Soccer Capsules - Transfer Window: Europe's top clubs avoid big deadline-day signings
LONDON (AP) — European soccer's January transfer window closed Tuesday with clubs reining in the lavish spending of recent years in an apparent response to UEFA's strict new financial controls.
While 225 million pounds (then $362 million) was spent last January by English clubs alone, barely 50 million pounds was outlayed by them this month.
"It looks like economically the whole of Europe is becoming a bit more cautious," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said.
UEFA revealed last week that the total debt of 665 European clubs had hit $11 billion.
Manchester City alone has invested more than $1 billion on new players in a little more than three years, but the Abu Dhabi owners have curbed their spending and prioritized losing some big earners as it looks to slash a recent annual loss of $308 million.
The only incoming deal by City manager Roberto Mancini on Tuesday was to sign 32-year-old David Pizarro on loan from Roma for the rest of the season to bolster his midfield options.
The league leaders lost 1-0 at Everton on Tuesday.
Defender Wayne Bridge was sent to Sunderland on loan, although City was unable unload troublesome striker Carlos Tevez, who has not played since refusing to resume warming up for the club during a Champions League match in September.
One club interested in Tevez was French leader Paris Saint-Germain, which has been embarking on its own spending spree since the last offseason under Qatari ownership.
Despite pursuing a string of leading players — including David Beckham and AC Milan striker Alexandre Pato — PSG has failed to capture the superstar it craves, although signing midfielder Thiago Motta from Inter Milan on Tuesday will help to soften the blow.
"It's normal that it's more difficult to sign someone in Ligue 1 than in Spain or in England," PSG sporting director Leonardo said. "But things can change."
PSG's plans, though, could be curtailed by the looming threat of expulsion from the Champions League for overspending clubs.
In an initial two-year monitoring period that started in July 2011, UEFA's rules allow clubs to make a total loss in the first assessment period up to $58 million. But persistent loss-makers can first be barred from the 2014-15 Champions League.
"Financial fair play has definitely had an impact (in the transfer window)," said Alan Switzer, director of the sports business group at Deloitte. "The 2011-12 season does now count towards the UEFA rules and that will be part of the consideration which clubs will be giving to any transfer."
Tottenham was the busiest leading Premier League club on Tuesday but avoided a late splurge despite being third in the league.
Louis Saha arrived from Everton but another striker, Roman Pavlyuchenko, was sold to Lokomotiv Moscow. Two players were sent on loan for the rest of the season: defender Sebastien Bassong to Wolverhampton Wanderers and midfielder Steven Pienaar to old club Everton.
Queens Park Rangers tried to ensure it isn't relegated from the Premier League after only one season by signing two strikers: former Liverpool player Djibril Cisse from Lazio and Bobby Zamora from Fulham.
Zamora was replaced at Fulham by Russia striker Pavel Pogrebnyak, who joined from Stuttgart.
Midfielder Marcus Olsson has joined his twin brother Martin at relegation-threatened Blackburn after signing from Swedish side Halmstad.
Among Americans, midfielder Mixx Diskerud was loaned from Norway's Stabaek to Belgium's Ghent, and Edson Buddle's contract was terminated by Ingolstadt of Germany's second division.
Chelsea spent 50 million pounds (then $80 million) a year ago on striker Fernando Torres, who has failed to deliver and contributed to a loss of $109 million in the last financial year that was announced on Tuesday.
Chelsea's only major business on this deadline day was signing winger Kevin De Bruyne from Racing Genk, but he will remain with the Belgian club on loan for the rest of the season.
In Spain, pacesetters Real Madrid and Barcelona were also quiet, although Barca reached a deal with Alexander Hleb to release the Belarus midfielder from his contract.
In Italy, clubs, players and agents gathered at a Milan hotel and the city's two clubs were the busiest.
Inter Milan signed Porto midfielder Fredy Guarin and Sampdoria midfielder Angelo Palombo, while Sulley Muntari moved on loan to AC Milan.
Serie A leader Juventus signed midfielder Padoin from Atalanta for almost $6.6 million.
For some players, Tuesday was the last time to leave clubs where they aren't playing regularly ahead of the European Championship. Croatia defender Vedran Corluka joined Bayer Leverkusen after only three league appearances for Tottenham this season.
