Deadline day: Relive and re-love the actual late drama

Joe Williams

Well that was a journey, wasn’t it? You can relive it all in our transfer deadline day blog below. And check out all the completed deals here.

 

00:20: Shall we call it a night?

Definitely. Crystal Palace have announced the loan signing of Batshuayi, and Fulham have completed a surprise late deal for Markovic. Why they couldn’t have done this all about an hour and a half earlier, we’ll never know. But with that, we bid you the very goodest of nights.

 

00:00: Hold on a second…

I was just about to close the laptop and call time on this eventually entertaining transfer deadline day. Then Paul Joyce pops up with an absolute beauty.

The man from The Times says the other deal sheet handed in to the Premier League before the 11pm UK deadline was from Fulham… for Lazar Markovic.

The deal is permanent, much like my headache when I’m up in six hours.

 

23:58: Hallelujah

We are almost there. One

of the few naysayers with regards to Michy’s Crystal Palace move was the beautiful David Ornstein, but even he says the deal is now ‘virtually done’.

Still no sign of what this other deal sheet was. Sky Sports have been investigating for about an hour. Is Kaveh Solhekol alright?

 

23:51: Still no Michy…

But there is a brilliant update on Fulham’s pursuit of Youssouf Sabaly. Sky Sports say they met the right-back’s £12m release clause and were confident of pushing a deal through before the deadline. The player even underwent a successful medical.

The problem Bordeaux were playing silly beggars, and did not respond to any emails or phone calls from the Premier League side.

Fulham have not lodged a deal sheet, and so the move will go no further. But yer man will probably have something to say about his employers breaching part of his contract. Not sure you can do that, lads.

 

23:33: Flagging now

Credit to Fulham for trying to keep things interesting, but Stefan Johansen to West Brom on loan just ain’t it, chief. Where is a) Batshuayi and b) this other deal sheet?

 

23:13…

KAVEH SOLHEKOL SAYS THE PREMIER LEAGUE HAVE RECEIVED TWO DEAL SHEETS OH GOOD LORD ONE OF THEM IS FOR MICHY BATSHUAYI BUT NO IDEA WHAT THE OTHER ONE IS KAVEH SOLHEKOL SAYS THEY ARE INVESTIGATING YAAAAAAAAAS.

 

23:09: HUGE NEWS

“The deal sheet is IN” is the news from Michael Bridge, the Sky Sports reporter diligently waiting for updates at Selhurst Park. So Crystal Palace now have until 1am to get the Michy Batshuayi loan sorted.

Elsewhere, Yannick Bolasie has joined Anderlecht on loan with no option to buy in the summer. Ooft.

 

23:02: Right then

The window is closed but, as we know, that means pretty much nothing with those fabled deal sheets still existing for no real reason. Everyone’s had a f***ing month to sort their sh*t out; why not give them another hour, eh?

Sake.

Anyway, everything has gone relatively quiet on the Batshuayi trail, but big Sven Claes is here to settle our nerves.

 

22:59: Looney Toon

Jacob Murphy (West Brom), Rolando Aarons and Achraf Lazaar (both Sheffield Wednesday) have left Newcastle. There are two minutes left. Sam Allardyce is ranting about fax machines on Sky Sports News. Jim White has just led a round of applause for the closure of the window. What a weird thing to do.

 

22:52: Checkmate

Leicester have sent the Queen’s best mate Andy King on loan to Derby. Not quite Michy Batshuayi is it?

 

22:48: Gime, Gime, Gime

Everton have sent David Unsworth’s best mate Beni Baningime on loan to Wigan. Not quite Michy Batshuayi is it?

 

22:44: United we fall

While we wait for news of Michy Batshuayi’s whereabouts, why not read about Manchester United loaning out all their players? How fun.

 

22:31: More Michy

It really is just about Batshuayi from here. Most outlets are saying that all parties involved are trying to push the deal through. But David Ornstein says it is ’50-50′ at this stage. And we would believe him if he said the Earth was flat and God was real.

 

22:08 Havard graduates

Oh yeah, Fulham were signing some players still. Havard Nordtveit is in to boost their survival hopes on loan from Hoffenheim.

