Loans in droves on deadline day
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With the transfer window slamming shut across most of Europe yesterday, including the ‘big five’ leagues of England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, there was a flurry of activity on deadline day, and the weekend building up to it. A common theme in the month leading up to the final day was the use of the loan system, with many players making temporary switches to suit both sides. The English Premier League saw the most money spent, with teams outside of the established elite flexing their financial muscles to either consolidate their place in the top half of the division, or attempt to climb away from relegation danger. FIFA.com takes a look at the standout deals from the final weekend of the transfer window, and the biggest moves on deadline day.
Chelsea join the partyLast season’s English champions finally entered the market in the closing days of the window, with the long-anticipated loan signing of 2006 FIFA Club World Cup and 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup winnerAlexandre Pato added to by the rather unexpected arrival of Matt Miazga from New York Red Bulls. The latter, a central defender, sealed his switch on the same weekend that the club’s most decorated player John Terry announced he would be leaving Stamford Bridge at the end of the season. The rest of the business in England ahead of deadline day also came from teams, like Chelsea, in the bottom half of the league.
Patrick Bamford moved from the Blues to Norwich on loan, after calling time on his temporary switch to Crystal Palace. Sunderland made Bordeaux’s Tunisian schemer Wahbi Khazri their fifth signing of the winter window, while Brazilian enforcer Sandro joined West Bromwich Albion on loan from second-tier side Queens Park Rangers. Alberto Paloschi became Swansea City’s big money move of the window while, further up the table, Watford also looked to Italy, specifically Fiorentina, for midfield reinforcements, bringing in former Atletico Madrid man Mario Suarez. West Ham United looked to consolidate their heady position in the top six by bolstering their attack with the loan addition of Nigeria frontman Emmanuel Emenike.
Samp signings and send-offsOver in Italy, Inter Milan also strengthened their frontline by bringing in Eder on loan from Sampdoria with la Samp fairly busy in the closing days of the window. As well as the Italian forward’s departure, the Genoa-based outfit brought in midfielder Jacopo Sala on loan from Verona and central defender Milan Skriniar from MSK Zilina, to replace the Roma-bound Ervin Zukanovic, who moved to the capital until the end of the season.
Bordeaux buy after saying goodbyeIn the build-up to deadline day, Les Girondins looked to placate their concerned supporters after the departure of Henri Saivet to Newcastle and the aforementioned Khazri to Sunderland, by spending some of the money recouped. They looked to South America for replacements, bringing in Malcom, who starred at the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup for Brazil, from Corinthians and Mauro Arambarri (who also featured at New Zealand 2015) from Uruguay’s Defensor to strengthen their midfield. Elsewhere, 2013 U-20 World Cup winner Florian Thauvin returned to Marseille on loan after an unhappy six months at Newcastle.
Germany and Spain remain calmThe weekend leading up to deadline day saw relative quiet in Spain and Germany, with Valencia’s head coach Gary Neville moving to bring in Guilherme Siqueira from Atletico Madrid on loan while shifting out Lucas Orban to Levante on a temporary deal. Bruno Henrique will be hoping to emulate countryman Grafite’s goalscoring exploits at Wolfsburg, after joining from Goias in the most notable move of the weekend in Germany.
Loans on the deadlineAs ever, there was plenty of excitement from hopeful supporters ahead of deadline day, with rumours swirling around social media about potential moves. In the end, the biggest deal of the day saw Giannelli Imbula complete a club record transfer to Stoke City from Porto with the Belgian-born midfielder one of just a handful of permanent deals concluded on the day. Oumar Niasse (to Everton from Lokomotiv Moscow) and Abdoulaye Doucoure (to Watford from Rennes) also made permanent switches, with Seydou Doumbia arriving at Newcastle from Roma on loan and QPR’s Leroy Fer bolstering Swansea’s midfield until the end of the season.
France was the go-to destination for those departing England on loan on Monday, with Mathieu Debuchy (to Bordeaux, from Arsenal), Steven Fletcher (to Marseille, from Sunderland) and Eder (to Lille, from Swansea) all making the short hop across the English Channel. Also moving away fromEngland was Yohan Benalouane (to Fiorentina, from Leicester City), who was one of a number of deals concluded on a frenetic final day of the window in Italy.
Greek attacking midfielder Panagiotis Kone joined the former Fox in Florence, joining on loan from Udinese, while there were also temporary moves for Argentinian winger Diego Perotti (to Roma, from Genoa) and frontmen Tim Matavz (to Genoa, from Augsburg) and Fabio Quagliarella (to Sampdoria, from Torino). Modibo Diakite joined the latter at Samp, in a permanent deal from Frosinone, withAndrija Balic (to Udinese, from Hajduk Split) one of the day’s rarer permanent, fee-paying transfers concluded.
Temporary switches in Spain and GermanyIt was all about the loans in La Liga and the Bundesliga too, with Denis Cheryshev (to Valencia, from Real Madrid) and Martin Montoya (to Real Betis, from Barcelona) two of the more high profile switches across the Iberian Peninsula. The last signing of Spaniard Pep Guardiola’s reign at Bayern Munich – with the Catalan’s confirmed switch to Manchester City the biggest story on deadline day - was Serdar Tasci, on loan from Spartak Moscow. The German central defender was joined in the Bundesliga by fellow imports Alfred Finnbogason (to Augsburg from Sevilla) and 2015 U-20 World Cup winner Milos Veljkovic (to Werder Bremen from Tottenham).
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