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Transfers of power
Gabriele Marcotti
The transfer market closed on Wednesday, which means it's report card time. Increasingly, titles and trophies are won not by what happens on the pitch, but what happens in the transfer campaign.
Read below to see who, among Europe's biggest clubs, goes to the head of the class and who gets the dunce cap. Bear in mind that the transfer game isn't just about buying great players -- it's about getting them at the right price.
Arsenal: A
Ashley Cole was never going to stay anyway, so the Gunners did the right thing in getting the best possible deal for him: $10 million plus William Gallas, the best all-around defender in the Premiership is an absolute steal.
Swapping an unhappy José Antonio Reyes for a motivated Júlio Baptista was also a master-stroke. He'll give them the physical presence that has been lacking since the departure of Patrick Vieira. Tomas Rosicky is a younger version of the departed Robert Pirès and jettisoning Sol Campbell and his wages made sense. All this and they ended up with a positive transfer balance. Well done, Arsène Wenger and David Dein.
Olympique Lyonnais: A-
Lyon managed to get a good price for Mahamadou Diarra while hanging on to the rest of its starters, no mean feat. Alou Diarra won't fill his namesake's shoes, but ought to get the job done, plus he came relatively cheap. Kim Källström adds some elegance to the midfield, while Sébastien Squillaci provides another option at the back. If he recovers his form from two years ago, he'll be a crucial pick-up. Waiting in the wings is Jérémy Toulalan, one of the bright young things in the French game. Another sterling transfer effort for Jean-Michel Aulas.
Barcelona: A-
Didn't do much, but what it did, it did well. Gianluca Zambrotta is a major coup on either flank. Lilian Thuram might not be getting any younger, but he adds depth to the back line. Eidur Gudjohnsen is a smart player who'll contribute off the bench, but don't expect him to match the departed Henrik Larsson's goal-scoring exploits. The only quibble is the failure to sign a true center forward for the bench.
Valencia: B+
The summer was mostly about intelligent house-cleaning, offloading half a dozen highly paid veterans who were surplus to requirements. But Asier del Horno is a clever addition to an impressive back four, while Fernando Morientes and Francesco Tavano offer options up front. The calculated risk here is Joaquín: if he's fit and happy, he could be the transfer coup of the summer.
Liverpool: B+
The new strike force of Dirk Kuyt and Craig Bellamy (provided he keeps it together off the pitch) is an instant upgrade over Morientes and Djibril Cissé and, what's more, they came at the right price. Fabio Aurelio is a gamble after his injury, but a worthwhile one. If Jermaine Pennant stays out of trouble and fulfills even a fraction of his potential, he'll be a good signing too, but for now, the jury's out. Rafa Benitez wanted to add depth and versatility to the squad and he certainly did so, despite not securing an A-list superstar.
AS Roma: B
With no money to spend, Roma had to get creative. It sold well, at least in terms of jettisoning big contracts (though seeing Cesare Bovo go was heart-breaking), and focused on securing the two guys coach Luciano Spalletti really wanted: striker Mirko Vucinic and playmaker David Pizarro, who could be this year's comeback kid after his nightmare at Inter.
Bayern Munich: B
It's decidedly easier when you dominate the domestic market. But Bayern nevertheless did well strengthening every department with Daniel van Buyten at the back, Mark van Bommel in midfield and Lukas Podolski up front. Plus, Michael Ballack and his wage demands are gone for good. Hanging on to Owen Hargreaves at all costs was probably not the smartest thing to do from a business perspective, but at least it showed the world that Bayern won't be pushed around.
Real Madrid: B-
There was plenty of work to be done and Fabio Capello certainly wheeled and dealed. Fabio Cannavaro is a short-term solution at the back, Mahamadou Diarra is a beast in midfield, but the price paid for Emerson seems a bit stiff, especially given his injury-riddled campaign last year. Reyes is a gamble, but an intelligent one. Ruud van Nistelrooy is a useful pick-up, though the failure to move Ronaldo, whom he effectively replaces, is a big minus. In fact, Real's squad remains too big and the failure to offload some players could come back to haunt it.
Chelsea: C+
Owner Roman Abramovich may not care about overspending, but it's obvious that Andriy Shevchenko, John Obi Mikel, Salomon Kalou, Cole and Khalid Bouhlarouz (more than $100 million between them) were hardly bargains. Neither was Ballack who, despite being a free agent, was signed to the kind of mega-contract that has already annoyed some of the senior players (including John Terry and Frank Lampard) who make two-thirds as much as he does.
