The Five Worst Signings of the Transfer Window
The transfer window is finally closed but for every Robin Van Persie or Sergio Aguero, there is a Park Chu Young or an Andy Carroll. So which summer signings are perhaps ones which owners and managers should have thought twice about sanctioning?
1.) Ashley Westwood (Aston Villa)
You can appreciate what Paul Lambert is trying to do at Aston Villa with limited resources. Lambert’s success at Norwich City was based around recruitment from the lower leagues where he believes the players are hungrier to succeed than those from foreign shores. However, with Villa owner Randy Learner ever tightening the purse strings, Lambert might have been wiser to not spend depending on which report you read, up to £3 million for Crewe Alexandra midfielder and captain Ashley Westwood. The boy certainly has talent but has not played above League 2 level before this season and in the dire straits that Villa are in, perhaps a midfielder with a little more experience at top-level football was more of a requirement.
2.) Fabio Borini (Liverpool)
Brendan Rodgers’ first signing as manager of Liverpool was one that was always on the cards. Borini has worked with Rodgers before, impressing on loan for Swansea at the end of the 2010-11 season where he helped secure the Swans’ promotion to the Premier League. Borini may fit the Rodgers mould for industry and effort but perhaps £10.5million of the Fenway Group’s precious money should have been spent on a more consistent goalscorer. With Luis Suarez struggling in front of goal and Andy Carroll let go, Liverpool now find themselves relying on a man who has only got into double figures for the season once in his career. Borini is of course young at just 21 years of age but in his short Liverpool career to date, has looked a little out of place in the pressure cooker that is Anfield. Perhaps the money should have been spent on a more conventional right sided player….such as Clint Dempsey?
3.) Maicon (Manchester City)
The Brazilian comes with pedigree after a trophy laden spell with Inter Milan and will provide useful experience, particularly in the Champions League as Manchester City look to better last season’s exit at the group stage. However, at the age of 31, Maicon’s best days already look behind him and Inter were not exactly devastated to see him leave. The right back looks to have never recovered from the torture he suffered at the hands of Gareth Bale when Inter played Tottenham in the 2010-11 Champions League and City will hope that Maicon will have learned and adapted his game to tailor his weakening pace.
4.) Park Ji-Sung (QPR)
QPR owner Tony Fernandes was beside himself with joy at picking up an “international superstar” in Park from Manchester United and Mark Hughes promptly made him his new look side’s captain. I’m not so sure. Putting Fernandes’ hyperbole aside, Park’s form took a turn for the worse last season as he found himself making fewer and fewer appearances in the United first team. Indeed, there was just the hint that the man they nicknamed “Duracell” at Old Trafford was slowing down. Indeed, at United, where Park was surrounded by the likes of Wayne Rooney, Nani and Antonio Valencia, Park’s limitations could be somewhat masked. But at Loftus Road where they’ll be expecting a man who has four league titles and a Champions League win in his repertoire to produce clear moments of quality, Park may find himself in for a struggle of a season.
5.) Matt Jarvis (West Ham)
Jarvis is a good player and the widely used stat that he produced more crosses than any other player in the Premier League last season and for a relegated club in Wolves, will become more telling now that Andy Carroll has arrived at Upton Park. However, at almost £11 million, the price is simply too exorbitant to ignore. One would think for that kind of money that West Ham were getting a fully fledged international, one who had starred for both club and country in recent years. Instead they are getting a player who has only one England cap, as a substitute and one who essentially offers little bar an accurate cross. Lukas Podolski for example, he of over 100 caps for Germany and 44 goals, was signed for same amount as Jarvis. When Davids Gold and Sullivan completed their takeover of West Ham, they spoke of the financial mess they found the club in and that the days of spending silly money at Upton Park were over. On this showing, that remains a far off dream.
Adam Mazrani
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