Football Features

    30 deadline day done deals you might have missed, from Sergino Dest to Wilfried Gnonto

    By Ben Green

    30 deadline day done deals you might have missed, from Sergino Dest to Wilfried Gnonto

    Published: 14:14, 2 September 2022

    It was a typically frantic deadline day for clubs across Europe on Thursday, fuelled by plenty drama, a few gazumpings, ‘here we goes’ and reporters standing aimless outside grounds.

    The minute 12am chimed in the early hours of Thursday morning, the market had a Shibuya Crossing feel, with managers scrambling to get last-minute business done, deals over the line and sanctioning sales for fringe players and deadwood.

    It was naturally fast-paced with plenty of eye-opening transfers, with Liverpool signing Arthur Melo on loan from Juventus, Manchester United confirming the capture of Antony from Ajax in an £82m deal, Manchester City bringing in Manuel Akanji and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang moving to Chelsea.

    With such a hive of activity during the summer transfer window’s home straight, you’d be forgiven if one or two names veered from your focus. So, here we recap some of the deals that you might have missed from deadline day.

    Wout Faes

    Signed for: Leicester City

    Signed from: Reims

    Fee: £15m

    Brendan Rodgers channeled his inner Scott Parker following his side’s latest defeat to Manchester United on deadline day, lamenting the scant backing he’s received this summer, with Leicester currently propping up the table and clutching the division’s wooden spoon (if only temporary).

    The Wesley Fofana money, though, has been put to good use, if only a fraction of it, with Rodgers finding an interesting successor. Wout Faes is a recently-capped Belgium international who hailed from Anderlecht’s esteemed academy before rising to prominence at Reims. He isn’t afraid to put his body on the line, blocking the fifth-most shots of any Ligue 1 centre-back last season (eight), while also boasting a solid 85.65 per cent passing accuracy.

    Willy Boly

    Signed for: Nottingham Forest

    Signed from: Wolves

    Fee: £4.7m

    Steve Cooper’s summer can be best described as a kid who spent their entire monthly allowance during a single trip to the pick ‘n’ mix shop. Indeed it’s been a real liquorice allsorts window for the newly-promoted club, who brought in a whopping 22 players. One of those came in the guise of Willy Boly from Wolves. The experienced, hard-nosed defender knows the division, stands at 6ft 5in and has been capped 13 times at international level for the Ivory Coast. For less than £5m, this is certainly one of Forest’s more sensible signings.

    Jack Stephens

    Signed for: Bournemouth

    Signed from: Southampton

    Fee: Loan

    Having shipped 16 goals in just five Premier League games, I don’t think anyone is surprised to see Bournemouth sign a centre-back on deadline day. Jack Stephens has plenty of Premier League experience and can be a real in-you-face defender, two traits that should prevent any further 9-0 reversals.

    Kasper Dolberg

    Signed for: Sevilla

    Signed from: Nice

    Fee: Loan

    After back-to-back seasons in Ligue 1 in which the Dane hit less than double digits, Kasper Dolberg has now upped sticks for Andalusia, hoping to remedy the void created by returning Manchester United loanee Anthony Martial. Luuk de Jong, who spent last season at Barcelona on a temporary deal, has also departed for PSV, so Julen Lopetegui has been desperate for attacking reinforcements this summer.

    Martin Braithwaite

    Signed for: Espanyol

    Signed from: Barcelona

    Fee: Free

    The bad news for Martin Braithwaite is that he’s just left one of the biggest clubs in world football. The good news is that he probably won’t have to find a new house as he’s just relocated down the road to fellow Catalonian club Espanyol, a stone’s throw from the Camp Nou. He was never going to compete with Robert Lewandowski, and after initially refusing to leave, the Dane has ‘done a Dolberg’ and moved this summer.

    Julian Weigl

    Signed for: Borussia Monchengladbach

    Signed from: Benfica

    Fee: Loan

    Once the subject of interest from Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, Julian Weigl has returned to the Bundesliga from Portugal after a two-year spell at Benfica. A tidy, metronomic presence, the 26-year-old is joining Daniel Farke’s unbeaten Monchengladbach, who recently claimed a 1-1 draw with Bayern Munich.

    Aster Vranckx 

    Signed for: Milan

    Signed from: Wolfsburg

    Fee: Loan

    This looks like very tidy business from the Italian champions, who have just added a creative adrenaline shot to their midfield with the acquisition of teenage talent Aster Vranckx. The 19-year-old had a breakthrough season in the Bundesliga last year for Wolfsburg and joins Milan on an initial loan, with the option to make his stint a permanent one.

