Football: Winter Transfers 2008

[Kralik]

?The negotiations [have] come to a close, the details [will be released] tomorrow. Now I can say only one thing - if I play in the ?Arsenal?, then number 23.? - Arshavin

Apparently Arshavin does not want the no. 13 assigned to him by Arsenal..

[Kralik]

Arsenal:

WHAT THEY WANTED: Andrei Arshavin.

WHAT THEY GOT: Andrei Arshavin (to be finalised on Tuesday*).

IN: Andrei Arshavin (Zenit St Petersburg, ?15m).

OUT: Rui Fonte (Crystal Palace, L), Gavin Hoyte (Watford, L), Henri Lansbury (Scunthorpe, L), Paul Rodgers (Northampton, L), Jay Simpson (WBA, L), Rene Steer (Gillingham, L), Abu Ogogo (Barnet, LE), Nacer Barazite (Derby, LE).

VERDICT: Got Arshavin (finally), but need another midfielder.

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Aston Villa:

WHAT THEY WANTED: Experience to hold their hand in the quest for the Champions League.

WHAT THEY GOT: Exactly that, in the shape of England?s first-choice striker.

IN: Emile Heskey (Wigan, ?3.5m), Arsenio Halfhuid (Excelsior, ?144,000).

OUT: Wayne Routledge (QPR, ?300,000), Sam Williams (Walsall, L).

VERDICT: Job done.

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Blackburn Rovers:

WHAT THEY WANTED: Roque Santa Cruz to stay at Ewood.

WHAT THEY GOT: Their best striker staying, and joined by Diouf.

IN: El-Hadji Diouf (Sunderland, ?2m), Neil Blackman (Macclesfield, U), Jackson Ramm (Cambridge U, U), Gael Givet (Marseille, L).

OUT: Eddie Nolan (Preston, U), Sergio Peter (Sparta Prague, U), Matt Derbyshire (Olympiakos, L), Frank Fielding (Rochdale, L), Kevin Gallagher (Plymouth, LE).

VERDICT: With Santa Cruz staying, Blackburn should be safe.

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Bolton Wanderers:

WHAT THEY WANTED: Portsmouth?s Sean Davis.

WHAT THEY GOT: Wolves? Mark Davies.

IN: Mark Davies (Wolves, ?1m), Ariza Makakula (Benfica, L), Sebastien Puygrenier (Zenit St Petersburg, L).

OUT: Kevin Nolan (Newcastle, ?4m), Heidar Helguson (QPR, ?750,000).

VERDICT: Nothing to shout about.

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Chelsea:

WHAT THEY WANTED: Apparently nothing.

WHAT THEY GOT: A Portuguese winger. No change there then.

IN: Gokham Tore (B Leverkusen, U), Ricardo Quaresma (Inter, L).

OUT: Wayne Bridge (Man C, ?12m), Carlo Cudicini (Tottenham, F), Ben Sahar (De Graafschap, L), Jack Cork (Watford, L), Scott Sinclair (Birmingham, L), Jimmy Smith (Leyton O, L), Sergio Tejera (Real Mallorca, L).

VERDICT: Have Chelsea given up on the title?

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Everton:

WHAT THEY WANTED: Another striker.

WHAT THEY GOT: A ?19m man on loan.

IN: Jo (Manchester City, L).

OUT: John Paul Kissock (Accrington Stanley, L), John Ruddy (Crewe, L).

VERDICT: One sensible signing... but will Jo be enough?

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Fulham:

WHAT THEY WANTED: A striker, possibly former Cottager Brian McBride.

WHAT THEY GOT: Midfielders on loan.

IN: Julian Gray (Coventry, U), Giles Barnes (Derby, L), Olivier Dacourt (Inter Milan, L).

OUT: Jimmy Bullard (Hull, ?5m), Lee Cook (QPR, ?750,000), Leon Andreasen (Hannover, F), Hameur Bouazza (Birmingham, L), Adrian Leijer (Norwich, L), Seol Ki-Hyeon (Al-Hilal, L), Andranik Teymourian (Barnsley, L).

VERDICT: Not a lot wrong with the squad already.

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Hull City:

WHAT THEY WANTED: Veteran Italian defender Christian Panucci.

WHAT THEY GOT: Veteran English midfielder Jimmy Bullard.

IN: Jimmy Bullard (Fulham, ?5m), Kamil Zayatte (Young Boys Berne, ?3.36m), Steven Mouyokolo (Boulogne, ?1.8m), Kevin Kilbane (Wigan, ?500,000), Manucho Goncalves (Manchester U, L).

OUT: Stelios Giannakopoulos (Larissa, F), Dean Windass (Oldham, L).

VERDICT: Dealings should be enough to keep Hull safe.

