Armageddon it isn't but FIFA's ruling against Chelsea could leave an irrevocable crater in the future of the London club and the footballing world.
(I imagined Morgan Freeman, the President in the movie, voicing the following lines in his unmatchable stoic and mature style, rather than my furious and juvenile writing style)
The Impact:
1 - The new man in charge at the Bridge, Carlo Ancelotti, has yet to make a significant signing. All managers like to bring in new players and attempt to mould the squad in their image and, while no deals to this end were made in the summer (Zhirkov's addition was approved by Hiddink and Abramovic), the January window and particularly next summer would have been targeted as busy periods in remodelling the side.
2 - Chelsea will lose integral players Essien, Mikel, Drogba and Kalou for the African Nation's Cup without the possibility of replacement.
3 - The Blues have eight players in their squad over 30. Lampard, Carvalho, Ballack, Deco and Drogba will all be over the age of 32 by the time Chelsea can invest in potential substitutes for players at the core of the Abramovich era. John Terry, with all the the wear and tear on his body, will be an 'old' 30 while Ashley Cole, Malouda, Ferreira and Anelka will also be in their fourth decade.
4 - It is hard to imagine that the likes of Franco di Santo, Scott Sinclair, Michael Mancienne, Miroslav Stoch or Slobodan Rajkovic (all currently out on loan) will be able to help ease the pain and contribute, should they be recalled.
5 - What if Chelsea wanted to sell a player to maximise his value? Simply, due to being unable to replenish the squad, they can't.
6 - It would be a misnomer to suggest that this team is as active and extravagant in the transfer market as it used to be. Zhirkov was added for £18m this offseason but the likes of Claudio Pizarro and Ben Sahar were allowed to leave, recouping around £8m. Last year, Chelsea spent £16m on Jose Bosingwa and also added Deco on a free transfer but offloaded Boulharouz, Sidwell and Ben Haim for almost as much and then sold Wayne Bridge to Man City for £14m in January. Squad turnover is a part of the modern game and for all the strength of the group assembled currently, injury, loss of form or a change in coaching philosophy can not be supplemented with new players. In addition, Abramovich is unlikely to sanction a wave of spending once their personal window reopens.
7 - Chelsea have been fined, Kakuta suspended for 4 months. The least of their problems.
8 - The scouting department and front office will be on a tight rope regarding future deals. Can they be as aggressive in going after talent in the future? What would be the next sanction if they were judged guilty again?
9 - This indictment is a serious charge against the morals and appeal of the club. How will this affect sponsorship and their position in the global game?
10 - Perhaps most importantly, how does this affect the game in the long run? What kind of punishments will be levied in the future for similar acts? FIFA need to develop a strategy against the poaching of the world's best young talent and, while this may be the first step, there are limited provisions and set-out rules regarding such offenses. Why not stop all transfers of players that have yet to sign a professional contract? How about a structured tribunal system relating to International caps and competitions played in to reimburse the selling clubs? How about treating everyone in the same manner? Everyone, even the casual fan, knows that this is an endemic part of the modern game and has been rife for years and, not to claim that Chelsea shouldn't be penalised, but shouldn't these punishments be universally matched? Ma Utd, Milan, Real Madrid...your time might be nigh.
Ah well, Chelsea will probably appeal, get a three month ban (ending December 31st), a slap on the wrist and 20 minutes in the corner.
Friday, 4 September 2009
Premiership Power Rankings
No Premiership football this weekend? No problem. Power rankings time.
1. Chelsea (played 4, points 12, No change) - They might be in crisis off the field thanks to FIFA's pretty bizarre transfer ruling, but they lead the league and have been the most impressive team in the league's infant weeks.
2. Man Utd (p 4, pts 9, NC) - Their result over Arsenal keeps them second here. Their performance doesn't.
3. Arsenal (p 3, pts 6, NC) - Defeat at Old Trafford halted a good start but the International break comes at a good time. Another trip to Manchester to face City will test the Gunner's resolve.
