Monday marked one of the craziest transfer window closing days in recent memory, with blockbuster deals and several Americans making moves.
Fernando Torres stole the show, moving to Chelsea on an $80.5 million transfer, while English striker Andy Carroll moved to Liverpool for an astonishing $56.3 million.
Americans made moves as well, with Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore and Freddy Adu completing loans while Robbie Findley's move to Nottingham Forest was completed.
As crazy as Monday was, the transfer season isn't over in other leagues, at least not for another two days, so players such as Charlie Davies and Gale Agbossoumonde could still make moves.
What did you think of Monday's transfer action? Think Liverpool overspent for Carroll? Happy with the moves made by Americans? Anxious to see what other moves await this week?
Share your thoughts below.
interesting… “did many great things for liverpool”…
actually, great player, scored lots, but – Liverpool have won zilch in his time there…
When is Bradley’s first game with AV?
And he has earned his plaudits. At every level he has improved and excelled. He deserves his shot at the EPL, which, IMHO, he should have taken after leaving Heerenveen.
But what concerns me, is that with the now almost embarrassing glut of talent enjoyed by the the USMNT in the central midfield, from Holden and Jones to Bradley and Edu, with peripherals like Spector, Fielhaber and Clark, AND wing/strikers who can play centrally like Donovan and Dempsey, who does Bob Bradley choose? If a Holden/Jones combo clicks where does MB go? Will his dad ensure he is picked at midfield, even if another player has shown he is the better player at that spot, or plays better with the other midfielders?
MB’s play at AV is a two edged sword. Play well and he can dispel any rumors that he is “dad’s choice”, and will have earned his position.
But have a lapse or injury and lose playing time, his dad will be hard put to start him without getting loads of criticism, even if he can play the position well enough.
It is said that, for gifted and growing players, every move or transfer should be a step up in quality and difficulty, MB will have to earn his position of AV in front of some good EPL veterans, but in doing so, he will also improve his chances for himself and the USMNT in a very competitive league, in a very competitive position and in what is becoming, for the USMNT, a very competitive team.
its a moot point now, because mb now securely fits the starting role as a central mid for the nats. i think where the critisim comes from is that early on in WC’10 cycle, while capable, he was not a clear cut starter. during that time it appears that every non-vet spot had a so-called audition. different players competed for roles and time on the field, and there was rotation. correct me if im wrong, but mb generally played the full 90, unless he was out on cards.
personally, i never thought he was bad as some have commented, more than that i beleived him to be highly capable. not sure which other non-vets got that type of early commitment. the only other that comes close was altidore, and much of that was a lack of options. whatevs, thats the past and bb’s decision to stick with mb is now validated.
He is a great player when healthy. But, I always wonder why teams will pay so much for a player that is chronically injured. Think of Michael Owen, Owen Hargraves, and our very own John O’Brien. So much talent, but so many injuries.
You are right, but I also think the UK work permit rules for football artificially drive up the price for English footballers. The intent was to maximize job opportunities for footballers, but with intense pressure from the rest of Europe for quality players, and the fact that the EPL too, has to compete for these players, AND the fact that there are people like Abramovich and the new owner of Man City pumping obscene amounts of money into a rather staid transfer market somewhat depleted because of the past economic woes, you have a massive inflation of transfer prices, as clubs not only sell at high prices, but need to buy scarce replacements.
Supply and demand, but like any good market, manipulated by a few.
Don’t forget the 6 they got from Babel…
Hmm, with the exception of Landon Donovan who was loaned out to the MLS from Bayer Leverkusen, the MLS has a general policy of not taking Americans on loan from foreign clubs. But I guess an exception for Donovan, means there are exceptions. If it was a loan, it would have to be a DP loan.
I think Carrol fits much better into a Dalglish style offense than Torres did. In some ways, this was also about stamping your mark on a team.
also dont forget the Babel deal. with that they really only spent around £1-2m
Agree, Preston NE is desperate and need a scorer. This puts a lot of pressure on Johnson. If he can produce like he did at Aris Solonika, he might have a shot at another contract with an English team. If he really produces, he might find himself back in the EPL where, as we saw yesterday, there is a premium for strikers who produce. If not, back to the MLS.
