Chelsea Football Update: January 2014

Friday, January 31, 2014

Liverpool fail in bid to sign £16m Ukraine forward Yevhen Konoplyanka

• Dnipro president blocked move after buy-out clause was met

• 'A lot of players weren't available,' said Brendan Rodgers

Liverpool's transfer frustrations intensified on deadline day when they missed out on the £16m signing of the Ukraine international forward Yevhen Konoplyanka.

The 24-year-old was in line to become Brendan Rodgers' only addition of the January window following days of complex negotiations between Anfield officials and the player's club, Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk. Konoplyanka had agreed the terms of his move to the Premier League and members of Liverpool's medical team travelled to Ukraine to help facilitate the deadline day move.

But, despite Liverpool meeting the buy-out clause in Konoplyanka's contract, Dnipro's president Ihor Kolomoyskyi refused to sanction the player's release and Rodgers was left empty handed in his attempts to bolster his team's Champions League pursuit. Liverpool continued to pursue the deal up to the 11pm deadline but Kolomoyskyi, who had been in negotiations with the Anfield club's managing director Ian Ayre since Wednesday, would not sign the necessary paperwork.

Kolomoyskyi's stance had prompted Rodgers to concede the deal was "complicated" just hours before the window closed. Oliver Cabrera, owner of Konoplyanka's representatives OML Sports and Marketing, also said: "We have a very good relationship with the president Kolomoyskyi and he doesn't want to sell the player. Yehven and his father respect that so a move is very unlikely."

Liverpool were the only club to hold direct discussions with Dnipro over Konoplyanka, who rose to prominence at Euro 2012 and also scored in a stand-out performance against England at Wembley in the 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign. Tottenham Hotspur had made an inquiry but did not follow up their interest.

The Liverpool manager claimed on Friday that he "would be happy to go with what we've got" if a deal for the Ukrainian was not completed, but Konoplyanka is the latest in a series of transfer disappointments for the club. Liverpool were unable to land Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Diego Costa and Willian last summer and were gazumped by Chelsea in this transfer window over Basel winger Mohamed Salah.

Rodgers had wanted only signings who could improve the first team this month, having stated the squad had enough "support players", with Liverpool currently on target for Champions League qualification.

Speaking after the collapse of the Konoplyanka deal, Rodgers insisted: "It certainly hasn't been because of a lack of work by the football club. There are lots of people who have worked tirelessly to identify and find the right types of players. A lot of those players haven't been able to become available for us.

"Of course, as a manager, you would like to have strengthened – but I'm very optimistic with the group of players I still have available here. If we can keep those players fit, and maximise the availability for the rest of the season, we can have a great chance to have a really good finish."

Andy Hunter

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Palace sign Hennessey and Ledley, Ince joins on loan

(Reuters) - Crystal Palace signed five players before the transfer deadline on Friday starting with Welsh international goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey who arrived from Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Premier League club also announced the capture of Celtic midfielder Joe Ledley, Hennessey's Wales team mate, and Blackburn Rovers defender Scott Dann, all for undisclosed fees, while Tom Ince joined on loan for the rest of the season.

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Transfer deadline day club by club: who went where and for how much

• Arsenal sign Kim Kallstrom on loan from Spartak Moscow

• Crystal Palace bring in five players including Tom Ince

Arsenal

Ins Kim Kallstrom (Spartak Moscow, loan)

Outs Nico Yennaris (Brentford, undisc), Chuba Akpom (Brentford, loan), Anthony Jeffrey (Wycombe, free ), Benik Afobe (Sheff Weds, loan), Emmanuel Frimpong (Barnsley, undisc), Billy Clifford (Colchester, loan), Park Chu-young (Watford, loan)

Arsène Wenger's interest in Julian Draxler raised hopes of a pulse-quickening deal but Schalke's sky-high valuation of the midfielder put paid to them. Arsenal will try again in the summer. Wenger moved for the Sweden midfielder Kim Kallstrom on loan as he reacted to injuries, chief among them the setback to Aaron Ramsey. DH

Aston Villa

Ins Grant Holt (Wigan, loan), Ryan Bertrand (Chelsea, loan)

Outs Stephen Ireland (Stoke, undisc), Jordan Graham (Bradford, loan), Michael Drennan (Carlisle, loan)

The main target was a No10 to inject some much-needed midfield creativity but Paul Lambert's pursuit of Norwich City's Wes Hoolahan was never going to be straightforward. With or without Hoolahan, the Villa manager claimed he would happy with his lot. Grant Holt on loan from Wigan may not have been what Villa fans had in mind but the arrival of Ryan Bertrand, on loan from Chelsea, was an excellent piece of business. SJ

Cardiff City

Ins Magnus Wolff Eikrem (Heerenveen, undisc), Mats Moller Daehli, Jo Inge Berget (both Molde, undisc); Wilfried Zaha (loan), Fábio da Silva (undisc) (both Man Utd)

Outs Rudy Gestede (Blackburn, undisc), Filip Kiss (Ross County, loan), Nicky Maynard (Wigan, loan), John Brayford (Sheff Utd, loan), Craig Conway (Blackburn, undisc), Simon Moore (Bristol City, loan), Andreas Cornelius (Copenhagen, undisc)

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made five permanent signings, including three Norwegians. Clearly Solskjaer didn't think much of the squad he inherited from Malky Mackay. Arguably the most eye-catching recruit is Wilfried Zaha, who joined on loan from Old Trafford and Andreas Cornelius returned home. Bottom-of-the-table on the day the window closed, Solskjaer will not be able to complain about a lack of backing if he fails to keep Cardiff up to Denmark after only six months. SJ

Chelsea

Ins Nemanja Matic (Benfica, £20.75m), Mohamed Salah (Basel, undisclosed), Bertrand Traoré (Bobo-Dioulasso, free), Kurt Zouma (St Etienne, £12.5m)

Outs Juan Mata (Man Utd, £37.1m), Michael Essien (Milan, undisc), Bertrand Traoré (Vitesse, loan), Kenneth Omeruo (Middlesbrough, loan), Nathaniel Chalobah (Middlesbrough, loan), Patrick Bamford (Derby, loan), Kevin De Bruyne (Wolfsburg, £17m), Josh McEachran (Wigan, loan), Ryan Bertrand (Aston Villa, loan), Sam Walker (Colchester, free), Billy Clifford (Colchester, loan), Gaël Kakuta (Lazio, loan)

