As the transfer window slams shut on yet another costly summer of frenzied trading in the world of football, Sport360°’s James Piercy – with a little help from Martyn Thomas – takes you through the all major deadline deals from the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, the Bundesliga and Ligue 1.
PREMIER LEAGUE
For all the news on the big hitters who crossed the i’s and dotted the t’s late last night click here. For everything else, well look no further…
Owen Hargreaves completed his surprise move to Manchester City last night, as the Abu Dhabi-owned club secured the shock of the transfer window without spending a penny. Hargreaves, 30, who was only released by Manchester United three months ago, has signed a one-year deal at the Etihad Stadium.
The midfielder has endured three injury-plagued seasons since helping United to a Premier League and Champions League double in 2008, but has now been given the chance to prove his fitness across town at the “noisy neighbours”.
Elsewhere, Scott Parker, the man who Hargreaves hopes to displace in the England team completed his £6million (Dh36m) move to Tottenham. Parker got his wish after handing in a transfer request, while David Bentley moved in the opposite direction on loan.
Bolton, who had been linked with Bentley, completed the signing of Liverpool striker David Ngog on a three-year contract for around £4million (Dh24m) and Chelsea’s Gael Kakuta on loan.
Meanwhile, Wigan were busy bringing in both Scotland winger Shaun Maloney and Patrick van Aanholt from Chelsea, the latter on a season-loan, while Fulham completed the signing of ex-Juventus defender Zdenek Grygera on a one-year deal.
LA LIGA
Atletico Madrid finally ended their long pursuit for Diego after landing the Brazilian playmaker from Wolfsburg on a season’s loan.
Diego was a huge disappointment at the Volkswagen Arena last season, after joining last summer for €15m (Dh79.2m) from Juventus. He was one of the most cautioned players in the Bundesliga, fell out with former coach Steve McClaren and has since been made surplus to requirements by Felix Magath.
Magath however said: “I am convinced that Diego will play a prominent role at Atletico.”Atletico are understood to have paid €3m (Dh15.8m) to take Diego on loan with an option to sign him for €7m (Dh37m) at the end of the season.
Dubai-owned Getafe secured the season-long loan of Real Madrid winger Pedro Leon, returning to the Coliseum Alfonso Perez after only a year at the Bernabeu. Leon, 24 featured for Getafe in the 2009-10 season before joining Real for €10m (Dh52.8m) but featured only six times for Los Merengues.
Elsewhere, Villarreal were the biggest spenders with the €8m (Dh42m) acquisition of Jonathan de Guzman from Real Mallorca and Nigerian Iker Uche from Real Zaragoza.
Canadian-born Dutch midfielder De Guzman, 23, penned a five-year deal while Uche a three-year contract, with the striker sent on loan to La Liga rivals Granada.
SERIE A
Along with the big-money signing of Miralem Pjanic from Lyon, Roma also agreed a deal to sign Fernando Gago on loan from Real Madrid.
Defensive midfielder Gago, 25, who played at the Copa America for Argentina, has slipped down the pecking order at the Bernabeu and Roma have an option to sign him for €6m (Dh31.6m) at the end of the season.
Roma also signed Danish centre-back Simon Kjaer on loan from Wolfsburg while agreeing to take former Chelsea youth striker Fabio Borini, 20, on loan despite him only signing for Parma this summer on a five-year deal
Meanwhile, Uruguayan star Diego Forlan completed his long-awaited move to Inter, replacing Samuel Eto’o and revealed it should take him no time at all to settled in.
Forlan said: “I speak a bit of Italian, I studied it at school when I was young but I’ve forgotten it a bit. I’ve joined a big club and knowing a bit of Italian makes everything a bit easier because it allows you to fit straight in to the atmosphere.”
Inter also signed 16-year old starlet Lorenzo Tassi from Brescia. The talented attacker has been dubbed the “new Roberto Baggio”.
Champions AC Milan bolstered their ranks by bringing Antonio Nocerino to the San Siro on a five-year deal for an undisclosed fee from Serie A rivals Palermo.
Juventus finally got the winger they have wanted, signing Dutch international Eljero Elia, 24, for €9m (Dh47.5m), while Udinese landed highly rated Argentine Under-20 winer Roberto Maximiliano Pereyra from River Plate for €4m (Dh21.2m).
BUNDESLIGA
To fill the void left by Eljero Elia’s move to Turn, struggling Hamburg moved swiftly to secure the services of Ivo Ilicevic from Kaiserslautern for €4m (Dh21.2m).
The 24-year-old Croatian international, who scored five goals and recorded seven assists in 21 appearances for Kaiserslautern last season as they were promoted from Bundesliga 2, has signed a four-year deal.
Wolfsburg spent most of the day selling players but one to arrive at the Volkswagen Arena was Aleksandr Hleb, although he won’t join the Bundesliga club until October.
Hleb, 30, has been frozen out at Barcelona but is recovering from a knee injury so won’t officially sign until he recovers his fitness.
Barcelona vice-president Josep Maria Bartomeu has clarified that the cost of the transfer will depend on the number of games the former Arsenal man plays for Felix Magath’s team.
Elsewhere, Schalke allowed Swiss international striker Mario Gavranovic, 21, to move to Mainz on a season’s loan. Mainz paid €200,000 (Dh1m) to secure his services, with the option to make the deal permanent at the end of the season for €1.5m (Dh7.9m).
“I’m glad to now be here in Mainz, I really wanted this change,” said Gavranovic. “It is important that I play regularly. Mainz has a team that likes to attack and that suits me well.”
LIGUE 1
Champions Lille pulled off the surprise deal of the day by taking England international Joe Cole from Liverpool on a season’s loan.
Midfielder Cole, 29, who has struggled to earn a place in the Reds first-team after moving from Chelsea last summer, will commute 90-minutes to France every day via the Eurostar from London.
The deal was thought to mean that Liverpool would have first refusal on Eden Hazard next summer when the Belgian winger is expected to become available. Lille however later confirmed that not to be the case.
Another Liverpool cast-off also found his way to France as midfielder Christian Poulsen joined newly-promoted Evian. The 31-year-old Danish international — a Roy Hodgson signing last summer — has been out of favour at Anfield ever since Kenny Dalglish took over in January.
Lyon paid €2m (Dh10.5) to Le Havre for promising French Under -21 star Gueida Fofana who can play in defence and midfield.
Lorient took two players from Arsenal, bringing Gilles Sunu, 20, back on a permanent deal after impressing on loan last season and landing Costa Rican striker Joel Campbell, also on a temporary deal.
The Gunners landed Costa Rica international Campbell earlier in the summer following a protracted chase and believe a spell in Ligue 1 will aid his development and prepare him for life in the Premier League.
