Premier League Free For All Already Hotting Up
The January transfer window is always a hectic time for football managers, and there are plenty in the Premier League that will be looking for a shrewd signing here or there to bolster their team, or even hold on to a job. In the fickle world of soccer, you can be gone on a whim when a streak of results go your way. It tends to be an unforgiving tenure.
That’s exactly why signings are crucial and managers will be clamouring to get the funds to stay competitive in the market. Those at the top want to keep their form intact as the injuries pile up and the competition arm themselves with an mid-term influx. Those at the bottom need a spark to reignite their squad and stay in the top flight. With every signing is a story, and the New Year should prove just as fascinating as any this time around
At the top, four-points clear Chelsea are looking to make waves with some huge signings from around Europe. Real Madrid have apparently turned away a monumental £90m offer for Welshman Gareth Bale, as well as £60m in wages for the player. Bale himself is reported as saying he wants to earn his regular spot back after some competition from Francisco Román Alarcón Suárez, or ‘Isco’ as he is commonly known. Bale hasn’t been as regular as he’d like despite some impressive performances, with his teammate keeping him out by playing some phenomenal football.
A signing such as that would almost certainly have put Chelsea amongst the favourites in any UEFA competitions betting, though it’s arguable that they’ll still have plenty of sway if any of the proposed moves come off. Though now second-string goalkeeper Petr Cech may be off, Jose Mourinho is eyeing up the likes of Marco Reus of Borussia Dortmund.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, bottom club Burnley have much more modest aspirations as you might guess given their meagre seven points and one win in the Premier League this season.
To stand a chance of staying up their efforts need to be doubled – even trebled – and whilst it’s a great story for eighth tier player Che Adams to have interest from the top flight outfit, that’s not the kind of game changer they’ll be in the market for.
it’s not so easy to attract the best talent when you’re wallowing at the bottom, but Ipswich’s Tyrone Mings could be a solid acquisition for the Lancashire club though there might be some stern competition, as well as the refusal from boss Mick McCarthy.
Putting the teams and their targets side by side shows just how big the chasm between top and bottom of the Premier League is – affluent, international clubs with their billionaire funds, and modest local battlers that are seemingly out of their depth amongst the big guns.
It still makes for some terrific narratives, and the feeling is that January will produce lots of speculation, some kernels of truth, and several interesting signings.