4. Tottenham (p 4, pts 12, NC) - Spurs have full points but will have to cope with the loss of Luka Modric and the upcoming visit of Man Utd. Loving the Kranjcar deal.
5. Liverpool (p 4, pts 6, NC) - Somewhere down the road, we might look at the comeback at Bolton as the turning point of their season. Question marks about the defence are starting to gather momentum.
6. Man City (p 3, pts 9, NC) - A perfect record and many a perfect post game interview from the sky blue superstars. Things seem a little too rosy...
7. Aston Villa (p 3, pts 6, NC) - Very active at the transfer deadline but how long will the likes of Collins, Dunne and Warnock take to gel? There seems to be a hint of panic around Villa Park right now and a trip to cross-city rivals Birmingham might just expose it.
8. Everton (p 3, pts 3, Up 1) - Have they played well yet? No. Are there more than seven better teams in the division right now? Probably not.
9. Stoke (p 4, pts 7, Up 2) -I like their home record since entering the Premiership (12 wins and 5 draws in 21 games). I don't like their chances in their next home fixture versus Chelsea.
10. Sunderland (p 4, pts 6, Dn 2) - Next three weeks; Hull (h), Bunley (a), Wolves (h). Could the Black Cat's be the early surprise package?
11. West Ham (p 3, pts 4, Up 1) - Don't be surprised if they crawl through the next month; this team has a series of very tricky ties and limited squad depth to deal with the injuries that are bound to happen. Rumour has it they rejected a £14m bid for Matthew Upson at the transfer deadline.
12. Fulham (p 3, pts 3, Dn 2) - Difficult to know what to make of the Cottagers at this point; defeats at home to Chelsea and at Villa are nothing to be ashamed of, nor is a victory at Fratton Park anything to be too proud of. They might just nibble around either extreme of the table and settle right in the middle gaining all of about 9 column inches all year.
13. Burnley (p 4, pts 6, NC) - Burnley's tour of England's top club continues this week with a visit to Anfield. I hope they get some souvenirs from the gift shop because they aren't getting any points.
14. Hull (p 4, pts 4, Up 1) - The Tigers appear to have bought well and now boast a surfeit of attacking options. Their issues may lie at the other end of the field and the sale of Michael Turner could unsettle them in the short-term, particularly in their next game, at Turner's new team Sunderland.
15. Birmingham (p 4, pts 4, Up 1) - I've been trying to come up with a catchy name for their derby with Villa; The Spaggheti Junction derby? The Balti Belt derby? The Duran Duran derby? I'm going with the latter. Did you know Birmingham is twinned with Milan? How did that happen?!
16. Wolves (p 4, pts 4, Up 2) - Signing Segundo Castillo, a former midfield partner of Nenad Milijas and an Everton loanee last term, looks good business. Stefan Maierhofer, known as 'the neck,' becomes the tallest player in the league at 6'7. Don't imagine Peter Crouch will mind too much. At Blackburn next.
17. Blackburn (p 3, pts 1, Dn 3) - At home to Wolves next. Coincidently. Really need a win considering their following three games are against Everton, Villa and Arsenal.
18. Wigan (p 4, pts 3, Dn 1) - They have the lowest home attendances in the division to this point, understandably so considering their 0 goals scored, 6 goals conceded and 0 points. The Hammers travel to the DW (for some reason an abbreviation far uglier than JJB) in the next round.
19. Bolton (p 3, pts 0, NC) - A relegation 6-pointer in September! Alert the media! Bolton travel to Portsmouth with the loser just looking a little silly. The capture of Ivan Klasnic is reminiscent of Megson's predecessor Sam Allardyce.
20. Portsmouth (p 4, pts 0, NC) - The takeover got done and the deals got made. I'm just not convinced that the likes of Tommy Smith, Michael Brown, Mike Williamson and the various foreign imports are capable of helping them stay up. Aruna Dindane, a loan signing from Lens, could be an exciting pick up at least.
