10 World Football Transfers Worth Taking Notice of
10 World Football Transfers Worth Taking Notice of
The transfers this season have been well publicized, like many seasons before it. There have been many big money signings, like Javier Pastore for £42 million and Kun Aguero to Manchester City for £35 million. These transfers make this season one to look forward to.
Arsene Wenger said this about the transfer season:
Everyone is on standby at the moment, keeping their cards close to their chests, and waiting for someone to make the first move.Everyone wants to make that great signing and I'm focused on those objectives and am very busy on the market.
Ben Foster Loan to West Brom
Age: 28
Nationality: English
Position: Goalkeeper
Previous club: Birmingham City
New Club: West Brom
Foster is an excellent keeper, one of the best English keepers around. He used to play for Manchester United, but unfortunately, due in large part to his mistakes, he was shipped off to Birmingham City (Although people recognized him as a good keeper who felt pressured while playing for a club as big as Manchester United, much like Tim Howard before him).
He was a regular game changer for Birmingham, making spectacular saves on a regular basis, much like his compatriot Robert Green at West Ham. He was pivotal to their 2011 Carling Cup win, becoming the first goalkeeper to win two Carling Cup final Man of the Match awards. He performed similar heroics this season with Birmingham, even though they got relegated from the Premier League. He is now on loan with premiership stalwarts West Brom, with Boaz Myhill going the other way.
Maarten Stekelenburg to Roma
Age: 28
Nationality: Dutch
Position: Goalkeeper
Former Club: Ajax
New Club: Roma
Stekelenburg has etched his place in the national consciousness of the Dutch with his great performances for his country, helping them en route to the 2010 World Cup final. He has proved a worthy successor to all-time Dutch goalkeeping great Edwin Van der Sar and has had a great domestic season for Ajax, where he has helped them to the Eredivisie title.
Javier Pastore to PSG
Age: 22
Nationality: Argentine
Position: Midfielder
Previous Club: Palermo
New Club: Paris Saint Germain
Much has been made of this young Argentine playmaker's prowess. He has been highly touted for a move to Europe's super clubs like Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal, as well as Spanish outfit Real Madrid. Palermo, obviously, could not command as high a salary and as big a lure of winning trophies as these big names could provide a player. Hence, It was surmised widely that Pastore would be a big name signing for a big-name club looking to make a statement.
To see why he is so highly valued, you need only to look at his stats from the Serie A season 2010-11, where he guided Palermo to a Europa League place in the seventh spot. This is even more remarkable considering how much managerial strife there was at the club, what with Delio Rossi coming in again after being sacked midseason. His goalscoring record was prolific, for a midfield player (11 all season, with five assists).
Jeremy Menez to PSG
Age: 24
Nationality: French
Position: Midfielder
Previous club: Roma
New Club: Paris Saint Germain
Jeremy Menez is a great player for Roma. He plays on the left side of midfield, with great dribbling and shooting ability. He will be a great addition to the PSG squad, which has spent quite a lot this summer to buy many seasoned players back to Ligue 1.
Fernando Muslera to Galatasaray
Age: 25
Nationality: Uruguayan
Position: Goalkeeper
Previous club: Lazio
New Club: Galatasaray
Muslera was one of the best goalies of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, being on par, at times, with goalkeeping giants Iker Casillas and Maarten Stekelenburg. He has just won the Copa America, almost single-handedly dragging Uruguay past favorites Argentina and helping them win the tournament. He has had a great season for Lazio and looks to build on that with Turkish side Galatasaray.
Felipe Melo to Galatasaray
Age: 28
Nationality:Brazilian
Position: Midfielder
Previous club: Juventus
New Club: Galatasaray
Melo is a surprise transfer in that he was not meant to leave Juve this summer. His destination was also unexpected, with Galatasaray being a club in ruins after a horrible Turkish domestic season. However, he is going there, with Albanian Lorik Cana going the other way.
Souleymane Coulibaly to Tottenham Hotspur
Age: 16
Nationality:Ivorian
Position: Striker
Previous club: Siena
New Club: Tottenham Hotspur
Coulibaly is included on this list for the overwhelming goal glut he had for the Ivory Caste youth team in the Under 17 FIFA World Cup (nine goals, and the Cote'D Ivoire didn't even reach the quarterfinals). He has looked sharp with his accurate movement and finishing ability in preseason and looks to step up and become a Tottenham star.
Miroslav Klose to Lazio
Age: 30
Nationality: German
Position: Striker
Previous club: Bayern Munich
New Club: Lazio
The seasoned goalscorer has gone to the Serie A after spending most of his career in Germany. Klose is a legend for the German national team, but not for Munich. He is only a few goals away from breaking Gerd Muller's record of 68 international goals. He has been criticized because of his reliance on his heading game and tap-in proficiency. I however, think he is more than that. He is an accomplished target man who should thrive in the defensive atmosphere of Italian football.
Gokhan Inler to Napoli
Age: 27
Nationality: Swiss
Position: Midfielder
Previous club: Udinese
New Club: Napoli
Looking at the stats of the season, it is easy to overestimate the impact of Alexis Sanchez on Udinese's meteoric rise in the table this season. However, it is this man who has been pulling the strings and personally, I rate him over Sanchez. He should slot in well with the Napoli midfield.
Theo Janssen to Ajax
Age: 30
Nationality:Dutch
Position: Midfielder
Previous club: FC Twente
New Club: Ajax
Janssen has been one of the unsung heroes of 2011. He has great dead-ball skills and great passing ability. He was one of the pivotal figures in Twente's Eredivisie win in 2010.