José Mourinho prioritised his central midfield, with Nemanja Matic's return to the club meeting his objective. Kevin de Bruyne had made clear a desire to leave, while Juan Mata's departure necessitated the purchase of a replacement, in Mohamed Salah "Matic was a 'need' and, with a profit, we changed two players for two others so the squad is more balanced," said the manager. The swathe of temporary departures, and Michael Essien's free transfer exit, were to be expected with a new forward line to be pursued in the summer. DF

Crystal Palace

Ins Wayne Hennessey (Wolves, £1.5m), Jason Puncheon (Southampton, £1.75m), Scott Dann (Blackburn, £1.7m), Tom Ince (Blackpool, loan), Joe Ledley (Celtic, £450,000)

Outs Jimmy Kébé (Leeds, loan), Kevin Phillips (Leicester, free), Jason Banton (Plymouth, undisc), Matt Parsons (Plymouth, undisc), Kwesi Appiah (Notts County, loan), Stephen Dobbie (Blackpool, loan)

A month of painful negotiations with clubs and agents inevitably prompted a splurge on the window's final day, which must have infuriated Tony Pulis who had craved doing his business early. Yet he did at least receive the board's backing at the last to offer hope that the eye-catching turnaround instigated since November can be maintained. There are new recruits down the spine of his team, with the manager's judgment finally backed. DF

Everton

Ins Lacina Traoré (Monaco, loan), Aiden McGeady (Spartak Moscow, £2.5m), Jindrich Stanek (Sparta Prague, undisc)

Outs Matthew Kennedy (Tranmere, loan), Nikica Jelavic (Hull, £6.5m), Tyias Browning (Wigan, loan), Shane Duffy (Yeovil, loan), Hallam Hope (Northampton, loan), Chris Long (MK Dons, loan), Matthew Pennington (Tranmere, loan), John Heitinga (Fulham, free)

On paper Everton have a stronger squad than at the start of the window, with Aiden McGeady (Spartak Moscow) and Lacina Traoré more than covering the sale of Nikica Jelavic to Hull City. Roberto Martínez says a squad should always be in better shape when a transfer window closes but whether Everton have achieved that objective is debatable. On paper, they have. With injuries piling up, however, and new arrivals short of match fitness, it may be a while before the improvement tells. AH

Fulham

Ins Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders, loan), William Kvist (Stuttgart, loan), Lewis Holtby (Tottenham, loan), Kostas Mitroglou (Olympiakos, £11m), Johnny Heitinga (Everton, free), Larnell Cole, Ryan Tunnicliffe (both Manchester Utd, undisc)

Outs Bryan Ruiz (PSV Eindhoven, loan), Stephen Arthurworrey (Tranmere, loan), Marcus Bettinelli (Accrington, loan), Jack Grimmer (Port Vale, loan), Aaron Hughes (QPR, free), Billy Clifford (Colchester, loan), Dimitar Berbatov (Monaco, loan), Philippe Senderos (Valencia, undisc)

This was a big window for the relegation battle ahead and deadline day was busy with Olympiakos's Kostas Mitroglou joining. Dimitar Berbatov's future had been in doubt for some time - he had moped for weeks - and the only surprise about his departure concerned the destination; nobody saw Monaco coming. Lewis Holtby's arrival, though, gives René Meulensteen the attack-minded midfielder he craved. DH

Hull City

Ins Nikica Jelavic (Everton, £6.5m), Shane Long (West Brom, £7m), Elliott Kebbie (unattached)

Outs Tom Cairney (Blackburn, undisc), Eldin Jakupovic (Leyton Orient, loan), Gedo (Al Ahly), Aaron Mclean (Bradford, undisc), Cameron Stewart (Leeds, undisc), Conor Townsend (Carlisle, loan), Nick Proschwitz (Barnsley, loan), Jack Hobbs (Nottingham Forest, undisc)

With Hull sliding towards relegation waters, after such a bright beginning to the season Steve Bruce has sensibly reinforced his attack. Shane Long looks an excellent signing while it will be intriguing to see whether Nikica Jelavic can revive a once so promising career on Humberside. Bruce though made his most important signing last summer - his key midfielder Tom Huddlestone remains the man who makes Hull play. LT

Liverpool

Ins

Outs Tiago Ilori (Granada, loan), Craig Roddan (Accrington, loan), Ryan McLaughlin (Barnsley, loan), Adam Morgan (Yeovil, free), Michael Ngoo (Walsall, loan) , Billy Clifford (Colchester, loan)

Brendan Rodgers said before the transfer window opened that he needed players to make an immediate impact on Liverpool's first team, not to make up numbers, but the club failed to hit that specific target. And not for the first time. Having missed out on Mohamed Salah to Chelsea, Liverpool made a concerted late effort to secure the £16m signature of Yevhen Konoplyanka from Dnipro but failed as the window began to close. AH

Manchester City

Ins

Outs John Guidetti (Stoke, loan), Abdisalam Ibrahim (released), Albert Rusnak (Birmingham, loan)

The late dash to try to sign Eliaquim Mangala and/or Fernando from Porto emphasised City's weakness in central defence and, to a lesser extent, defensive midfield. £48m was the asking price for the pair and if City, flying in all four competitions, had acquired the central defender Mangala it would have strengthened the assault on the quadruple. Instead, while no one arrived, John Guidetti went on loan to Stoke City. JJ

Manchester United

Ins Juan Mata (Chelsea, £37.1m)

Outs Anderson (Fiorentina, loan), Fábio da Silva (Cardiff, undisc), Jack Barmby (Hartlepool, loan), Wilfried Zaha (Cardiff, loan), Sam Byrne (Carlisle, loan), Tyler Blackett, Tom Thorpe, Federico Macheda (all Birmingham, loan), Will Keane (QPR, loan), Sam Johnstone (Doncaster, loan)

A central midfielder (or two) remains the holy grail for David Moyes. While he can point to the acquisition of Juan Mata for a record £37.1m fee from Chelsea as tidy work, the sense remains that Champions League qualification will be a struggle due to the gaps in midfield and the creaking defence. To Cardiff City have gone Fábio da Silva, for a small fee, and Wilfried Zaha, on loan. JJ

