Window views: Salah, Fati and the biggest deadline day gambles
NEW DAWN: New Brighton recruit Ansu Fati has arrived from Barcelona. Pic: PA Wire
We’re going rogue for this one because it’s a loan and not a big money deal. But for sheer audaciousness, Brighton’s capture of Ansu Fati from Barcelona takes some beating.
As recently as 2001, Brighton were in the bottom tier of the Football League and sharing extinction in the face. Now they have not only qualified for Europe but also pulled off a remarkable transfer coup.
Fati, who is still only 20, is the player who took Lionel Messi’s shirt at the Camp Nou and who has been tipped as the next great thing ever since making his Barca debut as a 16-year-old.
He’s won trophies, he’s played for Spain, he’s been recognised as one of the world’s greatest young players, despite injuries hampering his progress last season when he spent much of it on the bench.
So, how have Brighton pulled off a one-year loan deal?
The answer lies in their manager, Roberto De Zerbi, who called the youngster just when he was trying to decide whether to move to Chelsea or Tottenham.
"I explained to him my idea, my ambition,” said De Zerbi. “I think it was the best solution for us but also for him, because he can find the closer idea of football here, he can find the confidence he needs, he can find the people who work with the team.” What a deal – and there’s no better coach than De Zerbi to bring Fati back to his best.
Given the money spent on deadline day it might seem strange to pick a player who didn’t move as the biggest story. But when a club offers €175m Euros for a 31-year-old, as Saudi Arabia side Al-Ittihad did, it’s not often it’s turned down.
Liverpool had the courage to do exactly that, and that decision is as good as any signing. Keeping Salah is crucial to their Premier League hopes this season, and fans on the Kop will be breathing a huge of relief if he stays. So, too, will clubs across Europe – because Liverpool are pretty much the first club to properly stand up to the Saudi revolution.
As the evening wore on, rumours grew that the Saudi League could up the offer to a crazy €234m, amid rumours they were getting encouragement from some quarters. But the official line coming out of Anfield was ‘he’s not for sale’ and sticking to that is vital for Liverpool’s future, and perhaps football’s future too.
It’s been like deja-vu at the City Ground. Last season they blitzed the market, signing XX players – and this season, having stayed up, they’ve been at it again.
Callum Hudson-Odoi, Nuno Tavares and Nicolas Dominguez all arrived on deadline day with Divock Origi potentially number 10 of the window. How manager Steve Cooper manages to turn them into a team is hard to fathom; but he achieved that feat last season.
Chelsea winger Hudson-Odoi is one that looks a real bargain. Less than €5m for a player was wanted for €45m by Bayern Munich only two years ago. It’s a deal that was certainly worth a punt.
Paying €49m for a youngster who is only 21 and with just 19 league appearances under his belt is a risk, especially when you give him (as Chelsea seem to always do now) a seven-year contract.
But you have to admire the Blues for sticking to their long-term vision rather than bringing in 30-year-olds at the end of their career. Palmer has real potential. The only worry is whether he can make a quick impact – or suffer, as Mikhailo Mudryk has done, from over expectation.
Everyone knew that Manchester United didn’t have big money to spend in the window, so to secure Amrabat on loan from Fiorentina with a view to a permanent deal was a good bit of business. He’s a player who will improve the team and brings more glamour than other bargain signings brought to Old Trafford this month, such as Jonny Evans and Sergio Reguilon and goalkeeper Altay Bayindir.
Tottenham have paid over €52m for Nottingham Forest winger Johnson and, unusually for Daniel Levy, that feels like it’s above his market value.
Johnson is young, quick and talented but he is far from the finished product, and he’ll be up against Son Heung-in for a place in the Tottenham front line. Will get enough game time? Will he cope with the pressure? And will he score enough goals to justify the price? The jury is out.
Over at the Etihad, Manchester City don’t make too many mistakes in the market. But, again, Nunes has cost them €62m and considering he’s been brought in to cover for injured Kevin de Bruyne that’s big boots to fill. Is he good enough? One assist and one goal in 36 Premier League game is not convincing.
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