Heart Break Window

The January Transfer window, in my opinion, provides for more heart-ache than it does joy for the average supporter. There is no conceivable fashion in which you are able to conduct sound, prudent business in such a short shop window with hundreds of millions of pounds at stake, both in terms of performances on the pitch, and who is signed and who leaves their respective clubs.

Take some recent deals, for example. Portsmouth's Jermain Defoe is no stranger to moving in January. In fact he has just completed a full circle turn within a calendar year back to his old club Tottenham from Portsmouth. Defoe said he was "sickened" by vicious death threats received via the Pompey fans after he reiterated his desire to leave the south coast outfit following Harry Redknapp's renewed interest.

Sure, you might think : "I can understand the heart-ache the Portsmouth fans have gone through - but what about the Tottenham fans?". The answer, here, is not emotional heart-ache, but financial heart-ache. Every cloud has a silver lining, and Portsmouth fans can relish the 7 million pound profit they made off of the England International - but Pompey's gain is Spurs' pain. In a world where finances are supposed to be tighter than ever; it makes you wonder why Daniel Levy, normally so prudent withe the White Hart Lane purse strings (as evidenced in the Berbatov saga) would permit paying double the amount they sold the same player for one year ago. Why you might ask, would he do such a thing...? One word : relegation. Defoe has been brought in because Tottenham are in a relegation dog-fight, along with roughly 6 or 7 other teams, possibly, somewhat ironically, including Portsmouth.

My overriding point is, which set of supporters are really happy? Both have been hurt by each other in the January transfer window. The term "panic buy" is the word and flavor of the month. One of the two things normally happen. Either clubs target a super-star player, and on the rare occasion when this player is brought in, he is normally cup-tied, and takes 2/3 months to settle into a new environment. If clubs are unable to get their top targets through the door, they invariably buy one of lesser quality which the fans are displeased with. From the selling clubs point of view, the January transfer window is akin to a poisoned chalice - in that they are determined to hold on to their best players, but at the same time keen to buy. The financial crisis has added a wicked twist to the tale - expect a flurry of deadline day deals to go through with milliseconds to spare in February; because the stakes have never been higher for clubs all across the British top flight.

3 Players Arsène Wenger should sign in January.

1. Xabi Alonso

Liverpool's dynamo midfielder has grown from strength to strength since the protracted summer transfer saga of Gareth Barry. Alonso, supposedly a "light-weight" in that deal for the older, less experienced Barry, is arguably the best player in the premiership on current form and has led Liverpool's charge to the top of the table. The best passer of the ball in the Premiership, strong in the tackle, excellent work-rate, and most importantly; a mouth watering partnership with Cesc Fabregas that lead Spain to their first piece of Silverware in 20+ years . Wenger could have signed him over the summer but balked at the £16 million asking price - looks like a Walmart style bargain now though...

2. Daniel Van Buyten


Arsenal have shipped more goals than anyone else in the top four and this was the heart of their evaporation last season from the Champions League and Premiership. Van Buyten has Premiership, Champions League, and International Experience. His giant physique would add much needed steel in the Arsenal baby-pram as Wenger's kids need to come to grips with the physicality of the likes of Aston Villa, Stoke, and Hull in the second half of the Premier League next season to stand any chance of staying in 4th spot, let alone challenging for the title. Furthermore, the player has recently stated his admiration for Arsenal : "Arsenal are a very attractive club. That goes without saying,". Following the William Gallas fracas, Arsenal NEED a new centre half, that also goes "without saying".

3. Kris Boyd


This might surprise some people but he has one of the best goal scoring records in Europe. 66 goals in 92 appearances for Rangers, and he is not even a regular starter, and 7 goals in 15 appearances for his country, Scotland - who don't exactly ever pepper the opposition's goal. People might say, "Ah, but it's the SPL, it's a different kettle of fish from the Premier League". While this is true on the face of it, I agree with Martin Samuel, a columnist for the Sunday Times when he describes one of the most common fallacies in modern day football. Beating the keeper, dribbling past 5 men, the 16 step-overs... they mean nothing. Sticking the ball in the back of the net, that's the hard part of football . Arsenal's beautiful football normally ends in a missed chance or a tame shot at the goalie. Boyd, similar to Henrik Larsson, knows how to do the most difficult part. He is a deadly, ruthless finisher, who would relish a move to the Premier League. Feeding off the chances created by the likes of Cesc Fabregas would be a dream come true for the Scottish International. He would also be available for the Champions League knock-out stages in February. He would add the cutting edge to Arsenal's incisive, yet frustrating football which too often lacks the end product - which this man would no doubt provide.