Newcastle United

Ins Luuk de Jong (Borussia Mönchengladbach, loan)

Outs Jonás Gutiérrez (Norwich, loan), Yohan Cabaye (Paris Saint-Germain, undisclosed), Curtis Good (Dundee United, loan), Billy Clifford (Colchester, loan)

A month when Alan Pardew lost much more than he gained. France playmaker Yohan Cabaye's £20m departure for Paris Saint-Germain leaves a huge chasm in midfield and Joe Kinnear's failure to recruit a replacement could yet cost the team European football next season. Luuk de Jong has arrived on loan from Borussia Mönchengladbach but the Holland striker has a lot to prove after struggling in the Bundesliga. Much hinges on whether Hatem Ben Arfa can revive his Tyneside career. LT

Norwich City

Ins Jonás Gutiérrez (Newcastle, loan), Joseph Yobo (Fenerbahce, loan)

Outs Daniel Ayala (Middlesbrough, £350,000), Jamar Loza (Leyton Orient, loan)

It has been a quiet January in east Anglia on the transfer front, despite Norwich City being in an undoubted battle for Premier League survival this season. Chris Hughton's side are currently 12th in the table following a period of minor concern, and the Canaries manager has added two players on loan this winter – Joseph Yobo from Galatasaray and Jonás Gutiérrez from Newcastle. JR

Southampton

Ins

Outs Billy Sharp (Doncaster, loan), Lee Barnard (Southend, loan), Jason Puncheon (Crystal Palace, undisc), Dani Osvaldo (Juventus, loan)

Mauricio Pochettino had indicated he did not anticipate incomings to St Mary's this month after a solid campaign to date. This is a manager who prefers to add in the summer. He has at least trimmed a bloated squad, although arguably the most eye-catching departures will end up being their record signing, Dani Osvaldo, to Juventus and their executive chairman, Nicola Cortese. Retaining Luke Shaw is encouraging. DF

Stoke City

Ins John Guidetti (Man City, loan), Stephen Ireland (Aston Villa, undisc), Juan Agudelo (New England Revolution, free)

Outs Brek Shea (Barnsley, loan), Juan Agudelo (Utrecht, loan), Jamie Ness (Leyton Orient, loan)

Mark Hughes injected the pace and movement he desired in the Stoke forward line by swapping Kenwyne Jones for Peter Odemwingie, and acquiring frustrated Swedish striker adding John Guidetti on loan from Manchester City, but the welcome arrival of Tom Ince failed to materialise as Stoke refused to meet Blackpool's demands. That said, Hughes' gradual overhaul is taking shape and the bid to lure Lee Cattermole showed clear intent. AH

Sunderland

Ins Marcos Alonso (Fiorentina, loan), Oscar Ustari (Almería, free), Santiago Vergini (Estudiantes, loan), Ignacio Scocco (Internacional, undisc), Liam Bridcutt (Brighton, undisc)

Outs Mikael Mandron (Fleetwood, loan), Cabral (Genoa, loan), Ji Dong-won (Augsburg, undisc), Billy Knott (Port Vale, loan), Alfred N'Diaye (Real Betis, loan), Modibo Diakité (Fiorentina, loan), Duncan Watmore (Hibernian, loan), David Moberg Karlsson (Kilmarnock, loan), Danny Graham (Middlesbrough, loan)

Defender Santiago Vergini, goalkeeper Oscar Ustari and striker Ignacio Scocco bring a little corner of Argentina to Wearside, while Liam Bridcutt could prove valuable's exchange of life at the base of Brighton's midfield for a similar role at Sunderland promises to help Gus Poyet implement his beloved possesion based passing game. Poyet's team approach the vital phase of their relegation battle looking stronger - and a little more subtle. LT

Swansea City

Ins Marvin Emnes (Middlesbrough, loan), David Ngog (Bolton, undisclosed)

Outs Alan Tate (Aberdeen, loan), Daniel Alfei (Portsmouth, loan), Rory Donnelly (Coventry, loan)

Not exactly an inspiring window for Swansea but they were never likely to spend big. David Ngog, signed from Bolton, is expected to be little more than an impact player, providing back-up to Wilfried Bony and Michu, once the Spaniard returns from injury. Several deals were hanging in the balance during the final hours on deadline day, including Neil Taylor's switch to Fulham, which was dependent on Swansea signing Leicester's Jeffrey Schlupp. SJ

Tottenham Hotspur

Ins

Outs Shaquile Coulthirst (Leyton Orient, loan), Jon Obika (Brighton, loan), Jermain Defoe (Toronto, from February 28, undisc), Simon Dawkins (Derby, £500,000), Ryan Fredericks (Millwall, loan), Lewis Holtby (Fulham, loan), Adam Smith (Bournemouth, undisc)

In a highly unusual twist, Tottenham kept their heads down for most of the month and were not major players, with the manager, Tim Sherwood, insistent that his squad was sufficiently equipped as it was. He will, though, lose Jermain Defoe to Toronto FC at the end of February, while he allowed Lewis Holtby to join Fulham on loan. He says that Holtby still has a future at Tottenham. DH

West Bromwich Albion

Ins Thievy Bafouma (Espanyol, loan)

Outs Shane Long (Hull, £7m), Lee Camp (Bournemouth, free), George Thome (Derby County, loan

The Baggies opted to stick rather than twist this January, confident the players at the club can secure safety this season. Pepe Mel, appointed midway through the month, allowed Shane Long to depart for Hull City but signed the young Espanyol striker Thievy Bifouma on loan, and had moved for the Norwich City midfielder Wes Hoolahan. JR

West Ham United

Ins Roger Johnson (Wolves, loan), Antonio Nocerino (Milan, loan), Marco Borriello (Roma, loan), Abdul Razak (Anzhi, short-term deal), Pablo Armero (Napoli, loan)

Outs Blair Turgott (Rotherham, loan), Paul McCallum (Hearts, loan), Modibo Maïga (QPR, loan)

Sam Allardyce cut a forlorn figure at one stage of the window, having been thwarted in attempts to sign Johnny Heitinga and Lacina Traoré among others. However, West Ham have been one of the busiest clubs and, while Roger Johnson's arrival did not get the pulse racing, the loan signings of the Italians Marco Borriello and Antonio Nocerino, as well as Abdul Razak from Anzhi, have added valuable depth to the squad. JR