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Liverpool:

WHAT THEY WANTED: With Rafa, who knows?

WHAT THEY GOT: No major arrivals, even with the title within sight.

IN: Victor Palsson (AGF Aarhus, ?384,000).

OUT: Robbie Keane (Tottenham, ?15m), Marvin Pourie (Schalke, U), Jordy Brouwer (RKC Waalwijk, L), Peter Gulacsi (Hereford, L), Adam Hammill (Barnsley, L), Jermaine Pennant (Portsmouth, L), Robbie Threlfall (Stockport, L).

VERDICT: Should have brought a couple of quality players in.

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Manchester City:

WHAT THEY WANTED: The world, including Kaka and Santa Cruz.

WHAT THEY GOT: More than ?50m worth of talent, including one of the best Premier League goalkeepers.

IN: Nigel de Jong (Hamburg, ?16m rising to ?18.3m), Craig Bellamy (West Ham, ?14m), Wayne Bridge (Chelsea, ?12m), Shay Given (Newcastle, ?8m).

OUT: Tal Ben-Haim (Sunderland, L), Jo (Everton, L).

VERDICT: Impressive signings, but a lot of money.

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Manchester United:

WHAT THEY WANTED: Nothing needed.

WHAT THEY GOT: Future talent.

IN: Adem Ljajic, Zoran Tosic (Partizan Belgrade, combined rising to ?16.3m), Ritchie De Laet (Stoke, ?3m).

OUT: James Chester (Peterborough, L), Tom Cleverley (Leicester, L), David Gray (Plymouth, L), Sam Hewson (Hereford, L), Adam Ljajic (Partizan Belgrade, L), Manucho Goncalves (Hull, L).

VERDICT: Business as usual.

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Middlesbrough:

WHAT THEY WANTED: Nothing needed.

WHAT THEY GOT: Future talent.

IN: Adem Ljajic, Zoran Tosic (Partizan Belgrade, combined rising to ?16.3m), Ritchie De Laet (Stoke, ?3m).

OUT: James Chester (Peterborough, L), Tom Cleverley (Leicester, L), David Gray (Plymouth, L), Sam Hewson (Hereford, L), Adam Ljajic (Partizan Belgrade, L), Manucho Goncalves (Hull, L).

VERDICT: Business as usual.

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Newcastle United:

WHAT THEY WANTED: As many as possible, including Manchester City?s Michael Johnson ? an ?8m bid failed ? and Liverpool?s Sami Hyypia.

WHAT THEY GOT: Nolan, Taylor and Lovenkrands.

IN: Kevin Nolan (Bolton, ?4m), Haris Vuckic (NK Domzale, ?50,000), Peter Lovenkrands (Schalke, F), Ryan Taylor (Wigan, Swap).

OUT: Shay Given (Manchester C, ?8m), Charles N?Zogbia (Wigan, ?6m + Swap).

VERDICT: Touch and go to stay in the Premier League.

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Portsmouth:

WHAT THEY WANTED: Real Madrid?s Javier Saviola.

WHAT THEY GOT: Experienced men like Mullins, Pennant and Basinas.

IN: Nadir Belhadj (Lens, ?4.4m), Hayden Mullins (West Ham, ?2m), Angelos Basinas (AEK Athens, U), Theofanis Gekas (Bayer Leverkusen, L), Pele (Porto, L), Jermaine Pennant (Liverpool, L).

OUT: Lassana Diarra (Real Madrid, ?20m), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham, ?15.75m).

VERDICT: Talented signings, but can Tony Adams keep his side up?

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Stoke City:

WHAT THEY WANTED: Experience, including Middlesbrough?s Gary O?Neil.

WHAT THEY GOT: Experience in the shape of Beattie, Etherington and Camara.

IN: James Beattie (Sheffield U, U, rising to ?3.5m), Matthew Etherington (West Ham, ?2m), Henri Camara (Wigan, L).

OUT: Ritchie De Laet (Manchester U, ?3m), Lewis Buxton (Sheffield W, U), Carl Dickinson (Leeds, L), Tom Soares (Charlton, L).

VERDICT: Sensible signings but still a struggle in the Potteries.

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Sunderland:

WHAT THEY WANTED: To keep Djibril Cisse and sign a defender.

WHAT THEY GOT: Both wishes granted.

IN: Tal Ben-Haim (Manchester C, L), Calum Davenport (West Ham, L).

OUT: Pascal Chimbonda (Spurs, ?3m), El-Hadji Diouf (Blackburn, ?2m), Ross Wallace (Preston, ?100,000), Liam Miller (QPR U), Graham Kavanagh (Carlisle, F), John Henderson (Coventry, L), Roy O?Donovan (Blackpool, L), Michael Chopra (Cardiff, L).