It’s probably;
1) announcement of opponent for All-Star Game. (Barcelona anyone?), or,
2) Announcement of a new TV rights package.
As for the ALL-Star game. I hope the MLS allows a few more days for practice and/or allows more latitude in picking the coaches/commissioners choices as to allow for a more competitive squad than the one that faced Man U. last summer.
As for a TV rights package; the MLS MUST allow a package that is bigger than the one they have for basic cable just now. ESPN pretty much decides what, who and where the MLS gets seen on TV. I also hope it’s not the mega-package that the MLS is trying to negotiate/extort from FSC. we don’t need more games on channels nobody watches. I hope Versus will step up to the plate, like they did for the NHL.
Totally agree. As a passionate DCU supporter who has often slung insults at Metro/NYRB fans and that club, I was never one who denigrate Bradley for being signed and then getting PT in MLS (I saw a lot of nice talent) and then his NT call-ups. I never expected him to get this good (or this BIG) but always thought he got ragged on unfairly.
Michael Bradley is a great success story. In some ways he’s like this generation’s Brian McBride in that he’s not a superb athlete but damn he works hard, plays hard, plays smart, gets the most out of what he has, is a superb teammate and produces when you need it.
Torres Torres Torres Chelsea’s number 9!
I thought Ives said it was a thigh injury. He passed his medical though, so it seems he’s good to go.
Go read the book again. There’s a reason JHenry hired Bill James in Boston as an advisor. Epstein is still GM there.
Moneyball has to do with using the right stats to indentify undervalued players and exploit market inefficiencies. What I’m suggesting is that young and homegrown are stats that Liverpool thinks are valuable, that people are overlooking, perhaps even more than ‘proven’. They are so valuable they are willing to pay for it. They also might see that Gerrard and Torres are statistically due for a dip in their stats, so Carroll and Adam (had they succeeded) provide good value against that.
Isn’t it amazing?
To think awhile back he was drafted just because of his dad, and got called into the US MNT camp by Arena just because of his dad. (so it was said)
Since he went from MetroStars->Herenveen->Bundesliga->EPL
Scored a game winner in U-20 World Cup Round of 16
Scored both in the Dos y Cero win in Columbus
Scored a must goal in the Egypt game in Confederations Cup
Scored the first come back goal in Costa Rica dramatic tie
Scored a must goal in the Slovenia game in World Cup
Kid is the essence of hard work and doing it in the face of so much criticism.
Pretty Amazing
If Carroll continues on his upswing, he’ll be worth is price in a few years. Again, though, I agree that English players in the EPL tend to be ridiculously expensive.
I could probably write an essay about how mad I am at Torres, but that would be a waste of time. I always figured that he would leave eventually, but that that would be to go back to Atletico–not Chelsea, one of our biggest rivals. Some of his comments in his Chelsea interview–how he is happy he’s finally playing for a “big” club (what exactly is Liverpool, a non-league side?)–regardless of their intention, made me want to throw something at him.
I’m betting, though, that the Chelsea-Liverpool game this weekend is going to be the most watched game of the season. There is one word for what that is going to be–awkward.
However, pretty good day for Americans. Congrats to Michael Bradley on an awesome loan deal. Wondering if anything is going to happen with Davies, Lichaj, and Feilhaber, though.
Big if. But I guess he has several million new friends (and more on the way in wages) to encourage him to behave responsibly.
It’s my understanding Carroll was given a “vacation” by his manager to rest up and recharge the battery & get some sun.
No injury that I was aware of.
I’m more curious what league/division the soon to be out-of-contract Johnson will be playing in come next year.
When I heard “major” announcement used, I immediately prepared myself for the opposite.
That’s just me.
Agreed.
My personal opinion: Once he leaves Chelsea in 3-4 years…it’ll be to return to Atletico.
