English Premier League - Part 1: Biggest failures of the summer transfer window
The transfer window which opened after the last season’s conclusion closed on 1st of September 2010. During this period, a lot of clubs indulged in some heavy business, which included singing players, loaning players, selling players and also unsettling their rival’s important players.
Nonetheless there are clubs which failed to address their failings. The previous league season taught us that there are some departments in every team that need to be reinforced with one or two signings. Clubs which didn’t learn their lesson from their older misgivings now genuinely run the risk of being exposed once again in the Premier League.
The first of these clubs is undoubtedly Arsenal. Arsenal are based in London and have a massive worldwide following, almost as massive as the failure that is their first choice goalkeeper Manuel Almunia. Last season, Arsenal finished the English Premier League at the third place spot. This did earn them a UEFA Champions League qualification spot but it could have been much better for Arsenal if their goalkeeper did not pull off the stunts that he did.
If Almunia’s lack of ability wasn’t enough, Arsenal’s second choice goalkeeper Fabianski was not so fabulous. His revelation of being a dud only emphasized the fact that Arsenal needed to buy a good goalkeeper in the 2010 summer transfer window if they needed to end their trophy drought which has been in place since 2005.
However despite chasing Mark Schwarzer of Fulham F.C with quite a healthy amount of endeavour, Almunia’s employers failed to address their deficiencies. Most of the Gunners’ fans are left bewildered as to why their long standing manager, Arsene Wenger did not have a plan B for the recently closed transfer window.
A clever manager would have had a contingency arrangement in place and therefore would target another goalkeeper considering that there isn’t any shortage of capable goal stoppers around the world. Arsenal eventually botched their attempts to sign a goal keeper and thus are now going to spend another season with the likes of butter-fingers Almunia and cotton gloves Fabianski.
Another club which was quite unproductive in their summer adventures is Liverpool. Quite frankly, the last year or so has been terrible for the Merseyside club. From a second place finish in the 2008-2009 season to a seventh place finish in the 2009-2010 season can only signal disaster for a club which holds high ambitions for success. The fall to seventh from second in the English Premier League came as a result of injuries to their top goal scorer Fernando Torres and captain Steven Gerrard.
Liverpool’s over reliance on these two pivotal players cost them a UEFA Champions League spot. So, the Red’s main aim in the summer transfer window of 2010 was to give their striker a partner upfront, someone who would complement the Spaniards pace and finishing with off the ball movement.
But things did not go according to plan for the Merseyside club as their manager Rafael Benitez was relieved of his duties early on in the summer and their new manager Roy Hodgson has failed to sign a striker which would share Torres’s work load. Moreover the club has also sold it's defensive midfield enforcer and the Argentinean captain, Javier Mascherano to Barcelona in the Spanish League after an ardous transfer saga.
Liverpool have successfully signed Joe Cole but it still remains to be seen whether the English midfielder will play as a supporting striker or adopt the “Gerrard” role behind Fernando Torres in Liverpool’s attack. During the last hours of the transfer window, West Ham confirmed that Liverpool were interested in their big target man, Carlton Cole.
Nevertheless, the deal between the two English clubs never materialized and Liverpool are now in another Premier League season and this time again reliant on Torres to fire them to a top four finish against all odds.
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