Muntari swaps Inter for AC Milan in loan move
MILAN (AP) — Inter Milan signed Colombia midfielder Fredy Guarin and Sampdoria's Angelo Palombo on the last day of the winter transfer market on Tuesday but sold key midfielder Thiago Motta to big-spending Paris Saint-Germain, while Sulley Muntari moved on loan to AC Milan.
Clubs, players and agents gathered at a somewhat chaotic ATA Hotel in Milan, where the league held the last two days of the transfer market, and rushed to get deals done in time for the 7 p.m. deadline local time (1800 GMT).
However, the most surprising deal of the window involved a player not even in the country.
Muntari is currently on duty at the African Nations Cup and he will link up with his new teammates at the end of Ghana's involvement.
Muntari, who will remain at Milan until the end of the season when he becomes a free agent, will provide much needed midfield cover for the Rossoneri after Alexander Merkel joined Mathieu Flamini, Gennaro Gattuso and Alberto Aquilani on the sidelines.
Inter signed Muntari from Portsmouth in 2008 in a deal worth €14 million and while he initially impressed, scoring the winner in his first derby match against Milan, he has slowly slipped down the pecking order.
Muntari spent last season on loan at Sunderland but failed to earn a permanent deal.
Milan also completed the signing of teenage striker Philipp Prosenik from Chelsea.
Prosenik started well in England but has had lengthy spells on the sidelines because of serious injuries. The 18-year-old striker is the son of former Austria midfielder Christian Prosenik.
Guarin moves to Inter from Porto, initially on a loan deal, but the Serie A giant can make the move permanent in the summer and the player has already signed a contract until 2016.
"I think he will give us a huge helping hand," Inter coach Claudio Ranieri said.
No financial details were given for the Motta deal, but reports in France and Italy estimated the transfer at €10 million ($14.3 million).
Guarin, who has 36 caps for Colombia, has won nine trophies with Porto, including two league titles and last season's Europa League.
Inter also has the option to make Palombo's move permanent after the midfielder brought an end to a spell of almost 10 years at Samp.
"Inter is a huge squad, it's a huge occasion for me," Palombo said.
Elsewhere, World Cup winner Vincenzo Iaquinta moved to Serie A struggler Cesena on loan from Juventus, which signed Atalanta midfielder Simone Padoin on the last day of the winter transfer market on Tuesday.
Iaquinta joined Juventus from Udinese in an €11 million ($14.5 million) deal in 2007 but has struggled with injuries over the past two years and has not played since last March.
"I'm happy, now I have to prove myself again," the 32-year-old Iaquinta said. "I can't wait to start, I want to relaunch myself. I've had a lot of injuries in my career, I've been unlucky.
"I want to thank all at Juventus, especially the fans, as they always treated me like a great footballer. I have no regrets."
Midfielder Michele Pazienza also left Juventus. The 29-year-old Pazienza returned on loan to Udinese, the club he last played for seven years ago.
Padoin completed his move to Turin, signing a five-year deal with the Serie A leaders. Juventus has paid almost €5 million ($6.6 million) for the 27-year-old midfielder.
Meanwhile, Bologna has signed France under-19 international Ishak Belfodil from Lyon until the end of the season and Valeri Bojinov has returned to Lecce on loan from Sporting.
Siena, which failed to sign Milan veteran Filippo Inzaghi despite offering the 38-year-old a contract until 2013, re-signed Erjon Bogdani from Cesena. Bogdani left for Chievo Verona in 2007.
Inzaghi has made almost 300 appearances in 11 years at Milan but has barely played since returning from a serious injury which kept him out for most of last season.
"I was caught between wanting to play football and my love for this club which has given me so much," Inzaghi said. "I couldn't think of my story with Milan ending in a couple of hours without being able to say goodbye to San Siro.
"My teammates, the fans and the club all came into my decision."
Other notable moves saw Genoa defender Dario Dainelli move on loan to Chievo, while Catania has signed goalkeeper Juan Pablo Carrizo from Lazio, with a view to a permanent move in the summer.
