Well, there were rumors abound throughout Deadline Day yesterday, but many (if not most) of those rumors remained just that. With that said, there were still several moves that could impact the league table by the season's end. Let's take a look at some of the biggest transfers from the last couple of days:
Deadline Day Winners: Spurs
Image courtesy of metro.co.uk
Several clubs did well late in the transfer window, but it was the efforts of Tottenham that stuck out to me the most. After somewhat dragging their feet early on in the transfer window, Spurs finally made their moves yesterday, and did some EXCELLENT business along the way. Given his history with Antonio Conte, it looked almost certain that Fernando Llorente would go to Chelsea, at least according to former Newcastle keeper and current pundit Shay Given. However, it was not the Blues, but the Spurs who managed to land the Spaniard, and for a major bargain as well; £12 million for a player who scored 15 goals last season is an absolute steal! The signing of Serge Aurier from PSG was also a major success for Spurs, especially considering his relatively low fee of £23 million. Aurier provides Spurs with an younger, yet still elite replacement for Kyle Walker. Honestly, I think Aurier is better than Walker, and given the cost of other backs like Walker, Victor Lindelof, and Davide Zappacosta (see below), you could argue that Aurier was bought for a bargain, too!
Factor in the recent additions of young defenders Davinson Sanchez and Juan Foyth, and you'd have to consider this window a major success for Mauricio Pochettino.
Coup of the Window: Renato Sanches to Swansea
Image courtesy of The Daily Star
Every transfer window there seems to be at least one massive surprise, and in this case, it was Swansea landing Bayern starlet Renato Sanches. Granted, it is just a loan with no option to buy after the loan is over (yet), but for a club pegged by many to be headed for relegation, this was an incredible move. No doubt, Paul Clement's time as an assistant at Bayern was a factor in this deal, and with the addition of Sanches, Clement and the Swans have bolstered their midfield to account for the loss of Gylfi Sigurdsson. The Welsh club also managed to replace the departed Llorente with Wilfried Bony, who scored 35 goals in 70 appearances in his first stint with the Swans. That's a pretty successful window if you ask me!
Some other notable transfers from this week:
Davide Zappacosta and Danny Drinkwater to Chelsea
Image courtesy of metro.co.uk
Interesting bit of business here for the Blues. I like the Zappacosta move, strengthening a back line that has looked a bit shaky thus far this season. Something fun to keep in mind regarding Zappacosta: he's another back that signed for Chelsea from the Serie A on Deadline Day, following Marcos Alonso's transfer last summer. Potentially a good sign for any superstitious Blues supporters!
As for the Drinkwater move, I'm a little perplexed by this one on both sides of the deal. Yes, Chelsea lost Matić, but they also have young guns in their holding midfield slots in N'Golo Kante and Tiémoué Bakayoko, plus David Luiz who can also slide into that position. I get the idea of having both competition for spots and depth at all positions, but it still seems a bit odd. From Drinkwater's perspective, of course the idea of moving to a massive club like Chelsea is hard to resist, but as a professional footballer, wouldn't consistent playing time be more important? But hey, what do I know? Maybe Drinkwater will be able to work his way into the starting XI for Chelsea, and the move will work out after all!
Side note: missing out on Ross Barkley, Llorente and Oxlade-Chamberlain (see below) were all blows to Chelsea's plans.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to Liverpool
Great, GREAT move for the Reds. £35 million (or even 40, if it ends up being that) could be considered a bargain for a versatile, dedicated 24-year-old player like Ox. I truly believe he's been one of a few bright spots for Arsenal so far this year, one of the players who has done whatever has been asked of him, including playing as a fullback. Frankly, I don't think Arsenal should have sold him at all, and Aaron Ramsey appeared to agree with that sentiment. Either way, Liverpool picked up a player who will work hard for his teammates and manager, in addition to keeping Coutinho and snagging Mo Salah, and can certainly consider this a successful transfer window.
Speaking of Arsenal...
Image courtesy of Fox Sports
They HAVE to be considered the losers of this transfer window, at least of the major English clubs. Sure, they kept an uninterested Alexis Sanchez, but now they have less than a year and one more transfer saga to either get Sanchez to sign a new contract, sell him(likely for a reduced fee), or let him go on a free next summer. Additionally, the club failed to sign top target Thomas Lemar from Monaco, adding to the growing resentment among the club's players (see the link to Ramsey's statements above) and supporters. It could be another long season for Arsène Wenger & Co.
Success, defeat, drama, even romance (again, see Aaron Ramsey's comments above); the Premier League transfer Deadline Day has it all, and this one was no different! Looking forward to seeing how these changes play out!
Thanks for reading!