Transfer Deadline Day Produces Unexpected Moves as Football Clubs Scramble to Sign Players
As the January transfer window draws to a close today, Premier League teams from both ends of the table scramble to complete last minute signings in what has been a rather quite transfer period.
In what has been one of the more notable signings, Harry Redknapp and Queens Park Rangers signed former Blackburn defender Christopher Samba, 28, for £12.5 million from Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala.
The deal is reportedly for 4-and-a-half-years, which works out to about £100,000 a week, including bonuses. QPR currently occupy the last spot in the Premier League with a meager 16 points for the season.
"This is an unbelievable signing … Chris is just what we need. He's a monster," Redknapp told the QPR website.
"Great in the air, quick, a leader, strong, fantastic in both boxes, hard as nails. He's a proper center-half … Tony Fernandes deserves a lot of credit for this one - he has worked so hard on bringing him in," he added.
Another big signing included Swansea striker Danny Graham, who agreed to terms with Sunderland on Thursday. A medical examination is the only hurdle yet to be cleared in the deal.
No details have been released concerning the figures of the deal, but the 27-year old has been desperately wanting to have first team football time- something he was not getting at Swansea.
Graham saw his playing time diminish after Spanish striker Michu proved to be the club's top scorer.
The move with bring added offensive to a puttering Sunderland team who has been channeling the majority of their offense through Steven Fletcher with mixed results.
Perhaps the most anticipated transfer news is where in the world David Beckham would end up playing. Reports out of France note that the former England captain was in Paris undergoing a medical exam in hopes of inking a deal with Paris Saint-Germain, but news of an official signing has yet to be released.