Transfer Roundup: Who's done best so far? And what needs to happen?

Before this blog entry I'd just like to mention a sports retailer that's really caught my eye recently.

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Now, on with the roundup...


Arsenal
In - Carl Jenkinson (Charlton, 1m), Gervinho (Lille, 10m)
Out - Gael Clichy (Man City, 7m), Denilson (Sao Paulo, Loan)
Wenger needs to act quickly on two fronts. One to sort out the future of Fabregas and Nasri, and to make sure that the club has what it lacked last year, a bit of fight. When you look at the Arsenal lineup there's no doubting the skill that they possess, but they lack a player in the mould of Parker or Barton, who are willing to grab the game by the scruff of the neck and win by any means necessary.
If I was in charge of transfers at Arsenal, I'd currently be looking to sign a strong centreback, and a workman for the midfield. If they can keep Nasri and Fabregas they could well challenge till the end this year.

Aston Villa
In - Charles N'Zogbia (Wigan, 9.5m), Shay Given (Manchester City, 3.5m)
Out - Stewart Downing (Liverpool, 20m), Ashley Young (Man U, 16m), Braf Friedel (Spurs, free), Nigel Reo-Coker (Bolton, free), Pires, Carew, Osbourne (All released)
In terms of who's made the best money for players, Aston Villa have raked it in. £20m for Stewart Downing is one of the most ridiculous fees I've ever seen for a one footed player. However they may find life without Ashley Young is a lot harder than with him. Friedel has been adequately replaced, so that's not a problem, but I don't know if Aston Villa will finish much above mid table this year, unless Darren Bent and N'Zogbia can really combine.

Blackburn
In-Goodwille (Dundee, 2.8m)
Out - Phil Jones (Manchester United, 16.5m), Frank Fielding (Derby, undisclosed)
Blackburn really haven't done themselves any favours recently, and they could be in for a struggle this season. They removed one of the only things that guaranteed them premiership football, and that was Sam Allardyce. They haven't signed any proven players and sold their best young talent. Goodwille was good in the SPL but that's little better than Championship standard. Blackburn could be in for a long season trying to pick up points wherever they can, its going to be a struggle, especially if Samba leaves for Arsenal.

Bolton
In - Chris Eagles and Tyrone Mears (Burnley, joint 3m), Darren Pratley (Swansea, free), Nigel Reo-Coker (Aston Villa, free)
Out - Ali Al Habsi (Wigan, 4m) Johan Elmander (Galatasaray, free), Jlloyd Samuel (released), Joey O'Brien (West Ham, free), Matt Taylor (West Ham, 2.2m)
Bolton have been reasonably busy in the transfer market but they've not really improved because of it, but they haven't lost out either. Bolton have always been one of these teams that are almost impossible to predict, they can hold up against the top teams but could crumble against the bottom teams. I think Bolton should do alright this year, and will finish around mid table.

Chelsea
In - Romeu (Barcelona, 4.3m), Piazon (Sao Paulo, undisc), Courtois (Genk, 5m)
Out - Courtois (Athletico Madrid, loan), Bruma (Hamburg, loan), Mancienne (Hamburg, 3m)
Chelsea, the Abramovich Chelsea anyway, have always been big spenders in the transfer market, but this year seems to be a little quiet for them. Obviously there is the Modric battle to be resolved, but my guess is that there are one or two big signings to be made by Chelsea. Whatever happens, I think Villas Boas is exactly what Chelsea needed to revamp their team, and I can see a strong Chelsea challenge for the title this season.

Everton
In - Eric Dier (Sporting Lisbon, Loan)
Out - Vaughan (Norwich, 2.5m)
Everton have been pushing for regular European football under Moyes, but they will not get any more success than they have unless they push a bit more in the transfer market. In relative terms of money spent they have done brilliantly to push to where they have got to, but that's all they can reach. The fact they've have only brought one player in shows a lack of ambition, and If I was an Everton fan I'd be very anxious about this. Despite this, I think they will again challenge for a European spot.

Fulham
In - Pajtim Kasami (Palermo, 4m), John Arne Riise (Roma, 2.4m), Dan Burn (Darlington, undisc)
Out - Stockdale (Ipswich, Loan), Greening (Nott Forest, 670,000), Gera (West Brom, Released)
Fulham have become a real class outfit in my opinion, first under Hodgson now with Hughes. They play a nice style of football and defend solidly at the back, and I also think they are very savvy in the transfer market. In my opinion Arne Riise is a great capture as hes a solid left back and if you cant remember his trademark left foot piledrivers, just search them on youtube and you'll see some amazing long range finishes. I think Fulham can qualify for Europe this year, and will be pushing with Everton this season.

