Spurs striker Dimitar Berbatov has been named as the best transfer buy of last season by university researchers. Pies has already given you its transfer flops of the season, but now Professor Tom Cannon, of the University of Buckingham, is informing us where the wise money was spent last summer. The analysis ranges between the blatantly obvious and the alarmingly random!
Prof Cannon said: “The transfer value of a player only tells half the story. For the complete Âpicture we had to measure the overall Âcontribution, ability to make that at the right time and their rapport with fans. West Ham striker Carlos Tevez and Berbatov have been Âenormously valuable. Not only do they score Âcrucial goals and make huge contributions, they also have the intangible qualities that make them a fans’ favourite.”
Click below to see Prof Cannon’s top 10 transfers in full.
1 Dimitar Berbatov – Spurs
Fair enough. Had a cracking season and definitely one of the best buys of the season. Prof Cannon reckons he is worth 14 times his weight in gold!
2 Benni McCarthy – Blackburn
Again, no surprise here. He has scored plenty of goals for a relatively small club and was a bargain at £2.5 million.
3 Javier Mascherano – Liverpool
Turned his season around after his Anfield switch. Whether he deserves to be at number three is debateable.
4 Obafemi Martins – Newcastle
Flashes of brilliance and spells of doing absolutely nothing, but he must still go down as a good buy.
5 Michael Ballack – Chelsea
You can’t argue with the price tag, but he has been a big disappointment.
6 Idan Tal – Bolton
Come again? How did he sneak into the list?
7 Carlos Tevez – West Ham
The transfer flop turned good. His performances in the run-in merit a place in the list.
8 Andreas Isaksson – Man City
Is this the top 10 transfers as voted for by Premiership physios? He’s only played a few games.
9 Tomas Rosicky – Arsenal
Hardly set the world alight, did he?
10 Dirk Kuyt – Liverpool
Certainly a fan favourite and has had a decent first season.