To the point where I’d safely put down a wager on it becoming a reality.
Yes, but it’s ridiculous to assert that it’s a fire sale when they reinvested it all plus some.
It’s also a bit muddleheaded to assert, as some have below, that this is bad business, because they’re net spending is only L8 million. That’s a very small sum to reinvigorate the offense with a young and promising strike duo, as well as unloading an under-performing and disgruntled superstar.
For what it’s worth, I think Newcastle got the better end of the deal. The transfer fee that was being offered/accepted would have been poor business to pass on.
Redistributing it, however, is always a risky thing as nothing is guarenteed…so I completely understand your weariness going forward.
By the way isn’t Caroll injured? when is he due back? i don’t think he’s worth even half of that absurd amount they just payed to get him. EPL overpays for EVERY player that’s english.
Moneyball has absolutely nothing to do with what FSG does with Boston, or now Liverpool. “Moneyball” is what teams like Oakland and Cleveland use to try and compete with Boston/NYY/NYM/Philly, at least according to Billy Beane.
I would hope it’s something more relevant than the All-Star game, especially seeing the shenanigans of the NFL and NHL ones this past weekend.
Well, Torres = +£50m, Suarez = -£23m, Carroll = -£35m, so technically they just spent around £8m.
You have to imagine it’ll be nice for a guy with that kind of money setting up shop in London over Liverpool.
Would have rather seen him go back to Atletico though..
Fire sale? They just spent $9O million.
How about EJ joining Preston? I think it should be a good move for him and a chance to reignite his career/earn a new contract with an English club. Their league position is dead last in the Championship, which hopefully means Johnson will get playing time immediately.
Regardng tnnelson & ARGH’s feelings on the topic:
Reality is, this is the day and age we live in with our sports clubs/players. It certainly goes both ways and happens on both sides…the sense of loyalty or honor has nearly been replaced with “competition quality & paydays”.
Not that I blame Torres but Liverpool fans need to realize Atletico Madrid asked themselves the same question at one point 3-4 years ago.
Had Liverpool still been relevant, competitive and challenging for major trophies…Torres would still be there.
Make no mistake about it, Torres signed a 5 year deal with Chelsea and it was solely based on a pay increase and CL matches…not his passionate love for London or Chelsea as a club.
Liverpool fans that are shocked made the mistake of trusting soundbites and believing generic statements all footballers make about the city/supporters and club. Torres never felt a passionate love affair for the city of Liverpool or some sense of bond & long term relationship with it’s supporters. He’s not Gerrard.
Football, is rampant with player movement. Love it or hate it, it’s the closest thing we men (and some women) have to “day-time drama” and soap opera style entertainment.
I, for one, love the wheeling and dealing…and can’t fault players wanting to leave as clubs would just as easy sell/loan players out if they didn’t perform.
This isn’t our fathers generation of sports, that’s for sure (which isn’t a bad thing). Perhaps Liverpool fans can take some consolation that the likelyhood Torres leaves Chelsea before his 5 year contract is safely around 80-85% and that’s even by year 3.
well if he didnt want to play for liverpool anymore, for any reason, it wouldnt make sense for him to want to stay. i wouldnt be that mad, he did many great things for liverpool.
Caroll is an emerging striker. Perhaps 1 of the best in England. He was like a “Rooney or Shearer”. But the price for him is three times what he may actually be worth. I’m just saying.
Same here. I love Torres. Fantastic player. 1 of the top 5 strikers in the world. Still is, but I hate Chelsea with a fiery passion. How could he do this? I thought if he ever left us, he’d move to Italy or so. Never to another English club.
I’m also very excited for Bradley! It’s too bad he has to play under Houllier, but I really hope this move works out and he’ll succeed at the highest level.
Good luck to Jozy too! Score some goals!! Playing for the Turkish league champions is nothing to scoff at!
Chelsea basically let Liverpool get two strikers for the price of one. And their real issue is not up front, it’s in the midfield and in the back. Luiz will help out with the back line, but if Lampard can’t get himself back to full fitness, they might as well get ready to send that trophy to Old Trafford.
