Arsenal has filled the void left behind by one Spanish playmaker with another.
At the end of a wild transfer deadline day in Europe, Arsenal agreed to a £10 million transfer with Everton and signed central midfielder Mikel Arteta to a four-year deal to play the role vacated by Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas.
Arsenal also secured the services of Yossi Benayoun on loan from Chelsea for the remainder of the season.
In the last two days, Arsenal added Arteta, Benayoun, Per Mertesacker, Andre Santos and Park Chu-young to help compensate for a slow start to the season all while losing Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri, Nicklas Bendtner and Gael Clichy.
Here are a few more items from the conclusion of the transfer window:
CHELSEA LANDS MEIRELES
With half an hour remaining until the transfer deadline, Liverpool midfielder Raul Meireles submitted a transfer request, and Chelsea happily pounced on the opportunity to sign its transfer target.
After Liverpool had rebuffed Chelsea's initial approach for the Portuguese midfielder, the Reds had no choice but to cooperate after Meierles' late request put the club in a no-win situation.
Meireles signed a four-year deal with Chelsea after the £12 million transfer had been agreed upon.
RUIZ ENDS UP AT FULHAM
Despite a late surge from Newcastle United, Costa Rican attacker Bryan Ruiz has joined Clint Dempsey at Fulham.
The Cottagers paid £10 million for the services of the goalscorer, who will boost Fulham's attack immensely, especially considering Dempsey did not get transfered elsewhere.
DRENTHE GOES TO EVERTON ON LOAN
Everton won't be feeling good about losing its playmaker, but it managed to acquire the services of Royston Drenthe on loan for the remainder of the season from Real Madrid.
Everton also made up for losing striker Yakubu Ayegbeni by adding Argentine forward Denis Stracqualursi on loan from Tigres.
WRIGHT-PHILLIPS GOES TO QPR
Queens Park Rangers left its stamp on the transfer window by bringing in former Manchester City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips on a permanent transfer.
Wright-Phillips signed a three-year deal after the transfer was completed.
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What do you think about Arsenal's transfer haul? What do you make of Meireles' late transfer request? Think Fulham will thrive with Ruiz? Do you think Everton is in relegation trouble? Think QPR can stay up?
Share your thoughts below.
Mertesacker is no world class player by any means, but he is much, much better than their current options other than Vermaelen. Djourou is absolutely terrible, and Koscielny is pretty awful too. However, he’s unproven in the EPL and I don’t think he had a very good season last year, but I may be wrong about that. Regardless, while he’ll improve Arsenal’s defense, they could’ve used someone much better…
It doesn’t, because he’s right. Has Donovan expressed any real interest in going back to Europe? He seems pretty satisfied with having two good months in England…
It does.
oh can we please get over this? that loan was three years ago and Lando has looked like a disinterested old man since the WC… and no MLS does not count, I don’t care if that makes me a Eurodouche.
Scczeny has NOT stabalized the keeper position. He’s an athletic shot stopper, but he knows pis$$ about organizaing a backline and leading a defense let alone a locker room. I’m not just saying that in reaction to Man U.
Being a season keeper is about being a steadying force, organizing the defense of the ENTIRE team, stopping shots before they happen. He has not done that at all.
Why couldn’t Liverpool just say to Meireles…”No.”? What’s this no-win situation? Especially with someone that hands in a request 30 minutes before the deadline?
Drenthe is a nutjob…he’s not going to help.
Sorry. Didn’t mean to insinuate that you were burying Arsenal. That was in response to the general tone of some of the comments here, not yours.
As for Bendtner, I agree that he was never as good as he seemed to think he was, but playing alone up top in a 4-3-3 with mediocre crossing service (or even as a winger!) never maximized his abilities. I think he will do best if he can play alongside a quicker, craftier forward who can draw defenders away and create some space for him. He certainly doesn’t have the skills to create that space on his own. I’m just incredibly thankful he didn’t go to Stoke. With Arsenal’s luck, he would have scored 45 goals off long throw-ins and led Stoke into the Champions League.
Mertesacker is the real deal, other than that, I’m not sure Arsenal’s splurge was enough to even get them back in the top four.
