The two sides of EPL’s January transfer window

A look at the best and the worst signings in mid-season since the league's history

KARACHI: Few things in football divide opinions like the January transfer window. For some, it is a chance to add momentum to an ailing title challenge or address a worrying slide towards relegation; for others it is a distraction from the football as only lower quality players are available at inflated prices.

There is ample evidence to support both sides of the argument. 

The 5 best signings

1. Luis Suarez: £50 million richer after Fernando Torres’ sale to Chelsea, Liverpool broke their club record to sign Ajax striker Suarez for around £22.5 million and the striker was an instant hit at Anfield. Linking up well with his new teammates, he inspired 12^th-placed Liverpool to sixth.

The Uruguayan continued on from there and went from strength to strength with each passing season, reaching the crescendo in his final year at Liverpool, when he forged a formidable partnership with Daniel Sturridge and nearly inspired The Reds to the title with a record-equalling 31 goals in just 33 league appearances.

A £75 million move to Barcelona followed, representing a £52.5 million profit for the Anfield side.

2. Nemanja Vidic: Despite being up against the likes of Jaap Stam, Henning Berg and Rio Ferdinand; Nemanja Vidic can claim to be Manchester United’s best centre-back of the Premier League era.

Signed in the middle of the 2005-06 season for £7 million from Spartak Moscow, Vidic slotted into the heart of United’s defence and was one of its mainstays for more than seven years. The no-nonsense Serbian defender went on to win five Premier League titles and a Champions League medal with United, twice claiming the EPL Player of the Year award.

3. Emmanuel Adebayor: Arsene Wenger may not be the biggest fan of the January transfer window but he had little complaints about Adebayor’s arrival in 2006.

Signed from Monaco for a paltry £3 million, the lanky Togolese stepped up to the plate after Thierry Henry’s departure to become Arsenal’s main striker, scoring 24 goals in 36 appearances in the 2007-08 season.

He left for Manchester City a year later for a fee of around £25 million to earn Arsenal a handsome profit. 

4. Daniel Sturridge: Many questioned the wisdom behind signing Manchester City and Chelsea reject Daniel Sturridge but the young English striker has vindicated Brendon Rodger’s decision to bring him in, and is now Liverpool’s best striker after Suarez’s move to Barcelona.

Sturridge’s partnership with the Uruguayan in ‘SAS’ was one of the highlights of last season’s Premier League campaign as Liverpool narrowly missed out on the title in his first full season. The 25-year-old’s absence, through injury, has been felt at Anfield this season as Liverpool loiter in mid-table.

5. Tim Howard: After a six-month long loan spell, Howard was signed by Everton from Manchester United for £3 million.

He has been ever-present between the sticks and has missed only seven league games in nine Premier League seasons since his arrival at Everton. The American has established himself as one of the most reliable goal-keepers in the league over the years and is showing no signs of slowing down at 35.

The 5 worst signings

1.Fernando Torres: Signed for a record £50 million fee, Torres joined Chelsea from Liverpool as perhaps the league’s best striker.

However, the difference in his fortunes at the two clubs could not have been any starker as Torres failed spectacularly in London.

Having scored 65 goals in 102 appearances for The Reds, the Spaniard managed only 20 in 110 for The Blues, with Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho openly criticising the striker during Torres’ final season at Chelsea.

He was eventually loaned out to Milan to see out the final two years of his contract but scored only once in 10 appearances, and after making the move permanent has been loaned out to boyhood club Atletico Madrid. 

2. Andy Carroll: Newcastle somehow convinced Liverpool to spend a club record £30 million on their young in-form striker. However, Carroll, like Torres, became the butt of several unfortunate jokes as he failed to bring his Newcastle form to Liverpool.

The Geordie native had scored 11 goals in 19 games for Newcastle in the season that he was signed by Liverpool but found the net only six times in three years at Anfield before he was first loaned and then sold to West Ham.

3. Alfonso Alves: Signed for a club record fee in access of £15 million by Middlesbrough, Alves was never able to settle in the Premier League, scoring just 10  goals in 42 appearances; a stark contrast from his time at Heerenveen, where he scored 45 goals in 39 appearances.

It went further downhill for the Brazilian as he failed even in the obscurity of the Middle East after leaving the Premier League and has been unable to find a club since 2013.

4. Andrey Arshavin: Beating off competition from Barcelona, Arsenal signed Arshavin for a club record £15 million amidst much hype but the diminutive Russian was never able to reach the heights expected of him. Despite several highlights, including four goals in a 4-4 draw against Liverpool at Anfield, he was a regular source of frustration as he tried the spectacular once too often.

He returned to former club Zenit St Petersburg and has since hit out at Wenger and Arsenal. 

5. Scott Parker: The Charlton midfielder was one of the first signings at Chelsea after Roman Abramovich took over but always looked out of his depths at Stamford Bridge.

Signed for £10 million, he was moved on for £6.5 million just six months later, having made only 15 appearances.

 

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