Shock Summer Transfers of 2012

Posted on July 13, 2012 by Andrew Younger

Without the drama of league football thrilling fans up and down the land week in week out, the summer transfer window is doing its best to keep the entertainment levels high.

As always, there are player saga’s which lead to every club being linked as potential suitors and the inevitable optimism that your club are going to pull off a major coup to lead them to glory in the coming season. Here we take a look at the major deals that have gone through so far, and also potential shock moves that seem to be in the pipeline:

Park Ji-Sung to QPR

After making over 100 appearances for Manchester United in a career that has seen him win multiple Premier League medals and also a Champions League winners medal, Park has made the shock move to West London to join last season’s 17th placed side QPR. Although this is a clear statement of intent from the Loftus Road club, is Park’s transfer really a shock move?

We have seen many deals like this before with Manchester United. Nicky Butt to Newcastle in 2005, Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke to Blackburn in consecutive years, players who have been committed to the cause but have been moved on by Sir Alex Ferguson before their age exceeds their value. Although Park’s transfer may not be considered a shock, it still must be said that he still has enough to offer QPR and can be a big player for them as they look to improve on their first season back in the Premier League.

Eden Hazard to Chelsea

Being the European Champions would suggest that this move has zero element of shock factor in it. However, Hazard’s choice to join Chelsea well and truly came out of the blue. For long periods it seemed as though the Belgian star would be joining Spanish giants Real Madrid or Barcelona, but when he revealed England as his preferred destination that all changed.

He then claimed that he would definitely be in Manchester, but had not made up his mind whether he would be joining City or United. When the drama around Hazard seemed to have settled he then made himself the centre of attention again by changing his mind and joining Chelsea.

Despite winning the Champions League, Chelsea have fallen behind the Manchester clubs in recent years and could only manage a 6th place finish in the Premier League. To then manage to persuade Hazard, perhaps the hottest prospect in European football at the moment, is a major eye opener and is without doubt the shock of the summer transfer window so far.

PSG topping big spenders league

In terms of transfers, I think a special mention must go to PSG as they continue to land major signing after major signing. The mega rich French club have already pulled off the huge deal to bring Ezequiel Lavezzi to the club for around £24 million. With the added lure of Champions League football this season, last seasons Ligue 1 runners-up are all set to complete another shock deal.

Milan president Silvio Berlusconi has claimed that a deal of £51 million will be enough to land both Thiago Silva and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. It seems that with the backing of their Qatari owners, PSG will become one of the major forces in European football in no time at all.

The Andy Carroll saga

With new Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers close to bringing Roma striker Fabio Borini to the club, it seems that the big forward does not fit in to the plans of his new boss. Despite not coming close to living up to his £35 million price tag, Carroll showed what he could do at the back end of last season and also at the Euro’s, scoring a trademark header in the win against Sweden.

With Milan seemingly losing their own target man in Ibrahimovic, there are reports suggesting that Carroll could be in line for a shock move to Italy. However, more realistic reports have suggested that West Ham are in line to sign the striker with the club’s hierarchy declaring an interest in him. While Fulham are prepared to offer cash plus Clint Dempsey in an attempt to bring Carroll to Craven Cottage.

Recently though, odds have been shortening on him making a shock move back home to Newcastle, with Alan Pardew frequently declaring his admiration for Carroll. It is a well known fact on Tyneside that Carroll has never felt comfortable away from his beloved north east, but reliable sources claim a move is a little more than just paper speculation.

If Carroll were to make the move back to Newcastle, it would be the biggest shock surrounding an English player this summer and would also complete a sensational 18 months for the forward who looks to return to the form previously captured on Tyneside which saw him the become one of the most feared strikers in the Premier League.