Winners
Liverpool - A
You felt when Kenny Dalglish came back in January that he had a plan. Famed for his obsession with the game it was well documented that despite being away from the game for 12 years his scouting knowledge of world football was still razor sharp. His transfer dealings in the last two windows have revealed that plan to be; mix young British talent with experienced quality foreign players. And it seems to be working as the midfield in particular looks to be functioning like a unit who have played together for years. In contrast to the Wenger/Arsenal policy of paying over the odds for unproven foreign talent, he appears to favour paying more for players who know what the Premier League is all about. It's too easy to pay less for a player who has flourished in Germany or Turkey or Italy but who can't get to grips with the pace and physicality of the Premier League. In total he nearly spent £50million reinforcing a midfield with players who have proven that they can pass and tackle consistently. Downing looks like a quality purchase who can feed in the air for Carroll as the old-school number 9, or play it through the back for Suarez to run on to. But for me Craig Bellamy on a free could win the shrew deal of the season award already. After City cancelled his contract Liverpool were able to pick up a player who two seasons ago was arguably in the top 5 players in the league. Even if they have to pay him £60k a week to be a bit part player he adds a dimension and depth to an already exciting team who like to move it quickly along the ground. Equally as important was getting Joe Cole, an undeniable bust, out of the club and someway to being off the wage bill. A loan deal to Lille was not something a lot of people saw coming but could turn out to be the best for all concerned. Lille are a great club playing Champions League football. Cole will get a chance to regain his confidence away from the British media spotlight and maybe come back to Liverpool a new player. If he is still surplus to requirements there then his reputation on the Continent will certainly be enhanced.
Manchester United - A
2011 could well mark the start of the next generation of Fergie's dynastic franchise. After the defeat to Barcelona again in the Champions League final it was evident that Fergie looked at his team and felt it was stale, at least comparative to those clubs sitting astride the European pyramid, and that it was time to break it up and start again. His transfers, in and out, this summer are the manifestation of that epiphany. Gone are relative deadwood players like Wes Brown, John O'Shea and Gabriel Obertan and in came a crop of youth to compliment the already youthful first team. Phil Jones has slipped into the back four in the absence of Ferdinand like he was born there. I would like to take odds of him being substantive England Captain within 5 years. Arsenal must be looking at Ashley Young, who cost only £3million more than Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and kicking themselves. He made their back four look like they didn't exist in their 8-2 loss and early signs are he could form a dominating understanding with Rooney. And I think even David De Gea will turn out to be a quality signing. Lest we forget the barren years following Schmeichel's departure when there seemed to be a revolving door policy for average goalkeepers at Old Trafford. Van Der Sar stopped that and was the most naturally gifted keeper of his generation. De Gea has big gloves to fill but given time and coaching, he is only 20 after all, he could be an outstanding keeper for many years.
Manchester City - B+
It might be seen as a no-brainer that Manchester City would be considered winners in the transfer window given that they spent out another near £100million for what seems like the 10th window on the trot. In previous years it's felt like Mark Hughes and then Roberto Mancini have been caught up in a real life game of Football Manager, overpaying for players who have played well against you once or twice so they can't play against you again. So for me this is the first window where it feels like they have bought in players they need at a price that reflects their value. Sergio Aguero, on the basis of his first three games, could be the buy of the season. He wasn't cheap at £38million, but compared to the £50million Chelsea paid for Torres and £35million Liverpool paid for Carroll it's almost a bargain.
A transfer window wouldn't be the same without City engaging in a public transfer tug-of-war and this season Nasri was the rope. Again though, compared to the £24million and £26million paid out in previous summers for Lescott and Milner respectively, his £25million price tag looks like a more realistic appraisal of a players value than we've previously seen from City's hierarchy. It'll be interesting to see what Mancini does in January once they have had their first round of Champions League games, particularly if they're still in the competition.
