Top 5 Shrewd Summer Pick-Ups

You know how this works, so I won't bore you with a lot of ceremony; we scour the window's rolls to find the finest seasonal bargains, factoring in team need and other necessary variables along the way.

With the market slowed to a crawl out of continental penny pinching, we have lowered our maximum fee from €8 million down to €7M. It really matters not as an astounding number of the guys listed below moved on free transfers.

And yes, I know Arne Freidrich is now probably out for the season, but that doesn't cancel the fine swoop as it was at the time.

Side note: I'll have another transfer window Tpo 5'er over at S365 soon.

Honorable mentions: Antolín Alcaraz (free/Wigan), Onyekachi Apam (€4M/Rennes), Michael Ballack (free/Bayer Leverkusen), Damarcus Beasley (free, Hannover 96), Mark Bresciano (free/Lazio), Lorik Cana (€6M/Galatasaray), Boštjan Cesar (free/Chievo), Cha Du-Ri (free/Celtic), Ricardo Costa (free/Valencia), Mouhamadou Dabo (free/Sevilla), Jonathan de Guzmán (free/Mallorca), Alessandro Diamanti (€2.2M/Cagliari), Mounir El Hamdaoui (€4M/Ajax), Steven Fletcher (€7M/Wolverhampton), Arne Friedrich (€2M/Wolfsburg), Geovanni (free/San Jose Earthquakes), Thierry Henry (free/New York Red Bulls), Thomas Hitzlsperger (free/West Ham United), Atiba Hutchinson (free/PSV), Michael Jakobsen (free/Almería), Marc Janko (€6M/FC Twente), Gojko Kačar (€5.5m/Hamburg), Kevin Kuranyi (free/Dinamo Moscow), Robert Lewandowski (€4M/Dortmund), Bruno Ecuele Manga (free/Lorient), Fran Mérida (free/Atlético Madrid), Mido (free/Ajax), Rubin Okotie free/FC Nürnberg), Gastón Ramirez (€5M/Bologna), Dennis Rommedahl (free/Olympiakos), Carlos Salcido (€2M/Fulham), Sébastien Squillaci (€4M/Arsenal), Mehmet Topal (€4M/Valencia)

#5 - Joe Cole (free/Liverpool)

After a lot of heartache and whining over the wing play at Anfield the last several years, this guy becomes both the flank antidote and an auxiliary playmaker to aid central bull-rusher Steven Gerrard. Trust me, Fernando Torres is delighted to see Cole aboard.

#4 - Marouane Chamakh (free/Arsenal)

Finally, Arsene Wenger has the mobile target man he needs to run his preferred soccer ballet. Expect him to score goals, make some and leave all the suitors who lost out to dejectedly snap their fingers a lot.

#3 - Adriano (free/AS Roma)

I had to double-and-triple check that he actually moved from Flamengo on a freebie. And then I checked again. If he gets back to his best, this slot is actually two too low. Of course, I will first need to see that his old mental, training and attitude problems don't resurface before saying I've underestimated the move. Even if he causes trouble, the guy is a backline wrecking ball that could score 15 hung over every game.

#2 - Rafael Márquez (free/New York Red Bulls)

Forget that this is the biggest in-prime El Tri signing ever for MLS, one sure to grow the league's popularity by leaps if not also bounds, both above and below the border. Set aside that he is precisely what this team needed, on the field, in the clubhouse and in fan eyes. Judging solely on player ability and pedigree, this is a legit #2 choice, an incredible pick-up in every way - in other words, there is no MLS favoritism here. When you add in that he justifiably could still star just about anywhere, it gets even better. I'll say it: this move tops Beckham, hands down.


#1 - Sergio Canales (€5m/Real Madrid)

If Javier Saviola is El Conejo, this is the big jackrabbit. Not yet 20, this kid plays bigger than his size and scores some of the most picturesque goals you will ever want to see. With Racing Santander, he was the defense's focus. With the Galacticos, he could find new worlds of space in which to operate. Amid all the monster freebies, this is still the slickest snag of the summer.


- Greg Seltzer