Window of opportunity

By Andrew Fraser and Dan Warren

Transfer deadline day saw its customary frenzy of activity as clubs scrambled to bring in reinforcements to see them through until the new year.

Some were still doing business minutes before the window slammed shut at midnight, while others shied away completely from a late dip into the market.

So which Premiership club did the best business, and who found the pressure too hot to handle?

THE SHREWD MOVES

Owen completes Magpies move

For so long at risk of drawing a humiliating blank in their search for a striker, Newcastle spared their blushes in dramatic fashion with a late spending spree.

Having already splashed out £9.5m on Deportivo La Coruna's Albert Luque, the Magpies topped it with a club-record £17m move for Michael Owen.

Handing Real Madrid a £9m profit for their bench-warming Galactico might not make the soundest business sense, but no one at St James' Park will care if Owen starts banging in the goals.

And the club's late swoop to re-sign Nolberto Solano from Aston Villa gives them someone capable of providing the ammunition for the new-look strike partnership of Owen and Alan Shearer.

After Real, Tottenham were the big beneficiaries in the Owen saga as they paid Newcastle £7m for Jermaine Jenas.

Weeks ago, Newcastle were apparently unwilling to sell the midfielder for less than £20m, but the sudden need to drum up extra cash prompted a rethink.

Bolton's free-transfer signing of Fabrice Fernandes could also represent good business, as they have paid nothing to sign someone with plenty of Premiership experience.

THE GAMBLES

West Brom sign Davies

West Brom's move for highly-rated Luton defender Curtis Davies was sealed with just minutes to spare.

But £3m for a defender who has only played a handful of Championship games has to go down as a risk.

Everton will hope Andy van der Meyde makes a quick recovery from a groin strain after paying a fee reportedly in the region of £2m to Inter Milan for his services.

The versatile Holland winger earned a move to Italy after making his name at Ajax, but failed to recapture his form after struggling with injury.

Tottenham's swoop for PSV Eindhoven left-back Lee Young-Pyo was not a big-money deal.

But will the South Korean World Cup star be able to translate his form in Holland to the Premiership?

Portsmouth and Charlton have gone for untested talent in their respective moves for Barcelona's France under-19 midfielder Frank Songo'o and Charlton's teenage Icelandic striker Rurik Gislason.

THE PANIC BUYS

Latics secure Connolly deal

Wigan boss Paul Jewell has been thwarted at every turn in his summer hunt for a striker - and the Latics' £3m purchase of Leicester's David Connolly smacks of desperation.

After Nathan Ellington's departure, bids for Norwich's Dean Ashton, Trabzonspor's Fatih Tekke, West Brom's Rob Earnshaw and even Bradford's Dean Windass failed.

In Connolly they have landed a player who has scored 31 times in 102 appearances for West Ham and Leicester in the past two seasons.

That is a reasonable ratio, but most of those goals have come in the Championship. And £3m seems rather over the odds for a player yet to prove himself in the top tier of English football.

I'm not sure David Connolly is worth £3m From D Have your say on 606

Charlton have made an excellent start to the season, but in Jay Bothroyd they have landed a striker who, in truth, has not terrorised defences of late.

The ex-Coventry man scored just five goals for Perugia, and netted just once while on loan at Blackburn last season - where there were also question marks over his temperament.

Portsmouth's new striker Dario Silva played in the Sevilla team which secured an impressive sixth place in last season's La Liga table - but Pompey fans will be keen to see an improvement on the two league goals he scored last season.

THE LOAN STARS

Bentley in Blackburn loan move

Blackburn will hope their loan signing from Arsenal, David Bentley, will make good on his undoubted talent.

The England Under-21 midfielder had a patchy season on loan at Norwich last term, scoring twice - but also picking up six bookings.

Mark Hughes will be keen to iron out Bentley's rough edges.

Rovers' other loan capture, Zurab Kizanishvili from Rangers, should bolster Hughes' defence, having made more than 50 appearances for the Scottish champions.

Aston Villa will have high hopes that James Milner, captured on loan from Newcastle, will bloom in the Midlands.

Still only 19, Milner netted twice in the Magpies' Intertoto Cup campaign and appears to have a bright Premiership future ahead of him.

In contrast, Portsmouth's loan capture of Liverpool's Salif Diao seems less certain to reap rewards.

The Senegal midfielder has not exactly set Anfield alight since his £5m transfer from Sedan, and Alain Perrin will be hoping the move down south will unlock some of the 28-year-old's potential.

THE MOVES THAT NEVER WERE

Everton close on Keane

Tottenham's Robbie Keane was rumoured to be on Merseyside in anticipation of a £5m switch to Everton.

But Spurs' failure to bring in intended replacement Cristiano Lucarelli from Italian side Livorno is believed to have scuppered the deal.

Liverpool's doomed attempt to re-sign Michael Owen was compounded when a deal for Benfica winger Simao Sabrosa broke down, and a late attempt to hijack Newcastle's move for Solano is also reported to have failed.

West Ham were also left frustrated when their last-minute offer of £6m for striker Benni McCarthy was rejected by Porto.

Meanwhile, the Premiership's big guns kept a dignified distance from the feeding frenzy.

Chelsea and Manchester United had already done their summer business, although Arsenal dipped their toes in by taking Sunderland keeper Mart Poom on loan.

THE BIGGEST SURPRISE OF ALL

Real Madrid have stunned the football world by finally signing a defender.

Real sign defender Ramos

The £18.5m move for Sevilla's Sergio Ramos is the sixth most expensive in the history of a club which only ever seems to sign attacking players.