With the season drawing its close and the chaos of the transfer window about to return, it’s time to look back on the best bits of business over the past year. We have tried to rank them objectively, and opted not to consider loan deals (which is why Joe Hart isn’t listed).
10. Barry Ferguson (Birmingham City, £1.25m from Rangers FC)
Given that Ferguson’s previous spell in the Premier League was an underwhelming eighteen months at Blackburn, Birmingham City’s decision to pay £1.25m for the 31-year-old initially looked suspect. Under his former Rangers manager Alex McLeish, however, Ferguson has quietly excelled as the hard-working and composed defensive element to the Blues’ midfield, and their excellent defensive record owes much to his tidy and determined efforts. A snip for the price they paid, and the midfielder will have finally earned the respect of the Premier League’s sizeable audience after his disappointing time at Ewood Park.
9. Johnny Heitinga (Everton, £6m from Atlético de Madrid)
- Heitinga’s versatility has been invaluable for Everton
Costlier than Ferguson, but given his age and versatility, Johnny Heitinga can be considered a better long-term buy. The Dutchman joined after a mixed season with Atlético and his consistently solid performances at right-back, central defence and central midfield have been a shining light in Everton’s injury-ravaged season. Heitinga is firm in the tackle and strong in the air, but he’s deceptively astute when it comes to distribution – it’s not uncommon to see him pinging 60-yard passes straight onto a team-mates’ toe. His rapid acclimatisation to the Premier League has been impressive, and if injuries and the Joleon Lescott saga hadn’t hamstrung Everton at the start of this season, Heitinga could have a chance to impress in a strong challenge for 4th place. If that happens next term, the £6m fee shelled out by the Toffees might start to look even cheaper.
8. Thomas Vermaelen (Arsenal, £10m from Ajax)
Arsenal’s online community voiced concern when rumours surfaced that Arsenal were about to sign the 23-year-old Belgian international. Although they were encouraged by the arrival of a left-sided central defender, Vermaelen’s height was a source of concern at ‘only’ 5’11″. After his impressive competitive début in a European qualifier away to Celtic, however, those worries were dispelled emphatically. Despite his comparative shortness (for a centre-half), Vermaelen’s spring was extraordinary. The robust Belgian’s aerial dominance and proactive attitude to defending delighted Arsenal fans who had become accustomed to the dysfunctional Touré-Gallas partnership, and that’s even without taking his goals into account. Some some of them vital, some of them spectacular, the eight so far have made him a favourite of the Emirates faithful, who routinely implore him to “shoooooot!” when he picks up the ball on the half-way line. With change still left over from Manchester City’s swoop for Kolo Touré, now 29, this deal looks like another long-term winner from Arséne Wenger.
7. Luis Antonio Valencia (Manchester United, £16.8m from Wigan Athletic)
Try replacing the £80m man. It’s not easy, is it? Despite a comparatively paltry return of five league goals, Valencia has done a manful job for his new club and even for the price they paid, and his seemingly never-ending supply of inch-perfect crosses for the newly deadly Wayne Rooney have kept a largely prosaic side in the hunt for the title. If United can retain the Premier League then you could say that the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo has not hit them at all, at least not on the domestic front, and the intelligence and accuracy of Valencia’s distribution will be a major factor in that.
- Collins has been a rock for Villa
6. James Collins (Aston Villa, £5m from West Ham United)
In a toss-up between Collins and his equally solid defensive partner Richard Dunne, the former West Ham man only wins through because many of us knew what to expect from Dunne. The signing of Collins, on the other hand, looked like a less sure thing for Martin O’Neill. The former Cardiff City defender was turfed out by West Ham after an injury-hit spell in East London, with youngster James Tomkins apparently preferred in their back-line. £5m of Randy Lerner’s money was offered and accepted, and the Welsh international signed at Villa Park in the summer. His Villa career so far has been a pleasant surprise for their fans, Collins’ aerial prowess and a penchant for impressive last-ditch blocks was augmented by a man-of-the-match performance and winning goal against Chelsea in October. Collins’ partnership with the reliable Dunne has occasionally helped make Villa look like the real deal for that last Champions League spot – whether that pairing would be up to the challenge of football in Europe’s elite competition may yet be tested next season.
