I often wonder what the point is,
why do we get so excited about ‘Transfer deadline day’. Sky have done very well
in marketing it as a huge event for the football calendar. But is it really?
Gone are the days where teams panic buy, chairman are fed up of gambling their
money on players who move from club to club. After all which team is really
that much stronger today than they were on December the 31st?
Chelsea have swapped one winger
for another, Man U have signed a backup keeper and Spurs brought in and then
loaned back out a hot prospect. Even the usual big players in transfer deadline
day did little to live up to their reputation. Redknapp went into meltdown as
his only signing is an unfit striker who he then tried to send back and
Liverpool didn’t budge.
Call me old fashioned but isn’t it
time we stopped the hype and looked at the facts will this January transfer
impact the end result that significantly, and if it doesn’t then what’s the
point?
You could argue that City are
stronger by bringing in a proven Premier League goal scorer, but he won’t be
available till the middle of January and although he doesn’t have to settle
into the pace of the league he will still have to adapt to the way City play. Arsenal
finally bit the bullet and signed a centre half who let’s be frank half of us
had never heard of, he has never played for Brazil (who’s defence is their
weakest aspect) and he hardly comes across as the powerful dominating force
they needed. Will he even play regularly?
At the other end of the table I must
doth my cap to Pardew and the instant impact he has had at Palace but did he
need to sign 2 strikers and 2 wingers plus central midfielders? Surly they can’t
all play in the same team as well as the players he already has there. For
instance I really like Lee Chung-yong but will he play in front of Zaha,
Bolasie or Puncheon. Some of these are clearly panic buys.
Pulis will keep West Brom up and
adding experience in Fletcher will help as well as the pacey winger McManaman.
Then next season when they are clearly safe the naive Baggies will demand a
more attractive style of football and off he will go to take over at Hull who
sit 2nd from bottom. Finally Sunderland beat off a lot of competition
to sign Defoe who could help them avoid relegation, but they probably would
have anyway.
So what I am saying is the January
transfer window has shut once again but was it really worth opening? Will it
really make any difference?
I doubt it.
