From LeBron James taking his talents to South Beach to Babe Ruth getting bought by the Yankees, player acquisitions are some of the most talked-about items in sports. This is especially true in the soccer world, as teams have only one month in the middle of the season, January, to try to improve their teams for the rest of the year. Normally, though, the month is marked by restraint as a few major transfers trickle through and clubs get rid of various disgruntled players.
This January, however, was marked by unanticipated monster transfers by some of the biggest clubs, including a few deals that border on the edge of insanity. While nothing approached Cristiano Ronaldo levels (Ronaldo's transfer deal with Real Madrid is worth $132 million, and his contract earns him over $17 million per year for the next six years), there were so many big money signings that I've decided to wade through the ocean of cash to try to sort out the winners and losers of the hectic period.
Fernando Torres from Liverpool to Chelsea for $80 Million:
Chelsea, the defending Premier League champions, almost totally fell apart this season after a promising start and desperately needed to do something to jumpstart their season. Signing Spanish striker Torres was exactly the type of deal they needed. Torres is a master in front of the goal and is exactly the finisher Chelsea needed to replace out-of-form Nicolas Anelka; the striker had openly demanded his transfer from Liverpool. It's tough to wrap my mind around the fact that the money used to buy Torres is the equivalent of the tuition of 1,923 Tufts students (or 26.7 million small Voldemort lattes from the Rez), but in the current market, Chelsea really didn't have a choice.
Luis Suárez from Ajax Amsterdam to Liverpool for $36.6 million / Andy Carroll from Newcastle to Liverpool for $56.2 million:
Liverpool, meanwhile, has struggled from the get-go this season, with original manager Roy Hodgson already being fired amid a tumultuous change in ownership. Now, though, new owner New England Sports Ventures (also principal owner of the Boston Red Sox) has shown a willingness to splash the cash to restore Liverpool to greatness. Yet Liverpool's two signings are much riskier than Chelsea's signing of Torres. Suárez has never played in Europe's top leagues, and Carroll has scored just 11 goals in his young Premier League career. While both signings have obvious potential, the Carroll signing in particular is an example of a desperate club signing promising players at incredibly inflated prices — Liverpool paid almost $5.12 million for each of Carroll's goals.
Darren Bent from Sunderland to Aston Villa for $38.5 million:
In perhaps the most shocking move of the entire transfer window, Aston Villa signed Darren Bent for one reason: He scores. Over the last three seasons, only Manchester United's Wayne Rooney and Manchester City's Carlos Tevez have scored more goals in the Premier League. Villa's Achilles' heel in recent years has been its lack of somebody with a killer instinct in front of the goal. Gabriel Agbonlahor tried to fill this role, but he was almost like the Roadrunner — all speed and trickery, no strength — and Bent will complement him nicely, even if Villa is basically just playing out the rest of the season and looking to avoid relegation.
Maybe the lesson of this transfer window is to expect the unexpected — billionaires really can do the darndest things. At this rate, the first $160 million (£100 million) transfer is right around the corner, and who knows where those crazy owners will take us from there.
--
David McIntyre is a freshman who has yet to declare a major. He can be reached at David.McIntyre@tufts.edu.