    Layvin Kurzawa

    Signed for: Fulham

    Signed from: PSG

    Fee: Loan

    Whether it’s Arsenal, Spurs or West Ham, Layvin Kurzawa seems to draw links to London every transfer window, and he’s finally sealed his move to the English capital. High-flying new boys Fulham have bulked up their squad with the signing of the attack-minded full-back, hoping some of his Parisian gold dust can rub off on Craven Cottage.

    Abdou Diallo

    Signed for: RB Leipzig

    Signed from: PSG

    Fee: Loan

    Having fallen down the Parc des Princes pecking order, Diallo has joined Kurzawa out of the door, though he has opted for a move to Champions League-competing RB Leipzig, who have brought the ball-playing defender back to the Bundesliga following his earlier spells at Mainz and Borussia Dortmund.

    Idrissa Gueye

    Signed for: Everton

    Signed from: PSG

    Fee: £2m

    There’s a certain catchphrase American record producer DJ Khaled might use here, but I’ll spare you the platitude. Gueye joined Diallo and Kurzawa out of the PSG door on deadline day and has rejoined Premier League strugglers Everton. A midfielder during his playing days, Frank Lampard has certainly targeted his former position this summer, signing Gueye to go with Amadou Onana and James Garner…

    James Garner

    Signed for: Everton

    Signed from: Man Utd

    Fee: £15.5m

    Having helped Nottingham Forest seal promotion last season, it felt inevitable that James Garner would pitch up at the City Ground at some point, heck, everyone else did! Instead, the Man Utd graduate has moved back to Merseyside, where he was born, and will try to help the Toffees get out of their current sticky situation in the bottom three (pun very much intended).

    Willian

    Signed for: Fulham

    Signed from: Corinthians

    Fee: Free

    Willian didn’t do much during his ill-fated stint at Arsenal, but what he did do was bag two assists against Fulham during his Premier League debut for the Gunners at Craven Cottage. Fulham fans will probably remember that game well as the Brazilian went on to do virtually nothing else for the club while they went down. They will be hoping he can make up for that game now back in west London.

    Umar Sadiq

    Signed for: Real Sociedad

    Signed from: Almeria

    Fee: £18.1m

    Make no mistake, this is a big signing for Sociedad. Umar Sadiq, formerly of Rangers and Roma, was electric as Almeria gained promotion to La Liga last season, and has even bagged two goals already for the newly-promoted club. But, at the eleventh hour he’s joined an already-established top-flight Spanish club for just shy of £20m. It will feel like a kick in the teeth for Almeria.

    Martin Dubravka

    Signed for: Man Utd

    Signed from: Newcastle

    Fee: Loan

    Simple back-up to David de Gea, nothing more, nothing less, really. Having fallen behind Nick Pope in the Tyneside food chain, the 33-year-old has ventured slightly south and slightly west to Old Trafford. As far as second-choice ‘keepers go, Dubravka is surely one of the best in the Premier League.

    Julian Draxler

    Signed for: Benfica

    Signed from: PSG

    Fee: Loan

    Would you look at that. PSG sanctioned another sale. It’s a shame Julian Draxler’s career has never really pushed on. Once considered a future Ballon d’Or contender, the 58-capped Germany international has stalled in Paris, owing to the influx of talent brought in by the club and his own issues with injuries. Still only 28, he’ll be hoping to kick on with Benfica.

    Sergino Dest

    Signed for: Milan

    Signed from: Barcelona

    Fee: Loan

    It’s an initial loan with the option to buy, Sergino Dest will now be calling the San Siro his home and hoping to gain some much-needed form and consistency with the World Cup fast approaching.

    Carlos Soler

    Signed for: PSG

    Signed from: Valencia

    Fee: £15.5m

    A tidy, dare I say sensible signing from PSG, who have avoided another vanity purchase with the £15.5m scoop of Carlos Soler. It’s a signing that’s unlikely to earn Peter Lim any brownie points, though his stock is surely at an all-time low, but for PSG it offsets the departure of Leandro Paredes. Well done Mr. Galtier.

