EPL Transfer Deadline Day Madness... Summarized.

There's only one way to consume the madness of January 31st aka Transfer Deadline Day, and that  is to jump in with both feet. So here ya go:

South African Steven Pienaar rejoins old side Everton on loan for the rest of the season after having found it impossible to get playing time at Tottenham Hotspur. It screams a bit of a mistake, but then you can not slight a player trying to compete at a higher level club. Now he returns to the side to which he earned the move, what a pity.

Continuing with the trend of loan moves in this edition of the January transfer window is the Chilean David Pizzaro joining Manchester City from AS Roma. He's a handy 32 year old who has struggled finding a first team place in the ever-evolving ethos in Rome. Like the last years signing of Patrick Viera, Pizzaro will be used as a back-up to the likes of Yaya Toure, Nigel De Jong and Gareth Barry. Question, what happened to Owen Hargreaves?


Now for a little Russian fun.


Fulham has signed Russian International Pavel Pogrebnyak from VFB Stuttgart. As you will see when you scroll lower, Bobby Zamora has completed a move to QPR, so the need of a out and out striker was a need that is now filled by the big Russian. In the Euro's of 2008, the same tournament that saw Andrey Arshavin become a coveted player...hmmm...Pogrebnyak also played well, making a name for him self, linking him with clubs around Europe. 

In the same tournament mentioned above another Russian in the form of Roman Pavlyuchenko upped his credit, in which he moved to Tottenham Hotspur, but this dream move turned into a bit of a nightmare. The striker has made the move to Lokomotiv Moscow, after falling out with the upper management.

London re-location starring Bobby Zamora is a headline worth stopping for, as the 31-year old Fulham striker moves down the road to fellow west London club Queens Park Rangers. Along with bringing vital EPL experience to the ranks of the newly promoted club, Zamora brings a goal scoring edge to a club that has been lacking a striker. A spine now of Zamora, Barton, and Nedum Onuoha, doesn't really sound like a spine of a Championship side.

Perhaps the most interesting move in the anarchy of transfer deadline day is France's Louis Saha's move from Everton to Tottenham. This comes a bit out of left field, but history supports the notion, as the journey man Saha has graced the books of Premier clubs Manchester United, Newcastle, Fulham and Everton. Some striking support, with the now absence of Pav's (mentioned above), and a backup for Adebayor.

A Yankee Home Coming

American Eddie Johnson may be making a return to the US with a number of MLS clubs pursuing the 27 year old striker.  After shining in the MLS for FC Dallas and KC Wizards he moved to the EPL in 2008 signing for  Fulham. The American was less than a regular in London club's starting XI, troubled with injury and lack of form saw him loaned out to Cardiff in the same year he signed for Fulham. A return to his roots could only help the one time fixture for the U.S Men's National Team, regain from. MLS will allocate him to a club, with Chivas getting first crack to sign him. If Chivas elect's to pass on signing him then Toronto, Houston, and Chicago will get their shot. 



If Eddie returns he will join  fellow recent returnee Freddy Adu to the American domestic game, who will now join the Philly Union, a move welcomed by player and country. If dissected, many of the USMNT players are playing abroad either in Europe or other, which is a important factor in expanding the knowledge of the US game abroad/ giving US players valuable experience. On the flip-side, this can also be detrimental. When Freddy Adu signed for  Benfica in 2007 the excitement and expectation was about in a bounty, but after being loaned out to AS Monaco, Belenenses, Aris, and Caykur Rizespor, the glory becomes a bit muddied.  Adu was loaned out to varying from Greece, Turkey, and Portugal, that are to be frank, no-bodies. As an American soccer fans I want to be able to view my players abroad, not lost in the doldrums of the turkish second division. Once the future of American Soccer, now is viewed as un-fulfilled potential. Like Eddie, Adu will look to return home stateside to regain form, and up the skill and game in the US Domestic game.