Money Talks, but only if it is "Hugesd" wisely...

In the midst of a credit crunch, a financial meltdown, and the crumbling of the world beneath our feet, Mark Hughes, the Manchester City manager, has taken his current spending total to over 70 million pounds at the City of Manchester Stadium. Despite this influx of talent, which includes the likes of Jo, Robinho, and most recently - Wayne Bridge - Manchester City sit a meagre 13th in the English Premiership. To put this in a stark perspective, Hull City, who have spent a fraction of Hughes' transfer kitty, sit 5 points ahead of the Eastlands Club. Furthermore, the figure of "13th" is a paradoxical one; Man City are 2 points off the drop zone and 4 points clear of the league's bottom team, West Bromich Albion.

Hughes, backed by the Arab billionaires who took over the club in August, will argue that he has not been given the time in order to mold his squad together in order to make them capable of challenging for the upper echelons of the a Premier League which is deemed by many to be the fiercest in Europe, if not the world.

But this argument falls on its head if you consider Hughes' predecessor, Sven Goran Eriksson, spent markedly less than Hughes yet still had City competing for the European places for most of the season, and managed to get them into the UEFA Cup. A modest 9th place in the division, with the likes of Elano, Micah Richards, and Michael Johnson all firing on full cylinders - many in Manchester thought Sven had done a remarkable job, including the famous die hard Noel Gallagher of the band "Oasis".

Yet fast forward to January 2009 and City were just thrashed 0-3 by Championship strugglers Nottingham Forrest in the FA Cup. Their league form, as already stated, is appalling, and only a late, late Robinho strike saved them from a deserved defeat away at Blackburn Rovers. A 5-1 thumping of Hull City a rare recent feat.

Mark's problem is his inability to get any consistency out of City. In particular, they are lacking steel in the middle of the park, and Scott Parker has been touted as the man to fill this void. Whether Parker, a reject of Roman Abramovich's Chelski, is the right man for the job, only time will tell. But many are wondering whether the likes of Craig Bellamy and Scott Parker will be enough to satisfy the appetite of the club's owners - whom in September said that they would make audacious bids for Kaka, Ronaldo, and even Berbatov - who rejected City for Utd on August the 31st.

Hughes is a pragmatist. He achieved success at Blackburn by combining a strong under belly of the likes of Tugay, Christopher Samba with a rapier thrust of Pedersen, Bentley, and Jason Roberts.

If we're all being honest with ourselves, it seems as if Hughes is not so hot on the idea of going after pre-Madonnas who will cost an absolute fortune in wages, and they may also not respond kindly to Hughes' no-nonsense approach and management style. There have already been talks of a split between Hughes and Elano this season, and a general rift between the Brazilians in the changing room and the rest of the squad.

In effect, the debacle that is Manchester City is living proof of how talented a manager Jose Mourinho was at Chelsea, and is still currently at Inter Milan. Mourinho poignantly reminded journalists that the millions in oil money from a wealthy Russian owner meant nothing if there was not a chief conductor in place to get the orchestra performing in unison. The art of managing people who are earning upwards of 100,000 pounds per week is, arguably, the most challenging aspect of managing a super star club. This is a stumbling block that Hughes, given the rumours of dressing room fracas, has yet to master. It is a possible reason why he is not keen to add further "larger than life" players to the dressing room at Eastlands. Whether Sheikh Mansour is on board with Sparky's policy remains to be seen, especially given the FA Cup annihilation at the hands of Forrest.

Hughes' men need to bounce back against Portsmouth on Saturday. Defeat will only increase the pressure on Hughes, and put his position at the club in further jeopardy.