Scott Sinclair and the 5 Most Underwhelming Deals of the January Transfer Window
It seems that the penny has finally dropped for Scott Sinclair.
Speaking to the Birmingham Mail after completing his January loan move to Aston Villa—the eighth such temporary switch of his stuttering career—the 25-year-old winger said that he'd have to seriously consider his options before joining a top club again after being frozen out at both Chelsea and Manchester City.
His lack of action over the past few seasons has made his switch to Villa Park from City an underwhelming one for his new club's supporters, but that was by no means the only January deal that failed to set pulses racing.
Here are four more, plus a look at Sinclair's move in more detail.
Shola Ameobi to Crystal Palace
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That's right, folks. Big Shola is back!
Six months after leaving Newcastle United and embarking on a new adventure with Gaziantep Buyuksehir Belediyespor in Turkey, Ameobi is back in the Premier League after just 11 games and four goals during his time away.
With Alan Pardew leaving for Crystal Palace, there was no one willing to take him on back on Tyneside, so Pardew stepped in and signed the 33-year-old on a short-term contract until the end of the season.
That's all well and good, until you realise that Ameobi has got Dwight Gayle, Yaya Sanogo, Fraizer Campbell, Marouane Chamakh and possibly Glenn Murray ahead of him in the pecking order at Selhurst Park.
So what exactly is he doing there, then?
Bebe to Cordoba
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Have boots, will travel.
Manchester United flop Bebe has been on the move again, joining La Liga strugglers Cordoba on loan from Benfica, in a move the Andalusian club apparently think will help them improve on a measly record of just three wins in the league all season—the joint-lowest in the division.
Famous for being the man United bizarrely spent £7.4 million on in 2010—at a cost of over a million pounds per first-team appearance (there were seven of them)—Bebe has barely fared any better at Benfica, featuring in just four first-team matches before moving to Spain.
He's played four times for Cordoba so far, including the 2-1 defeat to Real Madrid, which saw Cristiano Ronaldo sent off and Gareth Bale strike a late penalty winner.
Bebe, on the other hand, has been booked twice in those four games and has yet to score.
Marko Marin to Anderlecht
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The German generation that blossomed through the various youth levels in the mid-2000s and then on to the full national setup was obviously a very special breed, and one that went on to claim the ultimate prize in football in Brazil last summer. Unfortunately, some players got lost along the way.
Had things gone to plan for Marko Marin—still just 25 years old—then he'd have been collecting his medal at the Maracana last July, but the quick, diminutive attacking midfielder hasn't played for his country since 2010.
Injuries and an unwise career choice have held him back. Still on Chelsea's books, he's just embarked on his third loan spell away from the club to join Belgian giants Anderlecht for the remainder of the season.
Given that Fiorentina cut short his second loan spell after just four appearances for them this season—somewhat bizarrely all in the Europa League—Anderlecht fans can't really be expecting too much from their new arrival.
Silvestre Varela to Parma
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New West Bromwich Albion boss Tony Pulis didn't take long to make up his mind about the 26-cap Portugal winger Silvestre Varela—a scorer of a late equaliser against the USA at the World Cup in the summer—and he decided to cancel the 30-year-old's loan deal after just two appearances for him in January.
Varela went back to Porto with his tail between his legs, but he has since popped up at Serie A basement-dwellers Parma, with whom he'll play until the end of the season as they bid to turn around a disastrous campaign that sees them bottom of the table and 10 points from safety.
The wide man has played three games for the Yellow and Blues so far—all defeats—and there are no signs he'll be the spark they need to make a miraculous escape.
Pulis might have been right on this occasion.
Scott Sinclair to Aston Villa
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The fact Scott Sinclair made his Aston Villa debut in a 5-0 defeat to Arsenal wasn't really his fault. That's just the way things are going for Villa at the moment.
Devoid of any confidence, hope or indeed the ability to score goals, Villa are in desperate need of a spark right now. They probably won't get it from a man who appeared just 11 times for West Bromwich Albion in a loan spell last season.
Sinclair's move to Villa smacks of Paul Lambert just getting another body into the squad, for he is unlikely to be a player who can make a deep and lasting impact on what has been a miserable season for supporters who deserve so much better.
It remains to be seen just how he'll fare in the Midlands, but those expecting him to pull up a few trees are likely to be left disappointed.
