Deadline day: Dele Alli, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang among big movers on January 31

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Dele Alli were among the more notable movers in what was a frantic day of transfer deals on deadline day i.e. January 31.

The last day of the January 2022 transfer window was among one of the busiest in recent memory, with many players joining new clubs.

But perhaps none was more high-profile – or even complicated – as that of former Arsenal captain Aubameyang.

The striker had fallen out of favour in recent times due to off-field issues. To make things worse, his form had dipped a lot too. Thus, a mooted move to Barcelona was seen as a good solution for all.

But the deal fell through late, as Barcelona – besot with financial issues – could not make space in their wage budget for the Gabon international.

Yet more drama came up when the board realised it was indeed possible to make a deal happen. As a result, work went on late into the night.

Due to this, an official announcement has yet to take place. But many credible reports say it will take place soon enough.

A move that was confirmed before deadline day came to a close was that of Dele’s move to Everton. His transfer was made official after the club announced the loan signing of Donny van de Beek.

? @dele_official pic.twitter.com/3Zxj20O4BU

— Everton (@Everton) February 1, 2022

It was a busy end to the transfer window for the Toffees. Not only did they sign these two, but also brought in Frank Lampard as their new manager.

Lampard, who was sacked by Chelsea in January 2021, has been out of work since then. He has signed a two-and-a-half-year deal with the Merseyside outfit.

What were the other notable deadline day moves?

It was a busy window for Tottenham Hotspur. Aside from Dele, the club saw three players depart on loan. Interestingly, two of them are their record signings.

Tanguy Ndombele has rejoined Lyon on loan, who have an option to buy him for 65 million euros in the summer. And Giovani Lo Celso has joined Villareal on a loan deal.

Another departure from the North London club is Bryan Gil, who joined Valencia until the end of the season.

This flurry of movement was not without incomings – Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski joined the club from Juventus.

Newcastle United, flush with cash after a Saudi Arabia-backed takeover, also had a busy time in the transfer market.

They began the day by confirming the signing of Brazil defensive midfielder Bruno Guimaraes from Lyon. And they ended the day by signing left-back Matt Target on loan from Aston Villa.

Between that, they also signed centre-back Dan Burn – a boyhood Newcastle fan – from Brighton and Hove Albion.

However, the club missed out on two notable moves. They had agreed terms with French side Reims for forward Hugo Ekitike. However, the player declined the move.

Another target they missed out on was Jesse Lingard. The Manchester United attacking midfielder was keen to move but the club blocked the move.

The Magpies also tried hijacking Everton’s move for Dele, but the England international ended up signing for the Toffees.

The bigger clubs were notably lacking in the market. Manchester United and Chelsea did not sign anyone, neither did Arsenal.

Liverpool tried and failed to push for a move for Fulham’s Fabio Carvalho. Manchester City did, however, confirm the signing of Julian Alvarez.