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Transfer deadline day club by club: who went where and for how much

• Arsenal sign Kim Kallstrom on loan from Spartak Moscow

• Crystal Palace bring in five players including Tom Ince

Arsenal

Ins Kim Kallstrom (Spartak Moscow, loan)

Aston Villa

Ins Grant Holt (Wigan, loan), Ryan Bertrand (Chelsea, loan)

Outs Stephen Ireland (Stoke, undisc), Jordan Graham (Bradford, loan), Michael Drennan (Carlisle, loan)

Cardiff City

Ins Magnus Wolff Eikrem (Heerenveen, undisc), Mats Moller Daehli, Jo Inge Berget (both Molde, undisc); Wilfried Zaha (loan), Fábio da Silva (undisc) (both Man Utd)

Chelsea

Ins Nemanja Matic (Benfica, £20.75m), Mohamed Salah (Basel, undisclosed), Bertrand Traoré (Bobo-Dioulasso, free), Kurt Zouma (St Etienne, £12.5m)

Crystal Palace

Ins Wayne Hennessey (Wolves, £1.5m), Jason Puncheon (Southampton, £1.75m), Scott Dann (Blackburn, £1.7m), Tom Ince (Blackpool, loan), Joe Ledley (Celtic, £450,000)

Everton

Ins Lacina Traoré (Monaco, loan), Aiden McGeady (Spartak Moscow, £2.5m), Jindrich Stanek (Sparta Prague, undisc)

Fulham

Ins Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders, loan), William Kvist (Stuttgart, loan), Lewis Holtby (Tottenham, loan), Kostas Mitroglou (Olympiakos, £11m) , Johnny Hieitinga (Everton, free)

Hull City

Ins Nikica Jelavic (Everton, £6.5m), Shane Long (West Brom, £7m), Elliott Kebbie (unattached)

Liverpool

Ins

Outs Tiago Ilori (Granada, loan), Craig Roddan (Accrington, loan), Ryan McLaughlin (Barnsley, loan), Adam Morgan (Yeovil, free), Michael Ngoo (Walsall, loan) , Billy Clifford (Colchester, loan)

Manchester City

Ins

Outs John Guidetti (Stoke, loan), Abdisalam Ibrahim (released), Albert Rusnak (Birmingham, loan)

Manchester United

Ins Juan Mata (Chelsea, £37.1m)

Newcastle United

Ins Luuk de Jong (Borussia Mönchengladbach, loan)

Outs Jonás Gutiérrez (Norwich, loan), Yohan Cabaye (Paris Saint-Germain, undisclosed), Curtis Good (Dundee United, loan), Billy Clifford (Colchester, loan)

Norwich City

Ins Jonás Gutiérrez (Newcastle, loan), Joseph Yobo (Fenerbahce, loan)

Outs Daniel Ayala (Middlesbrough, £350,000), Jamar Loza (Leyton Orient, loan)

Southampton

Ins

Outs Billy Sharp (Doncaster, loan), Lee Barnard (Southend, loan), Jason Puncheon (Crystal Palace, undisc), Dani Osvaldo (Juventus, loan)

Stoke City

Ins John Guidetti (Man City, loan), Stephen Ireland (Aston Villa, undisc), Juan Agudelo (New England Revolution, free)

Outs Brek Shea (Barnsley, loan), Juan Agudelo (Utrecht, loan), Jamie Ness (Leyton Orient, loan)

Sunderland

Ins Marcos Alonso (Fiorentina, loan), Oscar Ustari (Almería, free), Santiago Vergini (Estudiantes, loan), Ignacio Scocco (Internacional, undisc), Liam Bridcutt (Brighton, undisc)

Swansea City

Ins Marvin Emnes (Middlesbrough, loan), David Ngog (Bolton, undisclosed)

Outs Alan Tate (Aberdeen, loan), Daniel Alfei (Portsmouth, loan), Rory Donnelly (Coventry, loan)

Tottenham Hotspur

Ins

West Bromwich Albion

Ins Thievy Bafouma (Espanyol, loan)

Outs Shane Long (Hull, £7m), Lee Camp (Bournemouth, free), George Thome (Derby County, loan

West Ham United

Ins Roger Johnson (Wolves, loan), Antonio Nocerino (Milan, loan), Marco Borriello (Roma, loan), Abdul Razak (Anzhi, short-term deal), Pablo Armero (Napoli, loan)

Outs Blair Turgott (Rotherham, loan), Paul McCallum (Hearts, loan), Modibo Maïga (QPR, loan)

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Top Premier League clubs steer clear of transfer deadline day signings

• None of the five leading sides secure big-name players

• Fulham, Cardiff and Crystal Palace are busiest clubs

Transfer deadline day failed to live up to its usual hype with none of the Premier League's top five clubs securing a major big-name signing, as Liverpool's pursuit of the £16m Ukraine forward Yevhen Konoplyanka collapsed at the 11th hour.

Sides at the bottom end of the table did venture into the market in an attempt to strengthen, with Crystal Palace making five signings and Fulham three, but Arsenal's loan deal for the Sweden midfielder Kim Kallstrom was arguably the most eye-catching signing of the day.

Liverpool's transfer frustrations intensified when they missed out on Konoplyanka. The 24-year-old was in line to become Brendan Rodgers' only addition of the January window following days of complex negotiations between Anfield officials and the player's club, Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk. Konoplyanka had agreed the terms of his move and members of Liverpool's medical team had travelled to Ukraine to help facilitate the move.

But, despite Liverpool meeting the buy-out clause in Konoplyanka's contract, Dnipro's president, Ihor Kolomoyskyi, refused to sign off the player's release and Rodgers was left empty-handed in his attempts to bolster his team's Champions League pursuit.

Earlier Manchester City's move for the Porto pair Eliaquim Mangala and Fernando broke down over the combined £46m asking price, though the club plan to return for Mangala and possibly Fernando in the summer.

Arsenal, who had been in negotiations to sign Julian Draxler from Schalke, instead moved for Spartak Moscow's Kallstrom until the end of the campaign, with Arsène Wenger attempting to bolster a midfield that has recently been hit by injuries and suspensions.

Chelsea completed the £12.5m signing of the French defender Kurt Zouma from St Etienne on a five-and-a-half-year contract but have allowed the 19-year-old to remain with the Ligue 1 club on loan for the remainder of the campaign.

