"Think of Andrey Arshavin jetting into a snow-bound London in 2008 to sign for Arsenal. The weather conditions were so bad the deadline had to be postponed for 24 hours. Remember 2013, when West Brom striker Peter Odemwingie got in his car and drove 120 miles from Birmingham to London in the forlorn hope he would sign for Queens Park Rangers."
"In recent years, the only notable signing as the clocked ticked down has been Enzo Fernandez. Fernandez was fresh from being named the best young player at the 2022 World Cup with winners Argentina. The midfielder joined Chelsea from Benfica weeks later in what was, at the time, the British record transfer fee of 106.8m. It was Chelsea's spending which shaped the window and helped set a new Premier League record."
"In total, 815m was splashed out, of which Chelsea were responsible for 284.1m - 34.86%. It was the early delays of BlueCo's investment in the squad after completing a takeover the previous summer. It created an outlier in total spending, especially across the post-Covid years. The Fernandez deal rumbled on throughout the evening. It was a real on-off saga but eventually went through as the seconds ticked down."
The winter transfer deadline day produced just seven deals, marking the Premier League's quietest-ever winter deadline day. Historically iconic winter deadline moments included Andrey Arshavin's 2008 snow-bound arrival, Peter Odemwingie's 2013 drive, and Liverpool's 2011 signings of Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez. Recent seasons saw low final-day volumes: 13 deals in 2024, 16 in 2023, and 14 in 2022. The only high-profile late arrival in recent years was Enzo Fernandez, who joined Chelsea from Benfica for a British-record 106.8m. Chelsea accounted for 284.1m—about 34.86% of the 815m total—driven by delayed BlueCo investment following a takeover.
Read at www.bbc.com
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