In the spirit of the transfer window, I thought I would review past transfers which have not met expectations and disappointed the manager, the fans and the board who approved of paying good money for them.
1. David Bellion: He came to Old Trafford with high expectations as being dubbed as 'the next Thierry Henry' because of his pace. Yet that was all he could offer with no end-product. As usually the case with young French players, they tend to be snapped up by Arsene Wenger who is very familiar with the talent pool in France. And yet he was not signed by Wenger, as he probably knew that his potential was limited. I can see history repeating itself with Gabriel Obertan. However, in all fairness to him, he has been injury-plagued to start off with. Yet he will probably remain as a squad player to cover the flanks rather than a star in the first team.
2. Sebastien Squillaci: It may be unfair to dub him as a flop as he has only been at Arsenal for less than a season, but he has been less convincing than Laurent Koscielny who arrived during the same transfer window. This may be viewed as an unorthodox signing by Wenger as Squillaci is over 30. Nevertheless experience is usually required in the back four. However, the preferred defensive partnership is Vermalan and Koscielny. I doubt Squillaci will be remaining at the Emirates for much longer and Wenger is likely to buy someone younger such as Cahill or Mexes.
3. Shaun Wright-Phillips: The re-signing of the once prodigous winger was an expensive mistake. It was expected by many that he would recreate the form he once produced when he was at the beginning his career with Manchester City. Now that his development had been stagnated at Chelsea, he is no longer feared by defenders and is being overshadowed by the stars at the Eastlands. He has also been disappointing in the England set-up and so the his peak of his career came too early. A loan move to Fulham seems likely and he may benefit from a new challenge and new surroundings.
4. John Obi Mikel: A young player who was fought over between Manchester United and Chelsea, and it was the Blues who were victorious in signing him, but the real winners were United as they dodged a bullet in a transfer flop. He remains as Essien's understudy, and yet when the time came for Mikel to step in for Essien, he was ineffectual. However, it could be argued that Chelsea did not do a good enough job in developing him into the defensive midfielder he should be, and maybe Sir Alex Ferguson would have moulded him into a world-class player. Mikel may remain as an understudy for a few more years, but I think it would be best for him to move on if he wants to rejuvenate his career.
5. Sandro: He was arrived at White Hart Lane in the summer of 2010 as an unknown figure and he still remains as an unknown figure. His position is as a defensive midfielder and my previous assumption was that he would slot into the side from the start of the season and be the 'Makelele' for Tottenham Hotspur. He may need more time to settle into England and the Premiership, but he could be a signing which gets lost amongst the shining gems like Bale, Van der Vaart and Defoe. The question is whether he will get an opportunity to shine or will he dwindle like Giovani Dos Santos.
6. Ryan Babel: He was one of many signings by Rafa Benitez that only made up the numbers in the squad. He came with high expectation as he came from the illustrious Dutch club Ajax and was known for his pace. However, he was never given the regular run in the Liverpool side which was centred around Torres and Gerrard. Babel is looking to move this January and would probably benefit in a change of scenery. He is still young and needs a mentor to help him mature as a footballer and as an individual.
7. Emile Heskey: He was once a legend at Leicester City and was labelled as the perfect foil for Rooney in the England set-up. Now he has become a 'has-been'. O'Neil was hoping for Heskey to recreate the form he once knew at Filbert Street and bring it to Villa Park. However, age has crept up with him and was past his peak when he joined Aston Villa. He was much admired during his Leicester City days, but will now be remembered as the butt of most jokes from last year's World Cup.
8. Nicola Zigic: Known for his outstanding height, he was brought to St Andrews to become their main target man. However, he has been short on goals this season, which has lead to Birmingham flirting with a relegation battle of late. He may still need more time to settle into the Premiership, but it does not help that McLeish is in need of a goalscorer and Zigic may be displaced by a January signing.
As seen, many of these transfers can turn sour. Sometimes, it may not be the right club for them and the best thing to do is to move on. Darren Bent was frustrated by the lack of opportunities at White Hart Lane, and then became one of the top goal-scorers in the Premiership last season at Sunderland. Diego Forlan suffered a similar situation and yet when he moved to Spain, he became of the most prolific goal-scorers in La Liga. Dealing in the transfer window is a tricky business and there will always be risks associated with it. Spend too much and you can take the club into administration (as in the case of Leeds United). Spend too little, and you can end up with a squad that is not competing with your rivals (as in the case of Arsenal). Some players will need time to settle in, and the faith to succeed as seen with Evra and Vidic at Manchester United. With time running out, many teams will want to and need to strengthen their sides and I think we will have some surprising and big transfers to be made on deadline day.