The Tottenham manager, Tim Sherwood, confirmed that he was not looking to bring anyone in, while Manchester United were content with their £37.1m deal for Juan Mata, completed earlier in the window.

It meant that there was to be no repeat of deadline day in August – when Arsenal splashed the cash on Mesut Özil and United spent £28m on the former Everton midfielder Marouane Fellaini – or the major splurges seen in previous years.

However, more than £130m was spent by Premier League clubs in January, a significant increase on last winter, due mostly to the business done by teams at the foot of the table.

Fulham, second-bottom in the division and struggling for form, acquired the German midfielder Lewis Holtby on loan from Tottenham until the end of the season before completing an £11m deal for the Greek striker Kostas Mitroglou on a four-and-a-half-year contract from Olympiakos. Mitroglou, who has been in prolific form this season, could have joined West Ham in a more lucrative switch but opted to link up with René Meulensteen at Craven Cottage, who strengthened his forward line following Monaco's move for Dimitar Berbatov. Fulham also brought in John Heitinga from Everton.

Crystal Palace made five signings: Tom Ince, Jason Puncheon, Wayne Hennessey, Joe Ledley and Scott Dann.

Cardiff City were one of the busier clubs, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer utilising his contacts at Manchester United to bring in Wilfried Zaha on loan until the end of the season and the full-back Fábio da Silva on a permanent deal.

James Riach

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Top Premier League clubs steer clear of transfer deadline day signings

• None of the five leading sides secure big-name players

• Fulham, Cardiff and Crystal Palace are busiest clubs

The Tottenham manager, Tim Sherwood, confirmed that he was not looking to bring anyone in, while Manchester United were content with their £37.1m deal for Juan Mata, completed earlier in the window.

However, more than £130m was spent by Premier League clubs in January, a significant increase on last winter, due mostly to the business done by teams at the foot of the table.

Crystal Palace made five signings: Tom Ince, Jason Puncheon, Wayne Hennessey, Joe Ledley and Scott Dann.

James Riach

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Soccer-Major European transfers in the January window

Jan 31 (Reuters) - Major European transfers in the Januarywindow (fee in millions of dollars, * denotes undisclosed fee) Player To From Fee Juan Mata Man. United Chelsea 61.02 Nemanja Matic Chelsea Benfica 34.54Yohann Cabaye Paris St Germain Newcastle 32.90 Kevin de Bruyne Wolfsburg Chelsea *27.96Hernanes Inter Milan Lazio *27.13Mohammed Salah Chelsea Basel *24.67Kurt Zouma Chelsea St Etienne 19.74Kostas Mitroglou Fulham Olympiakos *18.0 Lacina Traore Monaco Anzhi Makhachkala 13.65Shane Long Hull West Brom 11.51 Nikica Jelavic Hull Everton 9. ...

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Sébastien Bassong: 'Cars and looks are not things I worry about'

Norwich captain reveals a great responsibility for his extended family in Cameroon and his liking for the Jeremy Kyle show

Sébastien Bassong has covered everything from his faith in God to his fondness for the Jeremy Kyle show. He has spoken emotively about the huge responsibility he feels towards his extended family in Cameroon, explained why he refuses to conform to the footballer stereotype and dropped a couple of hilarious anecdotes into the conversation about Benoît Assou-Ekotto, his friend and international team-mate.

Arguably most impressive of all is that the Norwich City captain has managed to conduct an hour-and-a-half interview while looking after his three-year-old and three-month-old daughters at home. "A bit of luck," says Bassong, smiling as he glances at his two girls who have fallen asleep.

His own mind is busy, thinking about keeping Norwich in the Premier League and, if all goes to plan, representing Cameroon in the World Cup finals in Brazil. It is a make-or-break few months for Bassong, yet this teetotal, well-educated and deeply religious man refuses to let football consume him.

"I believe in God and read the Bible everyday," Bassong says. "There are some days when your faith goes down a little bit, for whatever reason, but it's always there. It's a big part of my life. Football is a different world. The way I see football … there is loads of fake. You're not living in the real life. For me, the real life will start when I stop playing football.

"This is my life for now, God gave me this life and I'm enjoying it and taking it with two hands but I'm trying not to be the typical player, who people will judge and assume is stupid, worried about his cars and his look. I'm trying to fight this stereotype for myself, because I don't want to be seen like that. I want to be seen like a normal guy. I'm just kicking a ball and making people happy, which is great. I'm not saving lives."

Bassong does, however, carry a weight on his shoulders every time he plays. Born and raised in France to Cameroonian parents, the 27-year-old defender has remained close to his African roots and returns there whenever possible. His career, which started with Metz and included spells with Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur before he joined Norwich in 2012, is a source of great pride to his relatives in Cameroon. But success, Bassong says, also brings "loads of responsibility in Africa".

"I'm from a really poor family in Cameroon, so for them it's a blessing to have someone who can bring a bit of sunshine to the family to get them out of where they are. So I'm working for myself and my close family but also people in Cameroon, because if I'm not doing it, who's going to do it? God gave me the chance to be able to play a sport that generates money. If at a certain stage I've got to share it, then it's a blessing for us. I enjoy giving. But pressure comes with it.

"Sometimes when you see an African player who is getting a move for money, people will hammer him. But me, as an African boy, I totally understand because when he is going back home, the African mentality is totally different than in Europe. Here, most of the players will look after their mum and dad, maybe brothers or sisters. Us … my family is huge. When I go back to Cameroon, I'm looking after hundreds and hundreds of people who rely on me in terms of everything. I don't want to disappoint them."

Bassong says he would like to stay involved in football when his playing career ends but he has ruled out management on the basis that it is "too stressful". He breaks into laughter when asked about the possibility of being in a dugout alongside Assou-Ekotto. "I don't see Benni being a manager," Bassong says, smiling.

Assou-Ekotto told this newspaper in 2010 that he played football for money, rather than any deep passion for the game. "I think he was saying aloud what loads of people are thinking but don't want to say," Bassong says.

"For him, it's a job. I played with Benni at Spurs and in the national team. He used to not even know who we were playing against. Sometimes he would say about opponents or team-mates in the national team when the squad was changing, 'Bass, who's that?'

