Beckham and others find new homes
By Eric Wilkins, Staff Writer
The January transfer window is officially closed but what a finish! Some names on the move include David Beckham, Mario Balotelli, Nacho Monreal, and MLS star Brek Shea. The most amusing news of the day wasnât actually a transfer though, but more on that later.
First things first: David Beckham. The man who was reportedly earning $50 million a season at one point has signed with Paris Saint-Germain. He probably wonât play much for the French giants, but at this point in his career heâs just having fun. Heâs got all the money in the world, and he emphasized that with news of what heâs going to do with his salary. Goldenballs is donating all of the reported ÂŁ3.4 million he is to receive to a currently unnamed local childrenâs charity. Itâs a nice gesture and one that is all too rare in the sporting world today. Athletes with untold amounts of wealth continually just pocket their paycheques, eat caviar until theyâre too bloated to move, and then maybe, just maybe, throw some leftover coin at a charity. Those who are picking on Beckham, saying that a few million is nothing to him, need to stop and think for a second. Yes, Becks has a ridiculous amount of money, but ÂŁ3.4 million isnât exactly chump change here. On top of that, no one forced, expected, or even suggested he should make such a generous contribution. Getting on his back for being a good guy is completely nonsensical.
The other major move near the end of the window was troublemaking striker Mario Balotelli heading to AC Milan. The transfer supposedly brought in ÂŁ20 million for Manchester City, though the club probably doesnât need it. The problematic strikerâs arrival in Italy was greeted enthusiastically by AC Milan fans, especially since Balotelli was formerly a member of Inter Milan. Look forward to more grossly inappropriate actions from Balotelli as he seeks to establish himself at the club.
Nacho Monreal made the switch from Malaga to Arsenal for ÂŁ8.5 million and will provide some much needed support to the Gunnersâ back line. Other moves included Heurelho Gomes getting out of his Tottenham mess to Hoffenheim, Jermaine Jenas and Christopher Samba signing for QPR, and Danny Graham ending up in Sunderland. Also of note is Liverpool acknowledging the fact that they will make Andy Carrollâs West Ham switch permanent at the end of the season.
Finally, the ultimate foot in mouth moment of the last day, West Brom striker Peter Odemwingie made the long trek to London to finalize a deal with QPR for his services. The kicker? The deal wasnât close to being done, didnât get done, and QPR wouldnât even let him on the grounds. He also managed to burn some bridges with the fans with several tweets before taking off. Needless to say, the club has all but suspended him, telling him not to show up for training and saying that he wonât be needed for the weekendâs game. Odemwingie is definitely a special player.
