Wenger sweats on Arteta as Gunners embark on last-ditch spending spree
Less than two hours before the transfer window closed the Gunners resurrected their bid for Everton midfielder Arteta.
The deal was thought to be dead after the Gunners had a bid rejected earlier in the day, with reports suggesting Everton had turned down a part-exchange offer.
But it appeared last night that Arsenal have bowed to the Toffees’ demand for a cash-only offer, which meant they faced a race against time to get everything resolved before the 11pm deadline.
One midfielder who is Arsenal bound is Chelsea’s Yossi Benayoun
The Israeli revealed on twitter he had joined Arsenal from Chelsea on what is thought to be a loan deal.
The midfielder, who is currently on international duty, wrote on Twitter: “I sign with Arsenal, very happy and excited about it, but now my head is only in the game against Greece on Friday, thanks for the support.”
Embattled Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger earlier began to rebuild his shattered defence after it was confirmed Per Mertesacker and Andre Santos were joining the club.
Wenger will hope the pair can help Arsenal avoid a repeat of Sunday’s 8-2 humiliation at Manchester United, with both experienced internationals.
Germany defender Mertesacker, who has 75 caps and joins on “a long-term contract” from Werder Bremen for a reported £8m, is relishing the challenge.
Mertesacker said: “I had a great time at SV Werder Bremen and I’m grateful to the club.
“Moving to London enables me to fulfil a dream and (take) a further step in my career.’’
Wenger said: “We are delighted to welcome Per Mertesacker to the club.
“I believe he will be well-suited to the Premier League and a tremendous asset to the team.”
Santos, 28, cost Arsenal £6.2m from Turkish champions Fenerbahce.
The Brazil full-back, who missed out on last year’s World Cup, said: “It was one of my dreams to play for a major European football club and I have accomplished this. I am very happy to be part of this team.’’
Wenger added: “Santos is a quality player, with the ability to both defend well and get forward and help with attacks.
“He has experience in the Champions League and for Brazil and has proven he can deliver at the highest level.’’
Like Arsenal, north London rivals Tottenham were busy yesterday.
As expected, they completed the signing of Scott Parker from West Ham.
Parker, 30, had been a long-term target for Spurs manager Harry Redknapp, the former Charlton youngster having been voted Footballer of the Year for his attempts to keep West Ham up last season.
Redknapp said of Parker: “He’s a good player. I think he’s what we need. He’s a good lad, great attitude.
“Footballer of the Year last year and he’ll be a good addition for this team — no doubt about that.
“He’s a good character, a fantastic person, a proper family man, a real good pro. He’ll be great around the place for us.”
However Parker won’t be working with Wilson Palacios after the midfielder completed his move to Stoke last night.
The Potters also hoped to land the midfielder’s former Spurs team-mate Peter Crouch.
Palacios, 27, penned a four-year contract at the Britannia Stadium after being deemed surplus to requirements by Tottenham.
Stoke boss Tony Pulis said: “This is a fantastic deal for the club because Wilson has proved himself to be a top class performer at the highest level.
“He has a considerable amount of international experience and played a prominent part in getting Tottenham into the Champions League only two years ago.
“He has great energy and the qualities to become a driving force in the middle of the park; the type of player our fans will love. We have been looking to strengthen our options in midfield and I am delighted to have him on board.”
In a frantic final hour before the close of the window, Liverpool signed Craig Bellamy on a two-year deal.
The 32-year-old spent last season on loan at npower Championship side Cardiff after a rift with City boss Roberto Mancini saw him excluded from the first-team squad.
City have been desperate to offload Bellamy but with a year left on his contract there were financial issues to sort out before Liverpool could complete a deal to bring him back to Anfield.
In a brief statement the club said: “Liverpool have tonight announced Craig Bellamy has signed a contract with the club.
“He will wear shirt number 39.”
Bellamy’s return to Anfield comes four years after he left having been brought to the club 12 months earlier by Rafael Benitez.
He scored nine goals in 42 matches but off-field issues, most notably an infamous incident with a golf club and team-mate John Arne Riise and a strained relationship with Benitez, contributed to his departure to West Ham.
However it wasn’t all good news for Liverpool as midfielder Raul Meireles handed in a written transfer request, fuelling speculation he was set for a last-gasp move to Chelsea.
Meanwhile, Manchester City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips has joined QPR, the London club’s vice-chairman Amit Bhatia confirmed on Twitter.
Owen Hargreaves has signed a one-year contract with Manchester City.
Blackburn were also busy, signing Birmingham defender Scott Dann on a four-year deal.
In all, Premier League clubs spent over £403,000,000 in the transfer window.
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