Touchy subject I imagine. Fans are for it, managers are against it. It makes teams, it also breaks them. So what should we do with the winter transfer window?
Firstly, let’s take into consideration the entertainment factor: I can happily walk downstairs during my winter holiday and turn on the TV, tap in 455 on my Sky remote and watch Georgie Thompson swish her long blonde hair around the studio and talk about which club Robbie Keane is being loaned to all day long.
Funnily enough, transfer deadline day is possibly the most exciting thing about football aside from actually playing or watching the stuff. Rio Ferdinand joked about with his Twitter buddies on #transferdeadlineday, claiming that it should be marked off as a bank holiday. Not a bad idea I suppose, because apart from the journalists reporting from the stadiums themselves (with the exception of the Emirates) every football fan is glued to their TV to see what wheelin’ and dealin’ old ‘Arry has been up to.
The window opens to essentially allow teams to either push them to the top (Chelsea), or ensure their safety (West Ham). Whilst the Hammers decide to splash £90,000-a-week on Wayne Bridge, Roman Abramovich has opted to break British transfer record fees and cause controversy not only on Merseyside but at St James’ Park too.
There is no doubt that it causes a sense of panic around the Premier League, with lower clubs fearing that the bigger boys are going to come and raid them of their best players and leave them with nothing but a hefty sum in their bank account, and no time to spend it.
It still eludes me how Gary Cahill has not gone to one of the top four, especially with Arsenal so desperate for a defender.
Should we see the window go? I’m not too sure.
Clubs are rattled with injuries throughout the season thanks to the massive fixture list, including 3 games a week sometimes, players will get tired and start to play with a tired mindset – which will eventually lead to a mistake. But hey, that’s their job right?
It’s true that no club will splash a casual £50m if they don’t need to.
Chelsea were not making a push for the title, and Torres remained a player that Carlo Ancelotti had been monitoring since joining the Blues. Torres was unhappy at Liverpool and felt that he needed a move elsewhere to launch his career in with the select few of all-time greats, therefore he went to London. Sounds relatively simple right?
Well what I think the world is complaining about when discussing the window, is the knock-on effect of the sales, which means that Liverpool will have to line-up a new striker for the Spaniard’s departure, and because every deal is done within less than 24 hours of the deadline, clubs are willing to pay the extra money to get a suitable replacement.
Is Andy Carroll worth £35m at 22-years-of-age, with a mere 6 months in the Premier League? No way. There is no doubt in the Geordie-man’s talent but when a club as big as Liverpool pay a British transfer fee for you, then it puts a lot of pressure on your shoulders.
If you look back to Carroll’s first interview, he looks completely bewildered to what on earth was going on. Not long ago, he signed a new 5-year-deal with the Magpies, setting himself on becoming a local legend, but found himself as lonely on Merseyside as he did when Kevin Nolan was obliged to make him his roomie.
However, when looking back on Torres’ first interview with the press, he looked completely comfortable with his £50m price-tag – didn’t even phase the 26-year-old. This may be down to experience, but Torres looked confident with his ability to the point that no-one dare question it. He is a top class player and has proven it time and time again, but Carroll on the other hand looked a tad shell-shocked, which could bit considered a bit of a hit-or-miss situation.
Less than £30m was spent last winter window, and over £200m this time. Is it a sign for more to come?
Perhaps the window is just an immature approach to the demands of British popular culture, with all the dramatic shirt-burning hate and painful tantrums for bigger, fatter wages. What do you think should happen with the January transfer window?
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