1. Chelsea (played 4, points 12, No change) - They might be in crisis off the field thanks to FIFA's pretty bizarre transfer ruling, but they lead the league and have been the most impressive team in the league's infant weeks.
2. Man Utd (p 4, pts 9, NC) - Their result over Arsenal keeps them second here. Their performance doesn't.
3. Arsenal (p 3, pts 6, NC) - Defeat at Old Trafford halted a good start but the International break comes at a good time. Another trip to Manchester to face City will test the Gunner's resolve.
4. Tottenham (p 4, pts 12, NC) - Spurs have full points but will have to cope with the loss of Luka Modric and the upcoming visit of Man Utd. Loving the Kranjcar deal.
5. Liverpool (p 4, pts 6, NC) - Somewhere down the road, we might look at the comeback at Bolton as the turning point of their season. Question marks about the defence are starting to gather momentum.
6. Man City (p 3, pts 9, NC) - A perfect record and many a perfect post game interview from the sky blue superstars. Things seem a little too rosy...
7. Aston Villa (p 3, pts 6, NC) - Very active at the transfer deadline but how long will the likes of Collins, Dunne and Warnock take to gel? There seems to be a hint of panic around Villa Park right now and a trip to cross-city rivals Birmingham might just expose it.
8. Everton (p 3, pts 3, Up 1) - Have they played well yet? No. Are there more than seven better teams in the division right now? Probably not.
9. Stoke (p 4, pts 7, Up 2) -I like their home record since entering the Premiership (12 wins and 5 draws in 21 games). I don't like their chances in their next home fixture versus Chelsea.
10. Sunderland (p 4, pts 6, Dn 2) - Next three weeks; Hull (h), Bunley (a), Wolves (h). Could the Black Cat's be the early surprise package?
11. West Ham (p 3, pts 4, Up 1) - Don't be surprised if they crawl through the next month; this team has a series of very tricky ties and limited squad depth to deal with the injuries that are bound to happen. Rumour has it they rejected a £14m bid for Matthew Upson at the transfer deadline.
12. Fulham (p 3, pts 3, Dn 2) - Difficult to know what to make of the Cottagers at this point; defeats at home to Chelsea and at Villa are nothing to be ashamed of, nor is a victory at Fratton Park anything to be too proud of. They might just nibble around either extreme of the table and settle right in the middle gaining all of about 9 column inches all year.
13. Burnley (p 4, pts 6, NC) - Burnley's tour of England's top club continues this week with a visit to Anfield. I hope they get some souvenirs from the gift shop because they aren't getting any points.
14. Hull (p 4, pts 4, Up 1) - The Tigers appear to have bought well and now boast a surfeit of attacking options. Their issues may lie at the other end of the field and the sale of Michael Turner could unsettle them in the short-term, particularly in their next game, at Turner's new team Sunderland.
15. Birmingham (p 4, pts 4, Up 1) - I've been trying to come up with a catchy name for their derby with Villa; The Spaggheti Junction derby? The Balti Belt derby? The Duran Duran derby? I'm going with the latter. Did you know Birmingham is twinned with Milan? How did that happen?!
16. Wolves (p 4, pts 4, Up 2) - Signing Segundo Castillo, a former midfield partner of Nenad Milijas and an Everton loanee last term, looks good business. Stefan Maierhofer, known as 'the neck,' becomes the tallest player in the league at 6'7. Don't imagine Peter Crouch will mind too much. At Blackburn next.
17. Blackburn (p 3, pts 1, Dn 3) - At home to Wolves next. Coincidently. Really need a win considering their following three games are against Everton, Villa and Arsenal.
18. Wigan (p 4, pts 3, Dn 1) - They have the lowest home attendances in the division to this point, understandably so considering their 0 goals scored, 6 goals conceded and 0 points. The Hammers travel to the DW (for some reason an abbreviation far uglier than JJB) in the next round.