Liverpool
In- Stewart Downing (Aston Villa, 20m) Henderson (Sunderland, 16m) Charlie Adam (9m) Dhoni (Roma, free)
Out - Konchesky (Leicester, 1.5m), Darby (rochdale, Loan)
After Years of complaining about other teams spending too much money, Liverpool have spent over £40m this transfer window, with only £1.5m coming in. Downing for £20m is about 7 or 8 million too much, especially when you consider the fact Ashley Young has gone for £16m, and in my opinion Young is the better player. Henderson was also a bit overpriced, but Adam could turn out to be a nice buy. Liverpool could challenge with Tottenham this season, but I don't think they'll break the top four. I'm really looking forward to seeing how Carrol and Suarez joining together upfront.

Manchester City
In - Sergio Aguero (Athletico Madrid, £38m), Stefan Savic (Partizan Belgrade, 6m) Gael Clichy (Arsenal, 7m)
Out - Jo (Internacional, undisc), Shay Given (Aston Villa, £3.5), Boateng (Bayern Munich, £10m), Michael Johnson (Leicester, loan), Patrick Vieira (retired), Tevez?
The new financial powerhouses of the Premier League have made the biggest signing of the transfer window so far, with Aguero moving for 38m. This was meant to be a replacement for Tevez, but so far no team feels up to forking out 45m for the Argentinian. Man City hit hot and cold last year as they struggled to find a balance between shutting out a game and all out attack. If Mancini can find a nice balance to the team, or even convince Tevez to stay (which looks unlikely), they should take their place in the top four this year. However, Mancini if you're reading this, please get rid of Balotelli, I hate that man, so very much.

Manchester United
In - David De Gea (Athletico Madrid, 17.8m) Phil Jones (Blackburn, 16.5m) Ashley Young (Aston Villa, 16m)
Out - Bebe (Besiktas, loan), Ritchie De Laet (Norwich, loan), Owen Hargreaves (released) Paul Scholes and Van Der Sar retired, Wes Brown and John O'Shea (£2+m, Sunderland)
Manchester United really showed that you that it doesn't matter if you can play great football but if you can win when you're struggling. They've lost some decent players but they've got the strength where they needed it with some decent transfers, and the signings of De Gea and Jones show they're looking towards the future. With Hernandez bagging 20 in his first season, and Rooney a bit below par last year, I'd be surprised if Man U weren't fighting until the very last. Man U are my pick for this years title.

Newcastle
In - Sylvain Marveaux (Rennes, free), Yohan Cabaye (Lille, 4.3m), Demba Ba (West Ham, free)
Out - Kevin Nolan (West Ham, £4m), Campbell and Kuqi (released)
Newcastle don't really seem to know what they want. Before Chris Hughton's departure they were safely in 10th with a squad with a good mix of youth and experience, led by Nolan and Barton from midfield and the talented Andy Carroll up front. But now with Alan Pardew at the helm, I don't know how much of a ship he has left. Carroll was sold for 35m in January, with Nolan choosing to rejoin Big Sam in the Championship and Barton simply being hung out to dry. If Newcastle don't sort the situation out then they could well be back in the championship next year. The only good piece of business they've managed is Demba Ba for free. If the squad stays the same, it's not going to be a happy season for the Toon.

Norwich
In - Anthony Pilkington (Huddersfield, 2m) Steve Morrison (Millwall, £2.8,) James Vaughan (Everton, 2.5m), Elliott Bennet (Brighton, undisc), Richard De Laet (Man U, loan), Kyle Naughton (tottenham, loan)
Out - Luke Daley (Plymouth, free), Matt Gill (Bristol Rovers, free), Sam Habergham (Tamworth, free)
I can't see Norwich lasting in the Premiership. Despite being active in the transfer market, they've bought in a lot of Championship players, or young top club players. That's not what a new premiership club needs. They needed Premiership players, or at least players with Premiership experience, and they've just made what would have been good signings last year. Unless they've got some hidden weapon that I just can't see, they're my pick to be rock bottom.

Queens Park Rangers
In- Danny Gabbidon and Kieron Dyer (West Ham, free), Bothroyd (Cardiff, free)
Out - Chimbonda, Mahon, Parker and Rose (all released)
QPR are the only promoted club that I'm certain are going to survive this season. They've got money behind them, and have made three reasonable signings on the cheap. Gabbidon is a decent defender, and if they could get 20-25 games out of Dyer this season it'd be a great boost for their hopes. I would think they need one or two more players to be certain of survival, and one needs to be a striker who can claim some goals from set pieces, which have become increasingly important for the promoted clubs in the past few years.

Stoke 
In - Jonathan Woodgate (Spurs, free)
Out - Abdoulaye Faye (West Ham, free), Eidur Gudjohnsen (AEK Athens, free) Ibrahima Sonko (released)
As shown by the 0 spent 0 received in Stokes's summary they really don't like change. They replace players like for like and they play the same way game in, game out. This means that Tony Pulis has built a side whose worth is greater than the sum of its individual parts. Everyone knows their job and they do it, and each players job helps another player, meaning they just get better at it each season. They may be dull to watch but Stoke are as effective as any other team on their day, and I wouldn't be surprised to see them in the top half of the table this year.

