Tag Archives: January

Top Ten January deals

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It was the busiest January transfer window since its inception, with a mixture of big-money deals, loan switches and free transfer moves. Here’s who we think are the top ten signings during the month…….

1 Fernando Torres (Chelsea – £50m)

He may have cost Chelsea £50m, but the Premier League champions are guaranteed goals from one of the world’s top strikers. Torres (20/1 Top Premier League 2010-11 Goalscorer) is still only 26 and his goalscoring record of 65 goals in 102 appearances for Liverpool highlights just what Roman Abramovich is buying.

2  Luis Suarez (Liverpool – £23m)

Liverpool (14/1 Top Four Finish) may have sold Torres and brought in Andy Carroll as his replacement, but Suarez looks set to be the man to deliver goals for the Reds. Ok, the Dutch league is not as strong as the Premier League, but 81 goals in 110 starts for Ajax proves he is deadly in and around the area.

3 Daniel Sturridge (Bolton – Loan)

Bolton have pulled off a coup with the loan capture of Chelsea youngster, who needs regular action under his belt. The former Manchester City man is still only 21 and with a run in the team, Sturridge could fire Bolton (20/23 to beat Wolves) into the European frame this season.

4 Darren Bent (Aston Villa – £24m)

It may have caused a war-of-words between Villa and Sunderland, but already Bent’s arrival at Villa Park seems to have galvanised Gerard Houllier’s men. A goal on his debut gave Villa (12/1 to be relegated) victory over Man City and they have won all three games since his arrival from Wearside.

5 Mark van Bommel (AC Milan – Free Transfer)

The Dutch midfielder was release from his contract at Bayern Munich and has joined Milan on a six-month deal. Van Bommel is another experienced name to add to the Milan (7/10 to win 2010-11 Serie A title) ranks and he will go in search for a fourth league title in a different country.

6 El Hadji Diouf (Rangers – Loan)

It’s fair to say the Senegalese international is not the most popular player with opposing fans, but the 30-year-old has the ability to be a big success in Scotland. Diouf had been a regular under Sam Allardyce but has been allowed to leave under new Blackburn boss Steve Kean, with Rangers (23/20 to win 2010-11 SPL title) likely to hand him a more attacking role.

7 Jamie O’Hara (Wolves – Loan)

The Spurs midfielder has moved to Molineux until the end of the season and could provie the guile that Wanderers (6/5 to stay up) need to avoid the drop. O’Hara has not played this term due to injury so will be fresh and has the experience of a relegation scrap under his belt after a spell with Portsmouth last season.

8 Aaron Ramsey (Cardiff – Loan)

The Welsh youngster returns to his former club in an attempt to bolster his match sharpness and he could get the Bluebirds’ promotion push (Cardiff 7/5 to be promoted) back on track. Ramsey is expected to be a Premier League star of the future and he will add much needed midfield options for Dave Jones.

9 Curtis Davies (Birmingham – Undisclosed)

The former West Brom man makes another Midlands switch, with a controversial move between big rivals Villa and Birmingham (2/7 to stay up). Davies showed his quality whilst on loan at Leicester this season and Blues need defensive reinforcements with Scott Dann out for the rest of the campaign.

10 Kris Commons (Celtic – £300,000)

The Scotland international has already shown he could be a snip, making an inspired debut in Celtic’s 4-1 crushing of Aberdeen in the CIS Cup semi-final. Commons scored in that game and his goal threat, as well as quality from set pieces, could be a key factor for the Bhoys (9/4 to win Scottish FA Cup).

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Spurs & City main January movers

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Bet on the Premier LeagueIt’s that time again as teams across Europe look to shake up their squads in the January transfer window.

Once again the same big clubs are being linked with top players in the UK and across the continent, with Tottenham Hotspur (20/1 to win the Premier League) and Manchester City leading the way.

According to manager Harry Redknapp, the former England skipper David Beckham is keen on making a return to the Premier League with a loan deal at White Hart Lane.

The 35-year-old has been strongly linked with the north London club as LA Galaxy are currently in their off-season.

Spurs are also said to be interested in bringing in Everton’s Steven Pienaar who is out of contract at Goodison Park in the summer.

Toffees boss David Moyes has been desperate to keep hold of the key midfielder but may be resigned to losing the South African in January or risk him walking out on a free at the end of the season.

There has been speculation that the Whites are set to make a £1.5m move for Pienaar but Everton want at least £3m for the player.

A striker who could be on his way out of White Hart Lane is Robbie Keane whose whole career has been spent moving from club to club.

The Irishman could be making a return to his first employers Wolves as Mick McCarthy looks for more firepower up front.

David Bentley has been linked with a move north to Newcastle United who are said to be interested in bringing the midfielder to St James’ Park.

