Finally, the transfer deals are starting to come through in bunches. Am I just getting my hopes up that I’ll have a lot more of these to talk about over the rest of the window, or is this is a sign of things to come?
England
Could Andrei Arshavin buy out his contract to make his Arsenal move happen? It appears that Zenit and Arsenal are still miles apart in their valuation of him, and that could see no deal happen in January. Well, not this January at least. (Daily Mail)
Analysis: There’s still time yet to work things out in January, but the two sides need to meet halfway, somehow.
Tottenham have signed Wigan’s Wilson Palacios for £12m, and Harry Redknapp is also closing in on a new keeper, with Carlo Cudicini finally set to leave Chelsea in a £1m deal. (Daily Mail)
Analysis: Gomes has settled in at Tottenham, but Cudicini could give him a run for his money, so his signing is good for competition’s sake, if nothing else. Tottenham could use a big-time spark to really drive their push to stay up (as if the fear of relegation shouldn’t be enough already), and hopefully they have that in Palacios.
Manchester City have wrapped up their second signing in as many days, capturing Hamburg SV’s Nigel de Jong for £15m. (Daily Mail)
Analysis: City have taken care of a couple of ‘needs’ by signing Bellamy and de Jong, and hopefully that’s their focus for the rest of January, since a goalkeeper and perhaps another defensive addition should also be on the agenda.
However, they may not be having as much success with their move for Roque Santa Cruz, as Blackburn want young striker Daniel Sturridge thrown into the deal, and that’s a request City aren’t quite willing to grant right now. (Daily Mail)
Analysis: City don’t want to sell Sturridge, but this interest will force their hand, one way or another, whether it’s to give him the assurances that he has a future at City or allow him to ply his trade somewhere else, now or after the end of the season.
Portsmouth have secured the services of Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant on a loan until the end of the season. (Daily Mail)
Analysis: You’ve got your chance to prove yourself now, Jermaine, so don’t waste it. If he pans out, he can have a big role in helping Pompey stay up.
Middlesbrough are set to sign Crystal Palace midfielder Ben Watson for £2m, plus add-ons. (Daily Mail)
Analysis: Bargain buy for Boro? Watson was going to be out of contract at the end of the season, so they could’ve waited until then to sign him. But, he’s having a very good season, and he could play an immediate role in Gareth Southgate’s side.
Boro have completed a striker loan swap with Wigan, sending Mido to the JJB and getting Marlon King in return. (The Mirror)
Analysis: So, is this where it finally all comes together for Mido? Maybe linking up with his compatriot Amr Zaki will fire him up to find the form that he’s capable of.
Everton are interested in a loan-to-buy move Werder Bremen striker Hugo Almeida. (Daily Mail)
Analysis: Almeida has had a somewhat quiet season after scoring 15 goals in all competitions last term, but he’s a proven goalscorer and is still on track for another double-digit tally this term. If Werder are up to letting him go, he could be a fantastic signing for Everton.
Spain
Villareal are preparing a £9m bid for Chelsea winger Florent Malouda. (The Mirror)
Analysis: If he does leave, he certainly won’t be the last, judging by Scolari’s recent comments.
France
Lyon could make a move for West Ham defender Julien Faubert. (The Mirror)
Analysis: So, this is how this will go. Faubert will go back to Lyon, become a regular for club and country, earn the plaudits of many pundits across Europe, and West Ham fans will wonder why he couldn’t have done that at Upton Park.
Auxerre could soon sign Monaco striker Alexandre Licata, with discussions already having taken place. (Goal.com)
Analysis: Auxerre desperately need some scoring help, but it wouldn’t make a lot of sense for Monaco to sell Licata when there are only a couple of positions separating the two sides on the bottom half of the Ligue 1 table.
If you have a juicy rumor that we may have missed, post it in the comments along with the link to the source.
And if you want to keep up with all of the latest confirmed transfers from several of Europe’s top leagues, just check out our updated January 2009 transfer lists.
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