Who were the transfer window’s winners and losers?

Newcastle

Arrivals: Davide Santon (Inter Milan £5m) Yohan Cabaye (Lille, £4.3m), Gabriel Obertan (Manchester United, £3.25m), Sylvain Marveaux (Rennes, free), Mehdi Abeid (Lens, free), Demba Ba (West Ham, free).

Departures: Jose Enrique (Liverpool, £6m), Kevin Nolan (West Ham, £4m), Wayne Routledge (Swansea, undisclosed), Joey Barton (QPR, free), Ben Tozer (Northampton, free), Sol Campbell (released), Shefki Kuqi (Oldham, free), Kazenga Lua Lua (Brighton, loan), Xisco (Deportivo La Coruna, loan), Fraser Forster (Celtic, loan), James Tavernier (Carlisle, loan).

Thoughts on their dealings:  Santon and Obertan will prove very good buys, but the lack of an established striker and a rock-solid defence could come back to haunt them.

Who they should’ve brought:  B. Ruiz, M. Upson, J. Woodgate

Thoughts on their season ahead:  I think they will just about stay up, as they still remain a physically robust unit but that is as far as it goes.

Norwich

Arrivals:  Steve Morison (Millwall, £2.8m), James Vaughan (Everton, £2.5m), Anthony Pilkington (Huddersfield, £2m), Daniel Ayala (Liverpool, undisclosed), Elliott Bennett (Brighton, undisclosed), Bradley Johnson (Leeds, free), Ritchie De Laet (Manchester United, loan), Kyle Naughton (Tottenham, loan).

Departures: Owain Tudur Jones (Inverness, undisclosed), Cody McDonald (Coventry, undisclosed), Luke Daley, Steven Smith (Preston, free), (Plymouth, free), Matt Gill (Bristol Rovers, free), Sam Habergham (Tamworth, free), Jens Berthel Askou (Vejle Kolding, free), Stephen Hughes (released), Cody McDonald (Coventry, undisclosed).

Thoughts on their dealings: They’ve purchased some inexperienced players, who are not bad in terms of talent but not excellent enough to take Norwich out of the relegation dogfight.

Who they should’ve brought:  K.Macheda on loan, M. Diouf, Kyrgiakos.

Thoughts on their season ahead:  I think they’ll be pretty decent to watch, but I can’t see them having enough to stay up.

Queens Park Rangers

Arrivals: DJ Campbell (Blackpool, £1.2m), Armand Traore (Arsenal, undisclosed), Danny Gabbidon (West Ham, free), Kieron Dyer (West Ham, free), Jay Bothroyd (Cardiff, free), Brian Murphy (Ipswich, free), Bruno Perone (Tombense, free), Joey Barton (Newcastle, free), Shaun Wright-Phillips (QPR, undisclosed), Anton Ferdinand (Sunderland, £3m

Departures:

Mikele Leigertwood, (Reading, undisclosed), Georgias Tofas (Anagennisi Dherynia, free), Josh Parker (Oldham, free), Joe Oastler (Torquay, free), Lee Brown (Bristol Rovers, free), Pascal Chimbonda (released), Gavin Mahon (Notts County, free), Romone Rose (Muangthong United, free), Peter Ramage (Crystal Palace, loan), Angelo Balanta (MK Dons, loan), Leon Clarke (Swindon, free), Kaspars Gorkss (Reading, loan), Michael Doughty (Crawley, loan).

Thoughts on their dealings:  In the midst of some dross, they’ve also unearthed some mid-table quality prem-proven gems, enough talent to keep them up. Barton, SWP, Bothroyd, D.J. Campbell, Ferdinand, they could prove to be key players in keeping QPR up.

Who they should’ve brought:  K. Macheda

Thoughts on their season ahead: I think they could survive, it’ll be a rough start but I reckon they’ll find a winning forumula if they can prevent the goals going in.

Stoke City

Arrivals: Jonathan Woodgate (Tottenham, free), Matthew Upson (West Ham, free), Cameron Jerome (Birmingham, £4m), Peter Crouch (Tottenham, £10m), Wilson Palacios (Tottenham, £8m).

Departures: Carl Dickinson (Watford, undisclosed), Eidur Gudjohnsen (AEK Athens, free), Abdoulaye Faye (West Ham, free), Ibrahima Sonko Ipswich, free), Andrew Davies (Crystal Palace, loan).

Thoughts on their dealings: You’ve got to hand it to Pulis, he’s beefed up his already not too bad strikeforce and strengthened one of the Prem’s tightest defences. He’s also attempted to add something to his midfield, although they arguably need more depth in that area of the pitch.

Who they should’ve brought:  S. Ireland, J. Milner

Thoughts on their season ahead: The dual-pronged assault domestically and in Europe will take it’s toll, but the Stoke lads are so physical and Pulis such an astute hard as nails manager, they’ll fare better than most and he has got alot of depth in defence and up front.

