Despite how cynical one feels about the vagaries of the transfer market, you could not help but become embroiled in what turned out to be an outrageous 24 hours of general footballing mayhem on Monday.
I mean… it had everything. The notorious penny-pinching antics of Arsene Wenger were utterly obliterated by a staggering £42.5 million swoop for German talisman Mesut Ozil.
Peter Odemwingie finally found a place to call home following his embarrassing attempts to manufacture a move away from West Brom in January.
There was even a touch of the absurd, with Spanish papers reportedly sighting skulduggery on the part of imposters attempting to lure Bilbao’s Ander Herrera to Old Trafford.
The wonderfully offbeat and utterly shameless nature of it all was hard to fully digest at first, but I will attempt to offer a glimpse into some of the more interesting pieces of business.
Yes and No
Obviously, the move of Mesut Ozil takes pride of place in any sensible wrap-up of the deadline mayhem.
The extraordinarily talented playmaker was just the kind of marquee player that fans were screaming for Wenger to purchase. The size of the fee was proof positive of a potential shift of paradigm for the London club.
Ozil is a magnificent player but I feel that Wenger has not really dealt with the fundamental problems the club face. A defensive midfielder like Sami Khedira, as unsexy as that prospect is, was probably a more prudent option than the slick Ozil.
The German definitely fits the Arsenal blueprint, but it is their defensive spine that really needed strengthening. Wenger clearly was under major pressure to make a huge purchase following the Higuain and Suarez debacles, and while I’m sure Ozil will flourish, there is vulnerability in the team that should still concern Arsenal fans.
Marouane Fellaini turned out to be Manchester United’s only huge signing, with the Herrera farce and Coentrao complexities marring what could have been an excellent period of business for the Red Devils.
Fellaini’s fee of £27.5 million was only five hundred thousand short of the offer originally rejected for Baines and Fellaini. The price tag does seem a touch exorbitant for a player who I felt only peripherally affected games last season.
Pienaar and Baines were really the true creative engine for the Toffees last season, with the unquestionably distinctive Fellaini periodically causing some mayhem in the opposing box.
At United he will need to bring some added subtlety to his play that could see an extended period of adjustment.
Shrewd Purchases
You have to hand it to both the Merseyside clubs for shrewd business transactions on the final day of the window. Liverpool managed to identify where they were vulnerable and they subsequently strengthened their defence.
Sakho and Ilori will give them the depth at the back that they have lacked, while the loan acquisition of Victor Moses gives them added flexibility in their attacking endeavours.
His versatility will appeal to Brendan Rodgers and his fluid sensibilities, and Moses will no doubt be keen to impress given his relative lack of opportunity at Chelsea under Mourinho.
Everton were a surprise package on Monday. The loan deal for Gareth Barry gives them some added muscle in the middle of the park while the loan deal for Romelu Lukaku assuages the loss of Marouane Fellaini.
Some may balk at the double digit deal for Wigan’s James McCarthy but he will make a valuable, energetic contribution to Everton’s midfield options.
Lukaku will no doubt be disappointed not to be part of Mourinho’s grand plan this season, but the boy is only twenty and this should provide him with ample opportunity to evolve his game that bit further.
Surprise Buys
Stoke were extremely quiet given their limited resources, but the loan deal to secure Stephen Ireland could be a valuable addition to the Potters this season.
It reunites the mercurial talent with his former boss at City, Mark Hughes, and they will be hoping he can recapture a semblance of the form that he showed at the Etihad. He was City’s best player that season and his ability to penetrate a defence with his passing could be vital at a Stoke side not lacking in target men.
West Brom have to also be commended for bolstering their withering attack with the dual acquisitions of Victor Anichebe and Stephane Sessegnon.
What?
Once again, I have to question what on earth is happening on Tyneside. Newcastle were the only side not to spend any money in the entire transfer window, while Paolo Di Canio seems hell-bent on systematically dismantling Sunderland from top to bottom.
To let Sessegnon go seems utterly ludicrous, while the loan deal to acquire Fabio Borini puzzles me. The young Italian has struggled with the physicality of the English game and just seems poorly suited for the task ahead.
Additionally Di Canio has ‘bolstered’ their defence with the services of Dossena, another curious addition to a squad that has QPR written all over it.
The final day would not have been complete without activity from everyone’s favourite nomad, Peter Odemwingie. At least this time his move to Cardiff was not purely engineered in the recesses of his mind.
The newly promoted side will benefit from his presence, but beware; if they let him out of their sight for a moment he could be making an inexplicable move to Swansea.
t least now football scribes can quiet their unbridled speculation and focus purely on the matches on the field as opposed to the ones off of it.
Written by Damien Kayat for @Hollywoodbets and the Hollywoodbets Sports Blog
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