19. Bolton (p 3, pts 0, NC) - A relegation 6-pointer in September! Alert the media! Bolton travel to Portsmouth with the loser just looking a little silly. The capture of Ivan Klasnic is reminiscent of Megson's predecessor Sam Allardyce.
20. Portsmouth (p 4, pts 0, NC) - The takeover got done and the deals got made. I'm just not convinced that the likes of Tommy Smith, Michael Brown, Mike Williamson and the various foreign imports are capable of helping them stay up. Aruna Dindane, a loan signing from Lens, could be an exciting pick up at least.
Tuesday, 1 September 2009
Top 25 British Transfers of the Summer
Another contentious and alarmingly immature list. It may take 3, 4, 5 years, if not longer, to fully diagnose the importance and value of the deals conducted during the transfer window but this is the new millenium, we want answers now!
Below are a list of the top 25 transfers made to Premiership clubs since last season ended and attempts to consider potential impact, cost, longevity, statural significance and how necessary their signing was. I say attempts because I've just noticed that Tuncay is no.3 on the list. Well, I'm leaving him there. Don't like it? At least you read it...
1. Gareth Barry (£12m, Aston Villa to Man City) - I can hardly effuse enough about the ‘value’ of this transfer. Not the blockbuster deal that have been the hallmark of the Sheikh Mansour era (whether completed or not) but an adroit addition; Barry should be the leader and heartbeat of this team over the next few years.
2. Thomas Vermaelen (£10m, Ajax to Arsenal) - Looks like he has been there for years and is younger and cheaper than the departed Kolo Toure. Wenger rarely makes lavish signings but appears to have struck gold with Vermaelen and last years major acquitsition Andrei Arshavin.
3. Tuncay Sanli (£5m, Middlesbrough to Stoke) - Highlights Stoke’s ambition that they were able to seal the double deal for Tuncay and Robert Huth with the Turk bringing flair and imagination to the Potters. Also an undoubted team player, hard worker and able to play anywhere across the front. A steal.
4. Emmanuel Adebayor (£25m, Arsenal to Man City) - Two years ago he was worth £30million, last year he was worth about a third of that. City didn’t quite split the difference but, if the languid Togo forward can play to his peak and maintain his motivation, then City have the target man they so sorely missed last term.
5. Lorik Cana (£5m, Marseille to Sunderland) - Quite the coup for Sunderland, Cana was impressing for Marseille in the Champions League in the last couple of years and has already impressed on Wearside with his intelligence, tenacity and distribution.
6. Yuri Zhirkov (£18m, CSKA Moscow to Chelsea) - Not cheap and yet to start but the versatile Russian left-sider should contribute soon. He can provide some much needed width and is the kind of player Ancelotti craves; pacy, diligent and unselfish.
7. Carlos Tevez (£25.5m, Man Utd to Man City via MSI) - Too expensive? Doesn’t score enough goals? Stupid hair bands? All of the above are potential slights but, if nothing else, he proves that City can compete with the elite in terms of potential signings. Put the wind up Fergie also as an added bonus.
8. Glen Johnson (£18.5m, Portsmouth to Liverpool) - A hefty price tag for a right back but Johnson offers far more than his defensive position suggests. He will be an ancillary attacker in many respects, evidenced already by two goals this season, and has developed defensively over the last couple of years, working his way into the England starting XI.
9. Nenad Milijas (£4m, Red Star Belgrade to Wolves) - Easy to imagine that the Serb had no real idea where Wolverhampton was and probably hadn’t heard of any of his team mates. They might respond by suggesting they didn’t know of him but the talented left-footer was the player of the year in his homeland last year, scored 22 goals from midfield and has become an integral part of the national team that are dark horses for next years World Cup. Watch him. He’s good.
10. Sylvain Distin (£5.3m, Portsmouth to Everton) - Another member of the Portsmouth exodus and the replacement for the departed Lescott. Doesn’t possess the upside of Joleon and is nearing the end of his peak but arguably as talented and almost £20million less.
