Slow Jan for all

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As we totter towards the end of the January transfer window, it’s hard not to feel a bit for Tottenham Hotspur manager, Harry Redknapp. At a time when he could be sitting in a phone booth somewhere in North London crank calling football clubs all over the world, offering cheeky bids for players he’s learnt of from his EA Football Manager avatar, he’s busy dealing with intrusive courts and pesky police officers investigating small matters like tax fraud.

“Oi Mr Kaka, we last spoke in August. I’m calling from London, ey. I’m the one who sent you the flowers, the bottles of wine and the London Underground map. Come on down here, mate, we’s going to be in the Champions league and all next season”

“Err...no entiendo senor”
“Ah come off it, you spoke just fine back then”
Click.
“Damnit! You can’t hang up on ‘arry!....ok who’s next..Ah, Neymar.”

Apart from Spurs, who we can rely on to produce some activity before time’s up, it doesn’t look too bright elsewhere around Europe. The major activity has seen Arsenal and Manchester United scouting retirement homes and digging up Mr ‘Va-Va-splutter-cough-Voom’ Thierry Henry and the ‘Ginger Prince’ Paul Scholes. Not much by way of reinforcement and certainly not strengthening either side in the long term. Issues lie for both sides in inopportune injuries in key positions, and a loan deal or two might be the solution.

Chelsea have tried to look busy, and landed Gary Cahill on a flattering £7m, with Willian expected to follow. Elsewhere in Europe, the Carlos Tevez situation looks set to drag on till the summer, when he will probably get a note from Mancini saying “Oops! Maybe January 2013, Carlito.”

The lack of activity and cash-splashing is perhaps a sign of things to come, and as the economic slowdown takes shape and rears its ugly head, perhaps football can enter a realm when silly money is not what gets clubs titles.

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