VERDICT: Could have done with an extra couple of bodies.

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Tottenham Hotspur:

WHAT THEY WANTED: Seemingly to re-sign the players sold by Ramos.

WHAT THEY GOT: A team re-united.

IN: Jermain Defoe (Portsmouth, ?15.75m), Robbie Keane (Liverpool, ?15m), Wilson Palacios (Wigan, ?14m), Pascal Chimbonda (Sunderland, ?3m), Carlo Cudicini (Chelsea, F).

OUT: Hossam Ghaly (Al-Nassr Saudi, F), Cesar Sanchez (Valencia, F), Paul Stalteri (Borussia Moenchengladbach, F).

VERDICT: Harry got what he wanted. Now it?s over to the players.

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West Bromwich Albion:

WHAT THEY WANTED: Argentine striker Juan Carlos Menseguez and Paris Saint Germain starlet Youssouf Mulumbu, among others.

WHAT THEY GOT: A couple of loan strikers.

IN: Marc-Antoine Fortune (Nancy, L), Youssouf Mulumbu (Paris St-Germain, L), Jay Simpson (Arsenal, L), J-C Menseguez (San Lorenzo, L).

OUT: Bartosz Slusarski (Cracovia Krakau, F).

VERDICT: Too little, too late.

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West Ham United: .

WHAT THEY WANTED: To hold on to their best players.

WHAT THEY GOT: Bellamy left but, against expectations, they broke their club record.

IN: Savio Nsereko (Brescia, ?9m), Radoslav Kovac (Spartak Moscow, L).

OUT: Craig Bellamy (Man C, ?14m), Matthew Etherington (Stoke, ?2m), Hayden Mullins (Portsmouth, ?2m), Lee Bowyer (B?ham, L), Julien Faubert (R Madrid, L), Nigel Quashie (Wolves, L), Kyel Reid (Wolves, L), Calum Davenport (Sunderland, L).

VERDICT: The Hammers are on the up.

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Wigan Athletic:

WHAT THEY WANTED: Holding on to Antonio Valencia.

WHAT THEY GOT: Valencia stayed loyal.

IN: Charles N?Zogbia (Newcastle, Swap + ?6m), Hugo Rodallega (Necaxa, ?4.5m), Ben Watson (Crystal Palace, ?2m), Maynor Figueroa (Derportivo Olimpia, ?500,000), Mido (Middlesbro, L).

OUT: Wilson Palacios (Tottenham, ?14m), Ryan Taylor (Newcastle, Swap), Emile Heskey (Aston Villa, ?3.5m), Kevin Kilbane (Hull, ?500,000), Henri Camara (Stoke, L), Marlon King (Middlesbrough, L).

VERDICT: N?Zogbia should help.

[SabaTime]

I love Liverpool but what poor decisions I have been seeing from Benetiz. Come on were talking about 6 months of play from Robbie Keane I like how he played I thought he was going to be a good fit, well he could if we gave him some time. What happens now? Torres is back in but what if something happens to our boy? Keane should of hung in their and we should bought up another striker

[Martyn]

Those figures are completely wrong.

We paid ?18 million for Keane, which would have risen up to ?20.3 million depending on additional clauses (appearences, trophies, goals etc).

We received ?15 million for Keane from Spurs, which will rise up to ?16 million depending on additional clauses.

Hence we lost between ?2 million and ?3 million, and then obviously you have to add five months worth of his wages onto that.

[Kralik]

Andrey Arshavin signs from Zenit St. Petersburg on a long-term contract for an undisclosed fee..

[Martyn]

Arshavin just has one of those faces you want to punch.

Smug git.

[Rappy Veteran]

Looks like a duck :laugh:

[Mike]

Those figures are completely wrong.

Really? Figures in a paper being wrong? :p

I remember when Vodafone wanted to terminate the contract for sponsoring us (man u). The papers said we were going to lose ~?100m. That was based on not having a sponsor at all for like 5 years, no kit maker for 5 years and no CL appearances for 2 years or so. The truth was we actually gained about ?20m due to the difference between Vodafone's and AIG's contract:p:p

[Shibby]

Seems pompey are broke. Hardly spent anything in this window and the loan signings are a big give away. I just hope we can get some points soon. We play Liverpool, Man City, Stoke then Chelsea. I'll be looking at least 3-4 points from that run!

[nothuman]

Really? Figures in a paper being wrong? :p

I remember when Vodafone wanted to terminate the contract for sponsoring us (man u). The papers said we were going to lose ~?100m. That was based on not having a sponsor at all for like 5 years, no kit maker for 5 years and no CL appearances for 2 years or so. The truth was we actually gained about ?20m due to the difference between Vodafone's and AIG's contract:p:p

Who's next :D:D