Sunderland

Arrivals: Connor Wickham (Ipswich, £13m), Craig Gardner (Birmingham, £5m), Ahmed Elmohamady (ENPPI, £2m), Ji Dong-won (Chunnam Dragons, £2m), Wes Brown (Man United, £1m), James McClean (Derry City, £350,000), John O’Shea (Man United, undisclosed), Sebastian Larsson (Birmingham, free), David Vaughan (Blackpool, free), Keiren Westwood (Coventry, free), Nicklas Bendtner (Arsenal, loan).

Departures: Jordan Henderson (Liverpool, £16m), Steed Malbranque (St Etienne, undisclosed), Nathan Luscombe (Hartlepool, free), Michael Kay (Tranmere, free), Bolo Zenden (released), Cristian Riveros (Kayserispor, loan), George McCartney (West Ham, loan), Anton Ferdinand (QPR, £3m).

Thoughts on their dealings:  Some very smart dealings by Bruce this summer, got rid of some deadwood/overrated players and brought in some serious experience in the shape of Brown and O’Shea, amazing signings. Bendtner and Larrson are also quality buy’s, guaranteed to create and score goals. All in all a very good transfer window.

Who they should’ve brought:  S. Ireland, W. Palacios

Thoughts on their season ahead: I predict a good season for the Black Cats, top ten for sure.

Swansea City

Arrivals: Michel Vorm (Utrecht, £1.5m), Danny Graham (Watford, £3.5m), Leroy Lita (Middlesbrough, £1.75m), Wayne Routledge (Newcastle, undisclosed), Jose Moreira (Benfica, undisclosed), Steven Caulker (Totteham, loan), Gerhard Tremmel (Red Bull Salzburg, free), Federico Bessone (Leeds, undisclosed), Darnel Situ (Lens, undisclosed).

Departures: Shuan MacDonald (Bournemouth, £80,000), Dorus de Vries (Wolves, free), Darren Pratley (Bolton, free), Albert Serran (AEK Larnaca, free), Kerry Morgan (Neath, free), Cedric van der Gun (released), Gorka Pintado (AEK Larnaca, free), Yves Ma-Makalamby (released), Scott Donnelly (Wycombe, loan),

Thoughts on their dealings: Vorm already looks a solid buy and the likes of Graham and Lita are decent buys, but one questions whether the side has the firepower which will keep them up, not to mention whether defensively they’re solid enough.

Who they should’ve brought: Woodgate

Thoughts on their season ahead: They’re a terrific ball-playing side with some serious talent and pace in the side. But they’re like a nice jam filling without the Hovis bread slices, short in defence and short up front. I think they’ll leave an impression but I’d be happily surprised if they were to stay up.

Tottenham Hotspur

Arrivals: Brad Friedel (Aston Villa, free), Cristian Ceballos (Barcelona, free), Souleymane Coulibaly (Siena, undisclosed), Emmanuel Adebayor (Man City, loan), Yago Falque (Juventus, loan), Scott Parker (West Ham, £5m)

Departures: Peter Crouch (Stoke, £10m), Wilson Palacios, Stoke, £8m), Jamie O’Hara (Wolves, £5m), Robbie Keane (LA Galaxy £1.8m), Alan Hutton (Aston Villa, undisclosed), Jonathan Woodgate (Stoke, free), Kyle Naughton (Norwich, loan), Steven Caulker (Swansea, loan), Bongani Khumalo (Reading, loan), Ryan Mason (Doncaster, loan), Jonathan Obika (Yeovil, loan), David Bentley (West Ham, loan), Jermaine Jenas (Aston Villa, loan).

Thoughts on their dealings: Spurs have got rid of some mediocre footballers, but in Parker they’ve got a decent footballer, but not anything to take them to the next level. Keeping Modric is probably their best dealing this summer and Friedel is a very astute signing.

Who they should’ve brought:  D. Forlan, G. Rossi, Chilleni, G. Cahill, P. Jagielka, S. Cattermole

Thoughts on their season ahead:  I just don’t see enough progression in this side to see them troubling the top four, they need a good january and some influx of serious talent.

West Bromwich Albion

Arrivals: Shane Long (Reading, £6.5m), Zoltan Gera (Fulham, free), Marton Fulop (Ipswich, free), Gareth McAuley (Ipswich, free), Billy Jones (Preston, free), Ben Foster (Birmingham, loan).

Departures: Scott Carson (Bursaspor, £2.1m), Ishmael Miller (Nottingham Forest £1.2m), Borja Valero (Villarreal, undisclosed), Marek Cech (Trabzonspor, undisclosed), Abdoulaye Meite (Dijon, free), Gianni Zuiverloon (Real Mallorca, free), Giles Barnes (Doncaster, free), Dean Kiely (retired), Boaz Myhill (Birmingham, loan), Chris Wood (Birmingham, loan), James Hurst (Blackpool, loan), Marek Cech (Trabzonspor, undisclosed), Pablo Ibanez (Birmingham, undisclosed).

Thoughts on their dealings:  Long looks a tremendous purchase thus far, Foster is very error prone and in front of a dodgy Baggies defence aerially, I can see him failing to hit the heights he did at Blues. I’m very surprised that the Albion didn’t look to sign another big strong forward and some quality defenders.