11. Niko Kranjcar (£2m, Portsmouth to Tottenham) - Cheap as chips for a player proven at this level. Expect Harry Redknapp to play him in place of the injured Luka Modric and for the Croatian trio of Corluka, Kranjcar and Modric to propel Spurs to European football.
12. Darren Bent (£10m, Tottenham to Sunderland) - For some reason, it seemed clear that D-Bent would flourish slightly out of the limelight and in a more direct style of play. He’ll score, we won’t notice too much.
13. Diniyar Bilyaletdinov (£9m, Lokomotiv Moscow to Everton) - A commentator’s nightmare but, by all accounts, a managers dream; an excellent professional, a former captain and capable of filling a number of different roles in the team. Moyes will likely play him just behind the forwards or on the left but expect him to have a Fellaini-esque impact after he settles.
14. Sebastien Bassong (£8m, Newcastle to Tottenham) - Cost Newcastle only £500,000 last summer so must have had a hell of a season to develop his value 16-fold. In truth, he didn’t shine to that extent for the Geordies last year but is a young, strong centre-half that fills a much needed void for the Londoners.
15. Joleon Lescott (£24m, Everton to Man City) - The third highest fee ever for a defender and more costly than the likes of Diego, Etoo, Sneijder, Huntelaar, Robben, Diego Milito, Chygrynski, Felipe Melo and many other non-City summer signings. Good? Yes. Worth it? Not quite. In fairness, they needed a defender (sorry Richard Dunne, but no team can win the league with you in it) and the actual monetry sums are hardlya concern.
16. Stephen Warnock (£8m, Blackburn to Aston Villa) - The good; a mobile and adaptable performer that will add to the team on and off the field. The bad; O’Neill finally has to accept that the Nicky Shorey deal was something of a misstep.
17. Stewart Downing (£12m, Middlesbrough to Aston Villa) - Out until Christmas time but, considering how he single handedly kept his former team competitive at times, should be a big player for the Villa.
18. Michael Turner (£6m, Hull to Sunderland) - Hull’s best player three years running and a star during the first half of their first Premiership campaign. On this list partly for his ability and partly due to the Black Cats necessity for a centre-back.
19. John Heitinga (£6.2m, Atletico Madrid to Everton) - Kinda looks like a slightly less conscious Craig Bellamy but don’t let that fool you, the Dutchman is probably his countries best and most accomplished defender. Can play at the heart of the defence but will probably feature more on the right for the Toffees.
20. Stephen Hunt (£3.5m, Reading to Hull) - Makes things happen. Cant believe nobody secured his signature last year. Bound to become best mates with Jimmy Bullard.
21. Jozy Altidore (Loan, Villarreal to Hull) - Still pretty raw (think an American Carlton Cole) but blessed with undisputed physical tools and effort. He’ll have some shockers but has already shown that he can trouble Premiership defenders. Kamel Ghilas, his strike partner, will probably look brilliant until about mid-October. Enjoy it while it lasts.
22. Alberto Aquilani (£20m, Roma to Liverpool) - Xabi Alonso had developed into one of the league’s premier passers and creators and will be fondly remembered by the Liverpool devotees. Aquilani will have to adapt quickly and avoid the bane of injury but has the tools to be a major contributor and replacement for new ‘Galactico’ Xabi.
23. Frederic Piquionne (Loan, Lyon to Portsmouth) - Here’s a list of the other forwards in the Pompey squad; Kanu, John Utaka, Tommy Smith. Piquionne is not much more than a decent striker but fills a massive need and can lead the line.
24. Christian ‘Chucho’ Benitez (£6.5m, Santos Laguna to Birmingham) - Could go either way. Either he’s somewhere between Mauro Zarate and Christophe Dugarry or he’s not fit to clean Marcus Bent’s boots.
