Football News

    Six post-deadline deals you might have missed

    By Mohamed Moallim

    Published: 12:40, 1 February 2022

    Once the winter transfer window shut on January 31, it didn’t mean any business couldn’t be concluded.

    In what turned out to be another frantic last few hours, which most notably saw Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang manifest a switch from Arsenal to Barcelona, there were several transfers announced following the deadline day closing time.

    1. Dele Alli

    From: Tottenham

    To: Everton

    For much of January, there was a growing belief Dele Alli would be ending his Tottenham stay which began so promisingly before it plateaued. Once a guaranteed starter for Spurs, the 37-time England international has seen limited playing time in North London across the past few seasons. Consequently, a change of scenery was badly needed, there were interested parties but in the end, Alli opted to link up with Frank Lampard at Everton who are looking to stave off relegation. The hope now is he can rediscover his old form or at the very least become an integral part of the Toffees going forward.

    2. Marcus Edwards

    From: Vitória Guimarães

    To: Sporting CP

    Speaking of Spurs, their former academy graduate Marcus Edwards, who turned 23 last December, is on the move again. Having previously enjoyed loan spells at Norwich and Dutch outfit Excelsior he would join Primeira Liga outfit Vitória Guimarães on a free transfer in September 2019 and this season, he’s bagged seven goals across 18 league outings. His numbers and performances attracted Portuguese champions Sporting CP, who acquired the English forward. He will undoubtedly offer an option as Ruben Amorim’s side look forward to a Champions League round-of-16 date with Manchester City later this month.

    3. Jermain Defoe

    From: Free agent

    To: Sunderland

    The word legend gets tossed around lazily these days but what Jermain Defoe did for Sunderland during his time at the Stadium of Light between January 2015 and May 2017 is nothing short of that definition. Back then, he was doing everything in his power to keep them in the Premier League, scoring 34 of their 90 goals, which is a higher share of any side’s goals than any other player. These days, the Black Cats play their football in English football’s third tier following a sad fall from grace. The good news is he returns as they’re pushing for Championship promotion. No longer a spring chicken, Defoe will bring a wealth of experience as well as leadership.

    4. Rúben Semedo

    From: Olympiacos

    To: FC Porto

    Never far away from the headlines, often for unsavoury and non-football reasons, Rúben Semedo makes a return to Portuguese top-flight football by joining FC Porto on loan from Olympiacos, where he’s been playing since 2019. The centre-back — who previously enjoyed a brief stay at Villarreal — came through Sporting’s illustrious academy and to date has earned three international caps representing Portugal, though his most recent outing came in a 3-2 win at Croatia in November 2020.

    5. Islam Slimani

    From: Lyon

    To: Sporting CP

    After registering 57 goals across 111 outings in all competitions for Sporting CP, the Premier League was calling for Islam Slimani, who enjoyed a modest spell at Leicester City before they sent him out on loan to Newcastle, Fenerbahce and then Monaco. Until recently, he was at Lyon where his tenure became permanent. However, finding the net in Ligue 1 this season was a struggle (one goal across 12 appearances), on top of that Slimani was far from Peter Bosz’s first choice, so Les Gones terminated his contract and he’s since re-joined Sporting.

    6. Jeff Hendrick

    From: Newcastle

    To: QPR

    It was expected following the club’s takeover by a consortium led by the Saudi Arabian government’s sovereign wealth fund last October that Newcastle United will be active in this winter’s transfer window. The powers that be have certainly strengthened Eddie Howe’s first-team squad but with new additions, it means some already there fall by the wayside. A late casualty of their squad renovation is central midfielder Jeff Hendrick who, to be fair, has only made three Premier League appearances this season. He subsequently joined QPR on a six-month loan.

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