The most entertaining time periods for any football fan are, of course, the transfer windows which promises complete and riveting joy coupled with a few nail-biting moments when anxiety gets the better of us. Speculation is, of course, a major part of being a football fan and, as such, the question of “what if” is a constant part of most football related discussions.
Even when some of the rumours actually materialise and turn into a real deal, the question of how the player is going to perform for and adjust in his new club is under scrutiny. His stats from his previous clubs are held as a reference to predict his form in the upcoming season. This anticipation is further fuelled when the player in question comes from a majorly competitive club in the Premier League.
There have been numerous instances of really unexpected transfer rumours and deals that have seen players move from a higher placed club to another that is placed lower in the Premier League table. This season is not exempt from such shocking transfers and rumours and here are five of them.
1) James Rodriguez – Real Madrid to West Ham
West Ham have been linked with a sensational move for the Real Madrid midfield star.
The Columbian international rose to limelight after a wonderful display in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and was promptly signed up by Real Madrid. However his place in the starting 11 is not guaranteed under Zidane with the manager stating that Rodriguez’s position is ‘complicated’: “I have a big squad and it's complicated.”
Thus with an uncertain future looming over the young star, he has already being linked with BPL giants Manchester United but recently The Hammers’ name have also come up amid speculations that they could be preparing a marquee signing for Rodriguez to bolster their move into the new Olympic Stadium.
Chelsea and PSG are also linked with the player who has stated his wish to remain in La Liga and fight for his place in the Spanish side. Rodriguez was limited to just 26 appearances in La Liga last season and The Hammers’ recent rejected offer of £150,000-a-week contract to Carlos Tevez shows the club’s intent and if they can land the Columbian star, it would surely be a big win in the Hammers’ history.
2) Christian Benteke – Liverpool to Crystal Palace
This has been in the grapevine for quite a while and chances of Benteke leaving Anfield are still quite high. The Liverpool and Belgium striker has not managed to confirm his inclusion for a regular spot in Klopp's starting XI and his move to Crystal Palace is highly probable even after Liverpool rejected an offer for £25m earlier this month.
Sky Sports’ Leon McKenzie has already endorsed Christian Benteke as a good fit for Crystal Palace, with claims surfacing intermittently about Benteke having agreed terms with The Eagles.
Benteke has also being linked with West Ham and Real Madrid, with Klopp also hinting at wanting to move out Lucas, Adam Bogdan, Tiago Ilori, Mario Balotelli and Lazar Markovic. Liverpool are reportedly demanding close to the £32.5m they paid Aston Villa for Benteke and Crystal Palace have hinted they are willing to meet their demands but have not yet made an improved offer to meet the £30m asking price.
The Belgian has joined Liverpool for their pre-season tour but his future still remains uncertain and it does seem to be a fall from grace for the Belgian international to move away from Liverpool to Palace.
3) Juan Mata – Manchester United to Espanyol
Ever since Jose Mourinho was appointed at the helm of Manchester United, questions regarding Juan Mata's continued association with the club have increased in number. After all, we all remember the time Mourinho sold Mata just six months into his second spell as the manager of Chelsea.
The assumption that Mata would soon leave Old Trafford grew stronger with the recent signing of Armenian international, Henrikh Mkhitaryan. However, even after Mourinho's less than convincing statement about there being “space” for Mata at the club, it seems other clubs have not been left being in trying to sign the Spaniard. In fact, one of the rumours that surfaced this past week was that La Liga club Espanyol have reportedly shown an interest in the player and are willing to sign him should he fit into a stipulated budget for the club.
This move would see him play in his home country. This would, of course, come at a cost for Manchester United since Mata has been instrumental for quite a few wins in the previous season often setting up brilliant assists to add to the goal tally. The rumour, reported by Mirror UK, has not been followed up on after Mourinho's half-hearted statement regarding Mata.
4) Robin van Persie – Fenerbahce to Crystal Palace
Another wild speculation going around the summer transfer window was of van Persie being on his way back to the Premier League with Palace looking to reinforce their striking options over the summer weighing up a £4million bid for Fenerbahce striker.
Van Persie is reportedly unhappy in the Turkish League where he netted 16 goals in the Super Lig and 22 in all competitions. The Dutch striker, 32, may not be getting any younger, but would provide vast Premier League experience and class to Palace if they can successfully negotiate the deal.
However, the former Arsenal and Manchester United striker’s wage demands could put teams off signing him. There was also talks of West Ham being interested in the striker and Fenerbahce was forced to put out a statement dispelling rumours of his contract being terminated.
However, the Netherlands international is himself reportedly hoping to target a Blaugrana move and become Barcelona’s backup striker behind Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar. Recently there have been rumours of Stoke City’s bid for Van Persie being rejected by Fenerbahce with the Turkish club determined to keep him there but a shock return to the EPL via West Ham or Crystal Palace cannot yet be off the cards.
5) Carlos Bacca – AC Milan to West Ham
The Colombian international had one season with AC Milan that went quite well for him. Since joining Milan in July 2015, Bacca has scored a brace against Palermo and exhibited an impressive example of the rabona technique in a match against Carpi in the Coppa Italia.
Obviously, the Premier League has attracted a lot of Serie A footballers but more often than not the signings have amounted to nothing. Several big names and stars of the Italian top division have fallen to lesser standards following a move to England.
West Ham, however, finished seventh at the end of the League and may, in no way, be classified as a small club. It is surprising that a player would change leagues with a history of standards going down in similar processes before to join a mid-table club.
The Hammers are doing very well indeed but this is the first time they have shown an interest in signing a big name to have a shot at winning instead of just relying on strategy and hard work.
Carlos Bacca to West Ham would be huge and would definitely come as a major boost to the club's chances of giving the top placed teams a run for their money. According to ESPN, the Hammers have reportedly agreed a fee with AC Milan for Bacca and are yet to agree on personal terms with the player himself.
