Hello and welcome back to The Championship Chat. Today I'm having a look at the best (and a couple of the worst) transfers involving Championship teams. So let's get started.
Good Signings
Michael Chopra from Cardiff to Ipswich, £1.5 million.
I believe that Ipswich may have picked up a real bargain in Chopra. 27 goals in 73 games between 2009 and 2011 for Cardiff is a good record, and he has consistently proven himself to be a formidable striker in this league. I am surprised that Cardiff let him go, as he could have still done a job with Kenny Miller and Rob Earnshaw, however he was apparently deemed surplus to requirements at Cardiff and Ipswich will have a signing they are delighted with.
Kevin Phillips from Birmingham to Blackpool, free.
Will he ever stop scoring? Already on four for the season, Kevin Phillips has defied age by continuing to score goals at every level. Released by Birmingham (who may well regret that decision), Blackpool have snapped him up in the hope that he will lead their front line after the loss of DJ Campbell. His age may catch up with him eventually, but the fact that he is already joint top scorer at this early stage of the season suggests that this may well have been an excellent signing.
Vicente from Valencia to Brighton, free.
Wait, what? Vicente? Former Spanish international Vicente? To Brighton? Oh my God.
This was my reaction when I heard that the Seagulls had signed the 30 year old winger. This could turn out to be an incredible signing, as he played 243 games for Valencia and a a further 38 for Spain, giving him vast amounts of experience at high levels. Of course, whether Vicente will adapt to the rough and tumble style of the Championship is yet to be seen, but he may be able to stun the Championship's defences across the country.
Luke Varney from Derby to Portsmouth, free.
I really rate Varney. After a series of impressive performances on loan at Blackpool last season, he earned a move to Portsmouth, where he may well be seen as Dave Nugent's replacement. Often underrated, he has a decent scoring record at this level and should do well when paired with Dave Kitson. Portsmouth needed a striker, and they have got a good one.
Michael Johnson from Manchester City to Leicester, season long loan.
Let's face it, I could've picked any of Leicester's recent signings as impressive, but I believe that the capture of industrious midfielder Michael Johnson is one of the best. Despite a series of horrendous injuries, Johnson has always impressed in his small number of matches for Man. City and he should quickly adapt to this league. In fact, this loan spell may be exactly what Johnson needs to finally establish his reputation. He may not be at Leicester permanently, but he should be able to make a big impression if he avoids injuries.
Jonathan Parr from Aalesund to Crystal Palace, undisclosed fee.
I had to mention one Palace signing! From what we have seen of Norwegian Parr so far, he seems to be a real find. Comfortable at left back or in midfield, he has already got a goal and a couple of assists in his five games for the Eagles, and is quickly becoming a fan favourite. Linking up with fellow Norway international Steffen Iversen, Parr has shown signs of very high quality.
Bad Signings
Jimmy Bullard from Hull to Ipswich, free.
Whilst Bullard obviously has a lot of talent, the main problem is usually with his wages. He has a reported £50,000 a week wage, which is ridiculous for a Championship player, and forced Hull to get rid of him in order to stop them from becoming bogged down with that payment. It is possible that Ipswich have negotiated him down to a more reasonable wage, which would make this a good signing. However, if he is still on those exorbitant wages, I'm afraid it's a bit of a bad deal.
Matt Mills from Reading to Leicester, £5 million.
Again, this isn't a problem with the player himself. Mills is a good player and a fine leader on the pitch, and Leicester have done well to get him. But he is simply not a £5 million rated player! I'm positive that they could find players just as good for less money, but it seems that when Leicester are involved the price of players suddenly increases as they can afford to pay that much more. I'm not sure that Mills is much better than Palace's Paddy McCarthy, whom I rate extremely highly (and not just through Palace bias), who would never command that fee. This seems to be poor financial judgement from Leicester.
George Boateng to Nottingham Forest, free.
This signing confuses me on so many levels. Firstly, Boateng is 36, so is unlikely to play for too much longer. Secondly, could Forest really not find a better player to spend those probably high wages on? Thirdly, whilst he used to be a good player, I have never really rated Boateng, so I doubt that he's that much better now. This just seems to be a marquee signing, and Forest are really signing a name rather than a player.
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