Transfer Deadline Day: Winners and Losers

A day of total madness, despair for some and pure joy for others – the Transfer Deadline Day certainly lived up to all the hype. Money changed hands, and players changed teams. Now that it’s all over, let’s see how well each team did.

Note: For the sake of simplicity, only the big clubs that did business on the last day are featured here. You can find the full list of transfers here.

Winners

Arsenal

There can be only one! A sensational deadline day swoop for German playmaker Mesut Ozil sent Arsenal fans in a frenzy late last night. Although there were conflicting reports about Manchester United joining the chase and Ozil refusing to leave Madrid, in the end Arsene Wenger got to deliver his surprise.

For £42.5m, Arsenal have signed one of the top three playmakers in the world and perhaps the most likeable footballer on the planet – a brilliant double whammy that will not only bring the disgruntled fans back on board, but also new ones.

Supporting Arsenal just became sexy. And it was telling that Chelsea backed out of loaning Demba Ba to Arsenal at the last minute. In one fell swoop, Arsenal went from Champions League spot contenders to having an outside chance at the title. 27-year-old goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano also joined on a season-long move, to provide sturdy competition for the no.1 spot.

Liverpool

A last minute loan move for Victor Moses means the Reds completed three first team signings on deadline day, quite a catch for Brendan Rodgers.

In Sakho and Illori, Liverpool have signed two quality centrebacks with a lot potential and added a lot of depth to an already good team. Fabio Borini’s loan move to Sunderland will help him get more game time, which would have been difficult with Moses joining, so in that sense it was another prudent move.

Three good signings and Suarez still to come back from his ban – the sun is shining brightly at Anfield.

AC Milan

The Italian giants signed Kaka for free. Kaka. For. Free. Four years after selling him for €65 million. If that doesn’t make them a winner, then I don’t know what does.

Everton

Roberto Martinez needed a striker, and boy did he get one! Chelsea’s decision to send Lukaku out on loan seems inexplicable, but Martinez will not be complaining – he now has a proper striker up front to bang in the goals, a problem area in the first few matches. Midfielder James McCarthy also joins from Wigan for 13m, so there’s another familiar face for Martinez to work with.

Keeping hold of Leighton Baines is another feather in the cap for Martinez, considering Man United’ genuine interest and multiple bid.

Man City’s only piece of business on the last day was loaning out midfielder Gareth Barry to Goodison Park, a valuable and experienced addition for Everton.

Losers

Manchester United

It seems odd to find Manchester United in the losers column, especially after they sealed a last-minute £27.5 million move for man-mountain Marouane Fellaini. No doubt Manchester United fans will be ecstatic at the club signing their first recognized midfielder in quite a long while, but the joy is shortlived when you consider the fact that Fellaini and Baines were linked to United as soon as Moyes was announced as the next manager.

If anything, these two transfers were done deals two months ago, so by failing to land Baines Man United have not even done the bare minimum.

A failed deal for Athletic Bilbao sensation Ander Herrera will rankle with the fans, and will invariably throw up that £30 million question: What were they doing all this while?

Questions are already being asked of the man in charge of getting things done, Ed Woodward, and if the team continues to struggle with the players they have, it will only be a matter of time till the fans turn on the manager.

Real Madrid

A world record transfer fee paid for one of the hottest prospects in world football, yet Madrid’s decision to get rid of Kaka and Ozil sees them plunge into the losers section. There is simply no logic in buying a superstar forward only to let your best playmaker leave.

No matter how much gunpowder you add, you still need someone to pull the trigger. Cristiano Ronaldo will surely miss Ozil’s unselfish and eye-of-the-needle passes, and you have to wonder whether Isco will be to handle the mantle of no.1 playmaker at the biggest club in the world.

Perhaps Florentino Perez should have heeded the chants coming out from the stands during Gareth Bale’s unveiling ceremony, the ones which cried for Ozil to not be sold.

Poor Gareth Bale, he hasn’t even kicked a ball (officially) in a Real Madrid shirt and he has already lost the services of the man who was supposed to make him score 30 goals a season.

The not-sure-what-to-make-of-it deal

Chelsea signed Eto’o from Anzhi and loaned out Romelu Lukaku to Everton, business that makes very little sense on first viewing. Lukaku proved last season that he has what it takes to be a successful EPL striker, so loaning him out for yet more experience seems a bit excessive.

Eto’o’s statistics at Anzhi make for an impressive reading, but 36 goals and 14 assists in 76 appearances in the Russian Premier League cannot be used to make a point for him in the EPL. At 32, Eto’o still has enough to last the 90 minutes, but a full season for Chelsea, playing in multiple competitions, could take its toll on the Cameroonian.

At best, it’s a gamble; at worst, it is a horrible decision and one which smacks of a manager having little or no faith in a young proven striker.