Chelsea pulled off one of the most surprise moves of the whole window as they snapped up Liverpool midfielder Raul Meireles late in the day for a fee of around £12 million. The Portuguese international handed in a written transfer request at Anfield on deadline day and got his wish for a move away from the club, but it wasn’t until just after the 11pm deadline that the deal was confirmed.

Liverpool also said goodbye, for now at least, to another midfielder. Joe Cole departed for a season-long loan with French Champions Lille. The former West Ham man made the switch to Ligue 1 despite late interest from Premier League side Aston Villa.

Staying with Liverpool and Kenny Dalglish secured the signing of Craig Bellamy late on Wednesday night following a day of intense speculation regarding the player’s future. The now ex-Manchester City striker had been tipped to make the move to Premier League new-boys QPR earlier in the day. However, once Liverpool declared their interest, it seemed their was only one destination for Bellamy and that was Merseyside. Bellamy, 32, has of coursed already played in the red of Liverpool and fans will no doubt welcome him back with open arms (well, the majority of them anyway).

Arsenal also got in on the act on deadline day. They signed Chelsea’s Yossi Benayoun on a season-long loan deal, whilst they also completed the signing of Everton’s Mikel Arteta for a fee of £10 million. Arteta’s move seemed dead in the water with just a few hours to go before the window shut. However, all parties involved eventually came to an agreement and Arteta will now be wearing the red and white of Arsenal this season and not the blue of Everton.

Two clubs who were very busy throughout Wednesday were both Stoke City and indeed QPR who both made signifcant additions to their squads. Stoke boss Tony Pulis can now select these three in his starting eleven; Wilson Palacios, Cameron Jerome and Peter Crouch after a busy day of spending at the Britannia. Meanwhile, QPR manager Neil Warnock managed to add the likes of Shaun Wright-Phillips, Jason Puncheon and Anton Ferdinand after a hectic 24 hours at Loftus Road.

And finally, Fulham completed the £10 million signing of FC Twente striker Bryan Ruiz, despite some very late interest from Newcastle United.

It really was an eventful day with plenty of money been splashed on different players throughout the Premier League (Speaking of splashing the cash, check out www.freebets.org today where you can avail of many different offers from leading bookmakers).

Craig Bellamy’s move from Manchester City to Liverpool is on the brink, with the Welsh international currently on Merseyside, crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s as they say in the business.

After a hectic day of speculation surrounding the 32-year old’s future, it looks as though Bellamy will be posing with a Liverpool shirt at Anfield tomorrow, 4 years after he left the club.

Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta’s on-off move to Arsenal appears to be firmly on at this stage. The Everton midfielder has told David Moyes that he wants out of Goodison Park and Gunners boss Arsene Wenger is only too happy to hand £10 million over to sign the Spaniard.

The fee has been agreed, all that is needed is for a medical to be carried out, and Arteta to agree personal terms with the north London club.

Both deals, in our opinion, will go through before the 11pm deadline. What do you think though? Comments below please.

Also, get yourself over to the Football Corner Facebook page right now for all the latest and also, we have a book to give-away to one lucky fan of the page at midnight tonight, which Arsenal fans will find more than interesting.

With Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas both leaving the Emirates earlier in the window, Arsenal now find themselves in desperate need of a top class central midfield player and their search to find one may well see them contacting Everton on deadline day.

Both Mikel Arteta and Marouane Fellaini are believed to be high on Wenger’s wish-list, but given the quality of player, Everton boss David Moyes is unlikely to be too keen to sell. However, much has been made about the lack of finances at Goodison Park and should a bid of near the £18 million mark come in for either player, a deal may well be done.

Plenty of names are being linked with moves to Arsenal after the club got off to, what can only be described as a desperate start to the new Premier League season. Deals to sign Per Mertesacker, Andre Santos and Park-Chu young have all been completed, but a central midfield player still needs to be added. Will that central midfield player be either Arteta or Fellaini, or maybe it will be someone else altogether?

For what’s it worth, I reckon Arteta would suit Arsenal down to the ground. We all know how good a player the 29-year old is and maybe it’s time he tested himself at the very highest level, with all due respect to Everton of course.

Feel free to leave your comments below. Also, keep track of all the latest deals and rumours on deadline day by visiting our Facebook page.

Today, it is reported that City boss Roberto Mancini has informed his chairman, Kaldoon Al Mubarak, that he wants Everton left-back Leighton Baines signed in this summer’s transfer window.

The England international has been one of the outstanding performers in the Premier League this season and has already been linked with moves to both Arsenal and Tottenham as we edge ever closer to the end of the season.

