Wolfsburg hailed the signing of Andre Schurrle by using the world “weltmeister”. The winger is indeed a world champion. He was also a substitute at Stamford Bridge, making the £24 million (Dh132.8m) Chelsea banked for him (£6m of it in profit) all the more impressive.
Yet it was not a surprise. Over the past 13 months, Chelsea have brought in £157m for five players. The common denominator is that none of Juan Mata, Kevin de Bruyne, David Luiz, Romelu Lukaku and Schurrle figured in Jose Mourinho’s preferred starting XI. Neither did other departures such as Demba Ba and Ryan Bertrand.
They enable Chelsea to spend while balancing the books and it is notable the arrivals of their top scorer, Diego Costa, and most creative player, Cesc Fabregas, were funded by those sales.
So, too, the purchase of Kurt Zouma, who looks a defender of huge potential, and their £23.3m acquisition, Juan Cuadrado.
Manchester United keep their powder dry
Manchester United may have amused and bemused in equal measure by signing Bolton left-back Andy Kellett, a veteran of one Championship start, on loan, but the more significant element was what they did not do. Youngsters Sadiq El Fitouri and Kellett arrived along with Victor Valdes, the most decorated back-up goalkeeper in the business, but they did not spend.
Having paid out a club record £152m in last summer’s market, United have the funds to invest as heavily again. It is safe to say a central defender, a right-back and a midfielder will be on the agenda in the summer, along with an attacker of some variety.
What their reluctance to buy now has shown is that they did not panic and sign players they did not really want, and that they have confidence their current squad will finish in the top four.
Having spent so much already, there is no excuse not to.
Crystal Palace show their ambition
When Tony Pulis left Crystal Palace, three months after being named the Premier League’s Manager of the Year, a lack of funds seemed a reason.
Palace were conscious they were in administration as recently as 2010. They planned to stay up on a budget.
A few months later, there seems to have been a change of strategy. Palace invested in a manager, taking Alan Pardew from Newcastle, and brought in six senior players. While Yaya Sanogo came on loan and Shola Ameobi on a free transfer, the fees paid for Pape Souare, Jordon Mutch, Wilfried Zaha and Lee Chung-yong made Palace the biggest spenders in the bottom half of the league.
But they also look well positioned to stay up, aided by Pardew’s fine start, and, by recruiting strikers and a left-back, addressed the shortcomings in their squad.
Villa look desperate, Lambert looks loyal
Perhaps Brendan Rodgers can explain his volte face when, within the space of a few hours, he insisted no one was leaving Liverpool and then allowed Rickie Lambert to join Aston Villa. As it was, the striker rejected the move. While some seem greedy or unambitious for settling for life on the bench instead of first-team football, it is worth remembering that this is a player who was released by his beloved Liverpool at 15 and returned at 32.
He was not willing to abandon his dream after half a season. But the willingness of Villa to pay £5m for a player who turns 33 soon shows just how dire their situation is.
They have only scored 11 league goals all season and, while Valencia winger Carles Gil has added flair, it was understandable they wanted another goalscorer.
It is also logical that Lambert should stay loyal to Liverpool.
Pity poor Burnley
The league table shows Burnley are in a group of relegation-threatened teams. Financially they are in a league of their own. Deadline day underlined how small their budget is.
Sean Dyche wanted West Bromwich Albion midfielder Graham Dorrans, but he moved to Championship side Norwich City instead. Another midfielder, Henri Lansbury, could not be prised from a mid-table, second-tier club in Nottingham Forest.
None merit as much sympathy as Burnley. If they stay up, they will have done it the hard way.
Juan Cuadrado, Chelsea, £23.3 million
Jose Mourinho has a history of getting major deals right, as Nemanja Matic, Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas show. That bodes well for Cuadrado. The winger’s terrific World Cup and habit of creating goals for Fiorentina are also auspicious. Certainly Mourinho prefers the Colombian to the sold Andre Schurrle. Perhaps he will be charged with being a more creative version of Willian, offering similar amounts of industry, but more incision.
Ryan Bertrand, Southampton, £10 million
A success of the try-before-you-buy policy. Left-back Bertrand has been outstanding on loan for Southampton, bringing pace, adventure and defensive reliability, much as Nathaniel Clyne has done on the other flank. The one concern is that his long-term deal may stand in the way of the highly rated teenager Matt Targett but Southampton’s recent record in the transfer market is excellent. Getting such a fee for an unwanted player represents good business for Chelsea, too.
Aaron Lennon, Everton, loan
The breakout teenage talent of England’s 2006 World Cup campaign may not have fully realised his potential, and there is little doubt Lennon has been poor over the past year. But he is still only 27, still possesses pace and may have needed a change of scenery after 10 years and 365 games for Tottenham. Roberto Martinez has a habit of conjuring the best from attacking talents. Lennon provides another test of his managerial ability.
Darren Fletcher, West Bromwich Albion, free transfer
There is understandable sadness that Fletcher’s 20-year association with Manchester United has come to an end and it is pleasing to see that his service to the club was recognised as they allowed him to depart on a free transfer. While his wages could be substantial, he should be an astute signing for West Brom, bringing nous to the midfield in their relegation battle. Tony Pulis’s team are looking more streetwise already.
Delle Alli, Tottenham Hotspur, £5 million
Not all deadline-day moves are products of short termism. Tottenham won the race to sign MK Dons’ teenage prodigy Delle Alli and promptly loaned him back to the League One promotion contenders for the rest of the season. There are reasons to be excited about his eventual arrival at White Hart Lane. Alli has scored 12 goals already this season and Mauricio Pochettino has a fine record of improving young players.
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