Has reality caught up with the January transfer window?

By Laurie Fitzgerald

Today marks the end of the January transfer window, and so far it has been a quiet one as we approach what could be a frantic 24 hours.

The biggest deal so far has been Newcastle’s capture of Senegalese striker Papiss Demba Cisse for a reported fee of £8 million, but that signing has been one of only a few big-money deals.

Around £30 million has been spent by Premier League clubs this month, which is a big difference in comparison to what was splashed out 12 months ago.

A total of £217 million was paid out by England’s elite in the last January transfer window, and its lavish overspending was summed up on the final day when Andy Carroll and Fernando Torres became part of transfer history.

Is Ancelotti on his last legs at Chelsea?

By Tony Alvarez

Following the midweek exit from the Champion League at the hands of Manchester United there has been much speculation about the future ofChelseamanager Carlo Ancelotti.

The defeat at Old Trafford left it very unlikely that Chelseawill win any honours this season, Chelseafailed to make a mark in either the FA or Carling cup and currently lie 3^rd in the Premier League table 8 points off leaders Manchester United with only 6 games left to play.

Despite winning a league and FA cup double in his first year in charge of theWest Londonclub fan have become restless as the clubs poor performances this term.

It is also well known that Chairman Roman Abramovich has his sights firmly set on the Champions League, Ancelotti’s failure to bring the trophy back toStamfordBridgecould cost the Italian dearly.

Since the failure in the Champions League quarter finalsChelsearecorded a 3-1 win away atWest Bromhowever this has not muted any of the rumours about Ancelotti’s sacking and indeed his replacement.

Many of the reports are suggesting that Guus Hiddink the man who guided the club to FA cup success in 2009 in his half a season in charge could leave his post asTurkeymanager and come back to theChelseahot seat.

With Turkey issuing a hands off warning Chelsea may have to look elsewhere if they do want to get rid of Ancelotti, various names are flying around but it have to be a man willing to work underneath Mr Abramovich who will take charge.

So desperate is Abramovich to win the major European trophy he interferes in team matters more than many people believe a chairman should, the loss of fans favourite Jose Mourinho is believed to be down to Abramovich not giving the manager the freedom to do his job.

It is also widely believed that the 50 million pounds January signing of Spanish international Fernando Torres was the wish of Roman Abramovich and not a transfer that was in Ancelotti’s plans and we all know how that deal has turned out so far.

My personal thoughts is that Ancelotti will be relived off his duties come the end of the season but I aim unsure who will replace him, I think first choice would possibly be Hiddink but if he is unavailable as reported then its anybody’s guess who will come in and lead next years trophy charge.

What are your thoughts? Will Ancelotti be Chelsea manager at the start of the 2011-2012 season? Is Abramovich too involved with playing matters? Who would you like to see in the Stamford Bride hot seat should Ancelotti depart? Leave a comment and let us know your thoughts

King Kenny’s impending appointment long overdue

Dalglish has done a brilliant job on his return to the Anfield hotseat

By Laurie Fitzgerald

Kenny Dalglish has shown over the past couple of months just why Liverpool fans love him so much.

The Kop legend decided to take on the manager’s job at Anfield for a second time in January following a hugely disappointing season under former Fulham manager Roy Hodgson.

Hodgson had lost the support of the fans and ultimately the new owners, New England Sports Ventures (NESV) leaving Chairman John Henry no choice but to relieve the 63 year-old of his duties.

Before the appointment of Hodgson in the summer, Liverpool fans were calling for ‘King Kenny’ to be given the job, and since he has been given this role until the end of the season, Dalglish has demonstrated why these fans were so vociferous in seeing his appointment come to fruition.

The Merseyside club have 16 points in their last seven league games, including a win at home to Manchester United and victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

It has seen the team go from potentially being dragged into a relegation dogfight to potentially securing a top six finish.

Such a revival has surely done enough to see the 60 year-old be given the manager’s job on a permanent basis. So why have the owners yet to do this?

