For football fans of a certain age, gone are the days when a transfer could come out of the blue with no-one knowing about it. Two notable moves from a now bygone era illustrate this. Jurgen Klinsmann signed for Spurs in the summer of 1994 and when the news was announced it came as a shock to the football world. Here was a World Cup star signing for a team in a league which wasn’t at that time considered to be the “best in the world”.  

Arguably the last shock deal seen in English football was the transfer of Andy Cole to Manchester United in January 1995. The Newcastle hitman moved to Old Trafford and such was the shock of the announcement that Kevin Keegan had to reassure fans of the Toon army on the steps of St James’ Park.

Nowadays it would be a huge shock to hear of a transfer no-one knew was coming. The vast swathes of football websites on the Internet mean that even if there is an unexpected move, one site or another is likely to have predicted it.

The transfers below will all happen; quite simply, there is too much smoke for there not to be a fire and it is more than likely that they will set off a merry-go-round that will see the most money spent during a summer transfer window ever.

Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid: For weeks Manchester United fans have been wondering why their Portuguese No.7 has not come out and confirmed his intention to stay at Old Trafford. Ronaldo has had enough of Manchester and after winning every possible trophy with the Red Devils it is quite easy to see why he will make his dream move to the Bernabeu.

Likely repercussions: In return for Ronaldo, Manchester United would do well to get Sergio Ramos and Robinho as well as a whole heap of money. If this happened Madrid would need to sign yet more players, with little or no budget left. Will they ever learn from the failed “Galacticos” policy? Whatever happens, United will sign an out-and-out striker this summer, perhaps Dimitar Berbatov, Roque Santa Cruz or Samuel Eto’o. Ultimately the departure of Ronaldo should see a slightly different playing style for Sir Alex Ferguson’s side next season.

Gareth Barry to Liverpool: After a fine season at Villa, Barry has intimated he wants to play Champions League football. Liverpool’s financial resources have been speculated upon but the only certainty is that they will haggle for every deal they make this summer with their American owners not flashing the cash due to their doubts about their own partnership and the building of a new stadium.

Likely repercussions: A central midfield defensive duo of Barry and Javier Mascherano will be difficult to break down. It is questionable how much of an improvement the Aston Villa midfielder is on Xabi Alonso. As it is, the Spaniard appears to be on his way to Juventus to join up with another Liverpool old boy, Mohammed Sissoko.

Samir Nasri to Arsenal: The move of the “next Zidane” to the Emirates Stadium appears to have been in the offing almost as long as the Ronaldo transfer saga. The French winger didn’t get much playing time during Euro 2008 and he should fit in well at the Arsenal.

Likely repercussions: The outgoings from Arsenal this summer have been fairly incredible for a club that usually seems very stable in a football sense. With Mathieu Flamini gone, Aleksandr Hleb and Emmanuel Adebayor perhaps also leaving, we could see a much-changed Gunners side next season. Expect Nasri to be far more effective than Hleb – although in truth that shouldn’t be too difficult for the nearly former Marseille midfielder.

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Arsenal transfers, Arsenal FC, Transfer rumours