Robin van Persie’s switch from Arsenal to Manchester United could be seen as the best deal this summer but so could Luka Modric’s move from Tottenham Hotspur to Real Madrid or Edin Hazard’s arrival at Chelsea.
Well, the 2012 summer transfer window was far from being a quiet one despite UEFA’s calls to regulate the financial system in football. Here are 10 of the many top transfers that took place in the closing stages of the window.
1) Michael Essien was desperately looking for a way out of Stamford Bridge. After going through a series of injuries during the past few years, Essien no longer managed to play regularly. He finally acquired redemption through the “Only One”. The Chelsea defensive midfielder completed a loan move to Real Madrid on August 31.
2) On the final day of the transfer window, Liverpool lost out to Tottenham Hotspur for the signature of Clint Dempsey. Merseyside Reds manager Brendan Rodgers always showed interest but Fulham accepted Spurs’ £6M bid for the United States striker. Dempsey’s signing a few days after Emmanuel Adebayor’s permanent deal is set to bolster Andre Villas-Boas’ squad in attack.
3) Earlier on Friday, Tottenham Hotspur announced their success in signing Hugo Lloris from Olympique Lyonnais. The 25-yeaorld French goalkeeper joined the London club on a four-year contract.
4) Still on Spurs and Rafael van der Vaart quit White Hart Lane for Hamburg. It is an historic return for the Dutch midfielder who was a fan favourite at Hamburg during his three-year spell. Van der Vaart could feature as early as on Saturday for his side against Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga.
5) In a stunning switch, Javi Garcia ended his Benfica career to join Manchester City’s revolution under Roberto Mancini. The ex-Real Madrid youth product won the 2010 Portuguese Liga and three Portuguese League Cup titles with Benfica. English football will provide Javi Garcia with a new challenge with a huge price tag estimated at £40M on his back.
6) Joey Barton will stay away from the pressure of the media in England thanks to his season-long loan move to French giants Olympique Marseille. Barton’s departure from Queens Park Rangers had become imminent after the club decided not to give him a squad number ahead of the 2012/13 English Premier League campaign.
7) There was no Arsenal return for Nicklas Bendtner after spending last season on loan to Sunderland. The Denmark international completed a loan move to Serie A champions Juventus on August 31. Bendtner has the option of signing a permanent contract at the end of the 2012/13 season.
8) Maicon’s days at Inter are over. The Brazilian defender made a shock move to Manchester City on the final day of the 2012 transfer window. The 31-year-old player is expected to influence the Citizens with experience both in Europe and on the domestic front. Maicon’s transfer cost Manchester City around £3M.
9) Dimitar Berbatov never managed to live up to expectations at Manchester United. The Bulgarian struggled to fight competition from Wayne Rooney, Javier Hernandez, Danny Welbeck in company. The arrival of Robin van Persie finally meant the end of Berbatov’s unfruitful career at Old Trafford. The Bulgarian joined Fulham on Friday and was given the number 9 jersey.
10) AC Milan captured Nigel de Jong from Manchester City. The Dutch midfielder will wear the number 34 jersey for the Rossoneri. His contract bounds him with the Italian giants until 2015.
Meanwhile, some players escaped the exit door, among which was Kaka. Some deals also collapsed in the last minute. In the biggest news, former FC Porto manager Andre Villas-Boas also failed to tie a deal for midfielder Joao Moutinho.
Who are the biggest winners and losers of the 2012 summer transfer window?