The good news is that Chelsea now has a genuine goal-scorer and a true left-back. The bad news is that squeezing Ballack into this lineup forces José Mourinho to re-think his tactical set-up. Most worryingly, the loss of Gallas is an enormous blow and one which could and should have been avoided.
Inter Milan: C
With the turmoil in Italian soccer, this could have been a golden opportunity for the Nerazzurri, but the early impression is that they've blown it. Hernán Crespo's return and Zlatan Ibrahimovic's arrival strengthen the frontline on paper: Integrating them into a team where, until very recently, Adriano was the main man, won't be easy.
The signing of Vieira makes sense if it's the Vieira admired at the World Cup -- if it's the guy who was dragging himself up and down the pitch at Juventus last season, Inter would have been better off without him. Fabio Grosso at least plugs the gaping hole at left-back while Maicon is one of the most underrated right backs around. Letting Obafemi Martins go could turn into one of those trademark bonehead Inter moves (like selling Roberto Carlos, Dennis Bergkamp, Adrian Mutu, Andrea Pirlo, Adriano ... the list goes on and on).
Still, you can't help but think that, after spending all that money, Inter is still a work in progress. Oh well -- at least it didn't buy Ronaldo, too.
AC Milan: D
Kudos for getting $50 million for Shevchenko, but that's about it. Yoann Gourcuff may one day be the heir to Manuel Rui Costa, but for now he's an unknown quantity. Ricardo Oliveira is a huge gamble given his injury record. And Daniele Bonera is a serviceable jack-of-all trades, but not really a replacement for Jaap Stam. Meanwhile, the squad looks decidedly weaker than last year.
Manchester United: D
Van Nistelrooy is gone and his 21 league goals last season haven't been replaced. Michael Carrick will help the midfield, but for $30 million, United could have done better (Mahamadou Diarra, anyone?). United sleep-walked through the transfer market, chasing players it didn't need (Hargreaves) and failing to secure those who truly would have helped (Fernando Torres).
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i find this article good and bias free
Gabriele Marcotti
The transfer market closed on Wednesday, which means it's report card time. Increasingly, titles and trophies are won not by what happens on the pitch, but what happens in the transfer campaign.
Read below to see who, among Europe's biggest clubs, goes to the head of the class and who gets the dunce cap. Bear in mind that the transfer game isn't just about buying great players -- it's about getting them at the right price.
Arsenal: A
Ashley Cole was never going to stay anyway, so the Gunners did the right thing in getting the best possible deal for him: $10 million plus William Gallas, the best all-around defender in the Premiership is an absolute steal.
Swapping an unhappy José Antonio Reyes for a motivated Júlio Baptista was also a master-stroke. He'll give them the physical presence that has been lacking since the departure of Patrick Vieira. Tomas Rosicky is a younger version of the departed Robert Pirès and jettisoning Sol Campbell and his wages made sense. All this and they ended up with a positive transfer balance. Well done, Arsène Wenger and David Dein.
Olympique Lyonnais: A-
Lyon managed to get a good price for Mahamadou Diarra while hanging on to the rest of its starters, no mean feat. Alou Diarra won't fill his namesake's shoes, but ought to get the job done, plus he came relatively cheap. Kim Källström adds some elegance to the midfield, while Sébastien Squillaci provides another option at the back. If he recovers his form from two years ago, he'll be a crucial pick-up. Waiting in the wings is Jérémy Toulalan, one of the bright young things in the French game. Another sterling transfer effort for Jean-Michel Aulas.
Barcelona: A-
Didn't do much, but what it did, it did well. Gianluca Zambrotta is a major coup on either flank. Lilian Thuram might not be getting any younger, but he adds depth to the back line. Eidur Gudjohnsen is a smart player who'll contribute off the bench, but don't expect him to match the departed Henrik Larsson's goal-scoring exploits. The only quibble is the failure to sign a true center forward for the bench.
Valencia: B+
The summer was mostly about intelligent house-cleaning, offloading half a dozen highly paid veterans who were surplus to requirements. But Asier del Horno is a clever addition to an impressive back four, while Fernando Morientes and Francesco Tavano offer options up front. The calculated risk here is Joaquín: if he's fit and happy, he could be the transfer coup of the summer.
