Winter Transfer Window 2010-11

January 6th, 2011 | by: nick | Comments Off

Hi all, I wanted to do a quick overview of the winter transfer season this year. So far there have not been any major transfers but the rumors dominate the headlines as ever.

Transfers
Of the transfers that have taken place so far in the Russian Premier League, most have been loans which have come to an end. However a few significant transfers have taken place which include:

Oleg Ivanov, Krylia Sovetov Samara to Lokomotiv Moskva. Many Russian fans will remember him as the player who replaced Pavel Pogrebnyak prior to Euro 2008. This is not a huge transfer but Lokomotiv gain an additional midfielder who may provide an advantage in the air due to his height.

Dramane Traoré, Lokomotiv Moskva to Espérance Sportive de Tunis. Traoré’s form has not been very impressive especially since he has only made 17 league appearances in 2010. His transfer to Tunisia will allow for Lokomitiv to buy a new striker or possibly play Dmitri Sychev up front once again.

Dmitri Sennikov, released from Lokomotiv Moscow. The longtime Lokomotiv and Russia defender has also fallen out of favor after making only one appearance the entire season. Although not major news, I thought I might include him because he spent a considerable amount of time with the Russian national team.

Rumors
The rumors this time around are abundant as always with big clubs in Spain, Italy, and England reporting interest only to be turned away by price inflation.

Salvatore Bocchetti, Rubin Kazan to Juventus, Napoli, or Fiorentina. Bocchetti has been used moderately since his transfer to Rubin in August. However after being left out of the Azzuri by Prandelli, a move back to Italy may be the key to getting back into the international set up.

Aleksandr Kerzhakov, Zenit to Liverpool. Although this rumor has been cooled by Kerzhakov himself, it still dominated the headlines in December. I’m glad this transfer is unlikely to happen since I only see Kerzhakov as a bench warmer at Anfield. Not to say that I don’t think Kerzhakov would do well in England I just think that he won’t be used much at Liverpool, similar to his time in Sevilla. If Kerzhakov would transfer abroad once again, I would prefer to see him at a club like Newcastle, Blackburn, or Stoke where he could become a leading player and a regular starter.

Andrei Arshavin, Arsenal to Juventus. As I wrote this post, a major headline dominating the transfer market circled around Arshavin joining Juventus. It probably makes sense from Juventus’s side since they have lacked an good attacking midfielder after Pavel Nedved retired in 2009. Arsenal on the other hand, may not be willing to sell one of their most creative players. Additionally, Arshavin’s agent has denied this transfer speculation.