-- Daniella Matar
PSG brings in new signing, other clubs seek loans
PARIS (AP) — On a slow-moving last day of transfers in the French league, Paris Saint-Germain predictably stole the headlines by signing midfielder Thiago Motta from Inter Milan to take its season's spending spree comfortably over €100 million ($143 million).
Other clubs, meanwhile, were scratching around trying to bring players in on loan and could only dream about having the seemingly bottomless funds that PSG's ambitious Qatari owners, QSI, are providing the ambitious French leader with.
No financial details were given, but reports in France and Italy estimated Motta's transfer at €10 million ($14.3 million). Motta, who previously played for Barcelona and has played six times for Brazil, also brings valuable experience to a PSG team chasing its first league title since 1994 and which has not played in the Champions League since 2004.
He is new coach Carlo Ancelotti's third signing of the January transfer window — all three are Brazilians, with central defender Alex joining from Chelsea last week, and left back Maxwell arriving previously from Barcelona.
Motta's signing will be a relief to PSG's Brazilian sporting director Leonardo, and help soften the blow of missing out on an even bigger name after deals for strikers Carlos Tevez from Manchester City and Alexandre Pato from AC Milan fell through. PSG also missed out on former England captain David Beckham when he decided to stay with LA Galaxy.
"It's normal that it's more difficult to sign someone in Ligue 1 than in Spain or in England, but things can change," Leonardo said recently.
Far away from the French Capital, PSG's bitter southern rival Marseille could not afford to sign anyone, let alone someone of Motta's caliber, and preferred to balance its books by selling one of its best players.
The day after offloading midfielder Lucho Gonzalez to FC Porto, Marseille coach Didier Deschamps ruled out any last-minute signings. Selling Gonzalez saves Marseille €400,000 ($570,000) per month, as he was the club's highest earner, and helps the team hold onto star striker Loic Remy, who has been closely watched by Tottenham coach Harry Redknapp.
"We won't sign anyone. We don't have the capacity to invest, I wasn't expecting anything," Deschamps said. "I'm sad he (Gonzalez) has left us."
Last season, Marseille spent nearly €30 million ($42.8 million) on strikers Andre-Pierre Gignac and Loic Remy but failed to retain its league title.
Seven-time French champion Lyon was for many years one of the biggest spenders in France, but under new coach Remi Garde the club is trying to bring through youth players rather than splash out on big names.
Lyon spent €22 million ($27.8 million) on signing Yoann Gourcuff from Bordeaux last season, but such has been his lack of form that the playmaker is now a reserve and has lost his place in the France team.
Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas is now trying to bring money in, rather than spend, as he tries to fund a new stadium.
Lyon cut its payroll in the offseason by selling Bosnia playmaker Miralem Pjanic to Roma for €11 million ($15.5 million) and France international Jeremy Toulalan to Spanish side Malaga for €10 million ($14 million).
Big names like Michael Essien, Eric Abidal and Karim Benzema no longer grace Lyon's Stade Gerland.
However, on the positive side of things, that means players like 18-year-old defender Samuel Umtiti; 21-year-old midfielder Clement Grenier and 20-year-old forward Alexandre Lacazette are all getting their chance.
They all played under Garde when he was Lyon's youth team coach.
Elsewhere, Brest signed Issam Jemaa on loan from Auxerre until the end of the season.
The 24-year-old striker, who has two league goals this season, has scored 27 goals in 60 games for Tunisia and is playing for his country at the African Cup of Nations.
Brest sold star striker Nolan Roux to defending French champion Lille last week and acquired forward Alexandre Alphonse last week from FC Zurich.
Lorient president Loic Fery tried unsuccessfully to sign Gignac on loan. The former France international, who previously played for Lorient, has struggled for form since joining Marseille two seasons ago.
"We would have been glad to welcome Gignac here until the end of the season," Fery told RMC radio on Tuesday. "Unfortunately we couldn't do it. The player wants to establish himself at Marseille."
Auxerre, which is struggling in 18th place in the first division, boosted its midfield by signing Georges Mandjeck from Rennes for a reported fee of €1.5 million ($2.1 million).
The Cameroon midfielder fell out with Rennes coach Frederic Ancelotti after he was substituted after only 36 minutes in a match against Brest in December. Antonetti picked him to play just once more, in the Europa League.