Liverpool: B+
The new strike force of Dirk Kuyt and Craig Bellamy (provided he keeps it together off the pitch) is an instant upgrade over Morientes and Djibril Cissé and, what's more, they came at the right price. Fabio Aurelio is a gamble after his injury, but a worthwhile one. If Jermaine Pennant stays out of trouble and fulfills even a fraction of his potential, he'll be a good signing too, but for now, the jury's out. Rafa Benitez wanted to add depth and versatility to the squad and he certainly did so, despite not securing an A-list superstar.
AS Roma: B
With no money to spend, Roma had to get creative. It sold well, at least in terms of jettisoning big contracts (though seeing Cesare Bovo go was heart-breaking), and focused on securing the two guys coach Luciano Spalletti really wanted: striker Mirko Vucinic and playmaker David Pizarro, who could be this year's comeback kid after his nightmare at Inter.
Bayern Munich: B
It's decidedly easier when you dominate the domestic market. But Bayern nevertheless did well strengthening every department with Daniel van Buyten at the back, Mark van Bommel in midfield and Lukas Podolski up front. Plus, Michael Ballack and his wage demands are gone for good. Hanging on to Owen Hargreaves at all costs was probably not the smartest thing to do from a business perspective, but at least it showed the world that Bayern won't be pushed around.
Real Madrid: B-
There was plenty of work to be done and Fabio Capello certainly wheeled and dealed. Fabio Cannavaro is a short-term solution at the back, Mahamadou Diarra is a beast in midfield, but the price paid for Emerson seems a bit stiff, especially given his injury-riddled campaign last year. Reyes is a gamble, but an intelligent one. Ruud van Nistelrooy is a useful pick-up, though the failure to move Ronaldo, whom he effectively replaces, is a big minus. In fact, Real's squad remains too big and the failure to offload some players could come back to haunt it.
Chelsea: C+
Owner Roman Abramovich may not care about overspending, but it's obvious that Andriy Shevchenko, John Obi Mikel, Salomon Kalou, Cole and Khalid Bouhlarouz (more than $100 million between them) were hardly bargains. Neither was Ballack who, despite being a free agent, was signed to the kind of mega-contract that has already annoyed some of the senior players (including John Terry and Frank Lampard) who make two-thirds as much as he does.
The good news is that Chelsea now has a genuine goal-scorer and a true left-back. The bad news is that squeezing Ballack into this lineup forces José Mourinho to re-think his tactical set-up. Most worryingly, the loss of Gallas is an enormous blow and one which could and should have been avoided.
Inter Milan: C
With the turmoil in Italian soccer, this could have been a golden opportunity for the Nerazzurri, but the early impression is that they've blown it. Hernán Crespo's return and Zlatan Ibrahimovic's arrival strengthen the frontline on paper: Integrating them into a team where, until very recently, Adriano was the main man, won't be easy.
The signing of Vieira makes sense if it's the Vieira admired at the World Cup -- if it's the guy who was dragging himself up and down the pitch at Juventus last season, Inter would have been better off without him. Fabio Grosso at least plugs the gaping hole at left-back while Maicon is one of the most underrated right backs around. Letting Obafemi Martins go could turn into one of those trademark bonehead Inter moves (like selling Roberto Carlos, Dennis Bergkamp, Adrian Mutu, Andrea Pirlo, Adriano ... the list goes on and on).
Still, you can't help but think that, after spending all that money, Inter is still a work in progress. Oh well -- at least it didn't buy Ronaldo, too.
AC Milan: D
Kudos for getting $50 million for Shevchenko, but that's about it. Yoann Gourcuff may one day be the heir to Manuel Rui Costa, but for now he's an unknown quantity. Ricardo Oliveira is a huge gamble given his injury record. And Daniele Bonera is a serviceable jack-of-all trades, but not really a replacement for Jaap Stam. Meanwhile, the squad looks decidedly weaker than last year.
Manchester United: D
Van Nistelrooy is gone and his 21 league goals last season haven't been replaced. Michael Carrick will help the midfield, but for $30 million, United could have done better (Mahamadou Diarra, anyone?). United sleep-walked through the transfer market, chasing players it didn't need (Hargreaves) and failing to secure those who truly would have helped (Fernando Torres).
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i find this article good and bias free