Who they should’ve brought:  S. Dann, R. Johnson, C. Jerome.

Thoughts on their season ahead:  Once again the Baggies will be heavily reliant on their midfield, if Olsson can stay fit for the entire season, they should have enough to stay up but if he’s injured, they will struggle at the back.

Wigan Athletic

Arrivals: Ali Al Habsi (Bolton, £4m), Shaun Maloney (Celtic, £1m), Albert Crusat (Almeria, undisclosed), David Jones (Wolves, free), Nouha Dicko (released, free), Patrick van Aanholt (Chelsea, loan).

Departures: Charles N’Zogbia (Aston Villa, £9.5m), Antonio Amaya (Real Betis, undisclosed), Daniel de Ridder (Grasshopper Zurich, free), Mauro Boselli (Estudiantes, loan), Steven Caldwell (Birmingham, free), Jason Koumas (released).

Thoughts on their dealings:  Nothing spectacular from Wigan apart from losing N’Zogbia and buying the lesser yet talented Maloney. Not enough defenders sought imo, but we’ll see.

Who they should’ve brought: R. Johnson, S. Dann

Thoughts on their season ahead: I can see them going down this season, but Martinez always seems to find a way of surviving and playing good footballing at the same time.

Wolves

Arrivals: Roger Johnson (Birmingham, £7m), Jamie O’Hara (Tottenham, £5m), Dorus De Vries (Swansea, free).

Departures:Greg Halford (Portsmouth, undisclosed), David Jones (Wigan, free), Geoffrey Mujangi Bia (Standard Liege, free), Marcus Hahnemann (released), Steven Mouyokolo (Sochaux, loan), Danny Batth (Sheffield Wednesday, loan), Nathaniel Mendez-Laing (Sheffield United, loan), David Davis (Inverness Caledonian Thistle, loan)

Thoughts on their dealings: O’Hara is a good buy and as for Johnson, impressive transfer coup by Wolves. Perhaps a bit short upfront though.

Who they should’ve brought: S. Long

Thoughts on their season ahead: I think they’ll grind their way to survival once more.

Eye on Europe…

Barcelona

Arrivals: Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal, £35m) Alexis Sanchez (£26 m, Udinese)

Departures: Z. Ibrahimovic (Milan, £24m), B. Krkic (Roma, £12m), G. Milito (Released), J. Suarez (Sporting CP, £4m)

Thoughts on their dealings:  Some simple yet devastating signings by Barca this summer, Sanchez will take time to settle but Fabregas looks stunning at this moment in time, an almost telepathic partnership with Messi which will just get better.

Who they should’ve signed:  A. Young, L. Suarez

Thoughts on their season ahead: I wouldn’t be surprised if they sweep all before them once again, history says otherwise though, every empire has a dramatic fall.

Real Madrid

Arrivals: N. Sahin (£10m, B. Dortmund), H. Altintop (Free), R. Varane (£10m, Lens), F. Contreao (£23m, Benfica), J. Callejon (£5m, Espanyol)

Departures: Canales, Adebayor, Gago, Garay – all loaned out, Dudek (retired)

Thoughts on their dealings: Some decent signings there by Madrid, Contreao and Sahin catch the eye, but one questions whether there is enough quality to defeat Barca. Not enough magic signings, too much industry and relying on Ozil for the silk.

Who they should’ve signed: S. Aguero, S. Nasri

Thoughts on their season ahead: I think once again they’re going to fall short of the behemoths of Barcelona, unless they spend again this January.

Bayern Munich

Arrivals: M. Neuer (Schalke), J. Boateng (£11m, Man City), Rafinha, Ukasami, N. Peterson

Departures: H. Altintop, M. Klose, T. Kraft

Thoughts on their dealings: Not enough effort made to sign a quality striker and some quality centre-backs. A shame really as Bayern possess some fantastic players but this half-arsed approach is what leaves them vulnerable against the top sides in the CL.

Who they should’ve signed: T. Vermalean, R. V Persie.

Thoughts on their season ahead:  Will battle hard with Dortmund for the championship but can’t see them winning the CL.

Inter Milan

Arrivals: L. Castiognos (Feyenoord, £4m), E. Viviano (£4m, Bologna), R. Alvarez (£11m, Velas Sarsfield), Jonathan (£5m, Santos), A. Poli (£1m, Sampdoria), D. Forlan (A. Madrid, £5m), M. Zarate (Loan)

Departures: S. Eto’o (£28m), G. Pandev, D. Santon (£6m, Newcastle)

Thoughts on their dealings: Replacing Eto’o with Forlan, isn’t as simple as it sounds; Forlan is 2 years older and he’ll only prove a short term solution. It’s hard to envisage Inter reaching anywhere near the level they were under Jose.

Who they should’ve signed: Nasri, Fabregas, S. Aguero

Thoughts on their season ahead: Once again they’ll probably do well domestically, but will fall short in Europe.

Written by

Raees (Follow me www.twitter.com/redrae7mufc)