Top 5 Shrewd Winter Pick-ups

As I mentioned, you can look forward to this one every February and September. With "shrewd" being somewhat relative to budget, need, league strength and other variables, it was easy to pick out several excellent January swoops.

Before hitting the rest of the honorable mentions, I'll send a special nod to MLS newcomers Seattle for plucking feisty young forward Fredy Montero on loan from Deportivo Cali.

To me, he stood out among a handful of domestic choices. It should be fun to watch him team up with Freddie Ljungberg to run off of target man Nate Jaqua.

The rest of the near misses: Viktor Elm (Heerenveen/free), Emile Heskey (Aston Villa/£3.5M), Szabolcs Huszti (Zenit St. Petersburg/€3M) and Ben Sahar (De Graafschap/loan).

#5 - Timo Hildebrand (Hoffenheim)

He was free, he has the stuff to be one of the world's best and he has something to prove. Not to mention a title race to do it in. On a team missing its goal monster. Now, if he can just stay fit and find form...

Welcome back, Timo. Free has more than one meaning, ya know?

#4 - Carlo Cuducini (Tottenham)

It's not brain surgery. Tottenham needed a veteran presence in the keeper stable, and the Chelsea back-up was available for nothing. While Gomes may yet regain the starting job, Cudicini opened his White Hart tenure with a clean sheet against hated Arsenal.

As I said, it's not brain surgery.

#3 - Shay Given (Manchester City)

Okay, so he did run Citeh about £9 million... but as I said, shrewd is relative. It is definitely admirable to bother dropping a mere pittance for pocket change to backstop your soon-to-be £500 bajillion line-up with a worthy keeper. Given is one of the very, very best.

That's three straight keepers. I'll stop that now.

#2 - Guilherme (Dinamo Kyiv)

The slick support striker (who is making his second appearance on a T5L) has been linked to some big names over the past year, but it was the Ukrainian runners up who were able to pull the trigger with a $4 million plus pocket rocket forward Kléber package - let's call it $7 million, shall we?.

Now, he'll feature in the Champions League, score a bushel of goals in his Dinamo time and eventually move on for double or even triple what they paid when Hamburg or Juventus or Lyon or Villarreal (all Guilherme spies in 2008) finally become sufficiently compelled. Brilliant.

#1 - Kevin Nolan (Newcastle)

I'd heard the talk, but was still quite shocked when I heard that Bolton sold their captain (pictured above) to Newcastle. I was further stunned to learn they let him go for only £4 million. He is precisely what the Toon have needed for several years, a reliable, fiery midfield engine, someone to make those around him better.

He arrived with them in 15th, close enough to smell the drop zone. On his solid debut, the Magpies scored a stirring away victory. Watch them finish about 10th, and don't comign asking me how later.

Shrewd, shrewd business for a club that has not been as big on the field as they are in name. This is step one to bringing the glory back.


- Greg Seltzer