Plenty of clubs nab a bargain in the January sales but, for every side
shopping to avoid relegation or kick on at the top, there is a chairman
waiting to exploit their desperation - and that transfer window saviour
turns out overrated, overpriced, or both. Here, we list the 25 best and
worst January signings since the transfer window was introduced in 2003.
The best
25. Paul Scharner, Brann to Wigan Athletic, January 6, 2006
Not only is the Austrian defender-cum-midfielder underrated, he is also frank,
voicing his scepticism about Steve Bruce’s long-ball style. And he wears
cool glasses off the pitch. That’s £2.5 million well spent by Paul Jewell.
24. Darren Moore, West Bromwich Albion to Derby County, January 26, 2006
The veteran defender and charity fundraiser cost Derby about £500,000. While,
like his team-mates, he is not up to the rigours of top-flight life, he was
outstanding in 2006-07 as Derby won promotion.
23. Robbie Fowler, Manchester City to Liverpool, January 27, 2006
Pushing 30, the striker was a shadow of his former self, but that did not
matter to the Kop, who rejoiced at the second coming of “God”. A populist
move by Rafael Benitez but Fowler also performed competently as a back-up
striker.
22. Christopher Samba, Hertha Berlin to Blackburn Rovers, January 25, 2007
The rugged France-born Congo defender was a bargain £400,000 after impressing
on trial, forming an effective partnership with Ryan Nelsen at centre back.
The 23-year-old did so well that he was handed a new contract last autumn.
21. Moritz Volz, Arsenal to Fulham, January 21, 2004
Whatever it cost to make his loan move permanent, it was a modest fee for the
German defender, who has made more than 100 league appearances for Fulham.
Even better, Volz writes a smart and funny Times column and is
obsessed with David Hasselhoff.
20. David James, West Ham United to Manchester City, January 14, 2004
While his form for City was not as consistently impressive as it has been for
Portsmouth lately, the £2m to bring the goalkeeper north was still money
well spent by Kevin Keegan and and James played 93 times for the club.
19. Jason Roberts, West Bromwich Albion to Wigan Athletic, January 13, 2004
The striker, who joined for £2m, was an instant hit at the JJB. In his first
full season with Wigan he formed a lethal partnership with Nathan Ellington,
scoring 21 times as the club reached the Premier League.
18. Jimmy Bullard, Peterborough United to Wigan Athletic, January 31, 2003
The midfield scamperer was a relatively low-profile addition to Wigan’s squad
– he cost £275,000 – but became a vital midfield cog in their
promotion-winning side and kept his place in the top-flight. He moved to
Fulham in 2006 for £2.5m.
17. Matthew Upson, Arsenal to Birmingham City, January 22, 2003
Injuries have blighted his career but when fit he is an outstanding defender.
An initial £1m rising to £3m was a reasonable fee for an England
international who became a lynchpin of the Blues’ back line. The club netted
a healthy profit when he moved to West Ham for £6m last January.
16. Stephen Warnock, Liverpool to Blackburn Rovers, January 22, 2007
The £1.5m fee for the 26-year-old left back looks a bargain. Warnock was
unable to command a regular first-team place on Merseyside but has played so
well this season that there have been suggestions he is not too far away
from the England squad.
15. Henrik Larsson, Helsingborgs to Manchester United, January 1, 2007
The former Celtic legend plugged a hole when Sir Alex Ferguson dramatically
borrowed him from Helsingborgs for three months during the Swedish
close-season. Though 35, he scored three times and United tried to extend
the deal, but the forward kept his promise to family and club that his Old
Trafford career would be a mere cameo.
14. Nigel Reo-Coker, Wimbledon to West Ham United, January 22, 2004
The 23-year-old midfield player helped Alan Pardew’s side to promotion and was
quickly made captain. Despite a miserable 2006-07, Martin O’Neill was
persuaded to spend £8.5m to bring him to Villa Park last July.
13. Pedro Mendes, Tottenham Hotspur to Portsmouth, January 12, 2006
Would Portsmouth have stayed up if Mendes had not scored twice against
Manchester City, the second a spectacular goal, to give them a 2-1 win and
hand their survival campaign some momentum?