Baines, 26, is seen by City officials as a perfect signing given the fact they are in need of a world class left-back to replace Aleksandar Kolarov, who hasn’t exactly impressed since joining the club last summer.

Everton boss David Moyes will, without doubt, be desperate to hold onto one of his most prized assets. However, giving the financial situation at Goodison Park (the Merseyside club are in the red to the tune of £45 million) the Toffees may be forced to let Baines go.

I can see this one panning out in the same way the Joleon Lescott deal did a few years ago. City need a new left-back and they certainly have to money to sign Baines, but can Everton resist the rumoured offer of £22 million? To be perfectly honest, I don’t think they can and if I had to say where I thought Baines will be plying his trade come the start of next season, I would have to go for Eastlands. I just feel the lure of Champions League football and the possibility of doubling, even trebling his wages will be too much for him to turn down.

Feel free to leave your comments below.

Everton have today become the latest club to show an interest in the former Liverpool striker, who has struggled to nail down a first team spot since moving to Old Trafford back in 2009.

Owen, 31, has made just seven appearances for United this season and is understood to be frustrated at the lack of playing time being given to him by Sir Alex Ferguson.

Everton boss David Moyes is desperate to add a striker to his squad during the January transfer window and Owen is now seen as a possible acquisition. Moyes has been forced to play Tim Cahill and Marouane Fellaini in more advanced roles in recent weeks as a result of niggling injuries to his strikers.

Given the fact Owen supported Everton as a boy, I reckon there is a strong chance he will make the move to Goodison Park in the coming weeks. There is no denying that on his day, Owen is one of the most clinical strikers in the league and although he is knocking on a bit, I believe he could still do a job for the Toffees.

What do you think? Comments below please.

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Yes, Klaas Jan Huntelaar has been strongly linked with a move to the Premier League today, with Arsenal, Everton, Liverpool and Tottenham all believed to be interested in the AC Milan striker.

Huntelaar, 26, has failed to make any impact at the San Siro since making the move to Milan last summer in a £14 million move from Dutch side Ajax.

Before his move to Italy, the Dutch international was also linked with a move to England, however for whatever reasons nothing ever materialised on that front but just seven months later, it would appear a move to the Premier League may be on the cards.

Everton boss David Moyes has today admitted he is interested in bringing Huntelaar to Goodison Park before the transfer window shuts next Monday, however he is likely to face stiff competition from the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham who are all understood to be monitoring the player’s situation.

Huntelaar is reportedly looking to leave AC as soon as possible in order to gain first team football in this, a World Cup year. He has made just over a dozen appearances for Milan since arriving last summer and for a player of his ability, that’s not enough. I have always been a fan of Huntelaar’s and I would personally love to see how he would cope with the pace of the Premier League. He is a natural-born goalscorer and I strongly believe he could do a job for any of the sides in question.

What do you think? Comments below please.

The first rumour which caught my eye today was Arsenal’s apparent attempts to sign Everton striker Louis Saha. The former Manchester United man has been linked with a move away from Goodison Park in recent weeks, with several Premier League clubs apparently interested.

Saha’s contract at Everton is due to run out at the end of the season and Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is looking to take advantage of the situation.

It has been reported that Saha, 31, is unlikely to sign a new deal at Everton as a result of the club’s failure to meet his huge wage demands but would Arsenal be ready to cough up nearly £60,000 a week to sign the Frenchman. Only time will tell, but what do you Arsenal fans think? Would Saha be a good signing?

Anyway, another Everton player has also been linked with a move to London today. Midfielder Marouane Felliani is understood to be on Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti’s wish list. The Belgian international has been a revelation at Everton since arriving almost 18 months ago from Standard Leige. Despite Ancelotti stating he would not be entering the market this month, big names, including Felliani continue to be linked with a move to Stamford Bridge.

It would be interesting to see Felliani in a Chelsea shirt, however I just can’t see it. David Moyes will obviously be doing everything he can to keep Felliani at the club and unless several Chelsea midfielders get injured in the next three weeks, I doubt anything will happen.

Finally, Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona are ready to take advantage of Manchester United’s massive financial trouble. There is talk today that both clubs will make massive £70 million bids in an attempt to bring Wayne Rooney to La Liga. United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has previously stated he would never let Rooney leave Old Trafford, however following the release of the club’s financial situation, the owners may think twice should they receive a bid of the rumoured £70 million.

Although I love watching Rooney week in week out in the Premier League, I would be fascinated to see how he would adapt to life in Spain. He is, without doubt one of the best player’s in the world at the moment and although it would be shame to see him leave, it would be intriguing to see him link up with the likes of Lionel Messi or his former team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo.

Have your say on all the above rumours by leaving a comment below.