And so it’s Christmas when we all await the bargains in the January sales but what about EPL EBay where bad transfers are traded.

We have had our share, Juan Sebastian Veron and Eric Djemba-Djemba, Kleberson and Massimo Taibi, Dimitar Berbatov and Anderson all bought too high and likely sold too low .

The latest crazy transfers of Any Carroll and Fernando Torres wiped out £85m but would they have succeeded at Old Trafford had Sir Alex Ferguson came calling for them.

Torres terrorized Nemanja Vidic but that was years ago. Is he the same player? I think not.

Like Michael Owen, his pace has gone; his confidence is low and his body language bad. Life has changed and his Liverpool form is long gone. Even at United he would have failed and Liverpool did a great piece of business either by luck or judgement.

In Carroll they saw raw talent and they probably felt after the goal he scored for Newcastle United against them  goal he scored against us was magic, power drive from 30 yards brilliant but he is also slow, awkward and pretty  inaccurate. I’m pretty sure isn’t worth the money, never will be and even Ferguson wouldn’t get the best from him.

So what will happen to them?

I predict Torres will return to Atletico Madrid next season and score 20 goals a season for the next 5 years a la Diego Forlan.

Carroll will see out his contract and join Stoke as a battering ram as they slide down the leagues, maybe even retiring early.

Beware January sales, usually somebody wants to offload their Darren Gibson and buyer beware!!

By Steve Burrows CBE @ifollowsteve