12. Patrice Evra, Monaco to Manchester United, January 10, 2006
Arsenal and Liverpool were sniffing but United’s £5.5m bid secured the left
back’s signature. While that fee initially seemed overblown, Evra has become
a key figure for the champions.
11. David Unsworth, Sheffield United to Wigan Athletic, January 5, 2007
A fateful transfer. The ancient defender played just ten times for Wigan,
scoring once – and what a goal. He stuck in the penalty on the last day of
the season at Bramall Lane that kept Wigan up – and relegated his former
team.
10. Emmanuel Eboue, Beveren to Arsenal, January 9, 2005
The Ivory Coast international began as a flying full back but Wenger converted
him to the right wing this season with no little success. A bargain at only
about £1.5m from Arsenal’s Belgian feeder club.
9. Javier Mascherano, West Ham United to Liverpool, January 31, 2007
The Argentina midfield player did not make his Liverpool debut until late
February because of complications arising from his distinctly unusual
transfer situation. While he never really fitted in at West Ham, he quickly
adapted to life at Anfield.
8. Dean Ashton, Crewe Alexandra to Norwich City, January 11, 2005
Several clubs felt he was overpriced at £3m but Norwich, in Premier League
relegation peril, took the plunge. Delia’s men went down but Ashton scored
seven times and Norwich made a £3.25m profit on the forward in 12 months
when West Ham came in for him.
7. Nemanja Vidic, Spartak Moscow to Manchester United, January 4, 2006
Sir Alex Ferguson plucked the Serbia centre back from Russia for about £7m and
he soon formed a fine partnership with Rio Ferdinand. An “old-fashioned
defender” – ie, hard as nails.
6. Steve Sidwell, Arsenal to Reading, January 20, 2003
Another young Englishman let go cheaply by Wenger who has proved himself at
Premier League level. His performances saw him considered the best player
outside the top flight, and his displays last term when Reading reached the
elite earnt him a move to Chelsea.
5. Theo Walcott, Southampton to Arsenal, January 20, 2006
One of the most dramatic transfers in recent years – Arsene Wenger signing an
Englishman. The 16-year-old cost an initial £5m, rising to £12.5m. Within
six months he was in England’s World Cup squad but he had to wait until the
next season for his Gunners debut.
4. David Nugent, Bury to Preston North End, January 11, 2005
A prolific first half of 2004-05 earnt the 22-year-old forward a switch to
Deepdale for a bargain £100,000. Two years and two months later he made his
England debut and Preston sold him to Portsmouth last summer for a rather
excessive £6m.
3. Scott Carson, Leeds United to Liverpool, January 21, 2005
Only played nine times for Liverpool, but impressed on loan to Charlton
Athletic and now Aston Villa. The clubs have negotiated a permanent deal
that could see Liverpool get an eightfold return on their £1m investment,
who is now an England international. As we know only too well.
2. Emmanuel Adebayor, Monaco to Arsenal, January 13, 2006
It took the £7m Togo forward a while to bed in but he is now almost
uncontrollable. If occasionally wasteful when through on goal, his aerial
prowess means that Arsenal have scored more headers this season than in the
previous ten years. Probably.
1. David Bentley, Arsenal to Blackburn Rovers, January 31, 2006
Already on loan, Blackburn made the deal permanent two years ago. Whatever the
undisclosed fee was, it was a bargain – Bentley blossomed and was in the
England squad within 18 months.
The worst
25 Jan Kromkamp, Villarreal to Liverpool, 4 January 2006
The Dutch defender moved to Anfield with Josemi going the other way, so it
wasn’t all bad news. Unable to displace Steve Finnan, Kromkamp did play in
the 2006 FA Cup Final – as often, coming off the bench. That August, he
signed for PSV Eindhoven.
24 Jose Antonio Reyes, Seville to Arsenal, 28 January 2004
The Spanish forward was by no means a total failure at Highbury, but he was a
let-down after arriving with so much hype and a £10.5 million price-tag.