"The best one I remember about Benni was when we were having the team photo at Tottenham and he arrived late, so we were all waiting for him. When he came, he apologised and was shaking hands with the players. Rafael van der Vaart had just signed and I was next to him. So Benni was shaking hands and when he got to Rafa, he shook his hand, stood still and looked at him. And then he asked me in French: 'Who's that?' I said: 'It's Van der Vaart.'

"Benni said: 'OK, nice to meet you.' Harry [Redknapp, the Spurs manager] had to explain. He told Rafa: 'Don't worry, he doesn't know who you are, he doesn't know anything about football, but he's a great player.'"

These days Assou-Ekotto is hoping to return to the Premier League with Queens Park Rangers while Bassong is trying to ensure Norwich stay in the top flight. It has been a testing time for Norwich, who are away at bottom-of-the-table Cardiff City on Saturday, but Bassong remains firmly behind Chris Hughton – "I rate and respect him highly as a man and the same as a manager" – and is confident there will be no repeat of the relegation he experienced as a player at Newcastle in 2009.

"I know what relegation feels like," he says. "Going down, I don't think players realise what impact it has on some people's lives – economic plans, sport-wise, it's a big loss. This club has been growing for the last three years and we are looking to establish Norwich as a proper Premier League team. Relegation would be a disaster but I don't think about relegation. That's negative. I believe in ourselves and what we are capable of doing."

Quite what Cameroon are capable of at the World Cup is anyone's guess. Drawn in a group with Brazil, Mexico and Croatia, Volker Finke's side will have to produce something special to reach the knockout stages. There is plenty of talent in the squad but, as ever with Cameroon, no shortage of off-the-field issues. "You [England] are puppies compared to us," says Bassong, smiling at all the politics behind the scenes.

After the first leg of the World Cup qualifier against Tunisia in November, Samuel Eto'o, who has been at the centre of so many disputes with the national team, claimed that he had heard of a "plot" not to pass to him. Finke accused Eto'o of "kindergarten talk".

Bassong, who missed the games against Tunisia through injury, is aware that Eto'o's presence is a divisive issue but he says that it is unthinkable to go to the World Cup without the Chelsea striker. "Samuel is a huge player for us, a huge character in the country – the most famous person after the president. Our pressure compared to him is nothing. But he's born to handle that. He's got to go to the World Cup. We will find a way to co-habit. Even if some people don't like the fact that he is going to be there, we all want the same thing: Cameroon to do well."

Bassong's younger daughter has started to stir, which feels like the cue to wrap up things. There is one final question: what on earth is behind his fascination with the Jeremy Kyle Show?

"It makes me smile,"Bassong says. "Even if they get paid, I don't understand how people can throw their life out in front of everyone.

"I've even recorded it once or twice, so that I can put it on when I'm in a bad mood and need to laugh."

BT Sport is the UK's newest sports TV service, with three channels showing a host of sport, including live top tier action from the Barclays Premier League, with 38 exclusively live matches.

Stuart James

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Chelsea loans Kakuta to Lazio

The 22-year-old has now been farmed out to the Biancocelesti after returning from a short spell at Vitesse Arnhem earlier this month.

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Tim Sherwood says Tottenham learned lessons in Manchester City defeat

• Spurs' manager rebutts Alan Hansen's criticism

• Three long-term injured may return against Hull

The Tottenham Hotspur manager, Tim Sherwood, has rejected the suggestion that he needs to alter his approach against top teams, insisting that Wednesday's 5-1 defeat by Manchester City was caused by the brilliance of the opposition and a few individual mistakes by his players rather than any systemic flaw with Spurs.

Sherwood was accused of failing to deploy a midfield that provided adequate protection for Spurs' defence as City tore them apart at White Hart Lane. However, the manager said that that is not the lesson that he took from the match. "What we learned from it – what we learned from them really – is don't make a lot of unforced errors and keep the ball properly. Their goals came from human error."

Sherwood did not agree with the Match of the Day analysis by Alan Hansen, who claimed that Spurs needed to solidify their midfield. "I don't see that," said Sherwood, who suggested that any such adjustment would be excessively defensive. "I've seen a lot of teams go with 10 behind the ball, as we saw with West Ham [against Chelsea] the other night. But, if you concede 35 shots, you're usually going to concede goals. One in every 10 games might come off for you but, if you're going to keep taking punches, then you're going to end up on the floor."

Sherwood will attempt to get Tottenham's challenge for a top-four finish back on track on Saturday when they travel to Hull. The match could see Jan Vertonghen, Younès Kaboul and Paulinho return to action after long injury lay-offs. "They are like new signings," said Sherwood.

Paul Doyle

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Everton still in hunt for Champions League, insists Roberto Martínez

• Manager backs team to bounce back after derby defeat

• 'We are hurting but we can still compete with top four'

Roberto Martínez believes Everton will return to Champions League contention providing the club learns from the "hurtful" Merseyside derby defeat at Anfield.

The Everton manager accepts doubts over his team's top-four credentials are understandable following Tuesday's emphatic 4-0 loss against Liverpool, who are now four points clear of their Merseyside rivals and three ahead of Tottenham Hotspur. Martínez insists there were mitigating circumstances for only the third league defeat suffered by Everton this season and his injury problems have increased with Romelu Lukaku out for "a few weeks" with an ankle injury.

But, despite hosting Aston Villa on Saturday without an established striker in his ranks, Martínez claims the manner of the derby defeat can be a catalyst for Everton's run-in. "We are hurting," the Everton manager said. "It is only the third defeat of the season but because of the meaning of the fixture, what it means to us and the fans, it is an especially big blow for many reasons. After that you need to take the emotions away and understand that it is just a defeat.

"We are alongside an elite group in the table with Arsenal and Chelsea who have only three defeats and the reality is we went to Anfield and couldn't add any points. But that is all it was. Now what we need to do is rely on our fans and make sure we support each other. We need to learn a lot from the defeat on Tuesday and if we do I think we will finally be a contender for the top positions in this table. You don't want a defeat like that against your rivals, but a defeat like Tuesday could push us into being a team that can compete in that top four."

Asked what lessons needed to be learned, Martínez replied; "It is about learning to have the role of being a favourite in these sort of games. Liverpool paid us a huge compliment by allowing us to have the ball or trying to press us high up and, once we got through that first line of pressure, they dropped deep and left players to hit us on the counter. That is a real football compliment but we didn't take advantage. It was the opposite. It made us uneasy, we couldn't deal with that and we lost concentration.

