A sparkling array of talent | While some “interesting” moves were made, transfer deadline day is nothing but a sideshow, a time in which misguided decisions are made and money seems to lose all value. (Image | The Telegraph)

Modern football is ostentatious, polished and saturated with money. Transfer deadline day, which is ostensibly just a period of 24 hours, becomes infused with the mentality that probably permeated the city during the last days of Rome. It is the beautiful game at its most unkempt. Clubs flock to the footballing bargain bin and rummage through the morass within until picking out a dead rubber, in this case Richard Wright, who joined Manchester City on the same day as Brazilian international and 2009 Ballon d’Or nominee Julio Cesar moved to Queens Park Rangers, leading to scenes of utter confusion and delirium within the W12 postcode where the west London club are based.

All of the above takes place because, despite having months to begin and conclude negotiations, make enquiries, scout players and build a team, clubs appear to be excessively fond of “leaving it late”. Trouble is, this almost always involves paying through the nose for a player that is subsequently placed under inexorable pressure to live up to their unrealistic valuation. One example springs to mind to support this statement, and it is Andy Carroll. The 23-year-old joined West Ham United on loan as Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers decided that, having made the club’s worst start to a season for 50 years, he didn’t need a striker valued at £30m this time last year.

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