Before long, he began to whinge about the misery of life in London, and a
loan move to Real Madrid then a permanent deal with Atletico Madrid gave him
the return to Spain he had craved
23 Rowan Vine, Luton Town to Birmingham City, 11 January 2007
De-Vine inspiration was absent during the forward’s spell in the Midlands.
Prolific at Luton, he scored just once after his £2.5 million switch and has
spent most of this season on loan at QPR, where he has just made the move
permanent for £1 million.
22 Luis Boa Morte, Fulham to West Ham United, 5 January, 2007
A transfer encapsulating West Ham’s mad trolley-dash last January as they
threw money about in the hope of avoiding relegation. They did, no thanks to
the 30-year-old forward, who has scored once since April, 2006. Ineffective
and in decline, yet West Ham spent £5 million on him.
21 Julius Aghahowa: Shakhtar Donetsk to Wigan Athletic, 31 January, 2007
The Nigeria striker spent six years in the Ukraine before making a £2.1
million deadline-day switch to the JJB Stadium. His scoring celebrations are
spectacular, but we haven’t seen them: five starts, fourteen substitute
appearances, no goals.
20 Danny Murphy, Charlton Athletic to Tottenham Hotspur, 31 January 2006
The midfield player was doing so well at the Valley that there was talk of an
England recall. Yet after spending £2 million on him, Martin Jol barely
played him. After eighteen months on the bench, he moved to Fulham last
summer.
19 Djimi Traore, Charlton Athletic to Portsmouth, 11 January 2007
The French Titus Bramble, though few at Fratton Park were laughing when Harry
Redknapp spent £1 million a year ago to relieve Charlton of the former
Liverpool defender after just half a season at the Valley. Now on loan at
Rennes.
18 Ade Akinbiyi, Burnley to Sheffield United, 26 January 2006
Or “Ade Panic Buy”, as he has been cruelly – if accurately - dubbed. Dismal at
Leicester and Crystal Palace, the striker went to Burnley, who bought him
for £600,000 then sold him to a naive Neil Warnock for a then club-record
£1.75 million. Fourteen starts later, he was back at Turf Moor for £750,000.
17 Hossam Ghaly, Feyenoord to Tottenham Hotspur, 31 January 2006
Ghastly, more like. After he threw his shirt to the ground when substituted
against Blackburn last May, a parting of the ways seemed in everyone’s
interests. A move to Birmingham was scuppered at the eleventh hour when
Ghaly criticised Steve Bruce’s training methods. Spurs finally got rid of
him to Derby two weeks ago.
16 Dong Gook-Lee, Pohang Steelers to Middlesbrough, 31 January 2007
Was banned from the South Korea side for a year last November for a late-night
drinking binge on international duty. Presumably he was drinking to forget
rather than remember because the 28-year-old, while a star in Asia, is a
non-entity in the Premier League. His only goal in twelve months at
Middlesbrough came against Northampton Town.
15 Mauricio Pellegrino, Valencia to Liverpool, 5 January 2005
The former Argentina defender had a notable career in Spain but was 33 when he
was tempted to Anfield and clearly over the hill. He arrived on a free
transfer – and Benitez got just what he’d paid for. Pellegrino made thirteen
appearances and was released at the end of the season.
14 Yaniv Katan, Maccabi Haifa to West Ham United, 3 January 2006
The Israel forward signed a four year deal at Upton Park, which proved
optimistic since he was ushered out of the door and back to Maccabi Haifa
within six months after just six appearances. Certainly not the next Yossi
Benayoun, but at least Katan only cost £100,000.
13 Aleksandar Rodic, NK Gorica to Portsmouth, 31 January 2005
A star in Slovenia, a non-entity in Hampshire. Milan Mandaric, then Portsmouth
chairman, talked up Rodic’s ability but Harry Redknapp did not detect much.
The striker made only one start and three substitute appearances for
Portsmouth.