    Leander Dendoncker

    Signed for: Aston Villa

    Signed from: Wolves

    Fee: £13m

    Bit of a weird one from Wolves. Ruben Neves, Matheus Nunes and Joao Moutinho offer an elegant, passing presence, but Leander Dendoncker was the battle-hardened warrior who could steam in and break up play. He may not be suited to ‘Lage-ball’, but you always feel it’s important to have a blend of qualities in any squad. Dendoncker offered something a bit different to the Portuguese trio.

    Ainsley Maitland-Miles

    Signed for: Southampton

    Signed from: Arsenal

    Fee: Loan

    Another season, another loan move for Ainsley Maitland-Miles. Having spent last season on loan in the Eternal City with Roma, lifting the inaugural Europa Conference League, the 25-year-old will now mosey on over to the South Coast with the Saints for 2022/23.

    Justin Kluivert

    Signed for: Valencia

    Signed from: Roma

    Fee: Loan

    A move to Fulham collapsed for Justin Kluivert, so he has now relocated to the Mestalla to replace Goncalo Guedes. Like many on this list it’s an initial loan with the option to buy for Gennaro Gattuso.

    Sam Edozie

    Signed for: Southampton

    Signed from: Man City

    Fee: £8m

    It’s an interesting philosophy from Ralph Hasenhuttl: let City spend millions on talent spotters and academy coaches, and then when they realise none of those players are actually going to displace Kevin De Bruyne or Erling Haaland, swoop in. Edozie is Southampton’s fourth signing from City this summer, and like the others, he is tipped for a bright future.

    Juan Larios

    Signed for: Southampton

    Signed from: Man City

    Fee: £6m

    Larios was one of the four. Also signed on deadline day, Southampton’s head of recruitment, Joe Shields, went on a no-holds-barred shopping spree at his former club.

    Carlos Vinicius

    Signed for: Fulham

    Signed from: Benfica

    Fee: £4.5m

    Carlos Vinicius didn’t exactly set the Premier League alight during his loan spell at Spurs a few years back, but he should provide solid competition for free-scoring Aleksandar Mitrovic up top.

    Jan Bednarek

    Signed for: Aston Villa

    Signed from: Southampton

    Fee: Loan

    With Villa’s marquee defensive signing over the summer Diego Carlos sidelined indefinitely, Steven Gerrard has sensibly recruited a centre-back reinforcement, with Jan Bednarek coming in on a temporary from Southampton.

    Hector Bellerin

    Signed for: Barcelona

    Signed from: Arsenal

    Fee: Free

    The Gunners allowed the former La Masia player Bellerin to return to his homeland having spent last season on loan at Real Betis, though sensibly they’ve included a sell-on clause.

    Duje Caleta-Car

    Signed for: Southampton

    Signed from: Marseille

    Fee: £8.6m

    Having let Bednarek join Villa, Hasenhuttl has beefed up his own defence with the purchase of Croatian centre-back Duje Caleta-Car from Marseille. A former Red Bull Salzburg defender, his Austrian connections would no doubt have elicited a certain amount of enticement from Hasenhuttl’s part.

    Boubacar Traore

    Signed for: Wolves

    Signed from: Metz

    Fee: Loan

    Wolves didn’t really have a choice but to sign another midfielder having allowed Morgan Gibbs-White and Dendoncker to leave. Boubacar Traore has made the switch from Ligue 2 side Metz, and Wolves also have an option to buy the 21-year-old at the end of his loan deal.

    Dan James

    Signed for: Fulham

    Signed from: Leeds

    Fee: Loan

    It was quite the final day for Leeds, who gave the green light on Dan James travelling to Fulham to complete a loan move, but then also saw their deal for Bamba Dieng collapse. Still, all worked out in the end…

    Wilfried Gnonto

    Signed for: Leeds

    Signed from: FC Zurich

    Fee: £3.9m

    This really does feel like quite the coup for Leeds. They’ve had a very good window, and topped it off with the signing of precocious Italy international Wilfried Gnonto. Signing an 18-year-old Italy international would usually mean paying a king’s ransom, but Jesse Marsch cast his line over in Switzerland and picked up the electric forward for less than £4m.

    Billy Gilmour

    Signed for: Brighton

    Signed from: Chelsea

    Fee: £9m

    With the Blues completing a deal for Juventus midfielder Denis Zakaria, Billy Gilmour was firmly an outcast in west London, allowing Brighton to land his signature. The Scotland international blew hot and cold for Norwich last season, but Brighton should provide him the perfect platform to push on.

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