Top 5 Best Deals of Summer 2012 Transfer Window So Far, including Swansea City’s Joe Allen to Liverpool

5. Emmanuel Adebayor, £5 Million to Tottenham Hotspur

The former Arsenal and Manchester City striker enjoyed a successful loan spell last season with Spurs in which he bagged 17 goals in 33 appearances. Manchester City purchased the Togo international for a fee of 25 million pounds in 2009, but fell down the pecking order soon after his first season with City with the arrivals of Carlos Tevez, Edin Dzeko and Mario Balotelli. In August 2011, Adebayor was told he was not part of the club’s plans and sealed a season-long loan move to Spurs. After weeks of negotiations, Tottenham and City agreed a 5 million pound fee and Adebayor accepted a pay-cut to complete a move to his former club’s bitter rivals, Spurs. With Adebayor’s proven scoring record, Tottenham have completed a fantastic deal for such a small fee. If a few of you are still contemplating whether he deserves a place in the top 5, let me tell you that Sunderland have signed Steven Fletcher for 14 million. Fletcher has scored 30 goals in 96 appearances in the Premier League for Burnley and Wolves, who have both been relegated while he was at the club. Adebayor has played 171 games in the Premier League and scored 78 and is 9 million pounds cheaper. I’ll let you work that one out yourselves.

4. Pavel Pogrebnyak, Free to Reading

Reading will certainly be looking for fire power in front of goal this season if they are to stay up and with the signing of Pogrebnyak on a free from Fulham, they have definitely got that. The Russian international signed for Fulham in January 2012 on a contract till the end of the season. In his time at Fulham he netted 6 goals in 12 appearances with a hat-trick against Wolves in a 5-0 victory. Pogrebnyak failed to agree a contract extension with Fulham and was released and Reading quickly snapped him up after his Euro 2012 campaign with Russia on July 8th. Pogrebnyak is off the mark for the season, scoring his first goal for the Royals in a 2-4 defeat to Chelsea, proving to the fans and everyone at club that he means business. Reading will need no reassurance that this man will deliver for them and could be a vital part in securing their survival in the back part of this campaign with his composure in front of goal.

3. Joe Allen, £15 Million to Liverpool

No no no, don’t worry, I’m not saying this is excellent deal for Liverpool but mainly for Swansea. Swansea received £15 million for the 22 year old and Michael Laudrup has made some quality buys with the money seeing Michu, De Guzman, Flores all come in and Celtic’s Korean midfielder Ki set to join in a £5 million deal. By the looks of things, Swansea are not missing Allen one bit, with a 5-0 win over QPR on the opening day of the Premier League season, De Guzman filling Allen’s boots comfortably. On regards of Allen, we will have to wait and see whether he delivers for ‘Pool or turns out to be another big money flop.

2. Michu, £2 Million, Swansea City

Michu joined Rayo Vallecano on a free after his contract with Celta expired in 2010. The attacking midfielder was joint 9th top-scorer and the top scoring midfielder in La Liga last season, netting 15 goals in 37 appearances. Michu was soon established as a player to watch and a number of clubs became interested in the Spaniard. After failing to land former loanee Gylfi Sigurdsson, Swansea turned their interest Michu, a player who Laudrup admired at his time Mallorca. The Swans landed their man for an incredible £2 million and Michu has already made his mark in the Premier League with 2 goals and an assist on his league debut against QPR, a debut he later described as “incredible”. If Michu replicates his performances from last season, there is no question in whether Swansea have done some amazing business or not and for such a small fee it could prove to be one of the buys of the season.

1. Craig Bellamy, Free to Cardiff City

Craig Bellamy is a player with over 300 appearances in the highest tier in English football, scoring 106 goals. There is no doubt he still has the ability to play in the Premier League at the age of 33. Bellamy enjoyed successful spells at Norwich, Newcastle, Blackburn, West Ham, Manchester City and two separate spells at Liverpool. Not all players can easily adapt to the tough and cruel Championship level, but a season long loan with Cardiff in the 2010-11 season, in which he scored 11 in 35 games, has shown he can do so with ease, proving to be a vital player and team captain. For Cardiff to get a player of Bellamy’s quality on a free transfer is great business by the club and with the welsh international returning to his hometown club and taking a huge pay-cut, its clear that he will be playing for the name on the front on the shirt, rather than the back.