Sky Sports News are teasing ‘one more’ signing at Craven Cottage before the deadline. Of course they are.

 

21:51: WELL THEN

With just over an hour left, it’s pretty much all abut Michy Batshauayi and nothing else. Pedro Chirivella has left Liverpool, Vincent Janssen won’t be leaving Tottenham, and Everton are holding firm over Idrissa Gueye.

The absolute latest on Batshuayi can be found here. Cheers for saving deadline day, fella.

 

21:37: REVEALED

It’s Crystal Palace. It’s always Crystal bloody Palace. Out of absolutely nowhere.

 

21:27: Oh my…

It’s another Batshuayi update, but this one is a biggie: Sky sources say ‘a Premier League club’ have agreed personal terms with the Belgian.

We thought it was only Chinese Super League sides who went unnamed when it came to transfers?

 

21:24: Merseyside murmurs

It seems that Ben Woodburn is staying at Liverpool after his proposed loan move to Hull did not come to fruition. Pedro Chirivella will be off on loan to Extremadura, however.

But the big news comes from Everton, who have apparently received another PSG bid for Idrissa Gueye. £26.1m still won’t do, certainly not at this hour.

 

21:08: Spurred on

This Michy Batshuayi nonsense just won’t go away, will it?

The Daily Mirror bring us the inside information on what they describe as ‘staggering’, ‘exorbitant’ demands made by Chelsea to Tottenham for the Belgian striker.

The two clubs have never got on but Chelsea are apparently ‘continuing the feud’ by asking for an £8m loan fee, having requested just £2m from West Ham and Real Betis – clubs they are not in literal direct competition with in terms of Champions League qualification and trophies.

One thing is for certain from here: he’s not heading to Wembley. The Batshuayi’s representatives are still looking for another potential suitor, with Ed Malyon of The Independent confirming that his loan spell with Valencia has been cut short.

 

21:00: Two hours left…

…so get a sodding move on, folks.

Let’s revisit that Sky Sports potential deals thing from earlier, shall we?

Andy King – Leicester to Derby on loan
Youssef Sabaly (Bordeaux), Havard Nordveit (Hoffenheim), Michael Ngadeu-Ngadjui (Slavia Prague) to Fulham
Yannick Bolasie – Everton to Anderlecht on loan
Dominic Iorfa – Wolves to Sheffield Wednesday on loan
Lucas Perez – West Ham to Real Betis
Che Adams – Birmingham to Burnley
Jacob Murphy – Newcastle to West Brom on loan
Rolando Aarons and Ashraf Lazaar – Newcastle to Sheffield Wednesday on loan
Stefan Johansen – Fulham to West Brom on loan

We can barely contain our excitement. Although that might be the pasta.

 

20:42: Craven cravings

The only Premier League club who seem likely to do anything in the final hours of the January transfer window now are Fulham, and it appears as though Havard Nordtveit is the one they want.

Ian Dennis of the BBC says the West Ham legend, currently at Hoffnehim, is ‘a real possibility’ with Fulham ‘still active’. Exciting.

 

20:31: Yawn

The only interesting transfer happening right now is of this pasta bolognese bake into my goddamn mouth.

 

20:18: Everything is right with the world again

It is fairly common knowledge that if you were to take a calendar, close your eyes, rifle through it and put your finger on a random date, you will have picked a time when Lucas Piazon was on loan from Chelsea. His sixth temporary spell away from Stamford Bridge begins now with Chievo.

 

20:10: The big one

Poor Vinny J. But Tottenham have managed to offload Kazaiah Sterling to Sunderland on loan.

 

20:03: Silva lining

Youri Tielemans to Leicester and Adrien Silva to Monaco is done, sadly not 14 seconds after the deadline.

Blackpool have signed Liverpool midfielder Fabinho. No, sorry, Matty Virtue. Our mistake.

West Ham are in talks over a summer move for Celta Vigo striker Maxi Gomez. Let’s get this window out of the way first before we look forward to that, lads.