Q.P.R. - B+
It felt at times on 31 August that I might get a call from Neil Warnock asking me to attend Loftus Road for a medical at the rate he was getting them in on Wednesday. Shaun Wright Phillips and Joey Barton will add much needed Premier League experience to the side. Barton in particular has experience of being in relegation dog fights. DJ Campbell from Blackpool at £1.25million is a steal for a hard worker who will get 8-10 goals with the right supply. Kieron Dyer could be a great free signing if he can stay on his feet for more than 5 minutes. Like Barton he knows what it is to scrap for survival in the Premiership. Like CIty it'll be interesting to see if the investment is there again in January to see them over the line for Premiership survival. Stoke have proven the model works with the right team behind it.
Losers
Arsenal - C-
Being an Arsenal fan must be starting to feel like an exercise in perpetual stress. Most fans knew deep down that this was the summer when they would finally lose Fabregas. Some suspected Nasri would go. Yet no one could understand why Wenger seemed to be living in a state of denial about both and making no noticeable effort to replace them. For a man famed for backing away from bidding for players over haggling a million or two he likes to leave it until the last minute when prices get jacked up after sellers smell desperation. And this window was a classic example. Arteta is a good player, superb with the ball at his feet and in another generation he would undoubtedly have broken into the Spanish team. But he is 30 and not long ago blew out his knee. Wenger has spent £10million and given a 4 year £70,000 a week contract to a player who feels like a less impressive version of Fabregas or Nasri. I can't help but feel Arsenal would have been better off using that money to give Nasri the contract he wanted and broken their wage structure. Per Mertesacker is the kind of big, experienced centre back they desperately needed and could form an impressive pairing with Vermaelen, if he can stay fit. Beneyoun on loan isn't terrible but again it feels like Wenger could have made more of the £60million had he accepted earlier that he needed to make adjustments. Hopefully January may bring more joy for Gooners, but I wouldn't bet on it.
Tottenham - C
Sometimes I swear Harry Redknapp enjoys wheeling and dealing more than actually managing a club. The period between 1st September and 1st January must be hell for him! As such eyes tend to fall on him on deadline day to make a big splash, like last year with the still unbelievable £8million Van Der Vaart signing. So it was dissapointing, and more than a little worrying, for Spurs fans to see the club adopt a selling policy which saw Crouch, Hutton, Jenas, Bentley and Palacios go, and Bassong get within a cat's whisker of moving to QPR, while only Adebayor and Parker came in. I don't think too many Spurs fans will miss Bentley, Palacios et al, and certainly Parker at £5million is a brilliant signing and the kind of leader Tottenham are missing. Gary Cahill is just the kind of centre back Tottenham need in the absence of Woodgate and King and by all accounts a £17million cash deal was on the table but Spurs wouldn't go. Similarly they missed out on Phil Jones earlier in the summer to Man Utd. I can't help but feel if Chelsea had bid £30million plus Alex for Modric earlier in the summer that, given a few weeks to find a replacement, Harry and Daniel Levy would have taken it. By all accounts they are already talking to Bolton again about making the Cahill deal in January, but for Spurs that may be too late to save their season if they can't shore up that back line.
Everton - D
The only way the transfer window could have been worse for Everton fans would have been in Moyes left with Arteta. He is almost certainly only biding his time until one of the bigger clubs comes calling for him. And I don't think anyone would begrudge him the right to take it gievnt he near miracles he has performed at that club. Arteta going for £10million at the death of the window was a huge blow. Not only in losing a player they desperately need in a team short of goals and creativity, but in that it gave them no time to replace him. The saving grace for Everton remains to be the seemingly never ending supply of quality players coming out of the academy who appear league ready at 17 or 18. This year it is Ross Barkley. But without re-investment of the £10million it's difficult to see where Everton get enough points for more than 12th place this year. On a plus Royston Drenthe could be a good short term fix for the season. He was always considered to be a great potential Dutch talent who has stagnated a little in the new Galacticos era at Real Madrid. Everton could use a skill player with something to prove right now. One to watch.
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