It would have been hard for today's transfer deadline day to match perhaps the most exciting transfer deadline ever, that of last August. Despite this, there was considerable hype surrounding a number of players as the day began. Rumors (my favorite part of deadline day) had moves for anyone from Drogba to Gudjohnsen in store, and while those particular ones turned out to be false, the day as a whole did not disappoint. For those of you who were unable to follow the action today, here is a quick recap courtesy of the BBC:
In: Chelsea (Quaresma), Everton (Jo), Fulham (Dacourt, Gray), Newcastle (Taylor), Portsmouth (Basinas), Stoke (Camara), Sunderland (Davenport), Tottenham (Keane), West Brom (Menseguez, Mulumbu), Wigan (N'Zogbia)
Out: Chelsea (Smith, Tejera), Fulham (Leijer,Teymourian), Liverpool (Gulacsi, Hamill, Keane), Man City (Jo), Man Utd (Chester), Newcastle (N'Zogbia), Portsmouth (Hyland), Sunderland (Chopra), Tottenham (Pekhart), West Ham (Davenport), Wigan (Camara, Taylor)
By far the most intriguing is the transfer of Republic of Ireland striker Robbie Keane back to Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs kindly allowed Keane to pursue his dream of playing for Liverpool when they sold him for around £18 million over the summer. After something of a falling out with Reds boss (and likely madman) Rafa Benitez, Keane was today re-purchased by Spurs for a mere £12 million, in a 6-month episode that equates to a £6 million, half-season loan spell at Anfield. Indeed, Keane did struggle initially following his move to Liverpool, as anyone with a megamillion pound price tag might, but the Republic captain seemed to be finding his form when Benitez started making some very strange selection decisions. After benching red-hot Robbie in favor of a 3-man central midfield or playing Dirk Kuyt up front, Rafa recently left Keane out of the squad entirely for matches against Everton and Chelsea. Rumors that Benitez only signed Keane in the summer after he failed to sign Aston Villa midfielder Gareth Barry only intensified an already heated situation. To be fair to Rafa, Keane had scored only 7 goals in 28 appearances for the club, but to purchase a player for £18 million and then refuse to play him when he finds his form simply makes no sense. For me this is only further proof that Benitez is indeed losing the plot (recall his war of words with Sir Alex a few weeks back). From a Robbie Keane perspective, the move back to White Hart Lane makes perfect sense. He clearly didn't feel comfortable at Liverpool, and where better to return to than the loyal support of his former club, where he enjoyed much success during his first spell.
The second transfer that I would like to discuss is that of Ricardo Quaresma to Chelsea. The deal is a loan deal that will last until the end of the season. Quaresma is another player who was finding opportunities hard to come by at his club, and the move to Stamford Bridge seems to suit him well. Quaresma will play under his former Portuguese national team coach, Luis Felipe Scolari, and could bring some life to an increasingly stagnant Chelsea front line. French import Flourent Malouda has been a sheer disappointment this season, and I would not be surprised if Quaresma replaces Malouda in the Chelsea starting line up. The former Porto winger will also bring a dimension that the Chelsea attack does not seem to have right now, which is a player who can run at defenders and beat them one-on-one. Having lost trickster Joe Cole for the season, I am sure Scolari will encourage Quaresma to mix things up a little, and you can expect to see some highlight-worthy moments from a man who has produced many in the past. Perhaps the greatest knock against Quaresma, and the reason he had struggled to penetrate the Inter first 11, is his inconsistency. Typical of a player who likes to run at guys, Quaresma was often both the best and the sometimes the worst player on the field during his famed Porto days. In order to have a real impact at Chelsea, he will have to be more disciplined in his play and find some sort of consistency.
Finally, the loan transfer of Brazilian striker Jo from Manchester City to Everton will also be an interesting one to follow. Jo, like the two players mentioned above, had struggled to cement his starting spot with a new club. City, who paid £18 million for the hit man over the summer, boast a front line that includes Robinho, Stephen Ireland, Darius Vassell, Benjani and now Craig Bellamy. Jo scored a meager 3 goals in 13 games during his brief first spell at City, but despite this he must have been an attractive target for Everton, who have been plagued by injuries to their forwards. Injuries to Saha, Yakubu and Anichebe have seen them forced to play midfielders Marouane Fellaini and Tim Cahill up top. They will welcome a talented striker, albeit one who is yet to prove himself in the Premier League. Everton have a solid supporting cast that includes Steven Pienaar and Mikel Arteta, and I can easily see Jo flourishing with his new club. This is also a smart move on City's part, as they have an abundance of quality up front, and regular first-team action will perhaps help Jo to become more accustomed to the physical style of the EPL.
One very final note regarding a potentially impending transfer. Due to heavy snow throughout Britain, the FA decided to extend the transfer deadline provided clubs can prove that the weather has in some way delayed a tranfer. Russian superstar Andrei Arshavin spend the day in London today trying to finalize a deal that would see him move from Zenit St. Petersburg to Arsenal. After many conflicting reports throughout the day, Fishinho's Football Corner can report with confidence that Arshavin's agent claims a deal is in place, but since it was finalized after the official transfer deadline, the deal must be approved by the FA via the rule I just explained. Seeing as the Premier League has never been one to deny incoming talent (talent=marketing=more money for the league), don't be alarmed to see the league cook up some fantastic excuse for the lateness relating to the English weather. Who could deny that Arshavin's car got stuck in the snow for 12 hours as he was driven from Heathrow Airport this morning to the Arsenal offices to sign the deal late tonight?
