All the nonsense is over, transfer deadline day had come and gone and Sky Sports News can calm down for the foreseeable future, well until late January 2012, when they can get carried away with mass hysteria again.
It was unbelievable though, some of the people waiting outside the grounds of their clubs at 11 O’Clock at night and onwards for news of signings must surely need their heads examining. Anyway, here is my views on some of the major deals that went through and some of the players who didn’t get their moves…….
Scott Parker looks good business for West Ham, £5M for a bloke of his age and no sell on potential represents good value for money. With Tom Huddlestone already at Spurs, is he really what they needed?
Arsene Wenger also went down this unusual route as well with the £10M signing of Mikel Arteta, Arteta is 29 now and will almost certainly have no sell on value. The sort of player that should suit Arsenal, but an amazing signing given Wenger’s recent track record.
A few weeks back I’d have given QPR no chance of staying up, but with signings like Joey Barton, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Anton Ferdinand they have given themselves vital premier league experience and a more than fighting chance of survival.
Everton signed an Argentinian forward by the name of Denis Stracqualurs, South Americans have a track record of not hitting the ground running in England. So in letting Yakubu and Beckford go, is David Moyes taking a big risk in the striking department?
Although Everton lost Arteta, on a positive note they managed to keep Phil Jagielka, Leighton Baines and Jack Rodwell. They should be comfortable this season, but will other big names start to wonder just where their careers are going (or not going) at the club soon?
It could be a bit of a master stroke for Sunderland though, Steve Bruce knows Bendtner from their time together at Birmingham and he strikes me as the sort of bloke who will do a decent job if he plays every week, as opposed to his time at Arsenal, where he was in and out of the side every week.
As for Bentley, I wonder if the penny is ever going to drop for this bloke. He seems happy to make a living out of football while doing nothing. He has been in England squads previously, but doesn’t seem remotely interested these days from what I can see.
If ever there was a player that fitted the Arsenal profile, it was surely Cahill. Technically gifted, comfortable on the ball, surely he has all the attributes that Arsene Wenger looks for in his signings. Maybe Wenger will go back in for him in January and offer £500,000 and a couple of jelly beans.