And Shinji Kagawa has joined Bestikas. How f***ing lovely.

 

19:51: King among men

Derby have tried to make up for their failure to loan Tom Huddlestone out to Italy by spicing deadline day up with a bit of Andy King. He is ‘currently travelling’ to the club’s training ground ahead of his proposed move. But it just isn’t the same.

 

19:46: Nooooooooooo

Sky Sports have just confirmed that Tom Huddlestone won’t be joining Udinese on loan from Derby this month. Not been so devastated since someone spoiled the ending of Breaking Bad.

(Walt dies.)

Through teary eyes and a broken heart we can tell you that the deal was simply struck too late. Huddlestone couldn’t get over to Italy in time for a medical and all that jazz. He is a big lad, to be fair.

 

19:31: Fat Tony

Tottenham have loaned Anthony Georgiou out to Levante. He played in that game that one time.

 

19:10: Time for an update…

Sky Sports have rather handily listed the deals that could still happen as we enter the final four hours of the January 2019 transfer window. And we have rather shamefully copied and pasted it below. Cheers, guys.

Youri Tielemans – Monaco to Leicester on loan
Adrien Silva – Leicester to Monaco on loan
Andy King – Leicester to Derby on loan
Youssef Sabaly (Bordeaux), Havard Nordveit (Hoffenheim), Michael Ngadeu-Ngadjui (Slavia Prague) to Fulham
Yannick Bolasie – Everton to Anderlecht on loan
Dominic Iorfa – Wolves to Sheffield Wednesday on loan
Ben Wilmot – Watford to Udinese on loan
Lucas Perez – West Ham to Real Betis
Che Adams – Birmingham to Burnley
Jacob Murphy – Newcastle to West Brom on loan
Rolando Aarons and Ashraf Lazaar – Newcastle to Sheffield Wednesday on loan
Stefan Johansen – Fulham to West Brom on loan

So that’s 15 deals, with Michy Batshuayi and Vincent Janssen potentially moving too. Excellent.

 

19:05: A loan at night

Pretty much the only things that seem likely to happen from here are loan deals. Newcastle have three on the go, with Jacob Murphy, Achraf Lazaar and Rolando Aarons all on the way out.

Speaking of, Manchester United have loaned Joel Pereira out to Belgian side Kortrijk. One-nil to Lee Grant, that.

In other news, Watford are sending Ben Wilmot to Udinese, according to the lovely Jack Pitt-Brooke of the Independent. It’s almost as if they have some sort of partnership with them.

 

19:01: The King is dead…

Andy King is set to join Derby on loan from Leicester, according to The Guardian’s Stuart James. He will need replacing, what with all of his Premier League minutes.

Where the heck is Youri Tielemans?

Oh, and Burnley have announced the signing of Peter Crouch. Lovely.

 

18:56: Bat caved in

Kaveh Solhekol has been lovely enough to give us some insight into Chelsea’s deadline day, much of which has surrounded the fate of one Michy Batshuayi.

The Belgian was offered to West Ham, Real Betis and even Tottenham, who ‘decided not to take that any further’.

The other two sides agreed deals in principle however, but withdrew their interest due to a combination of Batshuayi’s wage demands, Chelsea’s request of a £2m loan fee, and the player’s representatives wanting £1m in commission.

He might still go, but the odds are that he will stay at Valencia.

 

18:41: Klopp out

Liverpool fans, you can finally rest easy. Sky Sports have just revealed that Jurgen Klopp ‘has gone home for the day’. He must be knackered: blaming the snow for drawing a football match takes a lot out of you.

 

18:27: Rowe, Rowe, Rowe your etc

There it is: confirmation that Emile Smith Rowe is headed to Leipzig for the rest of the season. Those formalities have finally been formalised.

 

18:21: Farewell, sweet prince

Everton have confirmed that Cuco Martina has been recalled from his loan at Stoke and sent straight out on loan to Feyenoord. It’s an improvement in the lifestyle at the very least.

 

18:12: Rowe, Rowe, Rowe your boat

What on Earth is happening with the curiously non double barrelled Emile Smith Rowe? The German transfer deadline was at 5pm UK time, so surely he’s staying at Arsenal instead of joining Leipzig on loan?

