The January transfer window brought a few ups and downs and
some interesting signings to certainly keep an eye out for, but now that the
deadline has passed and the window is shut, it is time to take a look back at
some of the deals that took place during the later stages of Transfer Deadline
Day and after that I’ll be giving my thoughts on whether or not I think a good
decision has been made or if there perhaps should of been a bit more thought
put into some of the moves made during the day.
Arsenal completed the signing of Spanish full back Nacho
Monreal from Malaga for a fee believed to be around £8.5 million. The 26 year
old is likely to provide cover on the left side due to Kieran Gibbs latest
injury setback. Stoke City signed goalkeeper Jack Butland from Birmingham City
for 3.5 million before instantly loaning him back to them for the rest of the
current campaign. Everton signed young full back John Stones from Barnsley for
a fee also believed to be £3.5 million and Queens Park Rangers completed a
double swoop from Tottenham Hotspur signing winger Andros Townsend on loan for
the rest of the season and central midfielder Jermaine Jenas on an 18 month
contract.
The most publicised failed bid was without a doubt Peter
Odemwingies proposed move to QPR from West Bromwich Albion. The two clubs
couldn’t agree a deal for the Nigerian striker but he was seen outside of Loftus
Road during the evening with the belief that West Brom had allowed him to
travel to London for talks. He tried to enter the building but was denied entry
by QPR out of respect to West Brom. It is believed that Odemwingie might well
have been convinced by agents that a deal had been agreed but no move
materialised before 11pm and the 31 year old remains a Baggies player. Another
player who just would not budge was Celtics Gary Hooper who had 5 bids from
Norwich City turned down, Celtic made a statement saying they weren’t looking
to sell any key players regardless of the transfer fees due to their importance
for the upcoming Champions League ties with Juventus.
Now is the part where I give my thoughts on some of the
deals that took place throughout the day. I’m going to start with Aston Villas
signing of defensive midfielder Yacouba Sylla. I mentioned a couple of weeks
ago that I felt Villa needed a new central midfielder to toughen them up, but I
also mentioned that it should be an experienced midfielder. Sylla is 22 and has
just joined from a club in the French second division. Obviously it isn’t right
to judge without seeing him play first, but I do think Lambert would of been
better off looking for someone with more experience who knows exactly what kind
of situation Villa are in and how to help get them out of it. Stoke City’s
signing of 22 year old American winger Brek Shea has got me interested.
Admittedly it is another player I don’t know too much about and despite missing
most of the season through injury he does come in highly rated and has appeared
for his country 15 times. I’m not quite sure how much he’ll feature this season
as it might take him time to settle following a return to fitness and a move to
a new country, but if reports are anything to go by, he could well be a key
player for The Potters next season. The Arsenal interest in Nacho Monreal was
not reported on until the early hours of the evening with the deal being
concluded just before the deadline. Monreal is a 26 year old left back signed
to provide cover for Kieran Gibbs who currently has a thigh injury. He joins
from Malaga, the same club Arsenal signed Santi Cazorla from in the summer, and
while he plays in a completely different position from the 28 year old
attacking midfielder, fans will still be hoping that Monreal will come up big
for the club when needed.
Unfortunately that is all the time I have for today. To sum
it all up, Deadline Day had its good moments, but it was probably not one of
the most memorable ones in history. Hopefully the next one at the end of the
summer will have more action and excitement for us, but that is many months
away. The clubs have bought and sold and now it is time to crack on with the
rest of the season. Here’s hoping for a fun February!
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