Clubs wary of January sales window

January, according to the old rhyme, brings the snow that makes our feet and fingers glow. In football, however, it is the time of year when fingers are more likely to be burned than frozen as the month-long transfer window tempts clubs to spend in haste before repenting at leisure. This will be the 10th season that the window has been in operation since being made compulsory by Fifa in 2002-03 following negotiations with the European Commission. It has never been wholly popular with clubs, more than a few of whom would rather go back to the old system which allowed players to move at any time until late March, when a deadline was imposed to prevent a wave of last-minute panic-buying. Buying and selling players in mid-season is a dodgy business at the best of times. On the whole, managers would prefer to wait until summer before looking for ways to strengthen their squads. Then again, if a club know that a player will be out of contract and a free agent when the season ends selling him in January to be sure of a fee makes sense. Laying out large amounts to sign even the most talented players is something of a gamble and if managers heed the lessons of the last window they will think twice before they splurge. For a time last January Aston Villa were the biggest spenders, having signed Darren Bent from Sunderland for £18 million (Dh102.6 million). Then, with the deadline hours away, £135 million was spent, most of it by Chelsea and Liverpool. Fernando Torres moved from Anfield to Stamford Bridge for £50 million, Andy Carroll joined Liverpool from Newcastle for £35 million, Chelsea signed David Luiz from Benfica for around £25 million and Liverpool bought Luis Suarez from Ajax for £22.8 million. Extravagance in vain The extravagance did not help either club to win anything. Chelsea finished in the top four of the Premier League but they had led it until late November. Liverpool climbed into the top half of the table but still only came sixth. Of these four signings Suarez has been the most successful, bringing another dimension to Liverpool's previously pedestrian attack. The Uruguayan, however, is facing an eight match ban after being found guilty of racially abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra, a punishment that is subject to appeal, and was banned from Friday night's game against Newcastle for giving the finger to Fulham fans. Apparently millions do not buy good manners. The absence of Suarez has left people wondering whether this would provide a chance for Carroll to come good. That it could ever be doubted Kenny Dalglish would start with the 22-year-old striker, the team's present goal shortage notwithstanding, says everything about Carroll's failure to reproduce the scoring form at Newcastle that persuaded Liverpool to part with such a huge sum. Of course the deal was eased by the fact that Liverpool were receiving rather more from Chelsea for Torres, a purchase that continues to look like the worst piece of January window shopping since the system was introduced, as well as an early candidate for the sell of the century. For Roman Abramovich, Chelsea's loaded owner, £50 million may be small change but football as a whole feels the inflationary effect of these exorbitant transfers, not to mention the salaries that the players command. All right, clubs do not go to these January sales expecting bargains, quite the opposite, but before they start to weigh the chances of snapping up the likes of Jack Rodwell from Everton, Bobby Zamora from Fulham and Junior Hoilett from Blackburn they would do well to cast their minds back to what happened last season while remembering their Latin: caveat emptor — buyer beware, a phrase the Romans could have coined for Carlos Tevez. Some January signings must just have seemed good ideas at the time: Manchester United paying Fulham £12.8 million for Louis Saha in 2004 or Jonathan Woodgate moving from Middlesbrough to Tottenham in 2008 for £8 million, only to spend many of his days at White Hart Lane in the treatment room. West Ham may have achieved the smartest of January signings over the past nine seasons, paying Norwich and Birmingham £7 million and £7.5 million respectively for Dean Ashton and Matthew Upson in 2006 and 2007. Hammers fans must be misty-eyed at the memory.