After the deadline: Feelgood finale but no change at the top as transfer window shuts

Chris Hatherall on the winners and losers after football's last-minute dash to splash the cash  

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang completed a deadline-day move from Arsenal to Barcelona. Picture: PA

Transfer deadline day provided one of the biggest feelgood stories of recent seasons, together with a shock move for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Barcelona, but did little to change the balance of power at the top of the Premier League.

Brentford’s remarkable coup in signing former Inter Milan and Tottenham midfielder Christian Eriksen was the moment which provided a script worthy of a Hollywood movie.

The Dane, who suffered a cardiac arrest during his country’s Euro 2020 tie against Finland last summer, was close to death on the pitch but makes a return to football after being fitted with a pacemaker and agreeing a six-month contract in west London.

He’ll be surrounded by friends at a club which is already writing its own fairy tale after returning to the top flight for the first time in 74 years, famously beating Arsenal on their Premier League debut.

Manager Thomas Frank coached Eriksen when in charge of Denmark U17s and the squad features five Danish players – including Christian Norgaard and Mathias Jensen who also played in the Euros.

“It’s the feelgood story of the transfer window,” said Sky pundit Paul Merson, who once played on loan at Brentford in his teenage years.

“It’s the kind of story they could make into a film.”

If Brentford fans were left in dreamland, however, deadline day provided few deals capable of changing the shape of the Premier League table.

The biggest story was Aubameyang’s permanent move – on a free transfer – from Arsenal to Barcelona as manager Mikel Arteta, who recently dropped the striker for breaking club discipline, flexed his muscles. The fact that Arsenal failed to sign a replacement, however, leaves question marks over their recruitment policy.

Best buy of transfer deadline day: Rodrigo Bentancur.  The midfielder’s €19m arrival from Juventus may not be especially high profile and he’s no creative genius or goalscoring hero. But he’s the kind of defensive midfielder that every team needs as a foundation for success. He could prove to be an excellent signing for Antonio Conte.

Best loan of transfer deadline day: Aaron Ramsey to Glasgow Rangers Rangers fans will be pinching themselves at this one. Their club’s capture of Juventus midfielder Ramsey is an astonishing piece of business, and makes you wonder why on earth nobody in the Premier League was in the race. At his best, the Welsh international is an energetic, high quality midfielder capable of driving forward and scoring goals. Given that Juve are paying most of his wages while he plays at Ibrox, it’s one of the group transfer coups.

Best bargain of transfer deadline day: Christian Eriksen.  Brentford have signed one of the best players in the world, at the age of just 29, and snapped him up for absolutely nothing. The back story to Christian Eriksen’s arrival in west London is well known, and there will always be nerves about his fitness when he eventually pulls on a Bees shirt – with fans hoping a pacemaker keeps the Dane, who collapsed with a cardiac arrest during Euro 2020, safe. But for a club which is already writing its own fairy tale, after 74 years outside the top flight, it’s an incredible coup, and one which could raise their profile help attract other players in future.

Biggest gamble of the day: Dele Alli Reports suggest that Alli’s move from Tottenham to Everton could cost the Merseyside club as much as €50m once all add-ons are taken into consideration and that’s a huge fee for a player who has under-performed for so many years - and under a long list of managers. There’s no doubting the stylish attacker’s ability, but you have to question his mentality given how often he has let his club down. This is a transfer which will either make or break his career.

Transfer window winners: Aston Villa. They didn’t feature on transfer deadline day, but Aston Villa can be extremely happy with how January has gone.

Villa were quick off the mark when the brought in Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona in one of the window’s most impressive deals, whilst also attracting Calum Chambers from Arsenal and Lucas Digne from Everton.

Transfer window losers: Arsenal. Arsenal’s decision to allow Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to leave on a free transfer to Barcelona, even with 18 months remaining on his contract, was the shock deal of transfer deadline day, and although it saves the Gunners almost €30m in wages over that period it leaves Mikel Arteta’s squad looking thin. 

In fact, they will now be relying on Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah up front, two players who are both out of contract in the summer. Arteta will no doubt point out that given Aubameyang’s disciplinary issues at the Emirates, it was vital he underlined his authority at the north London club. The only problem is he failed to find a replacement as Arsenal missed out on a series of targets, including Dusan Vlahovic who chose Juventus instead.

The busiest club in the window: Newcastle United Newcastle United, thanks to their new Saudi owners, spent more than €100m in the window and were busy right to the final whistle, just missing out on striker Hugo Ekitike and Jesse Lingard at the last.

Key captures included Kieran Trippier, Chris Wood, Matt Targett, Dan Burn and Bruno Guimaraes. Will it be enough to save them from relegation? The jury is still out but their chances have certainly been boosted. But missing out on Lingard, after Manchester United’s demands proved too much, even for wealthy owners, was a blow.

Having signed Porto winger Luis Diaz at the weekend, Jurgen Klopp targeted Fulham forward Fabio Carvalho, but with a plan to loan him immediately back to Craven Cottage, while Chelsea eyed up Ousmane Dembele at Barcelona but look likely to wait until the summer to get him.

West Ham were frustrated, too, losing out on deals for Man United’s Jesse Lingard and Leeds’ Raphina at a time when they were desperate to strengthen their bid for Champions League football.

It underlined that even for the big boys, January is a difficult time to do business.

Only Manchester City made a significant last-minute signing, bringing in striker Julian Alvarez from River Plate for €16m – although fans won’t see him until next season after the forward was loaned straight back to Argentina.

Manchester City director of football Txiki Begiristain: “Julian is a player we have monitored for some time. He is capable of operating in a number of attacking roles, and we firmly believe he's one of the best young attacking players in South America.

Tottenham’s deadline day was a curious one. They brought in Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur from Juventus but lost record signing Tanguy Ndombele on loan to Lyon with a view to a permanent deal, sold Dele Alli to Everton, and shipped out Bryan Gil and Giovani Lo Celso on loan to Valencia and Villarreal respectively.

In fact, it took Rangers in Scotland to show English rivals how a marquee signing is done – making a loan swoop for Aaron Ramsey from Juventus against all the odds.

Everton, meanwhile, confirmed Frank Lampard as manager and Donny van de Beek as a loan signing from Manchester United, to end their transfer window on a high.