Apparently not. Sky Sports say the deal ‘will happen’. They say that ‘necessary formalities are being formalised,’ which is just the most hilarious example of football transfer speak.

 

18:07: Loan rangers

It’s only just gone 6pm and we are already into Premier League clubs loaning out youngsters territory.

Oldham are just showing off by negotiating with two clubs at once. They bring in Zak Dearnley from Manchester United and Oladapo Afolayan from West Ham. They are both strikers. Scholesy will be happy.

 

18:02:  It’s oh so quiet…

Brighton have signed some fella called Tudor-Cristian Baluta, which sounds like one of those ‘your porn star name is your favourite English royal house, your religion of choice and your favourite made-up insult’ things.

He’s a 19-year-old midfielder anyway.

And Newcastle have loaned Josef Yarney out to Chesterfield. Poor lad.

 

17:42: Adams family

It was thought that Burnley would have to choose between big old Peter Crouch and little old Che Adams, but it seems not. With Crouch bound for Lancashire, the club are still pushing to sign Adams.

According to Rob Dorsett of Sky Sports, Birmingham have rejected a fourth Clarets bid worth £12m for the 22-year-old. They have a few hours left to respond.

 

17:37: Reece in pieces

West Ham have confirmed that Reece Oxford has gone to Augsburg. Mesut Ozil has had about four years to wriggle out of his pocket to ensure he’s not part of the move.

 

17:24: United front

Working in this line of business and being borderline autistic means one prides oneself on knowing the names of pretty much any footballer ever. Rainman can f*** off with his poxy numbers.

But then Tom Sang comes along, Manchester United loan him to AFC Fylde for the rest of the season, and nothing feels right anymore. Sake.

Liverpool loaned a fella out too. He sounds familiar, but we’re probably thinking of Scotland’s most famous son.

 

17:11: Michy do about nothing

In perhaps the least surprising news of the day, West Ham have disseminated news of their withdrawal from the Michy Batshuayi race through their media monkeys. The wages proved just too much; one drain in Andy Carroll is enough.

 

17:00: Where we stand.

Frankly, there’s not a lot happening.

Newcastle have smashed their transfer record and signed a left-back, while the Toon are working on two more deals…

Denis Suarez has joined Arsenal but he won’t be followed by Ivan Perisic, Yannick Carrasco and, most likely, no defenders. Which is just baffling

Burnley are bringing Peter Crouch back to the Premier League, which we wholeheartedly endorse. Sam Vokes is going the other way to Stoke…

Leicester are putting the finishing touches to a loan deal for Youri Tielemans….

Fulham are trying to sign a couple of defenders that you’ve never heard of…

Michy Batshuayi, or ‘£160,000-a-week Michy Batshuayi’ as he shall henceforth be known, might join West Ham or Real Betis but he definitely won’t be going to Everton.

Idrissa Gueye is having a lovely winter break in Paris, but he will be coming back to Everton after PSG failed to cough up the required fee to tempt the Toffees.

Cardiff have signed Leandro Bacuna from Reading and they are one of number of clubs in for Tottenham flop Vincent Janssen.

Neither Burnley nor Southampton are having much joy in trying to get Che Adams away from Birmingham.

Chelsea outcast Gary Cahill has turned down Fulham, Monaco and Juventus. He turned down Juve, FFS.

Reece Oxford and Emile Smith Rowe are heading on loan to Germany, but Arsenal won’t let Eddie Nketiah leave for the Bundesliga.

In the absence of any signings, Man Utd have offered their fans a contract renewal as well as the news that Marouane Fellaini is on his way.

 

16:40: Gueye abandon

Reports earlier suggested that Idrissa Gueye had travelled to Paris in the hope that PSG and Everton could reach an agreement. The Telegrapgh says he’s had a wasted journey.

PSG added almost another £5million to their opening offer of £21.5million and, quite understandably, Everton have told them to do one. So Gueye will be expected back on Merseyside sharpish.

