outfit actually bought quite wisely in January. Leaving the borderline ridiculous prices they paid aside, Wayne Bridge, Shay Given, Craig Bellamy and Nigel de Jong are all sensible, solid signings that significantly improve every area of Mark Hughes’ squad. If they can sort their dire away form out I expect a strong end to the season from the blue half of Manchester.

2, Newcastle United lost their best player (Given) and their most promising youngster (Charles N’Zogbia) in January. Not only that but injuries to Joey Barton and captain Michael Owen will keep the pair out for a sizeable proportion of the Magpies’ remaining games. Mike Ashley is still in charge, becoming more and more despised on Tyneside as the weeks go by, Dennis Wise is still nowhere to be seen and comfortably one of the most fruitless executive directors around and Joe Kinnear wears an increasingly sallow, haunted look on his face with every passing press conference. With home games against four of the top six still to come and an away record that boasts just one win all season, Newcastle face a huge battle to avoid relegation.

3, Premier League clubs spent £160 million in January 2009 – a new record and more than all of Spain, Italy and Germany’s January spending combined. Recession? What recession?

4, Stoke City did some good business this winter. James Beattie might not be a glamour buy but he knows the Premier League inside out and will score goals if the chances come his way. Which is where Matthew Etherington comes in.

5, The Portuguese connection continues to grow at Chelsea. Ricardo Quaresma was one of Europe’s hottest properties this time last year, so it was strange to see him cast aside so readily by Inter Milan. Nevertheless his pace, width and invention are just what Chelsea need right now. And can it really be that Jose Mourinho wanted to replace Quaresma with Tottenham’s David Bentley? Has he seen Bentley play this season?

6, Fair play to Sam Allardyce at Blackburn Rovers for continually rebuffing Manchester City’s overtures for Roque Santa Cruz. As he rightly pointed out, if relegation will cost the club £40 million, and the Paraguayan striker holds the key to Rovers’ survival, then it is only reasonable to price him accordingly. It’s not as if City can’t afford it.

7, Real Madrid signed Klaas Jan Huntelaar and Lassana Diarra in January. Both of them have already featured in European competition this season. By UEFA regulations, the club can only therefore register one for the next phase of the Champions League. Madrid did not even realise this and only found out when Marca reported it in the papers. When they did eventually catch on, rather than accept the ruling, Los Merengues threatened to take UEFA to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to have the law overturned for their benefit. No wonder Sir Alex Ferguson calls them a ‘mob.’

8, Giampaolo Pazzini’s move from Fiorentina to Sampdoria was one of the finest coups of the January transfer window anywhere in Europe. Prove me right Giampaolo.

9, One to watch: Toni Kroos, transferred on loan from Bayern Munich to Bayer Leverkusen. Kroos was voted Player of the Tournament at the U-17 World Cup in 2007 and is considered one of the brightest young talents in Germany. Leverkusen sporting director Rudi Voller has been raving about the loan deal, delighted to have secured the services of the 19-year-old attacking midfielder. Though currently nursing an injury, Kroos will soon be back to boost Leverkusen’s drive for a Champions League spot in the Bundesliga.

10, Wow, I went the whole article without mentioning Andrey Arshavi….zzzzzzz. Oh, that’s right. Now I remember why.

Blackburn Rovers, Chelsea, English Premier League, Giampaolo Pazzini, Manchester City, Newcastle United, Real Madrid, Ricardo Quaresma, Stoke City, Toni Kroos, Transfer News