Guest Article: The Summer Transfers: Part 1: By Ben Procter

Ben takes a look at some of the major summer transfers and how they have fared at their new clubs. Part two to follow…

De Souza Robinho (Manchester City)
The obvious choice to look at first when talking about the summer transfers. Manchester City would have broken the bank with the British record £32.5 million transfer which they paid Real Madrid for his services on transfer deadline day were it not for the bankroll their new owners could provide. He has weighed in so far this season with 8 goals and 2 assists and has been an ever present for Mark Hughes apart from when injured for the 1-1 away draw with Fulham. One has to think that there is still more to come from him, there have been glimpses of brilliance, but he has not proved to be the consistent match-winner Citeh fans would have hoped for on his arrival at Eastlands. Mark Hughes will be hoping to use some of his wad of cash to bring other star names in the January window, he will just have to hope they gel instantly, and also with Robinho, otherwise he may be out the door in the summer.

Dimitar Berbatov (Manchester United)
The other big money signing of deadline day, sparked a war of words between Manchester United and Spurs over “illegal dealings” after his £30.75 million + the loan of Fraizer Campbell switch. He has scored only 2 league goals for United this season, but has weighed in with a creditable 6 assists and after the first 3 games of the season has only been out of SAF’s starting line up for the away trip to Aston Villa. He has shown glimpses of the form which led to his big money move, his piece of skill to set up Cristiano Ronaldo in the West Ham game has to be one of the moments of the season so far.

Deiberson Geovanni (Hull City)
Has to be undoubtedly the signing of the season thus far. Since his move to the tigers, Geovanni has not just scored some fantastic goals, but he has also instilled a belief in the newly promoted team that they can play with the big boys. It must be amazing for Ian Ashbee and Paul McShane, to name just 2 run of the mill journeymen, to play in the same team as someone with the guile and undoubted quality which Geovanni possesses. He has hit the back of the net 6 times in the league so far this season, Hull winning 4 and drawing 1 of these games. He is not just a goal scorer, he is a match winner, he is an inspiration, he brings hope to all those journeymen who week in week out dream of upsetting the big boys.
Jose Bosingwa (Chelsea)
You can read in depth about Jose Bosingwa here. But it would not be fair to write this without mentioning him. Chelsea lie second in the table behind Liverpool and although many Chelsea fans would expect them to be topping the table at this stage, they have 2 more points than they did at this stage last season. One of the reasons for this must be Bosingwa. He has added an attacking flair down the right wing which Chelsea have not seen for some time, to think last season their right backs included Paulo Ferreira, Juliano Belletti and Michael Essien. He has already scored 2 and set up 4 goals this season and has only missed 22 minutes of action all season, he has to be up there with the first name on the Chelsea team sheet and has proved a snip at £16.2 million from Porto.

Peter Crouch (Portsmouth)
The biggest disclosed transfer fee for an English player paid during the summer at £11 million from Liverpool, Peter Crouch has looked like a very shrewd purchase this season. He has started every league game for the South coast side, has scored 6 goals and set up 3 more. He was never given the chance that he deserved at Liverpool, he has shown since his move that he can finish with his head and his feet, he can hold up the ball, not in the same way that Emile Heskey can, but play it to his feet and there are few more difficult strikers to win the ball from in the league. Should weigh in with lots more goals in the second half of the season, and really prove his worth.

David Bentley (Tottenham Hotspur)
Bentley’s form at Blackburn last year suggested he may have a real break through season at Spurs this year. In reality, he has been a real disappointment, he has shown very little of that same form this term. He takes the majority of Spurs’ set pieces, regularly with a lack of aplomb. The fact that he has made only 4 league assists this season is testament to this. He did score quite possibly the goal of the season in the incredible 4-4 draw with Arsenal (See below), but that has proved to be a blip on an otherwise highly disappointing season thus far. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Harry Redknapp get the best out of him in the second half of the season, but Spurs fans will be sincerely hoping he does to justify his undisclosed summer transfer fee.

Robbie Keane (Liverpool)
In the same way as Geovanni being the signing of the season thus far, Robbie Keane is undoubtedly the flop of the season. He was signed from Spurs for the mammoth fee of £20.3 million and all Liverpool fans must have been expecting great things from him. With his form at Spurs over the last few seasons, the thought of his link up with Fernando Torres was mouth watering. The outcome of his transfer has been a flop. He has scored only 2 league goals thus far, has failed to form a partnership with the magnificent Fernando Torres when they have played together and has been left out of the action in the last 2 league matches. His face when overlooked on Saturday for El Zhar, Babel and Lucas told a picture. He doesn’t look like a happy boy and has been linked with a move back to Spurs when the transfer window reopens. Although this appears to be unlikely, if he doesn’t buck his ideas up it definitely doesn’t look entirely out of the question.