British records were broken when Fernando Torres was signed last-minute in 2011 by Chelsea for a staggering £50m. The deal, made just before the transfer window closed, looked promising for oil tycoon and owner Roman Abramovich, as Torres had scored 20 league goals in his first season at Liverpool. However, at Chelsea he became more a joke as it took him three months to secure his first goal.Reuters
British records were broken when Fernando Torres was signed last-minute in 2011 by Chelsea for a staggering £50m. The deal, made just before the transfer window closed, looked promising for oil tycoon and owner Roman Abramovich, as Torres had scored 20 league goals in his first season at Liverpool. However, at Chelsea he became more a joke as it took him three months to secure his first goal.ReutersAfter selling Torres for £50m, Liverpool managers had more than enough to splash out to fill the void left by the Spanish striker. British player Andy Carroll was quickly chosen from Newcastle United and signed for £35m just before the 11pm deadline.ReutersThe Russian 27-year-old was pursued by Barcelona, Tottenham and Newcastle after his excellent performance at Euro 2008. On the last day of the transfer window it was reported that Arshavin was heading home after failing to finalise a deal with any European team. Arsenal managed to snap him up for £15m an hour before the transfer window was due to close. Poor weather conditions complicated the transfer further and meant that the deadline had to be extended to 5pm.ReutersEnglish fullback Ashley Cole was signed by Arsenal in exchange for £5m and French defender William Gallas. The deal was made by Jose Mourinho hours before the deadline window shut. Since swapping north London for west London, Cole has won the league, four FA Cups, a League Cup, the Europa League and the Champions League.ReutersWayne Rooney became the most expensive player under the age of 20 in 2004 when he was signed on deadline day for £25.6m by Manchester United. Feeling very comfortable in red he went on to be the team’s fourth highest goal scorer of all time. At the young age of 18 he made his Champions League debut and broke another record for becoming the youngest player to score a hat-trick in the European competition.ReutersHarry Redknapp seemed to have got a last-minute bargain when he secured the Dutch midfielder for £8m. Talks for the Real Madrid star were not initiated until 4pm. His stay at Spurs was short-lived but he managed to score 30 goals for the club and take them to the quarter finals for the Champions League.ReutersArsenal were accused of stealing Bulgarian Dimitar Berbatov from Spurs in the last few hours of the transfer window in 2008 by offering a £30.75m deal. The striker had averaged an impressive 20 goals per season at Tottenham and was irresistible for Sir Alex Ferguson. Berbatov went on to break records at United by becoming the first non-Englishman in the Premier League to have scored five goals in a single match.ReutersManchester City was taken over by the investment arm of Abu Dhabi’s ruling family and placed in the hands of Sheikh Mansour. He hit the ground running by swooping in and buying the Brazilian for £32.5m at the very last minute. The superstar forward was snatched from Chelsea and any plans of Robinho playing at Stamford Bridge were abruptly abandoned.ReutersDempsey’s destined transfer from Fulham to Liverpool had gone up in flames just three hours before the transfer window deadline. The Merseyside club had spent all summer chasing the American star, only for their offer of £4m to be rejected at the last minute. News spread and Tottenham Hotspur quickly met his asking price of £6m and Dempsey signed a three-year deal at the North London club.ReutersThe world was surprised when Tevez and Mascherano were signed in the last day of the transfer window back in 2006. The Hammers had to beat off some of Europe’s biggest clubs to secure the Argentinian super star duo; who were already well established international football and had played for Argentina in the World Cup. Tevez had won footballer of the year twice and was regarded as one of the most talent strikers in the world, while Mascherano was equally respected for being a highly rated defensive midfielder. The deal caused a great amount of controversy when it was revealed that the players registrations were owned by Brazilian club Corinthians. The club had to pay a £5.5m fine and compensation to newly relegated team Sheffield United.ReutersThe 31-year-old West Brom player tried to force a move to QPR on transfer deadline day by arriving at Loftus Road unannounced. Weary with life at the Hawthorns, the Nigerian international hopped in his car and headed south, but West Brom's refusal to grant QPR permission to speak to the forward complicated matters. Odemwingie was left to wait it out in the R's car park hoping a deal could be agreed, but nothing was to come of it. Cue a slightly awkward return to training after the club eventually allowed him back through the door.Reuters
Although there is still time for a few more deals to rock the football world, they aren't likely to eclipse the one that has seen Gareth Bale seal his move to Real Madrid from Tottenham Hotspur for a world record fee of £86m.
Now officially the world's most expensive player, the Welshman was unveiled in a typically spectacular presentation at the Bernabeu on the final day of the transfer window, passing on a few words of thanks and nervously hitting a few kick ups in front of his new doting fans.
But back in reality, everyone else is far from finished with their summer business. With hours still to go before the transfer window closes clubs are still desperately trying to thrash out deals before tonight's 11pm deadline, and if previous final days are anything to go by, you would be advised to move away from your computers or televisions at your own peril.
The Premier League loves an outrageously late transfer and in this slide show we've looked at the ten greatest transfer deadline day deals to keep you occupied as those final hours approach. And with Manchester United and Arsenal both yet to seriously delve into the market this summer expect a hectic evening.