Andy Carroll’s transfer fee was larger than the fee Barcelona payed for Villa. I think he has loads of potential and could be a great player, but that transfer fee is absurd. I think the Liverpool hierarchy decided they needed an immediate replacement for Torres and were willing to reinvest all the money immediately. Such a knee-jerk transfer policy will ultimately lead to the club’s demise…or, continuing mediocrity.
I thought Liverpool fans hated spending so much?
I thought that at first but I actually think it’s very good business. Risky, but the Boston guys know about buying risky young players. Thinking about Moneyball for a second helps.
Liverpool get a striker who is 3rd most goals in the league and youngest of any striker that made a move (i.e. available). Plus he’s homegrown, and they get a boatload of cash from Torres. Carroll has business upside because now they can go into the summer window (when prices for strikers go up, not down) looking for a top class foreign player to fill midfield and defense.
Remember, Lpool went for the just-as-unproven homegrown Charlie Adam, when they have Gerrard. That tells you something.
Bolton got Daniel Sturridge on loan from Chelsea. Was hoping they would land SWP also.
Cant believe Vela’s agent made those money demands for himself, Coyle said Vela would be getting paid as much as Drogba lol
Ives. Do you know anything about the major announcement that the MLS is going to make today at 3:30 ET. Garber,Henry,and Donovan on a conference call. Could it be that they are going back to the East vs West set up for the All Star game?
In 3 years when Andy Carroll leads the Premier League in goals, his price tag will be justified. If he can only keep himself out of handcuffs, he could be one of the great English strikers.
I know, I know transfer rates can be obscene to begin with but Andy Carroll’s was just downright rude and risky business. He’s the newest, hottest English thing out there. Yes. But he’s still unproven in so many ways – like consistency and dealing with the demands of fans in a BIG club (and I don’t mean Newcastle big) and the life of a big time star. Not to mention that he’s got some growing up to do off the pitch too.
I get the potential and upside arguments but still there is a lot of risk involved in this deal. Yes, risk is part of doing business, but recklessness is not. I’m not going to go so far as to call this reckless business, but it sure does have the smell of it.
Anyway good luck to Andy Carroll and big ups on him getting that fat bank so early in his career. I hope he succeeds and maintains so that he can garner (and deserve) an even heavier purse in his next deal and prove us all wrong but DAMN!! – Andy Carroll for 35 million POUNDS??? This is gonna take some getting used to…
Also, excited for Bradley. Go on young man!
Liverpool overspent on Carrol by at least 15 million pounds, they were put into a bind by the Torres deal but this just smells of desperation. They could’ve waited for the summer window and bought Carrol for much less while having other players to spend on with the Torres money, they have nothing to compete for this year (highly unlikely they will make fourth, UEFA Cup is eh..) so I don’t understand the rush to get carrol.
I too thought that if he was going to make a move away from Liverpool it would be to La Liga. Perhaps teh fact hat he is still not back to pre injury/world cup form has had something to do with it. Either way I’m glad he’s outta Liverpool. I think Reina Agger, Skrtl and N’gog should get outta dodge while they had the chance as well. Something tells me the fire sale hasn’t even begun…
Completely gutted about Carroll moving on. Still trying to piece it together in my head. Don’t trust Mike Ashley but 35 million for a player with such little prem experience? And I don’t know if I believe Andy handed in the request or not. He had his wages nearly tripled so as loyal as any person can be, money talks.
Thought Newcastle had a chance of sneaking into Europe with some luck… now I doubt we’ll hit top 12 this year. If we don’t reinvest that money in the summer then I will be shocked (but honestly not surprised with Ashley in charge)
ugh… Torres used to be far and away my favorite player. so much so that i almost became something of a liverpool fan (thankfully not all the way) just because i watched him so much. but this, i can’t bring myself to even root for chelsea in any way. oh well, i’ll just have to hope he goes back to spain soon so i can follow him in his club football and not just for his country