As England's January transfer window nears its halfway point, there's been enough activity to keep matters interesting yet nothing entirely earth-shattering. Manchester City have thus far made the biggest splash by plucking Edin Dzeko from Wolfsburg, but if recent reports surfacing in England are to believed, City's big spending could be a thing of the past.
English Premier League Transfer Window Round Up: Hits, Misses And Rumors
Tottenham Hotspur on Monday agreed terms with Everton's Steven Pienaar while it's still unclear whether or not Spurs will pay £2M to Everton now, or wait until the summer to secure the South African midfielder. The problem for Everton's David Moyes, however, is that the Scot has been told he needs to sell players in order to fund three separate loan moves he wishes to complete this month in order to strengthen his squad.
If Moyes sells now, he’ll have the funds, but will be without Pienaar, whose services are of value to Everton. Should Moyes hold Pienaar until the summer when his contract expires, he risks letting Pienaar go on a free thus receiving no transfer fee from Spurs.
Arsenal may be in the market for a defender as first choice center back Thomas Vermaelen doesn't look set to return to the Gunners anytime soon as a setback to an Achilles problem continues to keep the Belgian sidelined. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has stated he wants a defender with Premier League experience to fill the whole left in the heart of his defense. Possible targets linked with Arsenal include Bolton's Gary Cahill, Manchester City's Joleon Lescott and Everton's Phil Jagielka.
City's Wayne Bridge looks to be close to joining West Ham with only a medical left to pass before the former Chelsea and England left back will join the Hammers on a season long loan. Boss Avram Grant has had injury concerns at left back with Herita Ilunga out and has called upon a number of West Ham players to deputize while the Hammers fight relegation. Jonathan Spector, Danny Gabidon, Luis Boa Morte and Tal Ben Haim have all seen time at left back this season.
Liverpool are reportedly reading a bid for Southampton's Alex Oxlade-Chamberlin in their attempts to rebuild for the future and support Fernando Torres in attack. Regarded by many to be the next Theo Walcott, the 17-year-old Oxlade-Chamberlin is said to be a better prospect than Walcott was at 17. When one draws comparisons to Walcott, one also draws interest from Arsenal. It seems for now at least that Arsenal are Liverpool's main rivals as it pertains to the pursuit of Oxlade-Chamberlin.
While Liverpool have yet to make an offer for the attacking midfielder, reports suggest that Liverpool’s new owners, Fenway Sports Group, will meet Southampton’s valuation for the player at £10M. If Liverpool secure the services of Oxlade-Chamberlin, it’s likely the youngster wouldn’t feature immediately into the first team yet serve as proof that the new owners are willing to invest in the club who are currently rebuilding for the future.
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