Well it seems that they finally have, with a report in the Sunday Express claiming that Dalglish has been offered a two-year deal.

There’s no doubt that Dalglish has the support of the two sectors needed for the club to move forward; the fans and the players.

You’d be hard pressed to find someone in football that understands just what the history and tradition of Liverpool football club means to the supporters. Dalglish’s love for the club and the fans can never be brought into question.

This understanding has allowed the Scot to portray to the players just what it means to play for Liverpool.

The likes of Raul Mereiles and new signing Luis Suarez have flourished under his guidance, and this has shown in the results.

The two players at Liverpool that share the same passion for the club as Dalglish have already stated their full backing to see the former no.7 appointed full-time.

Captain Steven Gerrard said shortly after his appointment, “I want to do everything in my power to ensure that he stays here for a long time, beyond the initial six months.”

Defender Jamie Carragher echoed these sentiments when he said last month, “For everyone, especially me and Stevie, he’s a hero to us. The results are obviously going very well. If you’re asking me, obviously I’d love him to be the manager.”

Carragher also stated that that decision is ultimately in the hands of the owners.

You can understand why Henry and NESV are taking their time to ensure they appoint the right man in the long term. But it’s difficult to see who else is out there that would do a better job than Dalglish.

That’s not to say that the owners don’t back Dalglish; when Fernando Torres was sold to Chelsea for a British transfer record £50 million on transfer deadline day, Henry gave him the money to bring Newcastle United’s Andy Carroll to Anfield for £35 million – a record for a British footballer.

All that’s left for the owners to do now to fully confirm their support of Dalglish is to give him the job permanently. There’s surely no other option.

What do you think? Liverpool fans, are you concerned that Dalglish has yet to get the job full-time? If you don’t think he’s the man for the long-term, then who should get it? Let us know your thoughts

Will this be the most exciting transfer deadline day ever?

Will Torres give up on Liverpool today?

By Laurie Fitzgerald

It’s that time of the year when the rumour mill goes into overdrive; Lionel Messi has just been seen in a Little Chef off the M25 ordering an all-day breakfast, Lassana Diarra has been seen waving for a taxi at Manchester Airport, and Cristiano Ronaldo has just checked into a Travelodge in Birmingham.

Yes, welcome to transfer deadline day. When you refuse to believe your manager when he says that there will be no more signings, tuning into Sky Sports News with reporters standing outside club gates for 18 hours as they try to peer through a window, hoping that a deal hasn’t been confirmed yet because “the paperwork is still in the fax machine at the Premier League headquarters,” and continually refresh your club website well into midnight, in the hope that the picture of a top player appears with the words, ‘deal agreed’ underneath it.

While the majority of the time a transfer deadline day turns out to be a huge hyperbole of nothingness, with a couple of signings for reasonable fees and a whole host of loan signings by Football League sides, this year’s close to the January transfer window may turn out to be the exception to the accustomed waste of time.

Despite most clubs usually unwilling to lose their prized assets at this time of year, either saying that they would rather listen at the end of the season or putting a hugely-inflated price on their players, there are a host of big-name players whose futures remain very uncertain going into the last 24 hours of the window.

The biggest of which seems to be Fernando Torres. It would have seemed almost unthinkable that the 26 year-old would think about leaving Liverpool right now with his form re-invigorated under the Kop legend Kenny Dalglish, but it seems the Spaniard’s head may have been turned by a £35 million bid by Chelsea, understandably rejected by the Reds.

Torres has since handed in a written transfer request with his heart set on talking to the West London side, but it seems it didn’t tug at the heartstrings of the decision-makers at Anfield, who flatly rejected this request. It remains to be seen whether Chelsea come back in with an offer they can’t refuse or wait until the summer, or whether Torres gets on with the job in hand or starts throwing a strop for the rest of the season.

It’s incredibly frustrating for Liverpool fans, who are celebrating the signing of a top-class striker in Luis Suarez in a £22.8 million deal from Ajax. They shouldn’t be in fear of losing a top-class striker in the process, as their hope was that Suarez was brought in to partner Torres, not to replace him.

