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Dramatic deadline day climax sees three in and two out

Lukaku, Barry, McCarthy sign; Anichebe, Fellaini leave

Everton's transfer window came down to the wire again with five deals coming together in a dizzying last hour that accomplished Roberto Martinez's stated goal of leaving the Blues stronger after the deadline than before.

Protracted deals involving Romelu Lukaku and Marouane Fellaini kept Evertonians guessing as the clock ticked into the final 60 minutes but a stunning twist to the former was followed by the successful conclusion of Manchester United's pursuit of Fellaini that paved the way for James McCarthy to sign from Wigan Athletic in a £13m deal.

In between, Gareth Barry also arrived on loan from Manchester City and late word came of West Bromwich Albion's capture of Victor Anichebe in a deal rising to £6m, leaving Martinez one player better off, reunited with McCarthy and still holding onto Leighton Baines (for whom a 15m offer was apparently rejected as Bill Kenwright stood firm on his refusal to sell the prized left back), and Everton basking in the glow of rare profit from the day's dealings.

The day began with a flurry of speculation that had a number of names linked with a switch to Goodison, among them Tom Ince, Feyenoord's Bruno Martins Indi and Chelsea's Ryan Bertrand but none of those rumours, together with a later story about an approach for Cagliari defender Davide Astori, came to fruition.

Meanwhile, the transfer that appeared most likely coming into the final day, that of Gareth Barry joining for the season, seemed to fall off the radar, particuarly when news exploded of an apparent £15m bid for Porto midfielder Fernando. Though the Daily Mail went as far as to say that the deal had been done, it transpired that neither the Portuguese club nor the Brazilian-born player were all that tempted by Everton's offer.

It wasn't until 7.15pm that the first hint appeared from Sky Sports' Mr Deadline Day, Jim White, that Everton had approached Chelsea about taking Lukaku on loan and by 8.30pm multiple media sources in Belgium were reporting that the striker was indeed bound for Goodison Park for the season.

That assertion was thrown into the air an hour later, though, when the BBC and Sky both began claiming that West Bromwich had also offered to take Lukaku on loan and that the Belgian had opted to return to the Hawthorns where he spent the whole of last season. By that stage, Anichebe was already in talks regarding his own move to WBA, Fellaini had formally submitted a transfer request and, with Wigan chairman Dave Whelan complaining on radio about Everton's unacceptable payment terms for McCarthy, it looked as though the Blues were in for a barren and frustrating end to the transfer window with two fewer players and no further additions.

That all changed with an hour and 40 minutes before the deadline when it emerged, again from sources in Belgium, that Everton had secured Lukaku on a season-long loan, for an estimated (but unconfirmed) fee of £3m.

Word quickly followed that Gareth Barry had arrived at Finch Farm to put the finishing touches in his own loan move from the Etihad Stadium — there is some conjecture how much the Blues eventually agreed to pick up of the England international's £120,000-a-week salary — and, 15 minutes later, that a fee had been agreed with the Latics for McCarthy.

Official confirmation of the incoming deals came shortly after the passage of the 11pm deadline, together with belated word that Fellaini had gone for £27.5m — a £10m profit on the midfielder that will see his former club Standard Liege collect £2m from a sell-on clause — and Anichebe had signed for West Brom, taking the Blues' estimated profit on the day to around £12.5m (when Barry's ~£5m salary is taken into account).

Addendum: How much of Barry's wages and how much Everton will pay for Lukaku remains uncertain, with estimates ranging from nothing to £6m for Barry and from £1.7m to £5m for Lukaku.

 

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