5. Darren Bent (Sunderland, £10.5m from Tottenham Hotspur)
Perhaps a victim of Harry Redknapp’s occasionally ill-judged man-management, Darren Bent’s time at Spurs can’t really be judged as anything but a failure, despite his respectable goals-to-games ratio. After a few misguided Tweets, Bent eventually moved on to Steve Bruce’s Sunderland, and their most impressive results throughout the season have usually been marked with at least one mention of Darren Bent in the scorers column. Currently on 26 in all competitions, Bent has scored winners against Liverpool and Arsenal, netted at Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge, and also scored twice against his old club Spurs in a 3-1 win. The two missed penalties in that game won’t make his signing look any less of a good move for the Mackems.
4. Kevin Doyle (Wolverhampton Wanderers, £6.5m from Reading)
Costing a club-record £6.5m, Kevin Doyle’s signing probably didn’t inspire Wolves fans, but then he’s not that sort of player. A hard-working but talented centre-forward, Doyle’s return of 7 league goals is modest – but his work in taking the pressure off Wolves’ already obdurate defence may have saved them more points than his contributions in front of goal. Superb at holding up the ball and bringing midfielders into the game, Doyle’s presence may have been the catalyst for the productive form of Matt Jarvis. With survival already assured, manager Mick McCarthy may look to build on this season’s success by finding a prolific striker to complement Doyle’s selfless work – someone who can do better than the disappointing Sylvan Ebanks-Blake shouldn’t be too hard to come by.
3. Sol Campbell (Arsenal, free transfer)
- Impressive swansong
Easily the most surprising transfer of the season and possibly one of the most curious in Premier League history. In September, a clearly unfit, out of shape and out of sorts Sol Campbell looked out of his depth for Notts County in a 2-0 League Two defeat to Morecambe. He had been declining for Portsmouth over the past two seasons and at 35 years of age, his days of top flight football looked well, well behind him. When he turned his back on Meadow Lane in September after only one appearance, he begun training with his old club Arsenal, and the Gunners boss Arséne Wenger was so impressed by Campbell’s drive to return to his best that he offered him a six-month deal in January. Sceptics were silenced by Campbell’s colossal performances, none more impressive than on his return to the hostile White Hart Lane. Campbell was one of the few Arsenal players who didn’t deserve to be on the losing side that day, his pace and timing evidently not eroded by his advancing years. Praised by the manager for his sense of team spirit and mental strength, if Arsenal had ended the season with a trophy Campbell would probably occupy the number 1 spot in this countdown.
2. Roger Johnson (Birmingham City, £5m from Cardiff City)
£5m for a 26-year-old who had only ever plied his trade in the football league seems like a risky outlay, but as with the Barry Ferguson transfer, it seems Alex McLeish knew what he was doing all along. An excellent buy, Johnson has been a critical part of Birmingham’s stingy defence and his aerial dominance and positional savvy has held their back-line together this season. Suggestions that Fabio Capello should be considering Johnson for his 23-man World Cup squad may be premature, but if Johnson impresses again next season then international recognition may not be beyond the realms of possibility.
1. Carlos Tévez (Manchester City, £25m from…?)
"Still not worth the money?"
Although some managers would have you believe the fee paid for the Argentine was closer to £47m (no doubt taking a sizeable wage packet into consideration), we’ll take the original ‘reported’ fee as gospel and say this deal could be worth every penny of the sizeable wad City’s billionaires coughed up. Tévez was made to look like something of a workhorse when he was turning out for Manchester’s red side, but he has played with renewed freedom for City and his brilliance has shone through in more than his 28-goal haul. Apart from a few stunning strikes, the forward also has 7 league assists and a penchant for a mot juste when it comes to Gary Neville. His drive and ability to lift the crowd could yet haul City over the finishing line in their quest for 4th, and if that happens then even £47m might seem worth it to the Citizens’ faithful.
