Will they, won’t they?! Should they, shouldn’t they?! This year’s transfer deadline day sure didn’t disappoint, discussion and rumour were moving faster than an Andy Carroll helicopter ride and the British transfer record was broken twice in a matter of minutes. Perhaps patrons of British film and television should be looking at Sky Sports News when they vote for this year's ‘Best Continuing Drama’ BAFTA Award – a day of truly captivating television.
When a team is involved in transfers that result in over £100 million changing hands it would be daft to ignore them. So today I spent some time considering whether or not Liverpool had had a good deadline day, and after much debate I concluded that yes, they had – but it was a close one.
Ever since Blackburn Rovers were sold for £23 million last November I always think that it’s weird when a player is valued higher than, or equal to, an entire football club. But regardless of this, Liverpool’s first deal of the day was a success. Luis Suarez, a man who finds scoring a goal easier than telling the time, put pen to paper and took the first step towards becoming a Kop hero. What’s more, after his World Cup showing Suarez could also double up as a handy goalkeeper.
Liverpool followed this good deal with the sale of Fernando Torres - £50 million for a player who has been woefully out of form for club and country for about a year? I’m sure Liverpool couldn’t believe their luck. I’d love to know what Roy Hodgson makes of such a high price being paid for a player whose under-par performances contributed so greatly to his sacking last month. ‘El Nino’ lived up to his name with his child-like strops this season, but he will be hoping to show the world that he has grown-up when he makes his likely debut against, you guessed it, Liverpool.
So in essence the Reds had swapped Luiz Suarez for Fernando Torres and had some extra cash in the bank, but this wasn’t the end of the January sales for Kenny Dalglish.
Last week I went to a cash machine that only gave out £20 notes and even though I only wanted a tenner, I reluctantly used it. Because I suddenly had more cash than I’d planned I fell into the trap of feeling richer than I really was, and thus ended up spending it all. This is the story that sprang to mind as the Andy Carroll transfer carry-on began to unravel. Few would argue that, as it stands, Carroll’s transfer fee signifies value for money, but when you’ve got a spare £50 million lying around doing nothing it seems like a shame to just leave it there. There are lots of factors that dictate the price of a player, but the final sum of £35 million+ seemed a little absurd - I thought that Spurs’ bid of £23 million on Saturday seemed a little excessive. If Kenny Dalglish was trying to annoy Harry Redknapp by landing as many of his striking targets as possible, then he did a pretty good job.
Whether you prefer the gag of Liverpool’s front-line being known as Luis Carroll or Lou and Andy, you can’t deny that they have the potential to form a fearsome partnership. I’d imagine that the only man in Liverpool who isn’t excited about the notion of a completely refurbished Anfield striking pair is poor old David N’Gog, a man whose quality shined through during his time at Anfield like a torch in a shoebox. Maybe Mr N’Gog should look at the example of Ryan Babel, whose decision to finally end his own Liverpool hell seems, unlike his style of play, rather well-timed.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Liverpool woke up on Tuesday morning with a touch of the buyer’s remorse, still a little drunk on their press coverage from the day before;
‘John Henry, did we really sign Andy Carroll for more than one and a half times the price of Luis Suarez yesterday?’
‘We sure did Kenny Dalglish...we sure did.’
‘Carroll’s still injured right?’
‘Yep’.
Dalglish’s ‘smash and grab’ tactic of tearing Alan Pardew’s fingers away from his most prized asset sure beat Tottenham’s ‘gently gently’ approach. We all know that Liverpool have got themselves a good player, but have they got a good deal? Only time will tell.
Liverpool are a team in transition, but on deadline day they didn’t only turn over a new page, they started writing a brand new book.
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