Breathless. If deadline day is going continue in that vein, we really need to petition for it to become a bank holiday.
While the day’s proceedings were undoubtedly dominated by the affairs of Fernando Torres and Andy Carroll, there was plenty of movement elsewhere as the millions shifted and mobile phones reached meltdown.
Here’s our round-up of the transfers further down the bill that could well prove significant to Fantasy Managers as the season draws to a close…
Chelsea’s capture of Torres overshadowed the arrival Benfica’s Brazilian international David Luiz at Stamford Bridge for an undisclosed fee. The skillful six foot two inch defender significantly bolsters Carlo Ancelotti’s options at the back. His arrival is not great news for Fantasy Managers as he seems likely to shake-up the entire back four, threatening the starts of Branislav Ivanovic at centre-back and therefore Jose Bosingwa at right-back. Crucially, Luiz will not be available for Champions League matches and could therefore be in line to be drafted in around European matches to enable Ancelotti to rest and rotate. Luiz is yet to be priced up in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game but we should expect a fee around the 6.5-7.0 mark. Unless Luiz can cement a starting role, he looks likely to present us a problem rather than a prospect.
Liverpool full-back Paul Konchesky moved to Championship side Nottingham Forest on loan for the rest of the season. Kenny Dalglish has preferred to play Glen Johnson on the left-side of defence, since he took over as manager, with youngster Martin Kelly occupying at right-back. Kenny Dalglish now has just Fabio Aurelio for cover at left-back, unless Dan Agger is played out of position. Konchesky’s move looks to be good news for Kelly’s Fantasy prospects then.
Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Michael Bradley has joined Aston Villa on loan for the rest of the season. Bradley was part of the USA World Cup squad managed by his father, Bob and was hugely impressive throughout the tournament. Bradley was quick to outline his qualities and intent on arriving at Villa…
“I can attack and defend and impose myself in the centre of the field. I will do whatever it takes to help the team be successful. When you look at football nowadays, to have midfielders who can get forward, get in the box and get goals, that’s important too and I try to do that.”
Gerard Houllier has now completely restructured Villa’s midfield having completed the signings of Bradley and Jean Makoun. With the likes of Nigel Reo-Coker and club skipper Stiliyan Petrov available for roles in the engine room, it looks as though Houllier will regularly deploy a 4-5-1 with Ashley Young set to continue in support of Darren Bent up front. Gabby Agbonlahor and Stewart Downing look destined to be handed the wide roles in that formation given Houllier’s recent selections, leaving Marc Albrighton somewhat frozen out of the starting XI.
Obafemi Martins has made a six-month loan switch to Birmingham City, the Nigerian international joins from Russian club Rubin Kazan. The 26-year-old has previous Premier League experience having played for Newcastle United for 3 years between 2006-2009 where he scored 39 goals in 105 appearances. Alex McLeish was delighted at his deadline day capture who he clearly regards as a solution to his severe goalscoring problems…
“He’s an explosive type of player and is similar to Chucho (Christian Benitez) but with much more experience. He has great pace, is two-footed, very good in the air for his size and I’m sure he’s a signing that will excite the fans.”
Notoriously inconsistent, it seems doubtful that Martins will drift onto our Fantasy radars, particularly if he demands an FPL price of around 5.5/6.0 as expected.
Daniel Sturridge is likely to attract more interes. He completed a loan move to Bolton Wanderers for the rest of the season. Sturridge was previously offered to Liverpool as bait in the drawn-out Fernando Torres transfer saga. The former Manchester City striker has managed just cameo appearance this season for Chelsea and will compete for starts with Kevin Davies and Johan Elmander. That pairing have previously been the most successful in the Premier League but have stalled badly of late – both Elmander and Davies have scored just 2 goals in the last 10 starts as a partnership. Sturridge will surely pep up Owen Coyle’s attack and at 5.2 in the FPL, he could be worth a look when fixtures fall kindly for the Trotters. The Bolton boss had this to say on the arrival of Sturridge…
“I’m really pleased to have Daniel with us…He’s a terrific young talent and one of the most exciting strikers in the country. We’re all looking forward to working with him.”
