Premier League: 10 standout deals from transfer deadline day
Croatia's midfielder Nikola Vlasic (R) is marked by Scotland's midfielder Stuart Armstrong during EURO 2020.
WEST HAM signed Nikola Vlasic for €32m after it became clear they would not be bringing Jesse Lingard back to the club. The 23-year-old Croatia international has been a creative force for CSKA Moscow, making more key passes (167) than any other player in the Russian Premier League since he joined the club permanently from Everton in 2019. He will provide excellent competition for one of the three attacking midfield roles in support of Michail Antonio.
MAN UTD announced that Cristiano Ronaldo was returning to the club on Friday before confirming the deal on deadline day. Despite ending last season as the top scorer in Serie A, with 29 goals enough for the 36-year-old to win the Capocannoniere, Ronaldo has not been considered a huge success in Italy by everyone.
United fans are excited for his return, though, as they seek to close the gap between themselves and champions Manchester City.
Two-and-a-half years after almost joining Leeds from Swansea, Daniel James has finally rocked up at Elland Road. The Welsh winger’s deadline day move to Yorkshire in January 2019 fell through in the dying embers of the window before he ultimately joined Manchester later that year. Things didn’t really work out for the 23-year-old at United. He managed just six goals and seven assists in the Premier League for Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s side, but James will hope his €30m move to Leeds helps him kick on now.
Having struggled to replace Kyle Walker after his move to Manchester City in 2017, Tottenham will be hoping Emerson Royal can finally fill the right-back void in their team. The 22-year-old Brazilian has been on loan for the last two and a half years at Real Betis, where he has impressed. He had a direct hand in 14 goals over the last two seasons; Jordi Alba (16) is the only defender in La Liga who contributed more in that time. Barcelona paid €9m to bring him back to the club this summer and, given they were in need of funds, decided to move him on at a profit. Emerson has made more tackles and interceptions combined (157) than any other defender in La Liga since the start of last season.
After joining the Swansea academy at the age of nine, Connor Roberts is now leaving for Burnley in what looks like a shrewd move for the Clarets. While Roberts is yet to feature for the Swans this season due to injury, he was impressive for them last time out, setting up seven goals from right-back as they pushed for a return to the Premier League. The Wales international will offer more for Burnley in the final third than Matthew Lowton, with Chris Wood and Ashley Barnes likely to benefit from his creativity.
Brighton have put the money used from the £50m sale of Ben White to good use. The Seagulls bolstered their midfield by signing Enock Mwepu from RB Salzburg and, in Marc Cucurella, they now have the perfect wing-back to make their three-man defensive system work. His return of 84 key passes from open play was the sixth best in La Liga over the last two seasons.
The 23-year-old is an exciting addition to a Brighton team that has started the campaign strongly. Crucially, the arrival of the Spaniard from Getafe means Graham Potter will not have to play Pascal Gross or Jakub Moder out of position.
Arsenal signed Takehiro Tomiyasu from Bologna for £15.5m on deadline day, as they sent Héctor Bellerin on loan to Real Betis for the rest of the season. The 22-year-old Japan international joins the club with a burgeoning reputation having excelled in Serie A last season. His tackle success rate of 78.3% was the seventh best in the division and he also won 91 aerial duels, the ninth best in the league. Able to play right-back or centre-back, Tomiyasu’s versatility is another weapon in his, ahem, Arsenal and he is an improvement on Mikel Arteta’s current options.
Chelsea need another central midfielder? Better call Saúl! Saúl Ñíguez has joined on loan from Atlético Madrid with an option to buy for £30m. Beyond Thomas Tuchel’s three primary central midfield options – N’Golo Kante, Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic – he was fairly limited in the middle of the park, so the 26-year-old adds some depth.
Only Casemiro (190) has made more tackles in La Liga than Saúl (159) over the last two seasons. The Spaniard’s ability to play a number of roles is an additional bonus.
Ademola Lookman: RB Leipzig to Leicester
Considering his impressive performances while on loan at Fulham last season, it’s something of a surprise that more clubs were not trying to sign Ademola Lookman this summer. The 23-year-old had a direct hand in eight goals in the Premier League last term, scoring four times. Brendan Rodgers was suitably impressed and has brought him back to the Premier League on loan from RB Leipzig.
Lookman will compete with Harvey Barnes, Marc Albrighton and, to a lesser extent, Ayoze Pérez for a spot out wide, but he can also play through the middle if required.
Brighton, Arsenal and Leicester were all credited with an interest in Odsonne Édouard over the summer, but Crystal Palace won the race to sign the Frenchman. Celtic’s capture of Greek goal machine Giorgos Giakoumakis paved the way for Édouard to move south and add depth to the Palace frontline. He has been the top scorer in the Scottish Premiership for the last two seasons, but the 23-year-old will have his work cut out to continue that fine goalscoring form in the Premier League.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