Saint-Etienne signed left back Jonathan Brison from Nancy on a 3 ½-year deal.
-- Jerome Pugmire
Leverkusen signs Corluka on loan from Tottenham
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Bayer Leverkusen signed Croatia defender Vedran Corluka from Tottenham on Tuesday on a loan deal until the end of the season.
Leverkusen also obtained an option to sign Corluka on a longer contract, without elaborating. At the same time, Michael Ballack's agent said the former Germany captain would not be leaving the club in this window.
Sports director Rudi Voeller said Corluka was exactly the kind of versatile defender Leverkusen had been looking for.
"He can play not only right back, but also in central defense and on the left," Voeller said.
Leverkusen chief executive Wolfgang Holzhaeuser added: "With this signing, we've got a high-level option. Corluka is a respected professional who will give us an immediate impact in class."
Corluka has made only three appearances in the English Premier League this season for Spurs, who have preferred England defender Kyle Walker at right back.
The decision to let Corluka go leaves Tottenham without any backup to Walker for the remainder of the season, with Spurs third in the standings — eight points behind leader Manchester City.
The 25-year-old Corluka joined Tottenham from Manchester City for 8.5 million pounds ($13.4 million) in 2008.
Meanwhile, Ballack has recently come under fire for his commitment from Voeller and Holzhaeuser, resulting in the former Chelsea midfielder being benched last weekend and raising speculation he might prefer to leave rather than wait until his contract ends in the offseason.
Ballack has been linked with a possible move to Major League Soccer in the United States.
Shortly before the transfer deadline expired Tuesday, Mainz announced that Egypt striker Mohamed Zidan was returning to the club from Borussia Dortmund.
Zidan arrives on loan until the end of the season, but Mainz has the option then to sign him for two seasons. Zidan played for Mainz in the 2005-06 season and in the second half of the following season.
In other Bundesliga last-day transfers, Freiburg, the bottom-place club, said it was taking striker Ivan Santini from the Croatian club Zadar on loan until the end of the season.
Kaiserslautern added midfielder Ariel Borysiuk from Legia Warsaw, giving him a contract through June 2016.
Two strikers left Wolfsburg on loan deals until the end of the season: South Korean international Koo Ja-cheol went to Augsburg and Srdjan Lakic of Croatia moved to Hoffenheim.
Genk completes deal for De Bruyne to Chelsea
LONDON (AP) — Kevin De Bruyne became the third Belgian youngster to join Chelsea in the space of six months after completing a move to the English Premier League giant from Racing Genk on Tuesday.
The 20-year-old winger, who has been tracked by Chelsea for some time, signed a 5½-year deal for a reported fee of 9 million pounds ($14.2 million) but will return to Genk on loan for the rest of the season.
De Bruyne's international teammates, goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and striker Romelu Lukaku, have also been signed by Chelsea since the arrival of Andre Villas-Boas as manager last June.
Neither Courtois or Lukaku have managed to break into the first team — Courtois is on loan at Spanish side Atletico Madrid — and De Bruyne looks to be another signing for the future.
"It will be very hard to play in the beginning but if you can train with these guys, you will get to a better level than in the Belgian league for sure," De Bruyne said.
De Bruyne has played against Chelsea twice this season for Genk in their Champions League group, with Villas-Boas' team winning the home match 5-0 and drawing 1-1 in Belgium.
"It's a little bit of a dream come true," De Bruyne said. "I've worked very hard and am still very young but have already played a lot of games.
"To come to a team like Chelsea is a dream but now it's a reality and I have to work hard to achieve the level that's necessary."
Chelsea already have left wingers in Spain international Juan Mata and Florent Malouda, although the Frenchman's days at the London club appear numbered as Villas-Boas increasingly looks to inject youth into the squad.
Tottenham signs Saha, agrees to Pavlyuchenko exit
LONDON (AP) — Tottenham signed striker Louis Saha from Premier League rival Everton and reached a deal to offload Roman Pavlyuchenko to Lokomotiv Moscow in the final hours of the transfer window on Tuesday.
Manager Harry Redknapp signed Saha despite the 33-year-old Frenchman scoring just twice in 20 appearances for Everton this season and struggling with injuries in recent years.
