SUNDERLAND MADE the biggest splash, Manchester City finally recouped some money for Robinho and Birmingham City helped take this summer’s total spend towards €424 million. Arguably the most significant development on transfer deadline day, however, was what did not happen at Liverpool.

For the second successive season Liverpool have been left over-reliant on the form and fitness of Fernando Torres, having failed to improve cover for a striker who has suffered two injury-plagued campaigns and is not fully recovered from the knee problem that impacted on his World Cup.

The Anfield club made a belated attempt to wrest Carlton Cole from West Ham United yesterday, but several offers were unable to convince the Hammers to sell the England international.

Liverpool are believed to have offered Lucas Leiva, the Brazilian midfielder, and Ryan Babel, their Dutch international forward, in exchange for Cole but neither player wanted to leave Anfield for Upton Park. Babel reportedly travelled to London via helicopter in anticipation of a deal only to eventually Tweet that; “I’m going no where. LFC all the way. YNWA!!” as the clubs failed to agree on a valuation for Cole.

With PSV Eindhoven’s Ola Toivonen priced out of Liverpool’s reach, and Bayern Munich refusing to release Mario Gomez even on loan, Hodgson will have to make do with Babel, David Ngog and Dirk Kuyt as cover for Torres until January.

The failure to sign a striker means Liverpool recouped more than they spent in this transfer window, another indication of the financial restrictions under the co-owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, and this after convincing Torres and Steven Gerrard to stay.

Hodgson did at least resolve Liverpool’s deficiency at left back with the signing of Paul Konchesky from Fulham in a €4.24 million deal that sent Lauri Dalla Valle and Alex Kacaniklic in the opposite direction. Liverpool left back Emiliano Insua joined Galatasaray on a season’s loan with a view to a permanent deal.

French midfielder Damien Plessis signed for Panathinaikos, while Liverpool are still hopeful of releasing Nabil El Zhar and Charles Itandje on loan after the deadline.

City recouped an initial €22 million, rising to €25 million, for Robinho after the Brazilian forward signed a four-year contract with Milan – two years after his €39 million arrival at Eastlands from Real Madrid.

The Premier League’s biggest import on deadline day belonged to Sunderland and their club record €16 million capture of the Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan from Rennes.

The 24-year-old, who scored three goals in Ghana’s run to the World Cup quarter-finals, signed a four-year contract with Steve Bruce’s side.

Gyan said: “My family is in England already and I am happy this is the right place for me. The Sunderland coach has faith in me because he has been following me for two years now.”

Tony Pulis ended his exhaustive search for a new striker moments before the deadline when Stoke City signed Eidur Gudjohnsen on loan from Monaco and also former Arsenal, Birmingham City and Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant.

Alex McLeish was also active as Birmingham signed former Arsenal midfielder Alexander Hleb from Barcelona on a season-long loan, the Czech defender Martin Jiranek from Spartak Moscow and the Chile winger Jean Beausejour from Club America, both for undisclosed fees.

Everton rejected Tottenham Hotspur’s offer of Robbie Keane and David Bentley for Steven Pienaar and Louis Saha. Harry Redknapp initially proposed a swap deal of just Keane for Saha and Pienaar, who is out of contract at Goodison Park next summer, only to throw Bentley’s name into the deal too yesterday morning.

Everton did allow Joseph Yobo to join Fenerbahce on a 12-month loan with a view to a €6 million transfer next summer. David Moyes also enquired about Charles N’Zogbia but was unable to further his interest in the Wigan Athletic winger without selling Ayegbeni Yakubu.

Guardian Service

Tottenham Make Late Bid To Land Van Der Vaart

TOTTENHAM were last night waiting to discover if a dramatic last-minute bid to buy the Dutch midfielder Rafael Van der Vaart from Real Madrid in an €9.76 deal would be approved by the Premier League, reports Jamioe Jackson.

Harry Redknapp, the Spurs manager, was unable to confirm if the requisite paperwork had reached Gloucester Place on time. The Guardian understands a late deluge of documentation for various deals had arrived right on the 6pm deadline.

“We’re waiting to see if it’s all gone through and hopefully it has,” Redknapp said.

After a relatively quiet transfer deadline day in which little business was done among the bigger clubs, Redknapp’s attempt, if successful, would represent a coup for Spurs. “I thought he was going to Bayern Munich yesterday for about £18 million and suddenly he become an awful lot cheaper and the chairman came to me and said, ‘Look he’s available for around about £8 million’. I felt we’d already got a good squad, it wasn’t a case of really being desperate to get anyone in.”

Guardian Service