Ah transfer window time, but this one’s been a bit of a damp squib. No money, you see. Not unless you’re one of the very few Premier League clubs with billionaire owners, that is. And even then it’s been difficult to make decent signings.
But the silliest transfer rumour of all actually came true – Sol Campbell going back to Arsenal. Very odd, and by his performance in the Cup on Sunday, it looks like he’d have been better off staying at Notts County – at least it may have been the right level of football for him at this stage in his career!
I suppose the biggest signing this time around (to date) is another ex-Arsenal star – yep, Manchester City’s ‘capture’ of Patrick Vieira. Beyond that, we’ve had Matt Kilgallon going to Sunderland, and Gary Caldwell off to Wigan. Liverpool have somehow managed to sign Maxi Rodriguez from Athletico on a free – not bad business if he can reproduce his international form. And then there’s Michel’s £3m transfer to Birmingham, the biggest fee of the transfer window so far. But that’s not particularly exciting, as hardly anyone’s heard of Michel anyway!
And that’s it, aside from a couple of loanees thrown in here or there. With just a few days left before the transfer window closes, it’s clear that the recession is cutting deep. Although rumours abound that Big Eck might splash some more of his £40m transfer budget, having had a reported £9m bid for Liverpool’s Ryan Babel rejected. Lucky escape for Birmingham, I say.
But I do hope McLeish goes out and spends some decent money on a star player or two, guys who may be able to push Birmingham towards a UEFA cup place. They’ve had a great season so far, and a couple of decent buys could make a big difference, but McLeish won’t want to get overcharged for mediocrity, of course, nor will he want to upset the camaraderie he has developed there. But if he is to bring Birmingham into the big time, he has to put down a marker in this transfer window. He has to be bold enough to bring in one or two big players.
So where will the big news transfer story be in the next few days ? Roberto Mancini is bound to be on the lookout, but does he really need anyone else now – with his squad not playing in Europe this year ? Having said that, Robinho looks to be on his way out, so a replacement may be in order. And the big 4 ? Hardly a murmur. Chelsea may as well still be under that transfer embargo for all the business going on down at the Bridge.
No, I think it’s the Blues of Birmingham who hold the key to this transfer window, and I hope they have the wherewithal to make a large splash and get some real quality in at St Andrews. This is their time to make some headlines, and come to the rescue of possibly the dullest and quietest transfer window since this ridiculous system was put in place 8 years ago.
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