Sunday 1 February 2015 18:01, UK
Will Premier League clubs spend big on Deadline Day?
Ahead of the transfer window slamming shut on February 2, we look at the 10 biggest fees paid by British clubs on winter Deadline Day.
1. Fernando Torres - Liverpool to Chelsea (2011) - £50million
Despite scoring some important goals for Chelsea, including a Champions League semi-final clincher against Barcelona and the opener in the 2012 Europa League final, Torres’ time at Stamford Bridge didn’t yield what it had promised. He scored 45 goals in 172 games for the Blues, and just 20 in the Premier League. The Spaniard is now attempting to rebuild his career on loan at boyhood club Atletico Madrid after an unsuccessful spell at AC Milan.
2. Andy Carroll - Newcastle to Liverpool (2011) - £35million
The man who replaced Torres at Anfield found his time similarly tough time at this new club, hitting just 11 goals in 58 games at a rate of 0.18 goals per game, compared to Torres’ 0.26 at Chelsea. Carroll’s highlight? A late winner in the FA Cup semi-final against Everton at Wembley in 2012. Sold to West Ham for £15m in June 2013, Carroll has since become a key figure at Upton Park, despite struggling with injuries.
3. Luis Suarez - Ajax to Liverpool (2011) - £22.8million
Kenny Dalglish, the man who sold Torres and bought Carroll, was sacked as Liverpool boss just under 18 months later, but his capture of Luis Suarez on that manic Monday in 2011 had more of a positive bearing on the club’s future. Suarez only hit four in his opening half-campaign for the Reds, but netted 82 times in 133 games in total and nearly fired them to the Premier League title last season with a golden shoe-winning tally of 31. The Uruguayan - never far from controversy during his time at Anfield - was sold to Barcelona for £75m in the summer.
4. David Luiz - Benfica to Chelsea (2011) - £21.3million
There was another big Deadline Day deal on January 30, 2011 - although this one didn't involve Liverpool. Brazilian defender Luiz became Carlo Ancelotti’s last signing as Chelsea boss when he joined the Stamford Bridge side from Benfica. The fan favourite, whose unpredictable play went from the sublime to the ridiculous, played a total of 143 games in his three-and-a-half years at Chelsea, starting in the club's 2012 Champions League final win over Bayern Munich before being sold to PSG for £50million last summer.
5. Andrey Arshavin - Zenit to Arsenal (2009) - £15million
The star of Russia’s Euro 2008 campaign was captured by Arsenal at the last minute on a snowy Deadline Day in 2009. After a drawn out period of negotiations, then-27-year-old Arshavin eventually ended eight years at Zenit, with his deal confirmed by the Premier League the day after the deadline. The highlight of his four years at Arsenal was his four-goal spree at Liverpool in a 4-4 thriller. However, Arshavin left to return to Zenit on a free transfer in the summer of 2013 after an ultimately frustrating time in north London, which included 143 appearances for Arsenal.
6. Chris Samba - Anzhi to QPR (2013) - £12.5million
Defender Samba signed for Harry Redknapp’s side on the same day QPR brought in Andros Townsend on loan and Jermaine Jenas from Tottenham in a bid to bolster their survival chances. However, the west London side were relegated in May, and Samba was soon re-signed by Russian side Anzhi for just £500,000 less after just 10 appearances.
7. Afonso Alves - Heerenveen to Middlesbrough (2008) - £12million
The Brazilian striker’s 48 goals in 48 games in Eredivisie boded well for the Premier League, and Alves' first six months on Teeside produced six goals in 11 league games, including a double against Manchester United. But in the following campaign Alves only struck four times in the top flight in 31 games, and Boro were eventually relegated. That summer Alves signed for Al-Sadd for £7m and has continued his career in Qatar, with spells at Al Rayyan and Al Gharafa.
8. Robbie Keane - Liverpool to Tottenham (2009) - £12million
Liverpool recouped two thirds of the cash they spent on Keane in the summer of 2008 by returning him to the club they had bought him from just six months earlier. Keane’s 11 goals in 34 games were useful during Harry Redknapp’s fruitful tenure at Spurs, including four in a win over Burnley before heading north to Celtic. Keane has since enjoyed success in the MLS with LA Galaxy.
9. Kurt Zouma - Saint-Etienne to Chelsea (2014) - £12million
The 20-year-old centre-half was signed by Jose Mourinho as one for the future and early signs have been encouraging since the Frenchman moved from Saint-Etienne. Zouma has played 11 times so far this season, including three starts in the Champions League.
10. Kostas Mitroglou - Olympiakos to Fulham (2014) - £11million
The Greek striker signed a four-and-a-half year deal for Rene Meulensteen’s struggling Fulham last season having scored 17 goals in 19 games for Olympiakos, but two weeks later had new manager Felix Magath to impress. He started just once more as Fulham were eventually relegated, before heading back to Olympiakos on loan, where he has regained his scoring form.
