The January transfer window is seen as a burden by many clubs, but to some it is a window of opportunity. QPR, Newcastle and Reading, suffering towards the bottom of the Premier League have already strengthened ahead of the relegation battle, Chelsea and Liverpool have both added to their squads with exciting new additions to spice up their season, while the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal are yet to make a move in the window.
ARSENAL
The Gunners are notorious in the January market for being reluctant to splash out, and that looks the case so far in 2013. They are yet to make any official bids for players, their attention and money should be focused on retaining their influential winger-turned-striker Theo Walcott.
Names mentioned so far include Crystal Palace playmaker Wilfried Zaha although his future looks as though it will be at either Manchester United or his current club. A striker could be on Arsene Wenger’s wish list as they have looked a little light in their attack. Having lost goal-scoring machine Robin Van Persie in the summer, they replaced him with Lukas Podolski, who has mostly played on the left, and Olivier Giroud who has failed to find real form, inconsistent displays have left Arsenal fans wondering. Schalke’s Klaas-Jan Huntelaar claims that he has been the subject of enquiries from English clubs; Arsenal could be one of those clubs, while Edinson Cavani of Napoli is another rumour circulating. Yann M’Vila has been linked with a move to London but Arsenal is probably not the destination in which he is heading. Big-spenders Queens Park Rangers have already had a bid accepted according to some reports.
Departing from Arsenal in this window are Marouane Chamakh and Johan Djourou on a temporary basis. The former has joined London rivals West Ham while the latter has flown to Bundesliga side Hannover 96, both on loan until the end of the season.
ASTON VILLA
Paul Lambert’s Aston Villa have struggled this season, having played the majority of their games with a young team, 23-year-old Barry Bannan often having been the most experienced outfield player in the team.
Villa were busy in the summer, signing 8 new players in an effort to build on a poor season until Alex McLeish. New captain Ron Vlaar was signed for around the £3million mark, impressive youngsters Ashley Westwood and Joe Bennett were signed for around £2million, while their most expensive signing has proved to be their most effective, in Christian Benteke from Genk for nearly £7.5million.
So far, the only real story to report is that they look to rival Fulham for 29-year-old Dnipro midfielder Derek Boateng. The Ghanaian international has already held talks with Fulham after they agreed terms and attended a successful work permit hearing. He is free to leave his current club in Ukraine so he could join either team for a cheap price. It would be quite a coup for the Midlands club if they could steal this experienced player from a Premier League rival so late in the game.
CHELSEA
It wouldn’t be Chelsea if they didn’t have a turbulent season. The Champions League holders had a busy transfer window where they spend over £70million strengthening ahead of the race for the Premier League and Champions League. Things have not exactly gone to plan for the Blues, having been knocked out of the Champions League in the group stage, fallen behind in the title race, and the surprise sacking of Roberto Di Matteo has not helped matters massively. The appointment of former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez has not exactly done any favours where the fans are concerned, they continue to air their views about the Spaniard during the majority of matches.
Chelsea beat off competition from both Manchester City and United to sign Eden Hazard and he has proved quite a signing. He has scored 8 goals and bagged 12 assists for Chelsea in all competitions, making up a substantial part of his £35million transfer fee. Oscar and Victor Moses were both expensive signings for Chelsea and probably weren’t expecting as much game time as they’ve been getting, surprising to the fans who expected Moses to play a bit-part role in the squad. That hasn’t been the case and both players are regulars in the team. Cesar Azpilicueta joined from Marseille and played his part well enough, a good squad player, a luxury that a lot of teams cannot afford to have. Roman Abramovich is to be admired for spending as much money as he does to get the players he needs and thinks will make a big impact to the team.
Rafael Benitez made his first signing early into his reign, signing young Fluminense full back Wallace for around £4million, although the Brazilian wonder-kid won’t join the Stamford Bridge club until the summer. The Blues made one of the first moves in January, activating the £7million release clause of 27-year-old Demba Ba from Newcastle. The Senegalese striker made an immediate impact on his debut, scoring 2 goals in a 5-1 FA Cup demolition of Southampton at St. Mary’s Stadium. It is unknown whether he will form a striking partnership with out-of-form Fernando Torres or if Chelsea will play just one striker, either Ba or Torres.
Chelsea allowed Daniel Sturridge to leave the club early in the window to join Liverpool, freeing up a place in the squad for Demba Ba. Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole are both out of contract in the summer, it is unknown if Cole will be retained but where Frank Lampard is concerned, it looks as though he will either be sold this month or released in the summer. This comes as a big blow to Blues fans who believe he deserves a new contract. It has been a season of records for Super Frank, he marked his 500th Premier League appearance with a goal against Aston Villa in an 8-0 win, and he also became Chelsea’s 2nd highest goalscorer when he tucked away a penalty against Stoke, taking his tally to 194 goals, 8 goals behind Bobby Tambling. Sam Walker, Todd Kane and Lucas Piazon have all left the club on loan, joining Colchester, Blackburn and Malaga respectively.
In my personal opinion, Lampard should be signed up for at least another season. Lampard has a good few years left in him, I find him to be better than Giggs and Scholes who look safe at Manchester United for the foreseeable. If he goes, he must be replaced; one player whom has been linked is 20-year-old Isco from Malaga. He is ‘one of the most sought after players in La Liga’ right now and a deal could be on the cards. Some reports claim that Chelsea have secured the first option to buy him in July. Nordsjaelland defender Jores Okore, Real Madrid playmaker Kaka and Everton star Marouane Fellaini have all been linked, the latter has been rumoured to have a £24million release clause in his contract.
EVERTON
The Merseyside club have had a successful season; it would be worth putting some money on them to get into Europe by May. To cement that position, they may have to spend a little bit of cash in this window. They currently lie 5th in the league and look good to at least get Europa League football. Arsenal and West Brom are hot on their tail but both have had inconsistent runs of form and could miss out at the hands of Everton.
In the summer, they brought back Steven Pienaar to Goodison Park from Tottenham after a fairly unsuccessful spell in North London. His return on a permanent basis has given the club and fans a big boost and he has played a big part in getting the team where they are. Kevin Mirallas joined from Olympiakos and showed early promising signs but his progress has slowed due to injury. David Moyes took advantage of the downfall of Rangers, bringing in Steven Naismith from the troubled Glasgow side on a free transfer. Tim Cahill left for New York Red Bulls but Everton seem to be doing just fine without him.
Rumoured targets for Everton include Rennes midfielder Yann M’Vila, however as previously mentioned, his name is also the subject of many other team’s attention; Arsenal, QPR and Newcastle are among several teams wanting the 22-year-old. Money is tight at Everton so their proposal could be a loan deal with a view to a permanent move in the summer, this probably won’t be enough, Rennes are hoping to get £10million in this window for the player. One player who looks like he could join is Etienne Capoue from Toulouse. Reports in France claim Moyes has bid £8.5million for the 24-year-old midfielder who has been linked with West Ham and Arsenal in recent weeks.
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