The transfer window has been open for five days and as expected all of the action has been taking place in Manchester.
The red side of Manchester got things going with the expected signings of Serbian duo Zoran Tosic and Adem Ljajic from Partizan Belgrade for around £17 million. Tosic is rated as one of the best young wingers in Europe. That could be bad news for Nani, who was thought to be the heir apparent to Ryan Giggs, but Nani has struggled to make sort of impression since joining from Sporting Lisbon.
Not to be outdone, Mark Hughes has been busy spending his Arab money. First he has made Wayne Bridge the highest paid left back in the world, and now he is rumored to have offered Scott Parker £100,000 a week. Imagine what he would pay for someone who was actually a full-time international!
Hughes is expected to also sign Blackburn striker Roque Santa Cruz, West Ham forward Craig Bellamy and Newcastle keeper Shay Given. Total cost around £50 million. I actually think these are good signings from Hughes. He is adding proven Premier League players, and if he can add a good central defender, I think that City will have markedly improved themselves.
Portsmouth has picked up about £35 million in transfer fees from selling Defoe and Diarra. It will be interesting to see who Tony Adams brings in as they need a goal scorer to replace Defoe. One manager that won’t be using his transfer fees is Big Phil at Chelsea. The tabloids are suggesting that Big Phil will not be able to use any of the £12 million he just got for Bridge on a left winger or forward. Chelski’s financial situation is a very strange one and I would not be surprised to see Roman Abramovich try and sell the team this year. The problem for Chelsea is that they owe Abramovich around £600 million and I don’t think that Chelsea is worth that.
The craziest rumor is that Jermaine Pennant who is out of contract at Liverpool in the summer is the target of European giants AC Milan and Real Madrid. Do Milan and Real have Pennant confused with another English winger? He cannot make the Liverpool team, so why would these teams think that he can help them?
You can keep up to date on the completed January transfers here.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
No mention of Carlos Tevez exiting Manchester and Benzema coming in? As for Pennant, wow! That is one heck of a creative rumor!!! I wonder if he will be taking ankle bracelet (presented to him by his friends at Scotland Yard a few years back) with him to Spain or Italy.
Love the Pennant comment:)
Tevez is at old Trafford until the end of the season. He cannot sign with anyone else until then. Benzema is a summer target. He will not leave this month.
I forgot to add that Hughes’ spending seems right for a normal English club, but I think the guy forgot that his team’s owners are expecting him to blow money; I would, especially knowing that if City does not finish up top (top 8 maybe?) I will be out of a job. He should go after big names!!!