London: Everton's bankers. Rory Delap. And, of course, sales of Jammie Dodgers. But who else benefited from the transfer window? A true assessment can be made now it's closed. The players themselves are analysing. One of the Premier League's top foreigners was at Manchester airport at 6am on Thursday and, despite his early flight, had stayed up to watch the drama unfold.
"What are Stoke going to do with all the strikers?" he asked, bleary-eyed. "And KeeePierre."
"QPR?"
"Yes, QPierre. They have a lot of money?"
If, Sergio Aguero and Juan Mata apart, the window was light on mega-money arrivals from abroad, there was an unprecedented number of big deals involving players moving between Premier League clubs and a complete redrawing of squad lists. Even Wigan, one of the least active, had 11 comings and goings, including loans.
Arsenal moved 31 players in and out (loans included) and released Jens Lehmann and Tom Cruise as Arsene Wenger departed from his policy of squad evolution. Arsenal fans were relieved and rejuvenated, seeing their manager at last spend some money, with Mikel Arteta, Per Mertesacker, Andre Santos, Park Chu-Young and Yossi Benayoun arriving, for a total of £26 million plus add-ons, after the 8-2 apocalypse at Old Trafford. "I'm off to bed a happy Gooner!" tweeted Jack Wilshere, who revealed he spent deadline day watching the television while munching Jammie Dodgers.
Yet, Arsenal's transfer business looks good only in the context of where they were at the start of the week. Compared with where they were at the start of the window, Wenger's squad is diminished. Joey Barton's Twitter verdict: "Nasri and fabregas [sic] replaced with Benayoun and Arteta?? I wouldn't have done that on FM2010 [a football management computer game]." Joey has his perceptive moments.
Arteta is a very good player, clever tactically, cultured technically, feistier than Wenger's other creative players, except Wilshere. Injuries and age reduced his value but Everton accepted £10 million because of pressure to cut their overdraft rather than any loss of faith by David Moyes in the player.
Arsenal weaker
But Arteta (29, no Spain caps) is no Fabregas (58 Spain caps by age 24). Benayoun is clearly no Samir Nasri. Arsenal's first XI are weaker than last season, and they weren't quite good enough then. Most of Wenger's signings represent squad tinkering. Park looks a straight replacement for Nicklas Bendtner. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will develop, but for now he merely takes over on the bench from Carlos Vela. Carl Jenkinson may be worse than Emmanuel Eboue. Is Santos better than Gael Clichy? He comes with some pedigree — 22 Brazil caps — but at Fenerbahce there were concerns over his waistline.
Mertesacker and Gervinho offer Wenger the best chance of progress. Mertesacker's height will help at set-pieces and his experience will aid a flaky rearguard but he is not the centre-half Wenger spent 12 months tracking. That was Phil Jones. Wenger also bid for Phil Jagielka and Gary Cahill before turning to Mertesacker. Throughout his career there have been doubts about the German's pace and these are shared by some of Wenger's scouts. Their performance has been questioned, but the scouts supplied an excellent list of players, including Mata and Santi Cazorla. Both wanted to go to Arsenal before moves to Chelsea and Malaga, but Wenger dallied in tabling bids.
Liverpool are the Premier League club who used the summer window best. Jordan Henderson may never justify his £16 million fee but Stewart Downing is the reliable winger Liverpool have lacked and Charlie Adam, even without his passing and scoring, is a much-needed set-piece expert.
Craig Bellamy brings something else Liverpool lacked, pace, as well as goals and class. For all his reputation, he was generally popular in the dressing room during his previous spell at Anfield and Dalglish, aided by Steve Clarke, who had Bellamy at West Ham, will be confident of managing him and can use him in various formations. The giant Sebastian Coates, young player of the Copa America, seems worth a punt at £7 million and Jose Enrique satisfies another long-term need, a left-back.
The Manchester clubs, doing the bulk of their business early, bought brilliantly, though only time will tell with David de Gea. Tottenham made a shrewd investment in £5 million Scott Parker but, while keeping Luka Modric, offloaded seven experienced internationals, reducing their squad's depth. Whether it was a good window depends on a return from Mr-Not-Exactly-Reliable, Emmanuel Adebayor. Mata and Romelu Lukaku refreshed Chelsea and Raul Meireles, at £12 million, seemed a steal but, with Modric eluding him, the window closed without Andre Villas-Boas getting the world-class creator he had sought.
Transfers league-wide
The most striking thing is how much strengthening has taken place across the league. The three promoted clubs invested differently but well. Three clubs threatened by relegation last season made outstanding bargain signings: West Brom (Shane Long), Wolves (Roger Johnson) and Blackburn (Scott Dann).
Newcastle and Sunderland did a lot of business but, still, neither looks a top-eight team. Stoke, in contrast, seem set to continue their season-by-season ascent with Cameron Jerome, Wilson Palacios, Matthew Upson, Jonathan Woodgate and Peter Crouch. Tony Pulis now has almost enough strikers for an entire row of the club's squad photograph, but Delap is happy. He must have waited his whole career to hurl those missiles at somebody as tall as Crouch.