Oh, I’m not burying Arsenal yet. But the tardiness of these acquisitions is undoubtedly cause for concern. But the incoming players are a little older than Wenger’s usual buys, and they’ve been professionals long enough to know how to handle themselves.
You’re perhaps more sold on Bendtner than I am, and I’d be a lot less critical of him if his ego wasn’t so inflated, but he’s been vocal about his lack of playing time, and it’s pretty simple: you want to get on the field, you need to step up your game. He hasn’t, but maybe the loan will give him some needed playing time…
I kind of feel the same way, but we’ll see what happens. Things with Arsenal can only get better.
However, with so many new players, it’s going to take a while to gel.
Szczesny has stabilized the keeper position. As far as CDM, now that frimpong is healthy, competing with Song for that spot will improve both of them.
For real. Why would I be saying NOOO to a hypothetical situation when one of Everton’s last remaining impact players is being sold?
This. (though I don’t totally agree re: Bendtner)
Cesc is top 5 in the world at his position. No one even close to that was realistically available. Arteta will do a nice job sitting in the middle and splitting the defense with clever balls to Van Persie, Walcott, and Gervinho. He might also provide a few set piece and long-distance goals. Those have been distinctly lacking in recent years.
Park and Benayoun are two guys who give you total effort every time they see the field. They don’t have the raw talent of a young guy like Nasri, but Arsenal could do with a few guys who just try to make something happen without worrying about if it looks pretty. Hopefully they, along with Gervinho, will keep Arshavin’s minutes to a minimum (or at least light a fire under him).
And finally, let’s please not bury Arsenal after three league games. Losses to Liverpool and ManU and a draw AT Newcastle aren’t going to doom their CL chances. If we start losing the games against the likes Stoke and West Brom, then I’ll be worried.
A free loan for Benayoun? I seriously doubt that.
Damnit!! Killed my own joke with a too hasty edit….
I was trying to say that now I have to hate you…..
You’re a Man Utd fan? Now, I have to you….
could this be.. the beginning of the Donovan deal?
+1 i was worried going into to today for Fulham.. different outlook now.
Umm…he is probably saying no because they lost Arteta.
you can’t possibly be saying no to Donovan coming back because after all he was Everton’s best player for the month and a half he was there! If you say otherwise your simply a Donovan hater!
did you even read the post? “Despite a late surge from Newcastle United, Costa Rican attacker Bryan Ruiz has joined Clint Dempsey at Fulham.”
As an Everton fan, all I can say is NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
As for Meireles… good luck getting on the pitch.
+1 – Thinking the same thing about Donovan.
… and yet Arsenal still need an enforcer type DM and a seasoned steady goalkeeper… I’m not saying I know more than AW, but you just bought a busload of players and the achilles heel of your last two seasons somehow didn’t make your shopping list?
You know, I’ll always root the the Blues, but I tell ya, being an Everton fan sometimes feels like a study in grabbing the old ankles and trying not to clench…
Yep. How a club like my beloved Everton can be 43 mill in the red is mind boggling. The Toffees need a new stadium but that’s a whole ‘nother story.
Everton is not in danger of relegation. That’s just absurd. They’re in danger of not finishing in the top half of the table perhaps, but if they get relegated I’ll eat my hat.
I’m looking forward to the January window, when Everton will (theoretically) have some money to spend (on Landon Donovan please).
Arsenal didnt do too bad all things considered, look out for gervinho. guys who should be on there radar still are deff the germans mats hummels, mario Gotze,, thomas muller and toni kroos. Come the january transfer window they should pounce on one of those targets.
Way to go QPR. I don’t know if I like Benayoun at Arsenal, he’s a hustle player, but thats not really what Arsenal needed. At least they got some players though, they desperately needed to do so.
The funds go to the bank to settle debt my friend. Moyes will not be able to spend it.
You really shouldn’t calculate add-ons/variables yet since they actually have to happen first to be added.
Based on initial fees: net transfer = +£12,388,200
Also, some of your prices are off
Initial fees:
Cesc £25
Traore £1.2
Mertesacker £7.9
OX £7
Yossi free (loan)
The Mertesacker transfer is great, exactly what Arsenal needed; they should have signed him last year when they were giving up goals off set-pieces on a weekly basis.