"The two goals we conceded in two minutes was not our standard. A long ball from a deep free-kick with 10 bodies behind the ball? That is not ourselves at all. We have a terrific defensive record. It is that mentality of understanding you need to take that football compliment on board and make sure you take advantage. It would be the mentality that we need to learn from as much as anything."

Andy Hunter

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David Moyes: Juan Mata's arrival gives Manchester United best front three

• Mata, Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie to face Stoke

• Moyes admits Dutch striker decides when he plays

David Moyes may start Robin van Persie, Juan Mata and Wayne Rooney for the first time against Stoke City on Saturday, with the Manchester United manager believing that they could become the Premier League's most formidable front three. Moyes admitted that he takes direction from Van Persie regarding when the forward feels in condition to play and for how long.

Mata, the club's record £37.1m signing, made his debut alongside Van Persie in Tuesday's 2-0 win over Cardiff City, with Rooney replacing the Dutchman during the second half. Both Van Persie and Rooney were making a first appearance following their respective injuries and, with Mata not yet at full sharpness, the manager is confident that once all three have had regular football they can be the finest trio in the league.

"I think they will be when we get them ready and totally match fit all of them and gelled together," he said. "We need to give Juan Mata time to settle in and not get too far ahead of ourselves too quickly. The one good thing is that because he has Premier League experience and being in the league and being at a big club, coming here should be a little easier. But we still have to be mindful that there is a change and we have to give him time for that to happen."

Moyes believes that Mata can play anywhere across the attacking three he fields in United's usual 4-2-3-1 shape. "Any one of the three I am comfortable to put him in. He did it for Chelsea and I can play him in any of those three roles," said the manager, who believes his big-name trio's ability to interchange positions with ease can bring a fluidity to United's play in the second part of the campaign. "Football is changing as the game goes on. Players change themselves," said Moyes. "There is a lot more movement especially with the forward players. They still have to play in a framework and from that framework you allow it to develop themselves."

With Michael Carrick, who had an ankle injury, and Marouane Fellaini, strained wrist ligaments, having recovered enough to be in contention for the trip to Stoke, Moyes has all of his senior players fit apart from Nani, whose hamstring problem is "serious" and may keep the winger out for a month.

Regarding taking Van Persie's direction about when the 30-year-old, who had been out since early December because of a thigh problem, feels he is fit enough to play, Moyes said: "I have taken Robin's advice on where he feels he is at, if he is ready to play and how long he feels he is able to play. All the things I am doing I am taking from Robin. He is a player who is so important to us. I need to know exactly where he is at."

Fellaini has not featured since the 1-0 defeat to Everton on 4 December at Old Trafford in what has been a difficult start to the midfielder's United career following his £27.5m summer move. "Fellaini has trained," said Moyes. "He is very close. I will probably include him in the squad. He is getting much closer. Injury has given [him] more of a chance to settle down, with not quite as much pressure on him to perform. He wasn't able to do a great deal of work in the opening two to three weeks because of the wrist but he has now picked up his running work and has been involved in the football for about a week now. He will play with protection on his wrist. It's a material one."

Moyes believes Fellaini can finally display his worth once fit. "We hope he will get opportunities to show what he can do. He will get chances to do that."

Rio Ferdinand is also available following a knee injury. "Rio is back training," said Moyes. "He is back. We will continue to use Rio at the right times and the right moments. Rio has made a great contribution especially in the first half of the season. I played him in nearly all the opening eight to 10 games. He was a big part in helping me to settle. He helped me get my feet under the table a little bit. He has competition for centre-half but he is very much valued and looked at as one of the senior players here."

Jamie Jackson

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Egyptian Salah aims for trail-blazing Chelsea career

New signing Mohamed Salah wants to blaze a trail for Arab footballers during his time with Chelsea, the Egypt winger said on Friday. The 2012 European champions signed the 21-year-old from Swiss club Basel this week as a replacement for Juan Mata following the Spain playmaker's move to Manchester United. "This is different because not many Arab people have played in Europe for the big teams and maybe many people there will now follow me," Salah told the club website. Going to Chelsea is fantastic for anyone and I hope I can play here always and have a good career." Salah was this week named the Swiss Football League Player of the Year by a panel of managers, captains and journalists and was voted by fans as their favourite player.

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Manchester United's Mata swoop belies transfer window marked by restraint | David Conn

David Moyes's splurge, Arsenal's inactivity, the comings and goings at Chelsea and Manchester City's refusal to be ruled by financial fair play demonstrate the clubs' differing ambitions

The January transfer window, and its feverish, frantic final day, another of modern football's blessings for minute-by-minute modern media, has the effect of boiling clubs' characters and current state of ambition down to their essence. In the players signed during these cold weeks halfway through the season, habitually avoided by those happy with where they are, clubs display in abbreviated form how they see themselves.

As most of this final day broke little more dramatic news than Dimitar Berbatov's fitting farewell from Fulham for sunny Monaco, it left this January's dominant news as it was last week, at another of Berbatov's former clubs, Manchester United. When the flurry of deals have cleared at clubs like Cardiff City, securing Wilfried Zaha on loan as a last-day grasp at avoiding relegation, or Queens Park Rangers borrowing Kevin Doyle from Wolves to bolster the chance of promotion, United's £37.1m signing of Juan Mata will remain a solid act of football history.

Under Sir Alex Ferguson United were the model of January restraint, solemnly resisting the risk of paying a premium and displaying nerves about the season's closing months. David Moyes tried to show the same "don't panic" face to January this time, before he broke the club's transfer record bringing Mata to Old Trafford. That deal revealed where United have suddenly recognised they are, with a squad gradually depleted, while compensated by Ferguson's managerial mastery, in the years the Glazers drained £680m out to service their own bankers,.

The Glazers' representatives have always said United had cash amassed to spend despite the fortune taken out and that Ferguson had reached his own view that the modern transfer market was overpriced. Whatever it was which caused United to make no top-class signing after £30.75m Berbatov himself in 2008, until Ferguson signed Robin van Persie four years later, the Mata signing demonstrates the approach has changed. United have emerged from the tightest and most financially wasteful days of the early Glazer years with a mountain of cash, and now see that for every reason, football and financial, they must be prepared to spend it on good players. Whether Moyes and Ed Woodward, the executive now signing the deals, have the wherewithal to rebuild United remains unproven by this one January purchase.

