With January easing past the mid-way point, an interesting occurred to me during the Birmingham - Aston Villa fixture yesterday lunch time. With myself in a particularly hungover state, one David Bentley, recently signed from Tottenham on loan for the rest of the season, was playing in a way nobody has seen him play in his two and-a-half year stint with the lilywhites and it got me thinking, loan signings in January are always the better option to permanent ones in January.
Unless you have the financially backing available to Roberto Mancini at Manchester City, loan signings are, more often than not, the most feasible option available to managers this month. With fringe players desperate to play but clubs unwilling to part with the cash being saved for a summer spending spree, a loan deal fits the bill perfectly for both parties. A six-month loan can see a player revive his career at his new club with a majority of clubs having the option to sign the player permanently in the summer should the move prove successful.
As I mentioned above, David Bentley's move to Birmingham City is a chance for the former Arsenal trainee to prove his worth to the staff and fans of Tottenham. He showed signs of his Blackburn Rovers form during his debut in yesterday's (Sunday) Midlands’s derby and gave a clear indication as to the reason Tottenham parted with £15million in the first place for the self-proclaimed 'New David Beckham'. Should the England international make the desired impact during his loan spell, it would seem likely Alex McLeish would want to keep the midfielder who has made just three appearances in a Tottenham shirt this season and forty-two overall since his 2008 move. With Birmingham hovering above the bottom three by a solitary point, albeit with a game in hand over their rivals, and Bentley looking for minutes on the pitch, the move, in my opinion, will prove to be a successful one for both parties.
Another high profile loan transfer already this window has seen Paraguayan Roque Santa Cruz re-join Steve Kean's Blackburn Rovers for the remainder of the 2010/11 campaign after finding playing time hard to come by at Manchester City since his £17million move to Eastland’s in 2009. Now back at Ewood Park, a stadium Santa Cruz has admitted to be delighted to back at, the Paraguayan international has the chance to showcase the ability that made him hot property back in 2009. Like David Bentley, Santa Cruz's loan deal may only be a temporary but with competition at Eastland’s made all the fiercer following the recent arrival of Bosnian Edin Dzeko, Santa Cruz will be hoping his temporary stay will be a permanent one over the next few months.
These are just two examples of the effectiveness of a loan signing. Both parties need each other and with the risk factor at a minimum compared to a permanent signing in January, especially if said signing is a fringe player lacking match fitness, the pay-off can be huge should said player perform above expectation and secure a permanent move in the summer. Either way, I believe a loan move is a better move than a permanent one in the winter transfer window and that we should expect more transfer activity as the window edges shut towards the end of the month.
Anyway, I have to go so I will write again soon.
Laters,
Macca
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