Transfer Deadline Day: Winners and Losers

Losers

Manchester United

It seems odd to find Manchester United in the losers column, especially after they sealed a last-minute £27.5 million move for man-mountain Marouane Fellaini. No doubt Manchester United fans will be ecstatic at the club signing their first recognized midfielder in quite a long while, but the joy is shortlived when you consider the fact that Fellaini and Baines were linked to United as soon as Moyes was announced as the next manager.

If anything, these two transfers were done deals two months ago, so by failing to land Baines Man United have not even done the bare minimum.

A failed deal for Athletic Bilbao sensation Ander Herrera will rankle with the fans, and will invariably throw up that £30 million question: What were they doing all this while?

Questions are already being asked of the man in charge of getting things done, Ed Woodward, and if the team continues to struggle with the players they have, it will only be a matter of time till the fans turn on the manager.

Real Madrid

A world record transfer fee paid for one of the hottest prospects in world football, yet Madrid’s decision to get rid of Kaka and Ozil sees them plunge into the losers section. There is simply no logic in buying a superstar forward only to let your best playmaker leave.

No matter how much gunpowder you add, you still need someone to pull the trigger. Cristiano Ronaldo will surely miss Ozil’s unselfish and eye-of-the-needle passes, and you have to wonder whether Isco will be to handle the mantle of no.1 playmaker at the biggest club in the world.

Perhaps Florentino Perez should have heeded the chants coming out from the stands during Gareth Bale’s unveiling ceremony, the ones which cried for Ozil to not be sold.

Poor Gareth Bale, he hasn’t even kicked a ball (officially) in a Real Madrid shirt and he has already lost the services of the man who was supposed to make him score 30 goals a season.

The not-sure-what-to-make-of-it deal

Chelsea signed Eto’o from Anzhi and loaned out Romelu Lukaku to Everton, business that makes very little sense on first viewing. Lukaku proved last season that he has what it takes to be a successful EPL striker, so loaning him out for yet more experience seems a bit excessive.

Eto’o’s statistics at Anzhi make for an impressive reading, but 36 goals and 14 assists in 76 appearances in the Russian Premier League cannot be used to make a point for him in the EPL. At 32, Eto’o still has enough to last the 90 minutes, but a full season for Chelsea, playing in multiple competitions, could take its toll on the Cameroonian.

At best, it’s a gamble; at worst, it is a horrible decision and one which smacks of a manager having little or no faith in a young proven striker.