Top 10 Deadline Day Deals

Joe Cole to Lille

The first high-profile move of the day saw Cole head out of Liverpool on loan after a frustrating season at Anfield. Excitement had greeted his arrival on Merseyside 12 months ago but he struggled to show his best form and quickly fell down the midfield pecking order. A number of clubs, including Tottenham, Queens Park Rangers and Aston Villa, were believed to be interested but Cole eventually secured a season-long loan deal with Lille, becoming the latest Englishman to try his luck abroad. They won the French league last season and will be able to offer Champions League football to a player who may no longer be regarded as a superstar but still possesses the talent to thrive on the European stage.

Scott Parker to Tottenham

The midfielder had been expected to leave West Ham much earlier in the summer following their relegation from the Premier League at the end of last season, with several teams keen to keep him in the top flight. Somewhat surprisingly, he started the new campaign with the Hammers under Sam Allardyce and it looked like he might have to stay in the Championship until at least January. There were finally some developments on Tuesday when Parker requested a transfer, allowing Spurs enough time to complete a deal. Overall it was a quiet window for Spurs but the signing of such an experienced player will delight Harry Redknapp, who had been looking for strong characters with leadership skills.

Mikel Arteta to Arsenal

Arsenal finally heeded the calls to bring in new faces on deadline day with a raft of late signings. While the 8-2 defeat to Manchester United at the weekend highlighted their defensive deficiencies, the recent departures of Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas also left Arsene Wenger short of creativity in midfield. The Gunners' most eye-catching swoop was therefore the deal they agreed with Everton for Mikel Arteta, whose ability to unlock opponents will be vital for the duration of his four-year contract. The Spaniard has established himself as one of the most inventive playmakers in the Premier League since arriving at Goodison Park in January 2005 and David Moyes reluctantly had to accept Arsenal's offer of around £10million.

Craig Bellamy to Liverpool

The likes of Queens Park Rangers and Stoke had been linked with the out-of-favour Manchester City striker, who spent last season on loan at Cardiff. However, it emerged during Wednesday afternoon that Bellamy had been given permission to leave Wales' training camp and travel to Merseyside for talks over a surprise return to Liverpool, and a deal was duly completed just before the 11pm deadline. His first spell at Anfield, under Rafa Benitez, was not without controversy, but Bellamy is looking forward to working with Kenny Dalglish and Liverpool director of football Damien Comolli has described the move as a 'no-brainer'.

Raul Meireles to Chelsea

One of the latest deals to break, Meireles only submitted a transfer request at Liverpool just before the deadline and Chelsea were quick to pounce. The Portuguese midfielder only joined the Reds last summer and, after a slow start, he became a key player with a string of important, well-taken goals. Eyebrows were therefore raised when stories surfaced of a possible departure earlier in the summer, even if the arrivals of Jordan Henderson and Charlie Adam had increased competition for places in midfield. Meireles had clearly decided enough was enough when he asked to leave but the Blues still had to move fast to push through a deal.

Owen Hargreaves to Man City

Released by Manchester United earlier in the summer, Hargreaves' future as a top-flight footballer appeared in doubt following an injury-plagued few years. Having worked hard to regain fitness and posted videos of himself on YouTube going through rigorous training sessions, he was offered a lifeline by West Brom. He kept his options open, though, and Manchester City came in for him at a late stage to confirm a free transfer. Hargreaves will have to fight for a place in Roberto Mancini's team but he is convinced his knee problems are behind him and, if he is right, it could turn out to be a great move for both club and player.

Peter Crouch to Stoke

Harry Redknapp has never hidden his admiration for Crouch, having worked with the giant striker at three different clubs, but finally had to admit that he had more than enough strikers at his disposal after landing Emmanuel Adebayor. Crouch was the player that attracted most interest from other clubs and Stoke managed to beat the deadline to sign him for a club-record fee of £10million. The transfer provides further evidence of Stoke's ambition and it is hard to see Crouch, who will play more regularly at the Britannia Stadium, not being an effective performer for the Potters.

Scott Dann to Blackburn

Blackburn have made a poor start to the Premier League season and have been tipped for relegation in some quarters. Steve Kean has not been able to recruit quite the calibre of player that supporters might have hoped for following some grand statements by owners Venky's, but the deadline day deal for impressive young centre-back Dann was a shrewd acquisition. The 24-year-old has enhanced his reputation with Birmingham over the past couple of years and his arrival at Ewood Park should solidify a defence that has also been boosted by the news that Christopher Samba will stay.

Bryan Ruiz to Fulham

He may not be a household name in England but there was fierce competition for Ruiz as Newcastle and a number of other clubs rivalled Fulham for his signature. The reason he was in such high demand was that his performances for FC Twente have been superb since his arrival in Holland in 2009. He was the Eredivisie's leading scorer in his first season to help the club to the Dutch title, and Fulham were prepared to pay out more than £10million to sign the Costa Rican, who can play anywhere across the front line.

Diego Forlan to Inter Milan

The biggest European transfer of deadline day, Uruguayan forward Forlan called time on his days with Atletico Madrid to join Inter Milan on a two-year contract. Forlan may not have had great success during his stint with Manchester United but he has since become one of the world's most feared forwards and will be confident of making a huge impact in Serie A. Inter will also be delighted to sign such a player after letting Samuel Eto'o go to ambitious Russian outfit Anzhi Makhachkala.


source: http://www.skysports.com/interactive/top_tens_story/0,,12040_7144100,00.html