 

16:32: Tielemans touches down

Youri Tielemans has arrived at the King Power Stadium to complete his switch from Monaco to Leicester.

Tidy business, that.

 

16:30: Bacuna becomes a Bluebird

Leandro Bacuna has joined Cardiff from Reading on a four-year deal for around £3.5million. More as we get it.

Oh no, wait, that’s all there is.

 

16:20: Never forget

Swansea winger Daniel James is having a medical at Leeds, which might the Whites’ second-most memorable contribution to January deadline day…

 

16:10: T-Hudd’s Italian job

Not Premier League related but Derby’s Tom Huddlestone is in talks with Udinese. Which is the kind of deadline day move we can all get on board with.

 

16:05 Bat-sh*t mental

Michy Batshuayi apparently wants £160,000 a week to go to West Ham or Real Betis on loan.

Two chances, fella.

 

15:55: Burnley eye Brum deal

Burnley want not one but two strikers today. Sean Dyche has spoken about why 38-year-old Peter Crouch is joining the club, while Sky Sports says the Clarets have made another offer for Birmingham forward Che Adams. Southampton had no joy earlier in their pursuit of the 22-year-old.

 

15:45: VJ Day?

Schalke are seemingly frontrunners for Vincent Janseen but there’s a stumbling block – quite a big one: they can’t afford him.

That’s the claim of Sky Sports News, which says the Germans are struggling to finance the deal. Reports suggest Spurs are looking for £12-15m for a striker who hasn’t played a competitive game for the club in 18 months.

 

15:30: Cuco against the clock

Everton have brought Cuco Martina back from Stoke only to send him straight to Holland…

 

15:28: Going, going, gone?

Fulham are saying that Kamara’s deal is not complete yet. That hasn’t stopped Malatyaspor…

 

 

15:20: Talking garb-age

“Ever worn a snood, Ian Holloway?”

“Totally. And caps and hats.”

More red hot chat on channel 409.

 

15:16: Anderlecht option for Everton outcast

Yannick Bolasie is bound for Brussels as a loan switch to Anderlecht creeps closer.

 

15:12: Why Arsenal won’t grant Eddie loan move

14:56: GK gone

Spurs confirm that Georges-Kevin Nkoudou has departed. How will they cope?

 

14:42: Staying in the big-time, Charlie. 

Charlie Austin didn’t fancy the only permanent offer on the table…

 

14:30: Right on cue

 

14:23: Shinji free

Shinji Kagawa has the choice of joining Hannover or Besiktas from Borussia Dortmund. The Man Utd flop is apparently in Istanbul today.

 

14:20: Villa are Ming-ing

Tyrone Mings has left Bournemouth to join Villa on loan for the rest of the season. The defender was wanted by a host of other Championship clubs.

 

14:15: Funny or die

Is this Kyle Walker’s way of trying to get himself a late transfer from Man City? It’s unorthodox, but…

 

14:10: Not just dentist time 

Photos of a freezing-cold Paraguayan man holding a black and white shirt to drop in 20 minutes…

 

13;50: Hope fading of more Arsenal arrivals

Unai Emery said Arsenal were hoping to get two new faces in this week and with Denis Suarez done, focus has switched to Christopher Nkunku, Ivan Perisic and Yannick Carrasco.

Sky Sports News reckons the first two will not be heading to the Emirates and Carrasco will stay in China for the time being. The BBC doesn’t rate the Gunners’ chances of getting Nkunku either.

Why not look at one of those defender things, Unai?

 

13:40: Cahill won’t help Old Lady

Gary Cahill is said to have turned down loan offers from Fulham, Monaco and, wait for it, Juventus. JU-VEN-TUS.

The Chelsea defender is said to be keen to stay in London for now, and to each their own, but with six months left on your contract and no hope of playing under Maurizio Sarri, why would you not go to Juve?

 

13:30: Chelsea firm on Hudson-Odoi 

Bayern appear to have accepted they won’t be signing Callum Hudson-Odoi – yet. Chelsea won’t sell now but the Blues are likely to have a similar problem in summer.

