January Transfer Window: What’s the Point?

From hot to cold: January 2004 seemed to be a popular time for derailing once-promising careers. Case in point: a striker-hungry Manchester United grabbed Louis Saha from Fulham in 2004 for £12.8m only to see the Frenchman spend most of his time at Old Trafford in the physio room. Or consider Scott Parker: He was lighting up the league at Charlton with commanding displays in the midfield. Then he was snapped up by Chelsea for £10 million and his career has never recovered.

Money well spent: Third from bottom at the start of 2007, West Ham spent a combined £17 million in the January transfer window, including £5 million on Luis Boa Morte, £6 million on Matthew Upson, and £3 million on Calum Davenport. None of those signings ended up performing particularly well, but West Ham managed to escape relegation with a win on the final weekend of the season, effectively making back £60 million.

Come here you big waste of money

Pages: 1 2