Fernando Torres, Andy Carroll, Darren Bent and the Best "Value" Buys in the EPL
When you think you've bought something at a value price, you assume you've gotten a deal and maybe even paid less than it was worth.
Well, in modern football during the transfer window, and especially on deadline day, you just have to forget about bargains and get who you can.
Premier League clubs spent north of £215 million during the January transfer window, with about half of it being splashed out on the final day. With that kind of money being thrown around, how do you find a good value buy?
By looking at it from all angles. In some cases, the team that sold got the real value and in most instances, they took the purchaser for a ride.
Edin Dzeko, Wolfsburg To Manchester City, £27 Million
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How did the "Billionaires in Blue" (Or is that Chelsea? To avoid confusion, we'll call City the "Billionaires in Sky Blue") end up on a list of value buys?
They've become infamous the past few years for just splashing out inane amounts of cash on unproven players just because they can.
Well, they certainly lost that title this window. They purchased 24-year-old Dzeko from Wolfsburg early in the window in what was the club's second highest transfer fee, £27 million.
He immediately made an impact with an assist for Yaya Toure (wanna talk about overpaying?) in City's 4-3 win over Wolves and then scored his first goal in Sky Blue in a FA Cup match against Notts County which saved his club the blushes of going out in the fourth round.
City could find in a couple short years they underpaid for Dzeko, but knowing them, by that time Dzeko will be a bench player wanting a move (Robinho anyone?).
Steven Pienaar, Everton To Tottenham, £3 Million
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Talk about value! The cheapest guy on the list and by a long way. Tottenham and Chelsea were both bidding for the South African winger, and Spurs only had to pay £3 million to get the 28-year-old. The fact that his contract with the Toffees was up this summer and he'd informed them he would not sign a new one probably influenced that fact.
Still, David Moyes has to be thinking if only he'd held on to Pienaar for an extra week, the prices might've been inflated.
Spurs clearly won this round because they've added yet another creative midfielder to their ranks. The big loser may end up being Pienaar. Who does he think he'll replace, Gareth Bale? Aaron Lennon? Pienaar might've done better with Chelsea where the wings could certainly use some new blood.
Darren Bent, Sunderland To Aston Villa, £24 Million
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Darren Bent was the first ridiculous purchase of this transfer window. Yes he boasts a fantastic Premier League scoring record with several clubs, but £24 million sure turned a lot of heads, especially coming from a team languishing around the drop zone.
Sunderland manager Steve Bruce may feel betrayed by his star, the one he rescued from Tottenham not two years ago, but he should just concentrate on his team, currently in sixth place, and count all that money.
Bent took only 17 minutes to score his first goal in Claret and Blue, against Manchester City no less, but it will take a lot more for Villa to finish in European places this season.
Sunderland meanwhile has a great chance to do so and an excellent chance to finish in the top half before they splash that cash in the summer.
Luis Suarez, Ajax To Liverpool, £22.8 Million
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Ajax was reluctant to let their captain go, and if they just held on for one more day they might've gotten an extra £10 million for him. Instead Kenny Dalglish and Fenway Sports Group gave the Reds the first big signing of their tenure.
Suarez is a proven goalscorer for both club and country, and he only just turned 24 years old. He gives the Reds pace up front and a natural talent for knocking in goals from anywhere.
And if we're going on recent records, you have to say he's worth more to his team than Darren Bent, Premier League experience or not. Suarez's goal frenzy at the World Cup should be enough for that, hand of God aside.
Andy Carroll, Newcastle To Liverpool, £35 Million
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Andy Carroll is a beast of a center forward who scores goals from anywhere and isn't afraid to have a go at defenders (or anyone for that matter, but we'll assume his off-field indiscretions are down to his youth).
Not only is he a safe bet to win any header, but he also has a powerful shot from about 25 yards out, which he displayed to perfection against Liverpool in December. He's the toast of the England national team as well since Wayne Rooney still hasn't found the scoring boots he misplaced last April.
Yes £35 million for a 22-year-old with six months of Premier League experience and a questionable record off the pitch is an absurd amount of money, but Liverpool fans need to just let things happen. Their team is spending money and they haven't been able to say that for a long time.
Even though they got an exorbitant amount of money, Newcastle lost its prize asset. After firing the manager that got them back in the Premier League on his first try and now this, God only knows what is going on in Mike Ashley's head.
Carroll has been on fire of late and at his age, he has plenty of time to justify that fee. And Kenny Dalglish can take care of that supposed temper, no problem.
Fernando Torres, Liverpool To Chelsea, £50 Million
6 of 6Fernando Torres apparently made his dream move to Chelsea just as the clock ticked 12 on deadline day, but he's not the only one dreaming. Chelsea paid £50 million for a player who hasn't been in form since last April and who has been injury-prone for the last two seasons running.
Then again, on his day, he is one of the world's best. He had a knack at Liverpool for scoring timely and important goals and he scored the most important goal in Spain's history with the winner in the Euro 2008 Final (There would've been no World Cup without the Euros).
But this is just an absurd amount of money. It smashes the British transfer record, and the Reds were right to go right out and spend it. Torres is almost 27, which makes him practically a tadpole at Chelsea, but his hamstrings are at least 37 years old.
Liverpool fans must've been gutted to see him leave, but that much money cannot be turned down. The Reds can have no doubts on this one, even if Torres ends up linking up fantastically with Didier Drogba.
Being 32, Drogba has at least a couple injury lay-offs a season, but the Blues must be thinking at least Torres can't score against them anymore.
This much money for Torres just doesn't make sense, and unless Chelsea go on to win multiple Premier League and Champions League titles in the next few seasons, it's hard to say it will be justified.
Liverpool, just take the money and run.
