Sport

Premier League transfer day creates a frenzy

16:23 pm on 3 February 2015

The madness that is English football's final transfer day has had the fans and pundits in a frenzy.

Winston Reid during the Wellington Phoenix vs West Ham United match at Eden Park in 2014. Photo: PHOTOSPORT

League leaders Chelsea have signed Colombia winger Juan Cuadrado from Italian club Fiorentina on a four-and-half-year deal for an estimated $54 million.

Here were the top moves detailed by the BBC as the deadline closed at midday (NZ time)

They had been able to do that after selling German winger Andre Schuerrle to Bundesliga side VfL Wolfsburg for $46.59 million.

Chelsea have also loaned Mohamed Salah to Fiorentina as part of the Cuadrado deal.

All Whites star Winston Reid is also tipped to join Tottenham Hotspur on a $120,000 a week contract, according to British reports.

Arsenal and Liverpool had also been in the market for Reid's defensive skills but Spurs appear to have won out.

West Bromwich Albion have signed Scotland midfielder Darren Fletcher on a free transfer from Manchester United.

The 31-year-old, who was named vice-captain at Old Trafford at the beginning of the season and made 12 appearances during the campaign, signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with an option for another 12 months.

Fletcher came close to signing for West Ham United earlier this week but instead moves to relegation-threatened West Brom, who are 15th in the table after appointing Tony Pulis as manager last month.

Southampton, still clinging to fourth in the league with Arsenal hot on their tail, have signed Benfica's attacking midfielder Filip Djuricic on a loan for the rest of the season.

Defender Robert Huth, 30, who has ventured round the traps including stints at Chelsea, Middlesbrough and Stoke City, has been signed by Leicester City on a loaner till the end of the season.

Robert Huth Photo: AFP

Huth told the club's YouTube channel that he was "not expecting to walk into the team… I will need to prove my worth."

Meanwhile, Everton have signed Spurs winger Aaron Lennon, a former England international, on loan for the rest of the season.

The 27-year-old has scored 30 goals in 365 games for the North London club and was in demand, with Hull, Stoke and QPR all interested.

The busiest club in the market was lowly Crawley Town, a Football League one side, which had signed nine players.

Crystal Palace has finished off their frenetic wheeling and dealing by grabbing Wilfred Zaha and Lee Chung-yong from Manchester United and Bolton respectively.

Zaha, 22, is returning to Palace on a permanent deal after failing to make an impact at Manchester United.

He had most recently been on a loan deal at Selhurst Park.

Lee, who has a hairline shin fracture which will prevent him playing for another four weeks, still passed a medical at Palace's training ground.

The most expensive deal in the transfer window remains Manchester City's $57 million swoop for Swansea and Ivory Coast striker Wilfried Bony.