James Beattie has made a switch to Bloomfield Road from Glasgow Rangers after completing a medical. The experienced forward last played in the Premier League for Stoke City where, over a season and a half, he managed to find the back of the net on 10 occasions, contributing 4 assists in 38 appearances. The former England international was held in high regard whilst at the Potters but fell out of favour after a reported altercation with Tony Pulis. He will become a cut-price option in the FPL and should be valued at no more than 5.5.
Blackpool have also signed Andy Reid from Sunderland for a fee believed to be around £1 million. Priced at 6.0 on the FPL game, the midfielder has played for just 14 minutes in the Premier League this season. Last term he managed to score 85 FPL points including 2 goals and 6 assists. A former Bonus Point darling the FPL, Reid has notched double figures for Bonus in the last 3 seasons – despite having his appearances limited by injury and rotation. It was suspected that Reid’s arrival would pave the way for the departure of Charlie Adam but a late intervention by Harry Redknapp failed to prise the Blackpool skipper to London. It will be interesting to see how Holloway harnesses both Reid and Adam in the same side and if the Irishman will start to make a dent in the Blackpool skipper’s Bonus awards.
The Seasiders were the busiest Premier League club in terms of numbers in. Ian Holloway’s side also sealed the loan signing of 27-year-old Belarus international Sergei Kornilenko from Zenit St Petersburg until the end of the season, subject to a work permit. Southampton winger Jason Puncheon also arrived in a similar loan deal to add further competition for places.
Blackburn quietly acquired what appear to be two prospects of real quality. They began by snapping up 19-year-old Rubén Rochina from Barcelona for an undisclosed fee. The young forward signed a four year deal and, according to manager Steve Kean, offers plenty options up front due to his adaptability. The Ewood Park side’s policy for fielding younger players has already been illustrated with the likes of Phil Jones and Junior Hoilett getting chances in the first-team, suggesting Rochina is not just in Lancashire to bench-sit. Kean offered this on his new young starlet…
“Ruben is a genuine addition to our senior squad, a young player with great ability, who can play in a number of attacking positions. He joins our elite development group, alongside the likes of Phil Jones and Junior Hoilett, and will compete for a place in the team from the word go.”
Steve Kean’s fourth acquisition of the transfer window saw highly-rated Argentine playmaker Mauro Formica arrive from Newell’s Old Boys for an undisclosed fee. The 22-year-old looks like being the creative hub of Blackburn’s new style of play, with the Ewood Park saying:
“Mauro has great technical ability. He is a fantastic talent, an attacking player who has been in great demand.”
Mark Hughes has added to the Fulham ranks by bringing Eidur Gudjohnsen to Craven Cottage on loan from Stoke until the end of the season. The ex-Chelsea man has played a total of 69 league minutes for the Potters this season and Tony Pulis admitted:
“It has been an incredibly frustrating time for Eidur. Unfortunately, he didn’t get the games that he needed to build up his match fitness, but this loan move presents him with a chance to do that.”
It remains to be seen whether Gudjohnsen -priced at £4.8m in FPL- will grab a place in Sparky’s starting XI, but Fulham’s already-threadbare squad has been decimated with injuries this season and he could come into the equation as Hughes rotates Moussa Dembele and Andy Johnson up front to preserve their fitness.
Newcastle fans will be sorely disappointed by the loss of Andy Carroll, but Alan Pardew at least managed to add a fresh face to the squad by bagging Stephen Ireland on loan from Aston Villa until the end of the season. Ireland’s application was criticised by Villa boss Gerard Houllier earlier this season and his hopes of revitalising his career in the Midlands following a summer move from Man City never really took off. Priced at £5.8m in FPL, Ireland will be hoping to make more of an impact at St James’ Park and Pardew is clearly a fan…
“Stephen has shown over the past few seasons that he’s a real top player. As a creative midfielder he can create chances for others and score goals himself, and we think he can be a big factor for us in the second part of this season.”
Finally, Roberto Martinez swooped to bring 24-year-old Irish striker Conor Sammon to Wigan from Kilmarnock for an undisclosed fee. Sammon has notched 24 goals in 64 league appearances for Kilmarnock, with15 goals in 20 league starts this season. Martinez seemed suitably pleased with the deadline capture of the six foot two inch striker…
“Conor is a young, hungry player we have been looking at for a while. He has developed in an incredible manner over the last six months and it’s fortunate that we’ve been able to move for him before he has achieved his full potential, which we’re hoping he will do in a Latics shirt. We are delighted to welcome him on board.”