12 Tomasz Frankowski, Elche to Wolverhampton Wanderers, 25 January, 2006
The forward arrived at Molineux with a record of one goal every two starts for
Poland. Sadly, he was a waste of £1.4 million, his eighteen appearances
yielding not a single goal. His decline was so sharp that he was left out of
Poland’s World Cup squad despite being a star of the qualifying campaign.
11Eric Djemba-Djemba, Manchester United to Aston Villa, 31 January 2005
One of Sir Alex Ferguson’s worst ever signings – but was all the Cameroon
midfield player needed a change of scenery? The answer, Villa found out, was
no. He really was hopeless. The £1.35 million buy made a handful of
appearances and was loaned to Burnley.
10 Jiri Jarosik, CSKA Moscow to Chelsea, 7 January 2005
See, Jose Mourinho wasn’t perfect, after all. Jarosik signed for an
undisclosed fee, thought to be several million pounds, but made only three
starts. The Czech midfield player had no chance to atone for the lukewarm
beginning to his Stamford Bridge career as he was sent to Birmingham on a
season-long loan then sold to Celtic on his return.
9 Malcolm Christie, Derby County to Middlesbrough, 31 January 2003
And on the same day they bought Michael Ricketts. In fairness, Christie’s
failure to set Teesside alight after his £3 million switch can be explained
by persistent injury problems. He was at the Riverside Stadium for more than
four years and played fewer than 50 games, scoring nine goals.
8 Scott Parker, Charlton Athletic to Chelsea, 30 January 2004
The busy and tidy midfield player was a rising star in 2003-04 and Charlton
were desperate to hang on to him. Money talked, though, and a £10 million
bid was good enough for Parker to move across London. Core of Charlton, he
was a satellite at Chelsea. After eighteen months of near-irrelevance he was
off to Newcastle for £6.5 million.
7 Andy Reid, Nottingham Forest to Tottenham Hotspur, 31 January 2005
Stocky, or chubby? Gary Megson, the former Forest manager, suggested after the
sides met in an FA Cup tie that the small winger was on the large side.
Martin Jol, who paid £4 million for Reid, did not agree – but performances
were definitely lean and Reid was sold to Charlton for £3 million, eighteen
months later.
6 Fernando Morientes, Monaco to Liverpool, 13 January 2005
What a masterstroke by Rafael Benitez: persuading his Spanish compatriot, an
experienced international, to leave Real Madrid for Anfield. Sadly,
Morientes was terrible. After a hapless year and a half he was dispatched
back to Spain, Liverpool recouping less than half their £6.3 million outlay.
5 James Beattie, Southampton to Everton, 5 January 2005
The striker became the Merseysiders’ record signing but his goalscoring rate
was far worse than at Southampton. An adequate 2005-06 was followed by a
dire 2006-07 as he failed to gel with the free-scoring Andrew Johnson. He
was sold to freshly-relegated Sheffield United for £4 million last summer.
4 Konstantinos Chalkias, Panathinaikos to Portsmouth, 28 January 2005
Tall, yes. He is 6ft 7in. Good? No. A string of dodgy performances saw the
Greek goalkeeper lose his place to Jamie Ashdown after just five league
games. Neither Chalkias nor Velimir Zajec, the director of football, lasted
long on the south coast.
3 Georgios Samaras, Heerenveen to Manchester City, 30 January 2006
Capable of the odd spectacular goal – but then for £6 million, so he should
be. Just eight league goals in more than fifty games, he has made only seven
appearances this season. At 22, the Greek striker is still young, but his
days at City seem numbered.
2 Michael Ricketts, Bolton Wanderers to Middlesbrough, 31 January 2003
On loan at Walsall from Oldham Athletic these days, and still only 29, the
former England striker’s fall from grace has been dramatic. He had already
peaked when Middlesbrough foolishly paid £3.5 million for him. Eighteen
months later, after only three goals, he joined Leeds United on a free
transfer.
1 Jean-Alain Boumsong, Rangers to Newcastle, 1 January 2005
They must have laughed long and hard in Glasgow – getting £8 million for a
player they signed for nothing. Who is useless. Graeme Souness, what were
you thinking? He paired Boumsong with Titus Bramble and they competed to see
who could make the most blunders.
