By Sean Edmundson
Love it or hate it, the transfer window in its current incarnation has been part and parcel of football for over a decade and fans across the country watch on with great anticipation as their clubs frantically try to strengthen their squads (and keep hold of their stars) ahead of the new campaign. The culmination of silly season occurs when Jim White presses his suit and travels the length of the nation to bring you all the last minute deals on transfer deadline day. Is your club renowned for a spot of last minute bargain hunting? Or a sucker for a last minute panic buy? We’ve delved into our archives to bring you just some of the best 11th hour Premier League signings but we’d still love to hear yours below!
WAYNE ROONEY- Manchester United
If bookmaker offers at Bethut are anything to go by then Manchester United have a good chance of taking the title this upcoming season and one of the stars that have helped the reds achieve big things over the past 11 years is of course Wayne Rooney. The former Everton striker made his £25.6 million switch to Old Trafford at just 18 years of age on the final day of the 04 summer window-making him the most expensive player ever under the age of 20.
MAROUANE FELLAINI- Everton
Belgium international Marouane Fellaini made a surprising move to Everton on the final day of the 2008 window: signing for the Goodison Park outfit for a cool £15 million. Fellaini snubbed the advances of other such clubs like Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Tottenham Hotspur and even Manchester United to join David Moyes’ side and his impact at the club was definitely worth all the hype and every single penny spent. The curly-haired fan favourite eventually moved to Old Trafford in 2013 in what was consensually a less successful move.
JERMAIN DEFOE- Portsmouth
Renowned for his astute dealings, Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp managed to persuade Spurs striker Jermain Defoe to move to Fratton Park for £6 million on the final day of the 08 January transfer window. His partnership with fellow England striker Peter Crouch was a successful one that helped Defoe rediscover his goal scoring best and Pompey flourished. Later that year Redknapp managed to land the Tottenham managerial position and did everything he could to bring Defoe back to White Hart Lane.
DANNY MURPHY- Fulham
What a difference a goal can make. In 2007 former Liverpool midfielder Murphy made the switch across London to Craven Cottage after failing out of favour at Tottenham. During his loan spell at Fulham he managed to play a crucial role in saving the club from dropping out of the Premier League. Murphy was responsible for heading in the winning goal in a 1-0 away win at Portsmouth, a goal that quite literally kept Fulham up. Murphy then went on to make his loan move permanent before retiring a few seasons later.