 

13:20: There we go

No new signings on deadline day but the announcement of a new contract. Glazers, that.

 

13:10: Charlie in demand

Sky Sports News says Southampton have rejected loan offers from four Premier League clubs for Charlie Austin. Saints will only do a permanent deal.

 

13:05: Barreca-ing news (sorry)

Newcastle have wrapped up one of the four deals they were hoping to complete today. The Toon can sign the left-back for £9million in the summer.

 

1:00: United sitting on Martial news

Anthony Martial’s agency has posted this image on Twitter, while a video of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer congratulating the attacker on his new deal has also surfaced.

Here’s that video…

 

12:50: Gueye’s gone to Paris

Idrissa Gueye is rather more keen to move than Everton are to sell him. Our friends at Sport Witness have passed on the news that the midfielder has taken himself off to Paris in the hope PSG and Everton can agree a deal.

But Everton are apparently insistent that Gueye won’t go. Certainly not for the £21.5million PSG offered last week.

 

12:40: West Ham ponder bid for Watford nomad

It’s been six months since Gerard Deulofeu’s last transfer so he’s due one. According to The Sun, West Ham might be willing to oblige, with the Hammers monitoring the winger’s situation in the wake of AC Milan’s rejected offer of £22million. Watford aren’t keen to sell but a £30million bid would most likely soften their stance.

 

12:25: Pep’s word means nothing

Pep Guardiola was insistent that Man City wouldn’t sign anyone this month but the champions have brought in this fella…

 

12:15: Oxford back to the Bundesliga

Remember when Reece Oxford was the second coming of Bobby Moore? The latest attempt by West Ham to coax some of that potential out of him involves sending him to Augsburg on loan.

Augsburg wanted to sign Eddie Nketiah on loan from Arsenal too but the teenage striker doesn’t fancy it.

 

12:05: Suarez signs!

Arsenal have confirmed the signing of Denis Suarez on loan for the rest of the season and Unai Emery is pretty chuffed: “He brings us quality and options in many different attacking positions, so he’ll be able to help the team.”

Shout out to the Sky Sports News reporter at the Emirates who appeared to claim it as something of an exclusive.

 

12.02: Simple choice for Batshuayi

Michy Batshuayi has a simple choice between two clubs…unless Everton get involved…

 

11:50: The answer to Fulham’s problems?

To answer your question, he’s a 28-year-old Cameroon defender.

 

11:40: Iranian Messi deal off

Sky Sports says Wolves’ deal to sign Sardar Azmoun is dead. A £1.7million loan fee and £11.5million summer deal had been agreed but Rubin Kazan expected that payment as an obligation, whereas Wolves will commit only to an option. So, for now, it is off.

 

11:35: Malcom in the middle

The Brazilian winger looks like staying on the sidelines at Barca for the rest of the season…

 

11:26: Prem clubs eye Tottenham striker

Vincent Janseen had little choice but to leave Spurs but he seems he has rather more options over his destination…

Sky Sports reckons Schalke and an unnamed French club are in the hunt too.

 

11:17: Bacuna to become a Bluebird

Neil Warnock is getting busy. Ex-Villa utility man Leandro Bacuna is in Cardiff for a medial ahead of a £3.5million move from Reading.

 

11:15: Ta-ra, Tottenham

Spurs flop Georges-Kevin N’Koudou is undergoing a medical with Monaco. He must have a decent agent.

 

11:10: A couple of United signings?

Man Utd aren’t likely to bring in any new recruits but a couple of players are getting closer to signing on the dotted line.

Anthony Martial’s new five-year deal could be announced this week, while the Mirror is reporting that Ashley Young will sign a new one-year deal, disappointing Inter Milan maong others.

 

11:00: Bye-bye, Barca

Denis Suarez has said his goodbyes (for now) to Barcelona as he prepares to join Arsenal on loan…

 

10:55: The other name at Newcastle

Nantes winger Anthony Limbombe is Newcastle’s ‘surprise’ deal, with the Belgian set to join on loan with a view to a permanent deal in the summer.