As for the Premier League big spenders Manchester City (4/1 to win the Europa League), they could be adding yet more quality to their attacking line up which already includes the likes of Carlos Tevez, Mario Balotelli, Emmanuel Adebayor and Jo.

Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko could be on his way to Eastlands this month in a deal worth £30m.

With more signings potentially on their way, there could be a mass exodus of talented players who are no longer part of Roberto Mancini’s plans.

The likes of Roque Santa Cruz, Shay Given, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Wayne Bridge and Jo could all be on their way out of Eastlands as Mancini looks to trim down his squad.

There are a couple of players who have impressed in the Championship who could make the step up to the Premier League too.

Middlesbrough’s David Wheater looks set to leave the Riverside in the current transfer window, with a number of Premier League clubs looking for a decent central defender said to be keen.

Meanwhile, QPR star Adel Taarabt has been attracting plenty of attention as he has been one of the best players in the Championship this season and could possibly make a move to the top flight too.

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Race on for January sales

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The January transfer window is nearly upon us and the Premier League title chasers (outright winner) could well splash out next month in a bid to bolster their chances of success, so here is a run through of the rumours that have been doing the rounds in recent weeks regarding the current top four.

Manchester United

United are the current pace setters in the Premier League and heading into today’s (Tuesday) fixtures the Old Trafford side have a two point advantage over nearest rivals Manchester City and Arsenal (Manchester United 5/6 – Premier League outright).

Boss Sir Alex Ferguson tends to do most of his business in the summer and the Old Trafford side are not expected to make any major moves in the New Year and it could be a very quiet window indeed for the United boss.

United striker Michael Owen has been linked with a January exit but Ferguson has rejected the speculation.

Ferguson has also been linked with a swoop for a new goalkeeper, with Edwin van der Sar set to call time on his career at the end of the campaign, but the United boss could be prepared to wait until the summer before signing a new custodian.

Arsenal

The Gunners victory over Chelsea put them right back in the mix for the title but boss Arsene Wenger has stated he will not make any major moves in January (Arsenal 18/5 – Premier League outright).

The Frenchman has tended to shy away from big name signings in recent seasons and although he has not ruled out strengthening his squad it seems certain Wenger will not spend a huge amount of money in January.

Striker Nicklas Bendtner has already dismissed speculation linking him with a move to Serie A side Lazio, while Wenger has been linked with numerous goalkeepers but like his United counterpart Ferguson he could wait until the end of the campaign (Arsenal travel to Wigan on Wednesday – match betting – Wigan 11/2, draw 3/1, Arsenal 8/15).

Manchester City

City look set to be the big spenders in January as far as the top four are concerned.  Strikers Emmanuel Adebayor, Roque Santa Cruz and Jo have hardly featured for the Eastlands side this season and the trio look set to depart next month, with Adebayor linked with Juventus and Santa Cruz linked with Lazio and Fulham, while Jo has been linked with Hamburg (Manchester City 8/1 – Premier League outright).

If the duo do leave boss Roberto Mancini has been linked with a host of replacements, with Wolfsburg star Edin Dzeko and Newcastle hitman Andy Carroll believed to be his top targets.

Wolfsburg are desperate to retain Dzeko and Carroll has a long contract at St James’ Park but City are almost certain to add to their attack in January, having relied on the goal scoring exploits of Carlos Tevez alone for the majority of the first half of the campaign.

Chelsea

Boss Carlo Ancelotti looks to be under intense pressure at Stamford Bridge after seeing his side fall six points off the pace in the title race following their loss at Arsenal on Monday (Chelsea 19/5 – Premier League outright).

Chelsea did have a five-point lead at one point this season and they have not managed to win a league game since November 10 – with Ancelotti well aware his future now hangs in the balance.

It remains to be seen if the Italian will remain in charge at Stamford Bridge but if he does he has already admitted he has no plans to strengthen in the New Year and will rely on players returning from injury to boost his squad.

However, Ancelotti did admit he could sign a new defender if Alex does not recover by the end of January following a knee operation.  The former AC Milan boss also admitted he will try and sign an English player if he has to delve into the January market and Bolton?s Gary Cahill and Everton star Phil Jagielka are thought to be his top targets ahead of the January transfer window (Chelsea host Bolton on Wednesday – match betting – Chelsea 1/4, draw 9/2, Bolton 11/1).

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January window is make-or-break

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The January transfer window is largely ignored by the Premier League big guns, but it could prove crucial to sides battling it out for honours at both ends of the table. Here is the low down on which managers could be looking to do the most business next month.