The Santos and Young moves provide depth, something that’s sorely lacking at the Emirates, as last week’s disaster showed.
And I like the Arteta and Benayoun moves. Of course Arteta’s a downgrade from Fabregas, but then again, there are only a small handful of midfielders who *aren’t*, and they’re either with Fabregas at Barca, or not for sale in the first place. And so what if he’s injury prone–no more so than Cesc!
I’m not so sure Benayoun is a downgrade from Nasri, because outside of a handful of performances, I don’t think Nasri’s impressed much. At any rate, I certainly don’t think he’s worth his salary demands, and Wenger was right to let him go. Benayoun’s older than your typical transfer into Arsenal, but he’s also only there on loan, and this gives Wenger time to hunt for a younger, longer-term solution. (Whether he’s learned his lesson about not waiting until the last minute is anybody’s guess.)
And finally, even if they’d done nothing but ship Bendtner outta there, that’s still a plus. He is, as we say in the States, all hat and no cowboy.
Throw in another £10 million from the remaining net (£30) and that likely could buy Hazard in the summer transfer window.
If that were to be completed, the overall business will look a lot better for the value returned from Fabregas/Nasri moves.
When…..he played. Which wasn’t too often in recent years.
Moyes will do well with the money in January and in the summer window. Too bad he didn’t have enough time to spend it.
Hopefully they stay near mid-table long enough until the funds can be spent.
@Fernando Gingerbread:
Was that Wenger being quoted trying to convince others that 15 year olds are in fact men?
I’m psyched that Fulham got Ruiz AND kept Dempsey. That should liven up the attack. Great move. COYW!
None of Arsenal’s moves, except for Mertesacker, impress me. (How long until Arteta’s first injury?) They haven’t improved enough to finish in the top four.
I think this is classic Wenger, buying players coming of injuries that have something to prove. See overmars, petit(sp?) and/or wiltford. Also, I pretty sure Arsene had already contacted several of these players prior to their moves, or they at least knew he was interested. Don’t believe the hype of the press….
Actually, the net should be ~£20 MM. Cesc price is ~£35 MM plus appearance and trophy fees if he wins La Liga or Champions League. Samir is ~£22-25 plus fees (should he win EPL). Sunu was ~£1 m, Tarore (he sucks) ~£3 m . Clichy was £8 MM. plus Arsene started with £20 MM from last season.
Yossi – loan move; fee???
Per £10 mm
Santos £6 mm
gervinho £10 MM
Arteta £10 MM
Campbell £900 K
Pak £3 MM
OX £17 (this one is tricky because a quarter of that fee is based on appearences, which with the new squad i dont see him getting)
It’s good that Arsenal wised up and brought in some defenders but, I fear it’s too little too late with Arteta, Park, and Benayoun. Arteta hasn’t been in form for nearly a year and is clearly a downgrade from Cesc Frabregas. Benayoun hasn’t played much in a year due to injury and is clearly a downgrade from Nasri. And Park is unproven in the EPL. Anyone disagree? I still think Arsenal is still below Man Utd, Man City, Chelsea, Liverpool, and possibly Tottenham.
I’m bummed about Arteta leaving Everton. I really liked watching him there when I tuned in to watch Howard. Now I’ll have to hate him as I’m a al USA players and Man Utd fan.
Arsenal’s moves smell of desperation. I think getting embrassed by Man U 8-2 probably had the most to do with their moves. With the sale of Cesc, Nasri and Clichy and others for almost 73 million GBP, you wonder what was going on at Arsenal that Wenger had to wait until the last 2 days to fill obvious holes in his line up.
£12,388,200
14 in/14 out
(just fees — excluding salary, that is…)
Just curious what the financial net of Arsene’s sales and acquistions works out to be…???
That deal went through? I thought Newcastle bid higher at the last minute and stole that deal.
Arsene Wenger: “15 years people… still the Man.”
WHAT?? Arsenal transfered IN players??? They’re older than 23???? Blasphemy I say!!
For all the “talk” of Dempsey moving to Arsenal (and I do believe he would have done very well), Fulham are going to look pretty good themselves once they integrate Ruiz. Their form so far has been iffy, but once settled that is an extremely talented team.