25.Michael Owen (Free, Newcastle to Man Utd) - Ronaldo he isn’t but the former England international will score. The big question is whether he scores pretty meaningless strikes like the one against Wigan or whether he can deliver against when the Reds really need him.
No Roque Santa Cruz, no Kolo Toure, no Lee Cattermole, no Allessandro Diamanti and no Richard Dunne amongst many, many other candidates. Only time will tell as to who the best players purchased over the last couple of months were and, with that in mind, I might just update this list at Christmas, if you're lucky.
Below are a list of the top 25 transfers made to Premiership clubs since last season ended and attempts to consider potential impact, cost, longevity, statural significance and how necessary their signing was. I say attempts because I've just noticed that Tuncay is no.3 on the list. Well, I'm leaving him there. Don't like it? At least you read it...
1. Gareth Barry (£12m, Aston Villa to Man City) - I can hardly effuse enough about the ‘value’ of this transfer. Not the blockbuster deal that have been the hallmark of the Sheikh Mansour era (whether completed or not) but an adroit addition; Barry should be the leader and heartbeat of this team over the next few years.
2. Thomas Vermaelen (£10m, Ajax to Arsenal) - Looks like he has been there for years and is younger and cheaper than the departed Kolo Toure. Wenger rarely makes lavish signings but appears to have struck gold with Vermaelen and last years major acquitsition Andrei Arshavin.
3. Tuncay Sanli (£5m, Middlesbrough to Stoke) - Highlights Stoke’s ambition that they were able to seal the double deal for Tuncay and Robert Huth with the Turk bringing flair and imagination to the Potters. Also an undoubted team player, hard worker and able to play anywhere across the front. A steal.
4. Emmanuel Adebayor (£25m, Arsenal to Man City) - Two years ago he was worth £30million, last year he was worth about a third of that. City didn’t quite split the difference but, if the languid Togo forward can play to his peak and maintain his motivation, then City have the target man they so sorely missed last term.
5. Lorik Cana (£5m, Marseille to Sunderland) - Quite the coup for Sunderland, Cana was impressing for Marseille in the Champions League in the last couple of years and has already impressed on Wearside with his intelligence, tenacity and distribution.
6. Yuri Zhirkov (£18m, CSKA Moscow to Chelsea) - Not cheap and yet to start but the versatile Russian left-sider should contribute soon. He can provide some much needed width and is the kind of player Ancelotti craves; pacy, diligent and unselfish.
7. Carlos Tevez (£25.5m, Man Utd to Man City via MSI) - Too expensive? Doesn’t score enough goals? Stupid hair bands? All of the above are potential slights but, if nothing else, he proves that City can compete with the elite in terms of potential signings. Put the wind up Fergie also as an added bonus.
8. Glen Johnson (£18.5m, Portsmouth to Liverpool) - A hefty price tag for a right back but Johnson offers far more than his defensive position suggests. He will be an ancillary attacker in many respects, evidenced already by two goals this season, and has developed defensively over the last couple of years, working his way into the England starting XI.
9. Nenad Milijas (£4m, Red Star Belgrade to Wolves) - Easy to imagine that the Serb had no real idea where Wolverhampton was and probably hadn’t heard of any of his team mates. They might respond by suggesting they didn’t know of him but the talented left-footer was the player of the year in his homeland last year, scored 22 goals from midfield and has become an integral part of the national team that are dark horses for next years World Cup. Watch him. He’s good.
10. Sylvain Distin (£5.3m, Portsmouth to Everton) - Another member of the Portsmouth exodus and the replacement for the departed Lescott. Doesn’t possess the upside of Joleon and is nearing the end of his peak but arguably as talented and almost £20million less.
11. Niko Kranjcar (£2m, Portsmouth to Tottenham) - Cheap as chips for a player proven at this level. Expect Harry Redknapp to play him in place of the injured Luka Modric and for the Croatian trio of Corluka, Kranjcar and Modric to propel Spurs to European football.
