9 Names to Know from the January Transfer Signings
Jonjo Shelvey (Newcastle)
£12m from Swansea
Things got weird in Wales for Jonjo. From a sterling start to the season that got him in the England squad to what was more of a Raheem Sterling/Liverpool thing in the end. Shelvey fell out of favour as the team struggled, his own attitude clearly a problem, and he hardly played after Garry Monk was sacked. Next thing Steve McClaren was there with an escape rope and Shelvey was leading Newcastle to a crucial victory on debut against West Ham. At his best, Shelvey is a combative midfielder and one of the better passers of a football in England. His vision brings a direct punch to Newcastle that hadn’t been there before, a way to get that ball up to the strikers and make things happen. Oh, and the hair? Shelvey was born with alopecia. Hence the Nosferatu look.
Benik Afobe (Bournemouth)
£9m from Wolves
A former Arsenal young’un who never made the grade, spending time on loan with six different English clubs, and had to work his way up from the Championship. He did that pretty well, with 23 goals in 48 games for Wolverhampton Wanderers. Now he’s Bournemouth’s record transfer. Afobe is a powerful striker and a natural goal scorer, one whose experience at all those different clubs belies his 22 years of age. When Callum Wilson was injured at the start of the season it seemed the Cherries were doomed to struggle for goals and that’s exactly the way it fared for long stretches of this campaign. Now here’s Afobe and he’s already scoring goals. Absolutely golden.
Mohamed Elneny (Arsenal)
£7.4m from FC Basel
Arsenal bought an outfielder! Check it out, a defensive midfielder too. Elneny comes from the streets of Egypt via snowy Switzerland and he could finally give the Gunners a presence in the heart of the middle. Francis Coquelin has shown how valuable a ball-winner can be for a team with this many attacking weapons, all they need is someone to facilitate. But Le Coq happens to be a very limited player in other regards and he’s spent large chunks of this season injured. Elneny has a work rate that’d shame a lumberjack, capable of running all day, and he’s a rare player that seems devoid of any ego. A pure team player who reads a game well and can spot a clever pass. Wenger’s gonna love him.
Alexandre Pato (Chelsea)
Loan from Corinthians
Once upon a time this dude was one of the up and coming stars of Brazilian football. There’ve been more than a few of those fella that’ve fallen between the cracks and right now Pato is in danger of doing just that. He’s 26 and despite flashes of brilliance in his native competition, he’s also been prone to the slack attitudes and over-entitlement of the youth prodigy. However 2015 was a resurgent year of the lad, getting himself back in the Brazil team and earning all sorts of transfer rumours. Finally, Chelsea have come calling. Hyper skilful and happy to flaunt it, Pato is a Brazilian striker by every stereotype. Given the seasonal differences it may be up to six weeks until Pato is ready up at full-fitness and even then it’s a low risk from the Blues since he’s only on loan. Effectively he’s replacing the perennially injured Radamel Falcao. With a little luck and a bit of fresh boot polish he might finally start living up to the hype a decade after bursting onto the scene as his Internacional side toppled Barcelona in the 2006 Club World Cup.
Giannelli Imbula (Stoke City)
£18.3m from Porto
Exactly what Stoke needed. He’s not a player with the best reputation after a disappointing time in Portugal but Stoke’s new record signing sure fits the bill at the Britannia. A powerful defensive midfielder who can carry the ball forward on the dribble and he’s a solid passer too. The kind of player that can pick up the ball at the back and get it to all those quick, skilful attacking players that they’ve accumulated. It’s no secret that the middle has been Stoke’s weakness this season and if Imbula can live up to his promise then they’ve got themselves some decent value for a whole lot of money. He was a bust at Porto but then Shaqiri was a bust at Inter too, so was Bojan at Barca. It wasn’t that long ago that Imbula was a star for Marseille and the Premier League looks to be much more his style.
Timm Klose (Norwich)
£8.5m from Wolfsburg
There’s a little confusion about how much Norwich paid for Swiss international Klose but it’s likely that he now represents their record transfer fee. That’s a solid commitment from a team that were busy around him too, making several signings in a bid to keep their top flight status. Klose was the main one, no flashy playmaker but an experienced centre-back. Here’s a player who can steady an entire defence. Strong in the air and composed on the ball, tall and decisive. The toughest part may be finding him a CB partner for the dude but so long as he can get up and running quickly (it’s been a slow start after the German winter break) then the Canaries have their defensive anchor.
Charlie Austin (Southampton)
£4m from Queens Park Rangers
He was almost the forgotten man of this season, scoring 18 goals in his first Premier League campaign but for injuries to keep him from a transfer lifeline out of relegated QPR. Newcastle had been linked with him for months, as had a number of other top flight teams but when he signed sneakily and for a miniscule price given his goal-scoring past it came as a fair surprise. He then went and almost justified the entire price with a late winner against Manchester United at Old Trafford off the bench on debut. A reliable striker (whose injury troubles are overrated) who’ll challenge Graziano Pelle (a better all-round player but a worse finisher) for their top spot. The Saints have relied too much on the profligate Pelle in 2015-16, this should be a boost for all involved.
Mario Suarez (Watford)
£4m from Fiorentina
A few years ago Suarez was one of the hottest young midfielders in Europe. Now, at 28, he’s a complete steal for Watford and a great reflection on manager Quique Sanchez Flores – who bossed Mario for a year at Atletico Madrid. He’s a Spanish international and a Europa League winner, though after leaving Atletico for Italy in the summer he struggled to really establish himself. Instead he’s off now and looking to give his career a kick-start in England. Suarez is a centre-mid who can patrol the park with an iron boot, a strong tackler and occasionally a player who doesn’t mind pushing the boundaries. Someone as well who doesn’t mind flying under the radar and doing the dirty work.
Wahbi Khazri (Sunderland)
£8m from Bordeaux
A really interesting one, presumably Khazri realises what he’s gotten into with Sunderland? Or maybe the allure of a name like Sam Allardyce (or Allardici) was too much to ignore. He almost went to Aston Villa so Sunderland was probably beyond his dreams. Anyway, Khazri is a Tunisian international who is probably best in an advanced playmaker role but can also play on the wing or, at a stretch, further forward. He’s been on fire in France this season and it’s hoped he’ll provide the kind of creative flair that Sunderland are entirely lacking in right now. Allardyce may have a reputation for practical, defensive football but don’t forget what he’s been able to do in the past with singular talents like, oh, say Jay-Jay Okocha.