The Torres saga may have a negative impact on any other business Chelsea were hoping to conclude today. They’ve already been entangled in one drawn-out transfer this month, with their efforts to sign Benfica’s Brazilian defender David Luiz seemingly doomed to fail.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side seeked a work permit for the crazy-haired 23 year-old, but were unable to do the important thing and actually agree a deal with the Portuguese giants, with the club telling their national stock exchange they have called off talks to sell Luiz.

Keane's bench-warming days look set to be over

Chelsea and Liverpool aren’t the only ones playing their part in a potentially explosive transfer deadline day. Aston Villa were the side that brought this window to life when they made the stunning signing of Darren Bent from Sunderland, and they have been linked with signing Jermaine Jenas from Tottenham to add to their earlier midfield addition of Jean Makoun from Lyon.

Of course it wouldn’t be the end of a window if deadline day specialists Tottenham weren’t involved. Whether it’s memorable transfers (Dimitar Berbatov, Rafael Van der Vaart) or slightly forgettable ones (Grzegorz Rasiak anyone?) Spurs always seem to leave their dealings in and out of the club until the very last minute.

Today probably won’t be different. This weekend saw the club have a £23 million bid for Newcastle striker Andy Carroll rejected, with the Magpies making it clear they have no intention of selling their top goalscorer any time soon. Whether a higher bid from Spurs will change their mind remains to be seen.

Since then, they are reported to have made British transfer record bids for Sergio Aguero and Fernando Llorente, but it looks like they are set to end in disappointment too. But drama in N17 shouldn’t be too far away today.

While Carroll and co looks set not to come to White Hart Lane, another striker definitely looks set to be plying his trade elsewhere. Robbie Keane is probably made for life from signing-on fees alone, and he will get another windfall after joining West Ham on loan until the end of the season. The Hammers are one of 132 teams who were linked with the Republic of Ireland forward this January.

Will Adam get his move?

Another player to be linked with several clubs is Blackpool midfielder Charlie Adam. The Scottish international has been one of the stars of the season for the Tangerines, and has been the subject of bids from Liverpool, Aston Villa and Birmingham, none of which have met the satisfaction of manager Iain Holloway.

Adam has since handed in a transfer request, but if one of the trio of clubs mentioned come in for him again, then the seasiders have to decide whether a potential £8-10 million gain will not sacrifice a £50 million gain from Premier League survival come the end of the season.

Sebastian Larsson is another player whose future is up in the air. The Birmingham winger’s contract expires at the end of the season, and the Blues have had to decide whether they should sell him now or let the Swede leave for nothing at the end of the season.

Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier has already said he is willing to wait until the summer, leaving Birmingham fans wondering if Larsson will be all that bothered if they go down while he moves to their fierce rivals.

Let’s not forget the ramifications of the deal that started off the drama of this transfer window. While Darren Bent settles into his new surroundings in the Midlands, Sunderland now need to find a replacement for the Sandra Redknapp-wannabe with their striking options left a little short.

The Wearsiders agreed a fee with Stoke for their striker Ricardo Fuller, which would complete a transfer triangle with Villa letting John Carew join the Potters on loan until the end of the season after their signing of Bent.

But talking of triangles, it seems this transfer may have disappeared in one around Bermuda as a fee was agreed 10 days ago, and a deal still isn’t concluded. Although Sunderland’s claims that they haven’t made a bid for Fuller may be more of a logical reason for any potential transfer being held up.

Of course, all of these mysteries and sagas will be revealed throughout the course of the day. It may turn out to be the biggest disappointment in the history of transfer deadline days, but whether deals collapse or conclude, Monday 31^st January 2011 may go down as the most exciting deadline day yet.

What do you think? Does the transfer deadline day excite you? Do you think it’s a waste of time? What deals do you feel will happen today, especially involving your clubs? Let us know