Torres, Suarez & January transfer deadline day deals

Fernando Torres’ £35 million deadline day transfer to Chelsea from Liverpool was a then-British transfer record. ‘El Nino’, a former Kop darling, infamously left the Reds to join Chelsea in 2011 in search for silverware and success amid a period of deep turbulence for the Anfield side.

While he had endeared himself to the Merseyside faithful with 81 goals, forming a prolific partnership with Steven Gerrard and earning a reputation as one of the Premier League’s most feared strikers, he was considered a flop at Stamford Bridge.

He scored his first Chelsea goal against West Ham on April 23, 2011 after a 903-minute goal-less run, though he did lift the Champions League trophy with the Blues in 2012.

The Uruguayan international’s time at Anfield was marred with controversy, but he will be best remember for his scoring prowess and lethal attacking skill with the Reds. Luis Suarez was initially brought to Liverpool to Ajax in a view to partner Torres in attack, and scored on his debut against Stoke in February 2011.

He scored just four Premier League goals in his first half-season for Liverpool but became his side’s most valuable asset over the next few years, steadily increasing his league tally to 11 goals in 2011-12, 23 goals in 2012-13 and 31 goals in 2013-14.

He played a key role in Liverpool’s 2014 title push under Brendan Rodgers, and left for Barcelona later that summer.

If there’s anybody who embodies the idea of a ‘panic buy’, it’s Andy Carroll. Liverpool acted swiftly to purchase the forward from Newcastle as a replacement for the outgoing Torres in January 2011, with Carroll’s club-record £35m signing confirmed on deadline day.

Carroll endured a challenging time at Liverpool, struggling to fill in for Torres. He managed to score just 11 goals in his two seasons for the Reds before leaving for West Ham in 2012.

The Gunners had their eye on Gabon star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for a while, but his move was only confirmed on deadline day 2018 – as Arsenal, along with Chelsea and Dortmund, were involved in a player merry-go-round. Arsenal wanted Aubameyang, but Dortmund couldn’t sell the player without having a replacement, who they identified in Chelsea’s Michy Batshuayi. The Blues, in turn, wanted to bring in Olivier Giroud from the Emirates, which rounded out the transfer triangle stand-off.

All three clubs finally confirmed all three deals on January 31 – Aubameyang to Arsenal, Batshuyai replacing him at Dortmund, and Giroud signing for Chelsea from Arsenal.

The French international joined Arsenal’s rivals Chelsea in 2018 and scored five goals in his debut season for the Blues, and went on to net 13 times in his following season.

He won the Europa League in his second campaign at Stamford Bridge, scoring in Chelsea’s 4-1 victory against his former side in the 2019 final.

Giroud could be in line for another deadline day move this year with the likes of Inter, Lazio and Tottenham all linked with possible moves for the Frenchman. 

Since arriving at Chelsea in 2016, Michy Batshuayi has been offloaded on numerous loan spells, firstly to Borussia Dortmund on loan on January 31, 2018 as part of the Giroud-Aubameyang-Batshuayi triangle.

Coincidentally, Batshuayi became the first player to score multiple goals on his Bundesliga debut since Aubameyang, who he replaced.

After earning a solid reputation at Zenit St Petersburg, Russia international Andrey Arshavin signed for Arsenal in 2009 on the final day of the winter window.

The winger settled into his new north London surroundings quickly – one of his most iconic contributions being the four-goal haul he scored against Liverpool in a tight 4-4 draw a few months later.

Brazil winger Lucas Moura was Tottenham’s last purchase for 18 months when he moved from Paris Saint-Germain to north London in 2018.

Moura’s most memorable moment for the Lilywhites is arguably his hat-trick against Ajax in the Champions League second-leg semi-final. The forward came on as a substitute in the second half and scored three goals to win the tie 3-2 on aggregate, sending Tottenham to their first-ever Champions League final.

The Paraguay international became the Magpies’ club-record signing for £21m on January 31, 2019, which was also a record for an MLS player.

Miguel Almiron joined Newcastle from Atlanta United but took a while to make his mark on Tyneside, scoring his first Premier League goal on December 21, 2019 against Crystal Palace.

Javier Mascherano initially joined Liverpool on loan from West Ham in January 2007, but there was a danger that his deal wouldn’t be approved. According to FIFA rules, players cannot for more than two clubs between July 1 and June 30 the following year. Mascherano had played for both Corinthians and West Ham during this period.

FIFA approved the deal on January 31, 2007, and Mascherano joined the side permanently later that summer. The Argentina international was a key player in Rafael Benitez’s midfield. As the Liverpool chant goes: “Woah, woah, woah, We've got the best midfield in the world/ Xabi Alonso, no Momo Sissoko / Gerrard and Mascherano...”

It was Xabi Alonso who persuaded childhood friend and neighbour Mikel Arteta to join Everton from Real Sociedad, telling him how much he enjoyed Liverpool. Arteta joined the Toffees on January 31, 2005, first on loan with a view to a permanent transfer.

Arteta spent eight seasons at Goodison Park under David Moyes before moving to Arsenal in 2011, where he retired in 2016. He didn’t stay away from the Emirates for long, of course, taking up a coaching role under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City – before being appointed permanent manager of the Gunners in 2019, replacing fellow Spaniard Unai Emery.

There are worse players to sign on deadline day than former Chelsea star Nicolas Anelka. 

The former France international and Blues ace joined Turkish side Fenerbahce on the final day of the January 2006 transfer window for £7 million, winning a Super Lig title and scoring 16 goals.

Kevin De Bruyne, the one that got away. Chelsea signed the Belgium midfielder and later Manchester City star from Genk for £7m on January 31, 2012 – but spent the rest of the season at Genk.

When he returned to Stamford Bridge later that summer, he left for Werder Bremen on another season-long loan deal, before finally leaving Chelsea permanently in January 2014 for Wolfsburg after making just three appearances for the Blues (all coming in the League Cup in 2013-14).

Manchester City came calling for De Bruyne in 2015, and the rest, as they say, is history.