It’s not all going to plan for Rafa Benitez, though. The Telegraph reckons the deal with Benfica to sign midfielder Andreas Samaris has stalled over cash.

 

10:40: The most Dyche deal ever?

Peter Crouch is the makeweight in a £7million deal to take Sam Vokes to Burnley. Crouch is heading for a medical before the Clarets take over the remaining six months of his Potters deal.

Who are the eight players older than the 38-year-old to have scored a Premier League goal? Answers here.

 

10:30: I’m listening

As if Rob Wotton’s forced enthusiasm wasn’t bad enough, SSN have wheeled out the fan TV ‘personalities’. Luckily, Frasier is still on C4+1.

 

10:25: AK-47 shooting off

Fulham’s yoga scrapper and penalty stealer Aboubakar Kamara is in Istanbul to join Yeni Malatyaspor. Turkey might not be far enough for Claudio Ranieri…

 

10:18: Well, are you? 

If so, the local plod will be round for your hard drive in the next half hour or so…

 

10:12: Arsenal outgoings

Arsenal are keen to ship off a couple of youngsters to the Bundesliga, because that’s the done thing these days. Emile Smith Rowe is having a medical at RB Leipzig but Eddie Nketiah is apparently not now going to Augsburg.

 

10:10: Chelsea’s Doucoure deal doubted

Chelsea wanted a replacement for Cesc Fabregas and there are rumours of a late bid for Watford Abdoulaye Doucoure. Leaving aside for a moment the fact that the two are entirely different midfielders, it seems Watford are extremely reluctant to do a deal today anyway.

 

10:00: An actual transfer

Wolves have spluffed £18million to sign Jonny Otto on a permanent deal, equalling their club transfer record.  Sky Sports reckons they are also close to signing the ‘Iranian Messi’. Sardar Azmoun is set to join from Rubin Kazan on loan with a view to an £11.5million deal in the summer.

9:57: Fellaini fee

Just shy of £10million for the best chest and the sharpest elbows in football…

 

9:50: Gueye Paris

It appears that Idrissa Gueye to PSG is on. The Mirror reckons James McCarthy has been told he isn’t going to Crystal Palace on loan because Marco Silva doesn’t want to be left short of cover when Gueye goes to PSG for £35million, which is £13.5million more than their opening bid.

 

9:44: Turn your head and cough, Antonio

For anyone like us who doesn’t know what Antonio Barreca looks like, here he is at Newcastle’s training ground before he drops his trousers later this morning…

 

9:40: Has someone cloned Mike Ashley’s credit card? 

Presumably the Newcastle owner’s bank will be on the phone to check what’s going on because it seems the Toon could be signing four players today.

Miguel Almiron, Antonio Barreca and Benfica midfielder Andreas Samaris are all on their way, and so too might be one other ‘surprise permanent signing’, according to The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards.

 

9:35: United confirm Fellaini deal

Fellaini’s transfer to China is ‘agreed in principle’, say Manchester United. No personal terms have been agreed yet but Shandong Luneng aren’t likely to be thrifty.

 

9:25: Farewell, sweet prince

Sky Sports reckons Marouane Fellaini’s move to Shandong Luneng could drag on but there is no hurry – the Chinese window doesn’t close until next month. But the big man is in transit…

 

9:15: Why aren’t you drunk yet? 

If you’d been playing along with Daniel Storey’s deadline day drinking game, you’d already be sleeping naked on a central reservation. Which has to be better than watching Sky Sports News.

 

9.00: Return of the robot

We’ve missed you, Crouchy! Sam Vokes looks set to join Stoke and Peter Crouch could be coming in the other direction, according to reports. Crouch has more Premier League goals than Didier Drogba, more Premier League assists than Paul Scholes and one hell of a podcast.

 

8.49: Mike Ashley pulling out his cheque book?

The Northern Echo are reporting that Atlanta’s Miguel Almiron and Monaco’s Antonio Barreca have passed medicals at Newcastle United ahead of moves. Almiron will cost a reported £20million, while Barreca will join until the end of the season on loan.

Mike, you feeling OK?

