That was the transfer deadline day that was!

It was a breathless transfer deadline day. There is no doubt that the biggest transfer and the biggest news was that Berbatov went to United not City or Real Madrid or anyone else. No it wasn’t, the biggest news was the remarkable happenings down the road at City as they made a bid for everyone and succeeded in capturing Robinho from Madrid.

Actually the most interesting thing was that something actually happened. Deadline day is normally a massive anti-climax but this one wasn’t.

The scariest thing about the whole night was that Roman Abramovich was ‘out-bidded’ for a player. That is scary for the rest of the Premier League. If anyone thought there was too much money in football, well I suspect we haven’t seen anything yet…

Dimitar Berbatov from Tottenham to Manchester United. This transfer saga would make a decent script for a film. It had everything. Lies, intrigue, red herrings, suspense and excitement, yet in the end it all turned out the way we all knew it would in the first place. The Manchester City bid made it interesting for a while but once it became clear that Berbatov was one of about eight strikers they had made an audacious bid for, it seemed less likely.

Frazier Campbell has gone from United to Tottenham on a season long loan. That will be a big blow to Hull City who were so keen to have him back to help them get the goals they will need to stay in the Premier League.

Robinho from Real Madrid to Manchester City. I can honestly say that I never expected to write those last few words together in one sentence before! We all laughed at the idea of Ronaldinho going to the City of Manchester stadium over the Summer, but this move is only a little less unlikely. It is a great coup for Manchester City, but with the money they now have and the calibre of player they are looking at, success is a must, the new board and the fans, will not accept anything less.

Let’s look at some of the other notable moves that went ahead;

Michael Owen was reportedly seen in every town in England as speculation about his imminent departure from Newcastle built up into a frenzy. Unless I’ve missed something they must have all been wrong!

Marouane Fellaini from Standard Liege to Everton. Everton fans will be pleased that another player was signed as they wouldn’t have wanted Carlo Nash to be a talking point! I don’t know much about this twenty year old midfielder but I do know he is highly rated.

Louis Saha from Manchester United to Everton. This could be a good signing for Everton as I vaguely remember that Saha used to be pretty good. He was an excellent finisher and had pace to burn. The trouble is that in his four years at Old Trafford he has rarely been fit enough to play three games in a row. If Everton can get and keep him fit this could be the buy of the day. It is however, a very big if.

Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Gonzalez from Valencia to Newcastle on a season long loan. He has only just signed for Valencia on a four year deal but has been immediately loaned out. This often happens with youngsters when they are loaned out to smaller clubs to gain first team experience. The twenty-six year old midfielder can hardly be classed as a youngster and Newcastle fans might just object to be referred to as a smaller club than Valencia. Very strange, but could be good business by King Kev.

Xisco from Deportivo La Coruna to Newcastle. Twenty-two year old striker who spent last season on loan in the Spanish second division. Another player I know little about but this could be a masterstroke by the Magpies. Whilst everyone else was worrying about Berbatov, Robinho, Villa, etc, they have taken this lad who might be a star. It is a chance to see if the background work being done by the likes of Dennis Wise at the club is starting to pay off.

Roman Pavlyuchenko from Spartak Moscow to Tottenham. No big surprise with this one. It has been crystal clear that Tottenham have been crying out for a striker to partner Darren Bent. They hadn’t replaced Robbie Keane or Jermaine Defoe and Dimitar Berbatov was no longer in the equation. Whether Pavlyuchenko is the answer remains to be seen, but he must be an improvement on what the Tottenham fans have seen so far.

Vedran Corluka from Manchester City to Tottenham. This move was always on the cards and with Manchester City suddenly becoming a team who can buy anyone they want, the transfer was a foregone conclusion. Decent player. Decent signing.

Andriy Voronin from Liverpool to Hertha Berlin on season long loan. How the Liverpool fans will miss the silky skills of Voronin…no, sorry, I couldn’t keep a straight face.

Steve Finnan from Liverpool to Espanyol. I’ve always liked Steve Finnan who is a whole hearted player and I felt was sometimes unfairly left out of the Liverpool side. He will do well in Spain.

Albert Riera from Espanyol to Liverpool. The move was expected. The only question is why would Rafa want to buy another wide player? He’s got plenty but never plays any of them!

Two unknown eighteen year olds to Liverpool. Brazilian, Vito Flora on a free transfer from Botafogo. Could be a star of the future maybe? Who knows? Hungarian goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi. He spent last season on-loan in the reserves at Anfield and joins from MTK Hungaria. Another one for the future. What about the present Rafa?