What is cloudy, expensive and exciting?
The European transfer window! So stop wallowing in your post-summertime sadness, Lana Del Rey. Instead, get your calculator out, order a screen-protector and a coffee and start following daily transfer stories. Yes, they occur every day throughout January.
Most soccer clubs use January as the time to throw money at their problems, and that means plenty of transactions to read about at work. And yes, these types of transactions are SFW.
But why is this important? Because one English club spent more money on one player in January 2018 — $72 million — than Tuvalu intook in GDP for all of 2017. Yes, Tuvalu may be a small country, but if one player costs more than an entire country’s GDP, the January transfer window is certainly worth some attention!
Moreover, that cool $72 million expense is but a bite of the Premier League’s $532 million January 2018-spending pie.
So what do you do if you already do? More. To reiterate that famous line in "Remember the Titans" when Denzel Washington asked his players if they wanted to keep practicing: "We want some more; we want some more!" Yes Denzel, we fans also want more.
Let's look at the position of greatest need for the current top six Premier League clubs:
1. Liverpool
Center Back to partner Virgil Van Dijk. Joe Gomez is 21, injured and engaged. Joel Matip looks scared of the Premier League while Dejan Lovren is too slow. 'Pool needs another proven CB to strengthen its title hopes.
2. Man City
Left Back. Benjamin Mendy is out with another knee injury. Fabian Delph is out of form and hotheaded. Third-string Oleksandr Zinchencko is inexperienced and not a left back. Thus, City needs a capable left back to support the attackers and provide a better outlet out of the back.
3. Tottenham
Holding Midfield. The Hotspurs need an experienced No. 6 to challenge/replace Harry Winks. Winks is young and out of his element covering the back four and spreading the ball to Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli, Son Heung-min and Harry Kane. And Moussa Sissoko plays only with his right foot. Spurs need a Claude Makelele to sit in the middle of the park and organize play.
4. Chelsea
Center Forward. Alvaro Morata does too well warming the bench, Olivier Giroud is injured and Eden Hazard is better on the wing. Chelsea needs a No. 9 to hold up play and distribute the ball to Chelsea's talented wingers.
5. Arsenal
Defense. Arsenal needs centerbacks to replace Schkodran Mustafi and challenge Laurent Koscielny. Additionally, Arsenal needs a left back to play defense because Sead Kolasinac is already fighting his teammates to take the next free kick. Hector Bellerin is a capable right back, but is battling back for fitness. Unai Emery's current defense is a black hole where chances of winning disappear.
6. Man United
Coach Center backs. With Jose Mourinho finally sent packing, the players should enjoy playing again. So, the defense should be strengthened to support the nimble front three and talented midfield trio. Phil Jones belongs on a rugby pitch while Eric Bailly and Chris Smalling are learning to pass. United needs to invest in proven center backs should it wish to compete for a Champions League spot.
Who stands to gain the most from spending? While money does not buy happiness, does it buy victory?
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