 

8.45: Barca pull out of Rabiot race. Liverpool, Spurs most likely

The Liverpool Echo are reporting that there will be no incomings at Anfield today. However, Sport claims that the Reds and Tottenham have shown ‘the most interest’ in Adrien Rabiot since Barcelona reportedly pulled out of any deal for the PSG midfielder. Rabiot has six months remaining on his contract in France.

 

8.40: BBC man gives Liverpool update

BBC reporter Phil McNulty claims Lazar Markovic will be the only man leaving Anfield today. Besiktas are the favourites to sign him.

“Not expecting Everton or Liverpool to be a hive of activity today – on the blue side of Stanley Park Marco Silva does not have big money at his disposal while on the other Jurgen Klopp is satisfied with the squad that tops the Premier League table,” McNulty said.

McNulty added: “As for Liverpool. It’s deadline day so all eyes are on Lazar Markovic. Again.”

 

8.29: Update from a freezing Tyneside

 

8.17: Bit of Champ for you

Scott Hogan is expected to complete a loan move from Aston Villa to Sheffield United today. Good business by the Blades?

 

8.12: Big day for Belgians?

After being linked with a host of clubs, including Manchester United, Youri Tielemans looks set for a move to Leicester City at some point today. Michy Batshuayi could well on the move to Everton or West Ham, while Yannick Carrasco looks more likely to swap China for Italy rather than make a move to Arsenal. All this from Belgian journalist Kristof Terreur…

 

8:04: Mings medical

 

8:02: No money? No Ivan…

Could the Gunners have to settle for one, not two signings today? Any deal for Ivan Perisic looks dead for Arsenal…

 

7:58: Difficult

Here is what Yannick Carrasco’s agent said about a possible move yesterday:

 

7.52: Yellow ties…

As you would expect, Sky Sports are well on top of deadline day. Their reporter Geraint Hughes has an update on the latest from the Emirates Stadium where a ‘deal will be confirmed later today’ for Denis Suarez. Meanwhile, Inter are looking for a permanent deal for Ivan Perisic, not a loan and he calls any deal for Yannick Carrasco a ‘difficult process’. Basically what everyone already knew. Cheers, Geraint…

 

7.45: Mini round-up

A few other rumours flying around this morning:

  • West Ham are eyeing up a loan move for Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi (Sky Sports)
  • If Chelsea do any late business it could be for Watford midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure (Daily Mirror)
  • PSG have made a late bid to bring Mesut Ozil to France on loan (Metro)
  • However, Ozil has turned down the proposal (Suddeutsche Zeitung)

 

7.36: What has happened so far?

Today? Nothing yet, but we expect Denis Suarez to finally be confirmed at some point at the very least. It has been a quiet window so far in the Premier League overall with 17 deals being completed for a total of £113million. The biggest of those was Chelsea’s deal for Christian Pulisic, who won’t even join up with his new club until the end of the season. Hold on to your hats for a big surprise today! Maybe…please…

 

7.24: Na na na na…

The Daily Mirror is reporting that West Ham are poised to revive their efforts to bring on Olivier Giroud after concerns were raised over the fitness of Marko Arnautovic.

 

7.22: There’s a terrible smell in here…

More from today’s newspapers…Real Madrid remain intent on landing Marcus Rashford and will spend £100million to do so, the Sun reports. The La Liga side are yet to make a move but a bid before next season remains alive, according to the newspaper. We smell something terrible…

 

7.19: Some Willian guff…

Paris St Germain have launched a late bid for Chelsea playmaker Willian, the Daily Mail reports. The Blues are said to value the 30-year-old at £40million and he has 18 months left on his contract. The paper say the club are looking for a replacement for Neymar, who has been ruled out or 10 weeks.

 

7.14: ICYMI

In case you missed it last night, Denis Suarez’s loan move from Barcelona to Arsenal is all-but completed despite the LaLiga giants deleting an announcement of the deal on their club website on Wednesday afternoon.

 

7.12: Welcome, welcome…

After an entertaining night in the Premier League, we are down to business on deadline day. Keep refreshing the page for the latest rumours, quotes, done deals and more…