The top 5 last minute deals of the Summer transfer window in Europe
Like every summer, the last day of the Summer transfer window becomes a true Persian bazaar in which players are offered to other clubs, haggled…
Like every summer, the last day of the Summer transfer window becomes a true Persian bazaar in which players are offered to other clubs, haggled for, used to attract larger prey, and eventually sold in the nick of time.
This is the recap of the top five transfers that took place in the last 24 hours of the Summer market:
1. Falcao
Radamel Falcao Garcia made a shock move to Manchester United on deadline day. (Twitter/@Falcao)
El Tigre found a new home at Old Trafford, where he will join Rooney and Van Persie to form a truly scary attacking line.
If you add the fact that Di Maria, Mara, Januzaj or Antonio Valencia will be the supporting actors in this years feature film to be played out in Manchester, youll notice the Red Devils couldnt have been better set up for success this season.
Radamel Falcao Garcia had been linked to Real Madrid, Juventus and Arsenal in the last week, but little by little all teams retracted their interest and Manchester United signed him up after a surprise transaction.
While this means the Colombian will not be playing in the Champions League for the fifth season in a row, it does get him into a top club in Europe and makes him part of a growing project that can explode next year to rule European soccer.
SEE ALSO: Falcao heads to Manchester United on loan
2. Danny Welbeck
Probably the largest piece of collateral of Falcaos signing for United was the push to sell Danny Welbeck to Arsenal. However, it was a match made in heaven. The Gunners had been looking for a top-notch striker and Welbeck needed a place to call home.
The England international has outdone himself year after year since he landed in the senior squad at Old Trafford, yet the pressure of being a youth prospect was too much when competing with heavily priced stars like Wayne Rooney and Robin Van Persie.
But the Red Devils loss is Arsenals gain, and Arsene Wenger finally has his world class striker to materialize the many attacking plays Ozil, Arteta, Wilshere and Cazorla will cook up.
3. Micah Richards
Micah Richards #2 of Manchester City stands for introductions before the game against Sporting KC on July 23rd at Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by Kyle Rivas/Getty Images)
When you are a central defender in one of the best teams in the world, youth is not an advantage. Managers are always weary of putting their utmost trust on an inexperienced defender, and unless you are a true prodigy, chances are the veterans in the team will hog all playing time.
This has defined Micah Richards time at Manchester City, who after debuting at 17 with the Citizens, has spent the last 9 years in and out of the starting line up.
SEE ALSO: The 5 matchups you cant miss in the first round of the Champions League
Competing with players like Lescott, Kompany or Demichelis is never easy, but things get really tough when on top of that the club signs younger –expensive– talent like Nastasic or Mangala.
Richards is now Fiorentinas new center back, and will form a terrifying due alongside Argentine Gonzalo Rodriguez, who has become the heart and soul of the Violas in the last few years.
4. Alessio Cerci
It had been rumored for a few weeks, but Simeone and Atletico Madrid waited until the last minute to make the call. Former Torino front-man Alessio Cerci joined Atletico for an undisclosed fee to further fuel their already impressive attacking line.
Mandzukic, Griezmann and Raul Jimenez are the players Cholo Simeone has signed this year to make everyone forget about Villa and Costa, and now Cerci adds a different dimension to the squad.
With the Italian international on the team, Simeone now has two players per spot in his attack, and with Cerci playing on the left, he will be able to use Griezmann upfront to give the team a full range of attacking options.
5. Chicharito
Javier Hernandez of Manchester United celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the FA Cup with Budweiser Third round match between Manchester United and Swansea City at Old Trafford on January 5, 2014 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
Perhaps the biggest surprise of all. It was announced exactly 24 hours before the closing bell, but only officialized hours before time ran out. Javier Chicharito Hernandez will be the first Mexican to play for Real Madrid since Hugo Sanchez, but theres still lots of gray areas in this signing.
For starters, Real Madrid introduced the player behind closed doors, when usually they let fans come and welcome the new signings. Of course, this was a preemptive measure given the uproar in different social networks after the announcement of the transfer.
Fans were expecting a world class striker, the likes of Radamel Falcao, and to see a former Manchester United backup arrive –wearing greatly missed Xabi Alonsos jersey, nonetheless– will be a tough pill to swallow for many.
Still, the Mexican striker is poised to enjoy a great year-long loan in Real Madrid, and if he can prove he has the talent to be a part of the squad, a low full-time transfer to the Merengues may be in the cards for him after all.
