IT’S JANUARY. A month characterised by exams, broken New Year’s resolutions and of course updating the teams once again on my beloved FIFA ’09 game; brace yourselves for more transfer activity, folks. The “window of opportunity”, as Roberto Martinez describes it, has already raised a few eyebrows over the last two and a half weeks and expect there to be plenty more drama as we enter the frantic finale when the biggest deals are struck.
The main talking point so far has been great players coming back to help their former clubs. Most of these clubs are experiencing problems in one way or another and realise the best way to replace their former stars is simply to bring in an older version. For example, Manchester United have brought back the 37-year old phoenix that is Paul Scholes to resurrect a depleted midfield. But I doubt Anderson would have been too happy sitting there on the bench against Manchester City, seeing the old man brought on before him. Also, Arsenal have brought back a now-bearded Thierry Henry to take the pressure off their only reliable striker, Robin van Persie, who deserves a break. His goal in the FA Cup against Leeds shows he still has that quality which will strike fear into Premier League defences over the next few weeks.
Another nice touch which has gone under the radar is Jason Euell’s loan move from Charlton Athletic to AFC Wimbledon, the replacement club for the old Wimbledon FC for whom he scored 41 goals between 1995 and 2001. And who knows, maybe one of the greatest strikers ever to grace the Premier League, Emile Heskey, will re-join Liverpool to give them a bit more firepower up front. Luis Suarez’s 8-match ban has deprived Liverpool of a very talented player and Andy Carroll’s link with a return to Newcastle sums up the Geordie’s lack of impact. He may have just turned 34, but Heskey is a fan favourite who would surely lift spirits after a few weeks of negative headlines for the Merseyside club.
Maybe this plethora of loan moves is the way forward for the big clubs as UEFA’s Financial Fair Play regulations come into force this year. It is an attempt to create a more level playing-field by eliminating the unfair advantages for clubs with more spending power, as they can only spend as much as they earn. Hence we are likely to see total spending around half the size of January 2011, which saw an incredible £225 million splashed out, the largest amount since the window came into existence in 2003.
However, many clubs will still be prepared to complete a big deal if it enhances their prospects for the league title, promotion or survival. At Sunderland, Martin O’Neill has been promised funds, presumably for a striker; Bobby Zamora could well be the man to fill the void left by Darren Bent and Asamoah Gyan. And QPR’s new manager Mark Hughes reportedly has £30 million of ammunition from owner Tony Fernandes. Their targets include Christopher Samba, Nedum Onuoha and possibly Chelsea’s Alex to bolster the defensive ranks. Although a swoop for Carlos Tevez may be a bit too far-fetched, there is no doubt QPR are no longer a ‘small club’ when it comes to wielding their influence in the transfer market. Another speculative switch would be a Manchester United swoop for Newcastle’s Demba Ba. Perhaps Sir Alex Ferguson could tempt the striking sensation to the North West by offering a free bucket-load of strawberry syrup every time he scores.
And expect there to be one or two exciting overseas players coming to our shores this January. Forward Eden Hazard, of Lille, has been linked with Chelsea, Arsenal and, as if they don’t have enough attacking options already, Manchester City. The 20 year old would be under a lot of pressure to live up to his name at such big clubs, however. Meanwhile, Liverpool and Manchester United are reportedly keen to sign Basel’s diminutive winger Xerdan Shaqiri, who impressed greatly in the 2-1 defeat of United in December.
And finally, there has been more talk than ever about lower league talents who could cut it at Premier League level. Most of this surrounds Huddersfield Town’s Jordan Rhodes. The 21-year-old Scottish international has bagged 27 goals at the time of writing, including five hat-tricks. When interviewed last week Rhodes insisted he was concentrating on the present and was surprised and flattered to be linked with the big boys. But inside he will be hoping for that phone call. Crawley Town’s Matt Tubbs is also catching the eye. The former Salisbury City player has scored 49 goals in 63 appearances since joining Crawley in 2010, and has helped them reach the top of League Two. Wowzers.