By Mark Baber
January 7 – The first five days of the January transfer window have already seen more than 50 transfers and loans involving clubs in the Football League (FL) and Premier League (PL). The trend of English clubs scouring the world for talent continues, whilst no English players are travelling to play abroad.
A comparison of this year’s figures with the same period last year shows this year 13 out of 46 players transferred in England come from abroad (Belgium (2), Canada, France (2), Ireland (2), Latvia, Portugal, Scotland and USA (3).
In comparison, during the same period last year 6 out of 45 came from abroad (Australia, China, Greece (2), Ireland and Scotland).
Last year there were three player loans to PL and FL clubs from abroad in the first five days of the transfer window including Landon Donovan from Los Angeles Galaxy to Everton. This year there are none other than the reloan of Cameroonian Steve Leo Beleck from Watford, where he is on loan from Udinese, to Stevenage. Players on international loans can be re-loaned as long as the deal stretches between two transfer windows.
The English tradition of not travelling abroad to ply their trade continues with no English players moving abroad.
Last year there were only four transfers of players from English clubs to non-Englsh clubs in the first five days of the transfer window – all involving non-English players, including Anelka’s ill-fated move to Shanghai Shenhua from Chelsea.
The only transfer from England to a non-English club so far this season has been the free transfer of Italian veteran Carlo Cudicini from Tottenham to Los Angeles Galaxy, although there have been four loans announced – including Johan Djourou’s move to Hannover from Arsenal, Bebe’s move from Manchester United to Rio Ave, Conor Newton who is travelling north of the border from Newcastle United to St Mirren and Don-Won Ji who is going on loan from Sunderland to FC Augsburg.
The big name transfers so far include Danny Sturridge’s move from Chelsea to Liverpool, Mathieu Debuchy’s move from Lille
OSC to Newcastle United and Demba Ba’s move from Newcastle United to Chelsea.
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