Chelsea and Liverpool dominate

The transfer window slammed shut last night on one of the most extravagant days in recent memory. Some realistic figures were paid and received but most of the talk has surrounded Andy Carroll’s £35 million plus transfer from Newcastle to Liverpool. The Merseyside club’s hand was forced the day before when Fernando Torres submitted a transfer request to ease his move to Chelsea. This development coupled with the arrival of Luis Suarez will give Liverpool a new look strike force that should do well in the Premier League.

Although many people complain about the money involved in football I think the purchases Chelsea made yesterday were the most notable and needed. The addition of Torres is the clearest indication yet that Abramovich is not finished building his empire in West London. The price tag of £50 million is staggering but they have gone out and brought proven quality at a time when the side has struggled for the first time in years. The term World Class is banded around far too often for in my opinion El Nino is class; it will be fascinating to see him playing with quality players again after a torrid year at Anfield.

Their other addition was David Luiz who has attracted interest from Europe’s elite since joining Benfica in 2007. He is a big strong defender who also has considerable pace which has been severely lacking in the Chelsea back four for a while now. At 23 years old he is also someone they can build the team around for years to come. Again the price tag is hefty but this looks to be a very sound investment.

The biggest shock of the window was certainly Liverpool’s acquisition of Carroll, not so much the player himself but the amount of money he ended up going for. There is no doubting that the player has potential but to pay that much reeks a little of desperation. Having said that though who else is about? There seems to be a shortage of top level strikers around at the moment. His new strike partner will be Luis Suarez who arrived from Ajax for £22.7 million. English clubs have been a little wary of purchasing prolific strikers from Holland after Kezman and Kuyt proved to be goal shy but it looks a shrewd investment. He has scored goals for fun for Ajax and looked to be a good player in the world cup last year.

All in all everyone from player to manager to fan will be relieved this window is now closed. It will be very interesting to see if Chelsea’s and Liverpool’s fortunes can be turned round with just under half the season remaining. Chelsea have to play the undefeated Manchester United twice which will probably decide the title. They are certainly back in the title chase and sides have made up larger points differences before. As for Liverpool a European finish should be achievable now but much will depend on their two new strikers. Only time will tell……