Deadline Day deals: Aubameyang, Eriksen, Van de Beek, Dele Alli and more

By Veselin Trajkovic -
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As it always happens, the final day of this winter’s transfer window was a very lively affair, with some unexpected deals going through, some expected ones not getting done, and generally a lot of haggling between clubs, players and their representatives.

So let’s take a brief look at some of the more interesting deals that went down on January 31.

Aubameyang joins Barcelona

Barcelona managed to complete a deal to sign Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Arsenal on a permanent transfer. The deal was actually confirmed on Tuesday, the day after the closing of the window, which was possible because the Catalan club formally signed the player as a free agent after the termination of his Arsenal contract.

There had been plenty of speculation regarding the Gabonese forward after his bout of indiscipline lost him the captain’s armband at Arsenal in December and manager Mikel Arteta decided to freeze him out of the team for a while.

Having already signed Ferran Torres from Manchester City and Adama Traore from Wolverhampton Wanderers, Barcelona were looking to add another attacking player to their ranks as they desperately seek a path back to the top of the Spanish and European football. They saw a good opportunity in Aubameyang’s unpleasant situation at the Emirates, and the two clubs were said to be negotiating throughout the day.

Arsenal eventually agreed to let the 32-year-old leave for free in order to get his £350,000 off their weekly wage bill. The problem was still there though, with Barcelona obviously unwilling to put him on the same wages, and Aubameyang was reportedly forced to reduce his demands to secure employment at the Camp Nou.

From Arsenal’s point of view, it will have been a relief to resolve the matter and move on from the whole Aubameyang business, but his departure, combined with the club’s failure to secure a replacement, undoubtedly leaves them short in the striker department for the remainder of the 2021-22. They have, to be fair, rebuffed all interest in Eddie Nketiah for the time being, but the youngster and Alexandre Lacazette are both set to leave the Emirates as free agents in the summer.

Eriksen returns

Seven months have passed since Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest during Denmark’s Euro opener against Finland, and for a long while it was unclear if the former Tottenham Hotspur attacking midfielder would ever play again.

With the Serie A not allowing players to play with a Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD), Inter Milan had no choice but to cancel the 29-year-old’s contract. Fully recovered, however, Eriksen worked hard on regaining his fitness and he has now signed a contract for the rest of the season with Brentford.

Players, clubs and football supporters around the globe have voiced their support and wished Eriksen the best of luck.

Everton sign Van de Beek and Dele Alli

Dele Alli’s future at Tottenham Hotspur and his potential departure were speculated on for years, but the attacking midfielder has finally left North London and swelled the ranks of Frank Lampard, the newly appointed Everton boss.

The 25-year-old signed a two-and-a-half-year deal with the Toffees, who reportedly managed to arrange a highly unusual deal with Spurs. Apparently, Everton will have to pay £10 million for his services, but only after the 37-cap England international has made at least 20 appearances for the Merseysiders. Until then, the transfer is regarded as free.

The situation of Donny van de Beek at Manchester United has been a downright disaster so far. The 24-year-old was considered a marquee signing for the 20-time English champions in 2020, but he’s completely failed to make an impact at Old Trafford since.

Nonetheless, United still see him as a potentially important player for their future, and that’s why Everton were only able to negotiate a straight loan for the rest of the season, without the option to make it permanent in the summer.

Liverpool lose time race for Fabio Carvalho

Having signed Luis Diaz from FC Porto, Liverpool made a late move for Fabio Carvalho of Fulham. The negotiations went back and forth throughout Monday and Fulham held firm in their intention to keep the 19-year-old midfielder, even though Liverpool offered the player to remain at Craven Cottage on loan until the end of the season.

In the end, the agreement was reached, but there wasn’t enough time to complete the medical and the necessary paperwork, and the deal fell through for the time being.

Carvalho’s contract with Fulham expires at the end of the season and as things stand, he has already agreed personal terms with Liverpool, though it should be said that the Merseysiders would still have to pay a compensation fee to Fulham due to the player being under 24.

But if Liverpool do sign the youngster in the summer for a reasonable compensation fee, the fact that they didn’t get him in January won’t matter at all.

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