A number of clubs left their transfer business until the last minute to trigger a rush of deals and failed moves on deadline day. A number of clubs unsurprisingly broke their club record purchases. Despite spending across the entire transfer window for Premiership clubs sailing way past the £1 billion mark for the first time, a number of the main moves came in the loan market. Premier League clubs were the busiest of all, in terms of players going out the door, many leaving on season-long loan deals on the last day of the transfer market. It was the loan deals on offer that are most revealing of English football’s excess money. Many clubs were desperate to offload players over the last 24 hours.

Deadline-day frenzy

Deadline day is now presented as an end to a summer festival. One of the more curious phenomena of recent windows is, it seems to be those supporters whose clubs are most active in the final few hours who are most content.

Pre-planning, concluding deals weeks and months ahead of the frenzy earns no admiration in our age of instant, immediate, ceaseless gratification. Instead of preparing and building the club in the three month prior to start of the season, most clubs like to leave it late. Sometimes clubs are holding on for the selling club to lower the prices, but mostly the clubs in need of players are desperate to spend absurd amount of money. Months (sometime years) of scouting are wasted just for the sake bringing in players.

Clubs go to great lengths to talk up their recruitment policies, the checks and balances and the scientific detail that goes behind making the right purchase only to bring in players who sometimes end up being complete misfits for the team. Instead of doing business calmly over the two months, clubs are starting to behave like school children doing assignments a night prior to submission day.

Forget those who nabbed a bargain in June. It is the clubs who beat the clock by minutes are most applauded. Deadline day epitomizes football’s aching for acquisition – that constant craving for something new; the latest must-have promising talent who can play between the lines or as a lone striker. There is an increase in absurd yearning for deadline-day activity from media and fans alike.

Highlights from the deadline day 2016:

Manchester City led, with keeper Joe Hart, midfielder Samir Nasri, striker Wilfried Bony and defender Eliaquim Mangala shipped out. They have a current estimated market value of about £62m. Porto were favourites to sign Mangala with a two-season loan but a late move from Valencia saw him move to Spain. Mangala is set to join on a season’s loan, with City paying the bulk of his wages – his contract with “the Citizens” runs until 2019. England number one Joe Hart, who moved down the pecking order at the Etihad with the arrival of Barcelona keeper Claudio Bravo, moved to Serie A side Torino. Winger Samir Nasri moved to La Liga with Sevilla on a season long loan. Striker Wilfried Bony moved on loan  to Stoke City.

Chelsea were the biggest spenders on transfer deadline day as they splashed £34 million to bring defender David Luiz back to the club from Paris St Germain, two years after selling him to the French champions for a reported £40m. Luiz has remained a popular figure with Chelsea fans and a favourite of owner Roman Abramovich. Luiz, who won the Champions League, Europa League and the FA Cup during his first stint with the Blues. And is delighted to have returned to west London. Antonio Conte also raided Serie A to sign £23m left-back Marcos Alonso from Fiorentina as he strengthened his defence. Chelsea further loaned out 38 players – five more than last season. Midfielder Juan Cuadrado moved to Italian champions Juventus on a loan for three seasons.

David Moyes’ Sunderland shelled out £13.6 million for Lorient midfielder Didier Ndong and also secured Belgium international defender Jason Denayer on loan from Manchester City.

Moussa Sissoko, 27, had been desperate for a move away from relegated Newcastle and this long-running saga only reached its frantic conclusion on Wednesday evening. Tottenham landed Sissoko late at night. Everton had agreed a fee believed to be £30m but Tottenham matched the bid at 10pm with just an hour remaining of the transfer window.  Tottenham also completed the long-anticipated transfer of Georges-Kevin N’Koudou from Marseille for £9.9million with Clinton N’Jie going the other direction on a season-long loan. 

However, Everton were able to make an addition, as they agreed a season-long loan for West Ham striker Enner Valencia. Alvaro Arbeloa sealed a return to English football after he signed for Slaven Bilic’s West Ham on a free transfer after his release from Real Madrid. The 33-year-old former Liverpool and Real Madrid player is the Hammers’ 12th summer signing.

Premiership champions Leicester City smashed their transfer record to acquire the services of striker Islam Slimani from Sporting Lisbon for a fee of over £25m. The Algerian, who scored 27 times last season and joins fellow countryman Riyad Mahrez in the team. To fill the scoring gap, Sporting went on to sign Elias and Lazar Markovic from Corinthians and Liverpool respectively. While, Wales’ Euro 2016 hero Hal Robson-Kanu finally found himself a new club after his contract expired at the end of last season. The 27-year-old was snapped up by Tony Pulis’ West Brom.

Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere moved out on a season long loan. Wilshere turned down the luctrative offers from Roma, AC Milan and Crystal Palace. He was understood to have been impressed by the Palace boss and the proximity to his current residence. However, Howe arrived at the London office to make his pitch which was convincing enough to reject a move to Palace and move to the south coast.

Mario Balotelli completed his medical with French club Nice and has sealed a move from Liverpool on free transfer. Ajax, Monaco and Chievo were all linked with Balotelli’s signature throughout the summer but it was Nice who finally took the plunge on deadline day. The controversial Italian striker had been frozen out of Liverpool’s squad by manager Jurgen Klopp. The 26-year-old is now set to play outside of England and Italy for the first time.

To see complete list of transfers which happened on the deadline day visit here.

Picture Courtesy: SkySports, Telegraph