Manchester City

Boss Roberto Mancini has never been short of a bob or two in the transfer market from the club’s mega-rich owners as they attempt to bridge the gap between themselves and rivals United, Chelsea and Arsenal (City 9/1 Premier League Outright).

City were boosted by Carlos Tevez’s decision to withdraw his transfer request as he is set to be a key player in his side’s campaign (4/1 Premier League Top Scorer).

However, Mancini is set to offload several players, including strike duo Emmanuel Adebayor and Roque Santa Cruz, which means there will be a vacancy in the attack at Eastlands.

Wolfsburg’s Edin Dzeko could be the man to fill the void as City have been heavily linked with the Bosnian hitman in the past, while the player reportedly wrote to the Citizens expressing his desire to join them.

Liverpool

Roy Hodgson recently stated that he should not be judged on his tenure at Anfield until he has brought his own players into the squad left behind by Rafa Benitez.

The former Fulham chief has been linked to the likes of Ashley Young, Johan Elmander and Gary Cahill, who would all clearly enhance the current set-up. But Hodgson has vowed to be patient in his efforts to recruit new blood and get the Reds up the Premier League table (5/1 Premier League Top 4 Finish).

Aston Villa

Villa boss Gerard Houllier will be looking for the club’s hierarchy to back up their recent claims that they do still harbour ambitions of bringing success to the club when the New Year window swings open.

The Frenchman took over from Martin O’Neill in September so has yet to stamp his own look on the squad at his disposal.

However, his first main task will be to persuade Ashley Young that his future remains at Villa Park, with the likes of Liverpool and Tottenham heavily linked.

Steve Sidwell is set to depart and a catalogue of injuries which have blighted his selection options so far this term means a midfielder is almost certainly on the wanted list.

If Houllier can prise him away then Newcastle’s Joey Barton could be a surprise name to add some steel to the Villa ranks and this could get them back up the table in search of a European spot (11/2 Villa Top 6 Finish).

Blackburn Rovers

January will be a huge month for Steve Kean to prove he is the man to take over from Big Sam Allardyce after owners Venky’s handed him the job until the end of the season with the promise of cash to spend.

Many doubters feel Kean could take Rovers down (13/2 Relegation) and Christopher Samba’s transfer request, Phil Jones’ long-term knee injury and Ryan Nelsen’s bemusement at the new owners’ antics suggests a defender could be a priority next month, while there is also talk of Middlesbrough striker Kris Boyd moving to Ewood Park.

West Ham

At the foot of the Premier League, Avram Grant will be looking to wheel and deal in January in a bid to save his job and the Hammers from relegation to the Championship (13/8 To Stay Up).

Aston Villa’s Steve Sidwell is on the verge of joining, while Tottenham’s Jamie O’Hara and Newcastle’s Joey Barton have been linked with the Upton Park outfit following Grant’s admission that he would like three new players on board by February 1.

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Adebayor won’t rule out January move

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Manchester City’s (11/8 to beat Liverpool) Emmanuel Adebayor has hinted he could leave the Eastlands club in the January transfer window.

The 26-year-old was left on the bench when City (8/13 for a top four finish) started their Premier League campaign at Spurs last weekend, and sought out boss Roberto Mancini to discuss his future at the club.

“I had a chat with the manager after the Spurs game which was good. But managers can change,” he told The People.

“Today they love you and then you think you are going to be moving.

“I don’t want to look too far into the future. Who knows? By January maybe the manager will tell me to leave – or maybe I will ask to leave.

“What is important for me is to have clear focus on playing for City and fighting for my place in the team and that is what I intend to do.

“As a footballer you have lots of difficult times. Being sat on the bench for the first game of the season at Tottenham was tough for me and I admit I was a little bit upset.”

Adebayor, capped 38 times by his country, made his name with Metz when he scored 17 goals in 35 games in the 2002-03 season, before a spell with Monaco which saw him help the French club to the Champions League final.

He spent three years at Arsenal, bagging 46 goals in 104 appearances for the Gunners, before City paid a fee of around £25million for him in July 2009, and has since scored 14 goals in 26 games.

Adebayor says his outlook on the game, and life in general, changed after he was involved in a near-death experience when the Togo team bus he was travelling on was ambushed by gunman en route to the African Nations Cup earlier this year.

An assistant coach and the team’s press officer – plus a driver – were killed and Adebayor said he was forced to re-evaluate his life.

“I have the chance to be alive when I could have been dead after what happened at the Cup of Nations,” he added.

“That experience can maybe make me a bit awkward as I know what I want now. My priority from now on is always going to be my family.

“But, you have to fight for your place. I am very happy to be part of this club and I love the challenge of making it at City.

“Now I’m waiting for my chance. I’m playing for one of the big teams in England and all I need now is to be playing games and scoring goals.”

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