Premier League Deadline Day Round-up

So the transfer window is now over in the Premier League, with deadline day proving to be as eventful and entertaining as ever, as clubs hurried to finish late deals ahead of a 4-month hiatus from dealings.

Arsenal were the busiest side on the final day of the window, with their four signings coming from necessity due to the sale of star names such as Fabregas and Nasri. Despite the four deals from the Gunners, making it 5 in two days, in terms of incomings at the club, the scale of the outgoings saw Arsenal make a profit of almost £12m during the window- one of only 6 clubs in the league to do so.

Aston Villa made the biggest profit in terms of transfer fees through the sale of their own deadly duo in Downing and Young, registering a £22.6m profit despite deadline deals for 3 players. Manchester City, in contrast, recorded the biggest loss having signed Sergio Aguero and Samir Nasri among others earlier in the summer, though the club brought in one more player on a free transfer on deadline day in the form of shock transfer Owen Hargreaves, formerly of United.

QPR and Sunderland were most active over the course of the window, bringing in practically new squads with 10 recruits each, while cash stricken Everton only strengthened with 2 loan deals, despite offloading 4 first teamers in total, 3 of which were strikers.

While some shrewd business was completed yesterday, there were a number of eye-catching movements and price tags in particular, with WhoScored.com investigating the best of the bunch:

Mikel Arteta
Everton - Arsenal (£10m)

Spanish midfielder Mikel Arteta appears to have been handed the impossible task of replacing his fellow countryman Cesc Fabregas at the Emirates. Arsenal have landed a proven quality, Premier League experienced, smooth operator in the middle of the park, and Arteta seems to fit the bill the side needed at a decent price for both parties involved.

Everton's loss is certainly Arsenal's gain, with Arteta rated as Everton's best player last season according to WhoScored, playing an integral role in the Toffees reasonable success last term.

The Spaniard completed 87% of his attempted passes, better than any teammate, and his retention of the ball and distribution is a key string to his bow and reason for his signing at Arsenal. Arteta picked up 5 assists and netted 3 times in 29 appearances last term, and opened his account this, with a penalty against Blackburn last weekend.

The playmaker can play centrally or wide and had a team high of 2 key passes per game, while he only completed fewer crosses per game than Leighton Baines on 1.9. An average of 5 successful long balls per match was also the best of any outfield player. Of the 4 passing stats analysed Fabregas only bettered him in terms of key passes -with the latter completing an exceptional 2.9 per game- proving he could be an ideal replacement.

Per Mertesacker
Werder Bremen - Arsenal (£7.6m)

While Arsene Wenger added in all areas yesterday, with Benayoun joining on loan adding to the signings of Park Chu-Young and Andre Santos in attack and defence respectively, the signing of experienced German international Per Mertesacker certainly caught the eye. The Gunners have needed to strengthen at centre-back arguably since Sol Campbell first left the club and Wenger appears to have finally signed a worthy replacement for the excellent Thomas Vermaelen.

The 6'6" frame of Mertesacker saw him win 74% of his aerial duels last season, better than Vermaelen's 73% and far more than Djourou (58%), Squilacci and Koscielny (both 53%). His 3.5 interceptions per game led the way for Bremen and prove a decent understanding of the game- down on Vermaelen's 4 but again much better than the other centre backs at the club.

Mertesacker only made 1.3 tackles per game but should be covered by Vermalen's strong figures of 2.2 per game, with only Djourou making fewer in terms of Arsenal's current defensive ranks with 1.

Raul Meireles
Liverpool - Chelsea (£12m)

Portuguese international Raul Meireles has joined his compatriot Andre Villas-Boas at Chelsea after spending just one season at Liverpool. In one of the more surprising deals of the summer the midfielder waited until within half an hour of the deadline to hand in a transfer request at Liverpool, with his chances seemingly limited by the signings Kenny Dalglish made early on in the window.

The 28-year-old was a mainstay at Anfield last season, making 32 starts and picking up 5 goals and assists apiece after a slow start to his Reds career. Having played under Villas-Boas at Porto, the duo will be reunited at the Bridge, though his place in the Chelsea line-up is far from certain, and may come at the expense of Mikel or Ramires, with Essien out for much of the season.

A 78% pass success rate doesn't compare to the likes of Lampard from last season, and in fact would rank him below every player to start more than 10 games at Chelsea last season, other than front man Didier Drogba. With 2 key passes last season he ranks well however, only behind Gerrard at Anfield, and Lampard (2.2) and Malouda (3.1) at Chelsea.

Peter Crouch
Tottenham - Stoke (£10m-£12m)

If there were ever a player made to play for Stoke, many would assume it would be Peter Crouch. The 6'7" England international fell down the pecking order at Tottenham after netting just 4 goals in 20 starts last season. Stoke's aerial dominance and style of play, with long throws from Rory Delap still proving a major weapon, should suit that of Peter Crouch, though the lanky striker's threat in the air is sometimes over-estimated.

A lovely footballer on the deck despite his gangly frame, Crouch's 58% success rate from aerial duels doesn't sound emphatic but is very decent when considering the opponents he faces. The total is identical to that of likely strike partner Kenwyne Jones from last season; so don't expect the Potters to adapt their style of play anytime soon.

Crouch's unselfish play also saw him pick up 6 assists last season, only bettered by van der Vaart's 8 at Spurs, combining with the Dutchman for a number of the midfielder's 13 strikes. This total is only down on Jermaine Pennant from Stoke last year, also with 8, and is identical to wing wizard Matthew Etherington.

Scott Parker
West Ham - Tottenham Hotspur (£5.5m)

Last season's Football Writers' Player of the Year joins the PFA Player of the Year at Tottenham, with Scott Parker making the short trip from Upton Park to White Hart Lane following West Ham's relegation last term. Despite being 30 years old, a fee of around £5m seems somewhat of a bargain for a player who has belatedly forced his way into Fabio Capello's first team plans for England.

Parker's tireless, talismanic displays for the Hammers saw him become their key player and a firm fans favourite, and it proved inevitable that he would leave the club this summer, with Chelsea and Aston Villa also linked. However, Harry Redknapp got his man and he looks certain to add steel to Spurs' midfield.

As well as weighing in with 5 goals, Parker's tackling proved a real asset, with 3.8 per game last season only rivalled by Sandro's 3.7 at Tottenham. His 2.6 interceptions per match fare well against his new teammates, with Modric on 2.5 the only midfielder coming close.