Transfer Talk - Top 5

As we now approach the climax to another window of opportunity for managers to add to their squads (or in many teams' cases, erm...get rid) it is an opportunity to evalute what each team has done to ensure that they finish the season in a position where they can achieve their targets - whether that be winning the league, staying up or maybe even securing that elusive InterToto Cup position...

Of course in times like these where money comes at a premium in most places, we have been hard pressed to find any big transfer dealings of late. Suffice to say, it certainly hasn't been boring. From Man City's big money pursuit of Kaka to Bolton's quite extraodinarily weird chase for the apparently 'destined for greatness' Miguel Veloso, we've seen a lot in this window aside from the signing of contracts...

Manchester United - Quiet, unfussy and relatively inactive are three words you would not normally associate with the reigning champions, but that is exactly what's happened this January. After wrapping up deals for promising Serbians Tosic and Ljajic with work permits finally secured, Ferguson officially declared Man Utd as 'finished' with regards to transfers. And despite rumours of a last ditch bid to derail Spurs' bid for Wilson Palacios (most probably City) he has stayed true to his word. Few can blame him. With the squad at his disposal and the attacking talents clicking into gear alongside the seemingly unbreakable defence, United look set for their third League in a row. Few would bet against them for the Champions League, and they also have a Carling Cup final to deal with...sheesh...

Liverpool - It is perhaps a surprise that the normally busy Benitez hasn't delved into the market to add to his squad in the window, but early indications suggest he was preoccupied talking about 'fachts'...anyway...Liverpool have led the league for much of the season and an admirable knack of picking up results when not playing particularly well has led supporters to think that this could finally, finally be a glorious year. Sadly they seem to have lost their way a little over the post-Christmas period, with a recent run of draws unfortunately coinciding with a return to form of a certain other team in red...Benitez however remains undeterred and will stick with what he has, barring a last minute buy. Speculation has been more rife about possible departures from Merseyside, with Pennant departing on loan to Pompey (he wasn't much use anyway really) and £20m summer signing Keane facing intense scrutiny over his poor performances - Tottenham are understood to have launched a bid to re-sign the Irish forward...joke of a transfer policy from a joke of a club I know, but more on that later.....

Chelsea - You know times are strange when Chelsea are strapped for cash...and well, times are strange. Having said that they have a little to spend at the very least with Wayne Bridge's move to Eastlands raking in a reported £11m, and the priority now appears to be finding a backup goalkeeper to Cech following Cudicini's departure...well you wouldn't want Hilario would you...anyway. Marco Storari appears to be the target with a move expected to be finalised within days, but other than that...it's all a bit quiet at Stamford Bridge. Scolari publicised the growing need for another forward earlier in the window, and that was before Didier Drogba's incredible bout of rubbishness kicked in. Despite this, Chelsea remain in a fairly decent position in the league and with a tasty tie against Juventus coming up in February, it's all to play for...if Scolari can get his current troops firing again then there is no reason why they cannot achieve.

Aston Villa - The latest in a line of potential gatecrashers into the top four, but this lot have staying power. O'Neill has moulded his side into an efficient, pacy and hardworking unit that have ground out big results this season - 9 away wins suggest that they are very much a force to be reckoned with. With their current position as sitting comfortably within the top four, Arsenal look to be the ones most under threat from a resurgent Villa, and with the gap at five points it certainly looks to be all to play for. One concern that many have with Villa's push for Europe is the apparent lack of depth beyond an impressive first XI, and it looks to be well founded. However their one major signing looks to be a key one, the acquisition of much maligned (but very effective) England striker Heskey from Wigan should soothe the blow of losing Carew to injury. Many however cite the potential loss of Agbonlahor or Young to injury later this season as a potential sticking point given their key roles in the push so far...it remains to be seen whether O'Neill delves into the market for more...and then we will see in May what comes of it.

Arsenal - Well there's nowhere better to start than the increasingly boring, tedious, dull, zzzzz pursuit of Andrei Arshavin...so let's do just that. Arsene Wenger has looked on with increasing concern as his young Gunners continue to play silky one touch passing around the box but are continually frustrated by stubborn defences. In the absence of Walcott, Rosicky and captain Fabregas it is hardly any wonder they have struggled (especially when the replacement is a certain inconsistent oddball Abou Diaby), but Wenger has recognised the need for 'spark' and has made his move (well he made a move ages ago but this has been so drawn out and tedious) for Russia's star man from Euro 2008, Zenit playmaker Arshavin. Trouble is, when you are dealing with a bunch of monkeys it's likely you end up looking like...a bunch of monkeys, so with Zenit's conflicting messages and the increasingly irritating agent Dennis Lachter, it's hardly any wonder this transfer's lasted so long. It appears there may be a final conclusion some time soon, with Wenger reported to have claimed the deal is '90% done'...however Arsenal fans will expect a message saying something completely different come tomorrow. Aside from that, with the injuries to key players coming at the worst possible time and Villa's impressive form causing many to scratch their heads and wonder whether the Gunners are destined for 'Thursday Nights, Channel 5'. Make no mistake about it, the final months of the season promise much.

Premier League : Week In Review

Though a Manchester United fan, I'm growing increasingly fond of Rafael Benitez. In fact, he's officially "mug of the week" for pulling his two, for want of a better word, "best" players off during Liverpool's 1-1 draw with Wigan. After the match, Rafa stated they were "tired". You can draw you're own conclusions but with a title at stake club captain Steven Gerrard would probably have played through the pain.
The fun doesn't stop there though, equally incompetent Brazil nut Luis Felipe Scolari had Drogba on the bench for the most part against 'Boro and even risked starting Salomon Kalou. The latter risk payed dividends beyond belief as the (wrong) Ivorian put the ball in the net not once but twice. Two typical Chelsea set plays made the difference. Shocking.
The week got weirder. Emile Heskey scored.
Business continued as usual for both Arsenal and Manchester United - picking up a draw (1-1) and a win (5-0) respectively. The Gunners are unbeaten in 2009 and Arsene Wenger refuses to admit his side are out of the title race. Honestly. He put the 1-1 draw with Everton down as "a point gained". Sir Alex Ferguson got another one over on mind-game-maestro Rafael Benitez as the champions cruised home against 10 man West Brom (though the Robinson red card has since been overturned). The Red Devils were looking something like their best racking up an 11th successive clean sheet in the Premier League. A real testament to both Ferguson and van der Sar - making United's ever changing back 4 look rock solid.

Elsewhere, there were good wins for Villa and Man City - the Villains could move up to 2nd with Chelsea and Liverpool clashing in the "0-0 derby" on Sunday. ex-Fulham Bullard looked fairly bright for new side Hull - but his 2nd half appearance couldn't help Hull's relentless spiral continuing - their honeymoon start to Premier League life now seems a lifetime ago.