12. Darren Bent (£10m, Tottenham to Sunderland) - For some reason, it seemed clear that D-Bent would flourish slightly out of the limelight and in a more direct style of play. He’ll score, we won’t notice too much.
13. Diniyar Bilyaletdinov (£9m, Lokomotiv Moscow to Everton) - A commentator’s nightmare but, by all accounts, a managers dream; an excellent professional, a former captain and capable of filling a number of different roles in the team. Moyes will likely play him just behind the forwards or on the left but expect him to have a Fellaini-esque impact after he settles.
14. Sebastien Bassong (£8m, Newcastle to Tottenham) - Cost Newcastle only £500,000 last summer so must have had a hell of a season to develop his value 16-fold. In truth, he didn’t shine to that extent for the Geordies last year but is a young, strong centre-half that fills a much needed void for the Londoners.
15. Joleon Lescott (£24m, Everton to Man City) - The third highest fee ever for a defender and more costly than the likes of Diego, Etoo, Sneijder, Huntelaar, Robben, Diego Milito, Chygrynski, Felipe Melo and many other non-City summer signings. Good? Yes. Worth it? Not quite. In fairness, they needed a defender (sorry Richard Dunne, but no team can win the league with you in it) and the actual monetry sums are hardlya concern.
16. Stephen Warnock (£8m, Blackburn to Aston Villa) - The good; a mobile and adaptable performer that will add to the team on and off the field. The bad; O’Neill finally has to accept that the Nicky Shorey deal was something of a misstep.
17. Stewart Downing (£12m, Middlesbrough to Aston Villa) - Out until Christmas time but, considering how he single handedly kept his former team competitive at times, should be a big player for the Villa.
18. Michael Turner (£6m, Hull to Sunderland) - Hull’s best player three years running and a star during the first half of their first Premiership campaign. On this list partly for his ability and partly due to the Black Cats necessity for a centre-back.
19. John Heitinga (£6.2m, Atletico Madrid to Everton) - Kinda looks like a slightly less conscious Craig Bellamy but don’t let that fool you, the Dutchman is probably his countries best and most accomplished defender. Can play at the heart of the defence but will probably feature more on the right for the Toffees.
20. Stephen Hunt (£3.5m, Reading to Hull) - Makes things happen. Cant believe nobody secured his signature last year. Bound to become best mates with Jimmy Bullard.
21. Jozy Altidore (Loan, Villarreal to Hull) - Still pretty raw (think an American Carlton Cole) but blessed with undisputed physical tools and effort. He’ll have some shockers but has already shown that he can trouble Premiership defenders. Kamel Ghilas, his strike partner, will probably look brilliant until about mid-October. Enjoy it while it lasts.
22. Alberto Aquilani (£20m, Roma to Liverpool) - Xabi Alonso had developed into one of the league’s premier passers and creators and will be fondly remembered by the Liverpool devotees. Aquilani will have to adapt quickly and avoid the bane of injury but has the tools to be a major contributor and replacement for new ‘Galactico’ Xabi.
23. Frederic Piquionne (Loan, Lyon to Portsmouth) - Here’s a list of the other forwards in the Pompey squad; Kanu, John Utaka, Tommy Smith. Piquionne is not much more than a decent striker but fills a massive need and can lead the line.
24. Christian ‘Chucho’ Benitez (£6.5m, Santos Laguna to Birmingham) - Could go either way. Either he’s somewhere between Mauro Zarate and Christophe Dugarry or he’s not fit to clean Marcus Bent’s boots.
25.Michael Owen (Free, Newcastle to Man Utd) - Ronaldo he isn’t but the former England international will score. The big question is whether he scores pretty meaningless strikes like the one against Wigan or whether he can deliver against when the Reds really need him.
No Roque Santa Cruz, no Kolo Toure, no Lee Cattermole, no Allessandro Diamanti and no Richard Dunne amongst many, many other candidates. Only time will tell as to who the best players purchased over the last couple of months were and, with that in mind, I might just update this list at Christmas, if you're lucky.
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