Unlike last year, when summer transfer deadline day saw some records broken and millions upon millions of pounds change hands, things were a lot quieter this time around.
But as always, it’s just as much about who didn’t move as it is about who did move, and there were plenty of misses to go with the hits.
Who Missed Out
A swap of wingers between Manchester City and Tottenham that would have sent David Bentley to Manchester City and Martin Petrov to Tottenham failed to materialize for one reason or another, whether it was City that backed out the deal (ESPN Soccernet) or Tottenham (Daily Mail). Another swap deal involving Tottenham also didn’t happen, as Spurs and Sunderland were unable to work out a deal that would have sent Anton Ferdinand to White Hart Lane and Alan Hutton to the Stadium of Light (Sky Sports).
Everton missed out on Valencia midfielder Ever Banega (Daily Mail), while Bordeaux striker Marouane Chamakh will be staying in France until at least January, as West Ham were unable to tie up a deal for the Moroccan (Daily Mail).
Elsewhere, Sunderland were unsuccessful with a late move for Wigan’s Maynor Figueroa (Daily Mail), Fulham missed out on Middlesbrough striker Jeremie Aliadiere (Sky Sports), and Portsmouth were unable to land Aston Villa’s Nicky Shorey (Sky Sports).
Enough about the misses though. On to the confirmed signings, which wrap up a summer transfer window that saw records broken, several big names change clubs, a few surprises, and a rather anti-climactic ending.
England
Tottenham Sign Kranjcar
Tottenham may have missed out on Petrov, but they did land Portsmouth attacking midfielder Niko Kranjcar in a £2m deal. (The Mirror)
Analysis: Talk about a big bargain for Tottenham. Last summer, Portsmouth rejected an eight-figure bid from Monaco for Kranjcar, and now he’s off for much, much less. What a difference a year can make, eh?
Everton Sign Heitinga
David Moyes was made to sweat a little, but Everton were able to complete the signing of Atletico Madrid’s Johnny Heitinga shortly before the deadline. The 25-year-old has moved to Goodison Park for an initial £6m in a deal worth up to £7m with add-ons. (The Guardian)
Analysis: Moyes wasn’t able to land Valencia’s Ever Banega, but all in all, it was a successful end to the transfer window for him, as he was able to bring in three impact players despite not having a lot of time to do so.
Villa Ink Defensive Duo
Aston Villa will have to wait until tomorrow for their £6m signing of Manchester City center back Richard Dunne to be rubber-stamped, but they were able to finish a £5m deal for West Ham center back James Collins without a hitch. (Daily Mail)
Analysis: After starting the season starved for options at center back, Martin O’Neill is
Fulham Land Elm
Rasmus Elm may have decided against a Premier League in favor of a move to the Eredivisie, but older brother David Elm has made the jump, as the 26-year-old striker has joined Fulham from Swedish side Kalmar for an undisclosed fee. (Sky Sports)
Analysis: Fulham have scored all of one goal in their first three Premier League matches, and with Andy Johnson out for an extended period of time, there was definitely a pressing need to add to their front line.
Stoke Nab Collins
As expected, Stoke City completed the signing of Sunderland defender Danny Collins for an initial 2.75m, with Sunderland set to receive as much as 3.5m based on add-ons. (Daily Mail)
Before that, the Potters landed promising Uruguayan midfielder Diego Arismendi from Club Nacional for an initial 2.7m. The 20-year-old could eventually cost Stoke nearly 5m based on add-ons. (The Mirror)
Analysis: All told, Stoke spent more than 15m in the last several days of the transfer window and nearly 20m this summer, not counting the add-ons involved with the signings of Collins, Arismendi, and Whitehead. If their investments pay off, Tony Pulis is well on his way to having a squad that could challenge for Europe in the near future.
Portsmouth Sign Williamson
Portsmouth have signed Watford center back Mike Williamson for an undisclosed fee. (Daily Mail)
Analysis: Williamson, like Sylvain Distin, is 6’4”, so he’ll help replace that physical presence and size that was lost in the center of defense when Distin departed for Everton.
Burnley Loan Nugent
Portsmouth striker David Nugent is off to Burnley for six months, or perhaps longer, as the Clarets have beaten out Hull City to land Nugent on loan with a view to a permanent deal. (Sky Sports)
Analysis: It always looked like Nugent was going to leave after the whole bust-up with Mark Wilson, and that was made all the more obvious given the fact that Paul Hart has persisted with Frederic Piquionne despite his failure to score in four league starts.
Bolton Loan Klasnic
Bolton manager Gary Megson has a new option in attack, as the club have brought in Croatian striker Ivan Klasnic on a season-long loan deal. (Daily Mail)
Analysis: Johan Elmander hasn’t quite repaid that club-record investment that Bolton made, and though Kevin Davies is still a faithful and productive servant, he can’t keep Bolton up all by his lonesome, so this was a signing that needed to happen. Klasnic isn’t exactly a prolific striker, but he knows where the goal is, and he’s got a wealth of experience on the club and international level.
Spain
Getafe Land Torres
Getafe have done business with Real Madrid once again, signing Real defender Miguel Torres for €2m. (Goal.com)
Analysis: No surprise that it includes the well-used buy-back clause that will allow Real to bring him back if he develops into a usable or salable asset for Real during his stay at Getafe.
France
Monaco Sign Gudjohnsen
Former Bolton and Chelsea star Eidur Gudjohnsen has made the move from Barcelona to AS Monaco. (Sky Sports)
Analysis: Signing another attacker was a necessity for Monaco, who have two wins from their first four Ligue 1 games but have found the net only three times (all in their two home matches).
Scotland
Rangers Land Rothen
Rangers have signed Paris-Saint Germain winger Jerome Rothen on a season-long loan deal. (The Mirror)
Analysis: Rangers have had no problems scoring goals thus far this season, but Rothen will only boost their attack, and more importantly, he gives Rangers’ squad a little added boost experience and quality-wise when it comes to the Champions League.
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