"He's got good movement, can score goals but probably needs a change," Redknapp said. "He's out of contract at the end of the year so David Moyes has let him go. I can remember speaking to Rio Ferdinand and he said he was the best forward he'd played against."
Pavlyuchenko had appeared on the verge of leaving Spurs for over a year. And on Tuesday, an 8-million pound ($13 million) deal to head back to his native Russia was finally clinched after scoring 42 goals in 113 appearances since joining from Spartak Moscow in 2008.
"We have reached agreement for the transfer of Roman Pavlyuchenko to Lokomotiv Moscow," Tottenham said.
Defender Sebastien Bassong was sent to Wolverhampton Wanderers on loan until the end of the season and midfielder Steven Pienaar rejoined Everton for the same period.
Tottenham, which is third in the Premier League, beat Wigan 3-1 as the deals were being done.
Fulham signs striker Pogrebnyak, sells Zamora
LONDON (AP) — Fulham signed Russian striker Pavel Pogrebnyak from Stuttgart and sold Bobby Zamora to London rival Queens Park Rangers in the final hours of the January transfer window on Tuesday.
The 28-year-old Pogrebnyak joined Fulham on a six-month contract ahead of the European Championship, having been part of the Russia side that topped Group B in qualifying for Euro 2012. His signing paved the way for Zamora to rejoin former Fulham manager Mark Hughes at QPR. The 31-year-old Zamora signed a 2½-year contract with QPR and is set to form a strike partnership with French striker Djibril Cisse, who completed his move to Loftus Road hours earlier.
Zamora, who made the second of his two appearances for England in November, has scored five goals this season but is widely reported to have had differences with Fulham manager Martin Jol.
"Bobby is a guy that makes things happen on the pitch, be it scoring goals or creating chances for others. He's a great foil for any team," Hughes said. "He came back from injury and he made such an impact in the second half of the campaign. He's got great power and pace and his technical ability is top class. He's got an excellent left foot."
Man United lures young defender from neighbor City
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester United has lured a defensive prospect from Manchester City, with Frederic Veseli switching between the fierce rivals on transfer deadline day. The 19-year-old Swiss center back will initially have to impress in United's reserve side to earn a spot in the first team.
Veseli says "Manchester United has a long history of younger players coming through and hopefully I can follow and do the same."
Veseli captained Switzerland to victory in the under-17 World Cup in 2009 and was part of the City senior squad which toured the United States last summer.
United sold 18-year-old midfielder Ravel Morrison to West Ham on Tuesday after a series of disciplinary issues.
Bridge joins Sunderland on loan from Man City
SUNDERLAND, England (AP) — Wayne Bridge will look to revive his career at Sunderland after joining the northeast team on loan from Premier League leader Manchester City until the end of the season.
The 31-year-old Bridge has played one match for City this season — in the League Cup against Birmingham in September — after falling behind fellow left backs Gael Clichy and Aleksandar Kolarov in the pecking order.
When he joined City in January 2009, Bridge was the understudy to Ashley Cole in the England squad but he has fallen out of the international reckoning. Sunderland manager Martin O'Neill says "I'm hoping that with Wayne's undoubted experience and ability, he can be a big help to the team."
Sunderland is 10th in the 20-team Premier League.
Man City signs Pizarro from Roma on loan
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester City has added experience to its midfield for the Premier League title run-in by signing Chile international David Pizarro on loan from Roma for the rest of the season.
The 32-year-old Pizarro played under City manager Roberto Mancini when both were at Inter Milan, before joining Roma in 2006. With Owen Hargreaves struggling to regain full fitness after joining City on a free transfer last summer, Mancini has been looking to add another central midfielder to his squad to cover for Yaya Toure, Gareth Barry and Nigel de Jong.
Pizarro has played just seven times in the league for Roma this season. Without an English title since 1968, City only leads Manchester United on goal difference after losing 1-0 at Everton on Tuesday.
PSG signs midfielder Motta from Inter Milan
PARIS (AP) — Paris Saint-Germain continued its spending spree by signing Brazilian midfielder Thiago Motta from Inter Milan on Tuesday.
PSG said that the 29-year-old Motta will be presented at PSG's Parc des Princes stadium on Wednesday. No financial details were given, but reports in France and Italy estimated the transfer at €10 million ($14.3 million) — taking PSG's outlay for the season comfortably over €100 million ($143 million).