Sunderland
In- Connor Wickham (Ipswich, 13m), Sebastian Larsson (Birmingham, free), Wes Brown and John O'Shea (Man U, 2m+)
Out - Jordan Henderson (Liverpool, 16m) Zenden, Luscome and Kay all free.
Sunderland have become a decent side under Steve Bruce, even if they do lack a bit of consistency. I think they've made a few shrewd buys with the captures of Man U defenders O'Shea and Brown, so I think they'll be a bit more resilient than last year. I don't think they'll do much more than their usual mid-table obscurity, especially after some abject form towards the end of last season that saw them record only 4 wins after January 5th meant they slid down the table again. Nothing exciting for the Black Cats this year I feel.

Swansea
In - Danny Graham (Watford, 3.5m), Steven Caulker (Tottenham, loan), Moreira (Benfica, undisc) Lita (Middlesbrough 1.75m)
Out - Dorus de Vries, Pratley, Donnelly, Serran, Van der Gun, Pintado all released.
Swansea stand a better chance of survival than Norwich, but I think they'll face a real struggle to stay in the top flight this year. Looking at their squad I just don't know if they're solid enough to stand the step up in quality to the premiership. They need to concentrate on picking up points at home and the other strugglers and hope that something else happens elsewhere, as I can't see them consistently putting in the performance required to challenge the established top flight teams.

Tottenham
In - Friedel, Cristian Ceballos (both free, Aston Villa and Barcelona respectively), Souleymane Coulibaly (Siena, undisclosed)
Out - Jamie O'Hara (Wolves, 5m) Woodgate, (Stoke, free)
Tottenham have a had a great few years after qualifying for the Champions League and having some wonderful results in the competition, to confirm their status as a top Premiership club. As a West Ham fan it kills me to say this but I think Tottenhams style of play under Harry Redknapp has been brilliant and if they'd been a bit luckier in the league last season they could have gone for re-qualification for the Champions League. If they can keep hold of Modric they could have a right go at a top 4 spot once again.

West Bromwich
In - Ben Foster (Birmingham, loan), Gareth McAuley (Ipswich, free), Billy Jones (Preston, free), Zoltan Gera (Fulham, free)
Out - Boaz Myhill (Birmingham, loan), Abdoulaye Meite (Dijon, free), Carson (Bursaspor, 2.1m)
West Brom have started to get the hang of staying in the premiership now, and they've become a far harder team to beat under Roy Hodgson. Their transfers sum up the club, nothing exciting but they do what they need to do. Although the recapture of Zoltan Gera is a good move for the club, he is an experienced player and I feel he really could help the team. Lower half of the table I think this season.

Wigan
In - Ali Al Habsi (Bolton, £4m), David Jones (Wolves, free)
Out - Charles N'Zogbia (Aston Villa, £9.5m), Amaya (Real Betis, undisc) Caldwell (Birmingham, free)
Wigan were the worst team I've seen in a while last year, but somehow they've managed to survive again. Their only saving grace was N'Zogbia, but he's run off to pastures greener at Villa, and I have no doubt he's wanted that for a while. I can't say I expect Wigan to stay up, and I have no idea how they're going to get any points this season, but every year they seem to do it. In my perfect world, next season would see Wigan relegated and West Ham promoted, but we all know things very rarely happen perfectly.

Wolves
In - Roger Johnson (Birmingham, £7m) Jamie O'Hara (Tottenham, 5m)
Out - Halford (Portsmouth, undisc)
Wolves have never really done much except scrap around the bottom of the table. However, due to the fact they have great experience in this, they seem to have perfected the art of scrapping for survival. Despite the fact the signings don't seem to have improved the squad too much, and the fees to me seem relatively large for people that don't improve the squad, I think Wolves will survive again, and I think they'll do it by finishing in a comfortable 16th or 17th.

So to sum up, here is my final league prediction
Manchester United

Chelsea
Manchester City
Arsenal

Liverpool
Tottenham
Fulham
Everton
Stoke
Bolton
Aston Villa
Sunderland
West Brom
QPR
Blackburn
Wolves
Newcastle

Swansea
Wigan
Norwich


This Weekends Championship predictions

As my team are now a championship side I feel at least the opening weekend of games deserves a mention and a prediction, this is how I think it'll start the the 2nd tier of English football.

Hull 1:1 Blackpool

Coventry 1:2  Leicester

Brighton 3:1 Doncaster

Bristol City 1:0 Ipswich

Burnley 1:1 Watford

Derby 0:2 Birmingham

Middlesbrough 2:0 Portsmouth

Nott'm Forest 1:0 Barnsley 

Peterborough 1:1 Crystal Palace

Reading 2:1 Millwall

Southampton 1:0 Leeds

West Ham 2:0 Cardiff

Please don't trust me when It comes to predictions, I'm notoriously bad.