LONDON - West Ham United stole the limelight from London rivals Arsenal and Chelsea for once with a stunning double swoop for Argentines Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano on transfer deadline day today.
But Arsenal and Chelsea were also involved in feverish activity with the protracted saga of Ashley Cole's transfer from Arsenal and Chelsea dominating local TV and media.
The deal also involved French defender William Gallas moving from Chelsea to Arsenal.
By the time the deadline passed at midnight there was no official word from either club, but the early editions of both The Times and The Sun reported that the deal had been finalised with Gallas and around $9.5 million (NZ$14.4m) going to Arsenal in return for Cole.
One deal Arsenal did complete was to bring in Brazilian attacking midfielder Julio Baptista on a season-long loan deal from Real Madrid who took the unsettled young Spaniard Jose Antonio Reyes to the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium also on loan with a view to a permanent move.
French defender Pascal Cygan also left Arsenal to join Spanish Primera Liga club Villarreal on a two-year contract, subject to a medical.
Portsmouth, who currently lie second to Manchester United in the early Premier League table, were also busy signing three players before the transfer window closed until January - former England striker Andy Cole, Cameroon winger Roudolphe Douala Mbela and Croatian playmaker Niko Kranjcar.
Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven were also busy signing former Dutch international Patrick Kluivert from Valencia and defender Jan Kromkamp from Liverpool. United States midfielder DaMarcus Beasley left PSV for Manchester City on a season long loan deal.
Huge coup
The deal that captured the imagination more than any other however is the one that takes Tevez and Mascherano from Brazilian club Corinthians to West Ham United.
The deals represent a huge coup for the Hammers, who have beaten off some of Europe's biggest clubs including Arsenal and Manchester United to sign the pair. Both played key roles for Argentina at the World Cup where they reached the quarter-finals.
The transfers echo the shock double signing of Ossie Ardiles and Ricardo Villa, who joined Tottenham Hotspur just weeks after Argentina won the World Cup in 1978.
That deal transformed Tottenham's fortunes in the late 1970s and early 1980s and Tevez and Mascherano will become heroes in east London if they are anywhere near as successful as Ardiles and Villa were at Spurs.
Tevez, 22, is one of the most talented young strikers in the world. Widely described as 'the new Diego Maradona', he is one of the few players who might live up to that tag.
Mascherano, also 22, is a highly rated defensive midfielder who adds a touch of granite to Argentina's attacking play.
Mascherano left Argentine club River Plate, the great rivals of Boca Juniors, to join Corinthians in 2004, for $15 million, and helped them in their title success last year.
Both players are in London preparing for Argentina's friendly against Brazil at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium on Sunday and should make their debuts for the Hammers against Aston Villa next week.
Defensive steel
While Tevez and Mascherano will bring a fresh gloss of Latin American lustre to the Premier League, Cole would add a touch of English defensive steel to Chelsea if he lines up alongside England team mate and national skipper John Terry.
Talk of the deal first surfaced in January 2005 when a secret meeting between Chelsea and Cole was leaked in the press and it has turned into one of the longest running transfer sagas in English soccer history.
Both Chelsea and Cole were subsequently fined by the English FA for meeting which occurred while Cole was still under contract at Arsenal.
Since then he has made little secret of his desire to leave Arsenal.
Gallas, who joined Chelsea in 2001, played for France in the World Cup final and would join the large French contingent at Arsenal which includes manager Arsene Wenger and French international team mate Thierry Henry.
Elsewhere Sunderland, under new coach Roy Keane and eager to make an immediate return to the Premier League after being relegated last season, signed six players on Thursday including Keane's former Manchester United team mate Dwight Yorke, who is returning to England from Australian club Sydney FC.
- REUTERS
Soccer: London clubs shine on transfer deadline day
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