Motta brings valuable experience to a PSG team chasing its first league title since 1994 and which has not played in the Champions League since 2004. Motta previously played for Barcelona and has played six times for Brazil.
Everton signs Croatia striker Jelavic from Rangers
LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Everton has strengthened its scoring options by signing Croatia striker Nikica Jelavic from Rangers. The 26-year-old Jelavic, who joins on a 4½-year deal, will look to add a cutting edge to Everton's attack after scoring 36 goals in 55 matches for Rangers since joining from Rapid Vienna in August 2010.
Only Wigan has scored fewer goals in the Premier League this season than Everton, which eight points clear of the relegation zone in 14th place.
Jelavic is Everton's third signing of the January transfer window, after United States winger Landon Donovan joined on loan from Los Angeles Galaxy and midfielder Darron Gibson arrived from Manchester United.
Spurs loans Corluka to Leverkusen
LONDON (AP) — Croatia right back Vedran Corluka has joined Bayer Leverkusen on loan from Tottenham for the rest of the season after losing his place in the Premier League title contender's lineup.
Corluka has made only three appearances in the league this season for Spurs, who have preferred England defender Kyle Walker at right back.
The decision to let Corluka go leaves Spurs without any backup to Walker for the remainder of the season, with Spurs third in the standings — eight points behind Manchester City. The 25-year-old Corluka joined Tottenham from City for 8.5 million pounds ($13.4 million) in 2008.
Olsson brothers link up at Blackburn
BLACKBURN, England (AP) — Sweden midfielder Marcus Olsson has joined his twin brother Martin at Blackburn after signing for the English Premier League club on a free transfer on Tuesday.
The 23-year-old Olsson joined Blackburn from Swedish side Halmstad on a 2½-year deal — seven years after failing to secure a move to the northwest club after a trial. He won his first two caps for Sweden this month, in friendlies against Bahrain and Qatar.
Olsson is awaiting international clearance from the Swedish FA and FIFA before completing the move to Blackburn, which is in the Premier League's relegation zone.
Miyaichi joins Bolton on loan from Arsenal
BOLTON, England (AP) — Japanese teenager Ryo Miyaichi has left Arsenal to join fellow Premier League team Bolton on loan until the end of the season.
Miyaichi has only played two matches for Arsenal this season, both of them coming as a substitute in League Cup matches.
The 19-year-old winger joined the London club a year ago but spent the second half of last season at Dutch club Feyenoord. He will hope to tread the same path taken by Jack Wilshere, who joined Bolton on loan in 2010 and is now an Arsenal regular, when fit.
American MF Diskerud loaned to Belgium's Ghent
American midfielder Mixx Diskerud has been loaned from Norway's Stabaek to Belgium's Ghent.
The 21-year-old played for Norway's youth national teams before making his senior U.S. national team debut in November 2010. He has been part of the American Under-23 training camps ahead of qualifying for the London Olympics.
Diskerud, whose mother is from Arizona, had been with Stabaek since 2008. Ghent has an option to purchase Diskerud's rights.
QPR signs France striker Cisse from Lazio
LONDON (AP) — Queens Park Rangers has signed French striker Djibril Cisse from Lazio.
The 30-year-old former Liverpool and Marseille player has joined the Premier League strugglers on a 2-½ year deal. QPR manager Mark Hughes says Cisse is "a huge threat to opposition's defenses. He's got great pace, power and movement and that's something we will hopefully benefit from."
Olympiakos signs Kazim-Richards on loan deal
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Olympiakos has signed Turkey striker Colin Kazim-Richards on a loan deal from Galatasaray until the end of the season.
The defending Greek champions announced the deal Tuesday and have an option to sign the London-born player on a permanent contract for a further two seasons. Olympiakos currently trails leader Panathinaikos by five points in the Greek league.
Hoffenheim takes Lakic from Wolfsburg on loan
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Hoffenheim has signed striker Srdjan Lakic from Wolfsburg until the end of the season. Hoffenheim says it has no option for now to sign the Croatian on a longer contract.
Hoffenheim needs to replace Vedad Ibisevic following his departure for Stuttgart.