The two Manchester clubs, and their opposite extremes of football ownership, is this season's dominant story, and was illustrated again on deadline day. City's 2012-13 financial accounts, published this week, showed that Sheikh Mansour, a prominent brother in Abu Dhabi's Al Nahyan ruling family, has spent £1bn on the club since he took over in 2008, funding £582m net transfer spending, in addition to the £150m he paid Thaksin Shinawatra to buy City. The accounts showed a £52m loss, after £98m in 2011-12, the two accounting years in which Uefa's financial fair play rules seek to limit total losses to €45m (£37m), less than a quarter of City's.

The fact City were even talking about potentially spending another £35m, on 31 January, on two more players, Eliaquim Mangala and Fernando from Porto, demonstrated the City regime's confidence they will sail on through Uefa's scrutiny. City are basing that belief on the exemption Uefa agreed with the top clubs, that they can discount from their loss figure the wages of players under contracts signed before 2010, when the rules were approved. Uefa will examine the books of all clubs closely and City's Etihad and other Abu Dhabi company sponsorships which must be for "fair value" if related to a club. There is also City's £47m income from "intellectual property" recorded this year, presumed to be branding, which included £22m sold to City's own new women's and New York teams. City's contemplation of expensively bolstering their ranks again demonstrates the bold confidence the Abu Dhabi directors have that their City project will continue as robustly.

The Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich's Chelsea expressed serious ambitions to rival City for the Premier League title while appearing to take financial fair play respectfully after their years of extravagance. Chelsea spent £42.5m in January signing Nemanja Matic from Benfica, Mohamed Salah from Basel under the nose of Liverpool who disappointed their supporters again, and Kurt Zouma, £12.5m from St Etienne, a somehow quiet acquisition on deadline day. Yet Chelsea actually spun a profit in January, from selling Kevin De Bruyne to Wolfsburg for a reported £17m, as well as Mata.

Arsène Wenger complained loudly about that, accusing Chelsea of knowingly selling Mata to strengthen United against other title rivals, having played United twice already. Yet that suspicious grumble was undermined by Wenger's own prolonged inaction in this transfer window, in this season when Arsenal have their best chance for years of actually winning the title. The signing of Mesut Özil in the very last moments of the summer transfer window gave the impression that spending on a major star had been somehow squeezed out of Wenger. Özil's impact transformed the arc of Arsenal's season and Wenger's own status, from approaching serious pressure, to the new contract signalled this week. Yet January showed Wenger and his club seemingly stuck in the same senior disapproval of the transfer market's excessiveness, sniffing at the prices like Ferguson did.

Newcastle supporters will feel that the month's other major deal, Yohan Cabaye leaving for Paris St-Germain with no replacement of any similar stature signed by Mike Ashley's director of football, Joe Kinnear, signalled a frugality of ambition, and selling mentality, in Ashley's approach to the club.

Apart from Chelsea's buying and selling and United's departure from tradition, this was a generally restrained January, partly showing how Premier League clubs are trying to be financially more responsible and partly a reminder that fortunes were spent in the summer.

David Conn

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City striker Aguero sidelined for a month

(Reuters) - Manchester City's leading goalscorer Sergio Aguero is expected to be out for a month with a hamstring injury, the club's manager Manuel Pellegrini said on Friday. The Argentine striker hurt his hamstring after scoring the opening goal in City's 5-1 win at Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday which took City to the top of the Premier League. He will now miss key games against Chelsea in both the Premier League and FA Cup and at least one leg of the Champions League tie against Barcelona. "The injuries are Samir Nasri, Javi Garcia and Sergio Aguero," Pellegrini told reporters.

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Manchester United's Mata swoop belies transfer window marked by restraint | David Conn

David Moyes's splurge, Arsenal's inactivity, the comings and goings at Chelsea and Manchester City's refusal to be ruled by financial fair play demonstrate the clubs' differing ambitions

David Conn

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Soccer-City striker Aguero sidelined for a month

(Adds more quotes) Jan 31 (Reuters) - Manchester City's leading goalscorer Sergio Aguero is expected to be out for a month with a hamstring injury, the club's manager Manuel Pellegrini said on Friday. The Argentine striker hurt his hamstring after scoring the opening goal in City's 5-1 win at Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday which took City to the top of the Premier League. He will now miss key games against Chelsea in both the Premier League and FA Cup and at least one leg of the Champions League tie against Barcelona. "The injuries are Samir Nasri, Javi Garcia and Sergio Aguero," Pellegrini told reporters.

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West Ham United v Swansea City: squad sheets

From the 19th century to Upton Park. Much to Sam Allardyce's amusement, West Ham were accused of being overly defensive by José Mourinho in their 0-0 draw at Chelsea, but they will need to refine their approach for the visit of Swansea City. West Ham, who will be without Joey O'Brien after he dislocated a shoulder at Stamford Bridge, remain in the bottom three, while Swansea eased their relegation fears by beating Fulham on Wednesday, their first win in the league for eight weeks. Jacob Steinberg

Kick-off Saturday 12.45pm

Venue Upton Park

Last season West Ham 1 Swansea 0

Live BT Sport 1

Referee H Webb

This season G19, Y56, R1, 3.1 cards per game

Odds H 2-1 A 13-8 D 12-5

West Ham United

Subs from Jaaskelainen, Spiegel, Reid, Potts, Johnson, Chambers, Diarra, Diamé, Collison, Morrison, Razak, Nocerino, Boriello, Vaz Té, Maïga, Lee, C Cole

Doubtful Diamé (knee), Reid (ankle), Vaz Té (match fitness)

Injured O'Brien (shoulder, March), J Cole (groin, unknown)

Suspended None Form DLWLDL

Discipline Y40 R4

Leading scorer C Cole 5

Swansea City

Subs from Cornell, Pozuelo, Amat, Dyer, Vasquez, Lamah, Tiendalli, Richards, Donnelly

Doubtful None

Injured Vorm (knee, 8 Feb), Michu (ankle, 8 Feb), Cañas (ankle, 8 Feb)

Suspended None

Form WLLLDL

Discipline Y41 R1

Leading scorer Bony 7

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