January transfer window: see who is where.
John | Feb 03, 2012 | Comments 0
The 2012 January transfer window was a rather more sedate affair than it’s 2011 predecessor. Money was spent much more sensibly this time around as opposed to being thrown around like a compulsive gambler who had hacked into a free bets website.
Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez did not get a move away from the Etihad and Manchester United did not break the bank to sign Wesley Sneijder. But, there was plenty of transfer activity to keep fans glued to the Internet and their smart phones.
Here is a round-up of some of the major transfers that took place in January:
Papiss Demba Cisse
Freiburg to Newcastle United – £10 million
Cisse joins up with his international strike partner Demba Ba after setting a single-season goal scoring record by a Freiburg player and breaking Tony Yeboah’s record for the most goals scored by an African player in a single-season with 22.
Gary Cahill
Bolton Wanderers to Chelsea – £7 million
Following 18-months of transfer speculation, defender Cahill joined Chelsea. However, personal terms appeared to be a stumbling block and speculation mounted that Manchester United were going to table a late bid. However, two weeks after a fee was agreed, Cahill finally became a Chelsea player on 16 January.
Kevin de Bruyne
Genk to Chelsea – £6.7 million
A 20-year-old attacking midfielder who has impressed in Belgium, de Bruyne was immediately loaned back to Genk for the rest of the season. He won the Belgian league last season and is an exciting prospect having scored five goals and created 16 more during the title winning campaign.
Nikica Jelavic
Rangers to Everton – £5.5 million
Croatian striker Jelavic caught the attention of numerous clubs in England after an astonishing record of 30 goals in 45 league appearances for Rangers. The 26-year-old was linked with Liverpool, Sunderland and West Bromwich Albion in January but moved to Everton on deadline day.
Djibril Cisse
Lazio to QPR – £4 million
The first of two strikers to join QPR on deadline day, Cisse ended a lean spell in Serie A to join his third Premier League club. Cisse joined Lazio after a prolific spell at Panathinaikos where he scored 47 goals in 61 league appearances. He needed just 11 minutes to score on his debut for the Hoops at Aston Villa.
Bobby Zamora
Fulham to QPR – £4 million
Zamora was the second striker to join QPR on deadline day and his future was the subject of much speculation throughout January. The 31-year-old was heading to Aston Villa, Bolton Wanderers and Sunderland depending on what newspaper you read but joined Mark Hughes’ revolution at Loftus Road.
Nedum Onuoha
Manchester City to QPR – £3 million
QPR were keen to strengthen their back line as well as their attacking options and also signed Manchester City defender Onuoha. Despite signing a new five-year contract in 2009, Onuoha barely played a game under Roberto Mancini. He was linked with Blackburn Rovers and West Bromwich Albion in January but was reunited with his former boss at City, Mark Hughes.
Tim Ream
New York Red Bulls to Bolton Wanderers – £2.5 million
Following Gary Cahill’s departure to Chelsea, a new defender was needed at the Reebok Stadium. In December, with the MLS on a winter break, New York Red Bulls defender Ream trained with both Wanderers and West Bromwich Albion. Owen Coyle was impressed enough to sign the 24-year-old for £2.5 million.
Jean Beausejour
Birmingham City to Wigan Athletic – Undisclosed
After showing interest in the Chile international last summer, Roberto Martinez finally got his man during the transfer window. Beausejour arrived at St Andrews in August 2010 after featuring for his country in the World Cup, scoring against Honduras.
Darron Gibson
Manchester United to Everton – Undisclosed
The Republic of Ireland midfielder forged a reputation as a scorer of spectacular goals – netting 10 times in 60 appearances for Manchester United but found first team opportunities limited. He became an instant hero at Goodison Park, scoring the winner against Manchester City on 31 January.
Jonny Howson
Leeds United to Norwich City – Undisclosed
At just 23-years-old, Leeds captain Howson made 185 league appearances for the Elland Road club and scored 23 goals. Leeds had to cash in on the midfielder now or risk losing him for nothing in the summer. A virtual ever-present for the past few seasons, he has not played since December due to a knee injury.
Bradley Orr
QPR to Blackburn Rovers – Undisclosed
Defender Orr played a key role during Rangers Championship winning season but has been restricted to just eight appearances this term. Arguably he has swapped one relegation battle for another, with Rovers also struggling at the wrong end of the table.
Liam Ridgewell
Birmingham City to West Bromwich Albion – Undisclosed
Defender Ridgewell continues his trend of playing for Midlands clubs having started his career at Aston Villa. After making 152 league appearances for Birmingham since signing for £2 million in August 2007, he penned a two-and-a-half year contract at the Hawthorns.
Marvin Sordell
Watford to Bolton Wanderers – Undisclosed
Despite playing only his second season of first-team football, striker Sordell has been tasked with keeping Bolton in the Premier League. He scored eight goals in 26 league matches for Watford this season and is a player of much potential.
Ryan Nelson
Blackburn Rovers to Tottenham Hotspur – Free
The veteran defender had his contract cancelled at Blackburn and joined Spurs on 2 February. The former Rovers captain who spent seven seasons at Ewood Park has played just one match since April due to a knee injury – in a defeat against Aston Villa last August.
Louis Saha
Everton to Tottenham Hotspur – Free
An unlikely transfer but an intriguing one nonetheless. Striker Saha has not scored a Premier League goal for 942 minutes and has just one goal in 18 league appearances this season. He signed an 18-month contract at White Hart Lane.
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