Mariga deal falls through.....and Inter nip in

One deal that was expected to be a 'sure thing' today ended in frustrastion as McDonald Mariga slipped through our grasp and ended up signing for Inter in a co-ownership agreement with his current club Parma.

It appears as though a deal was agreed in principle, but as I anticipated a couple of days ago we ran into problems attaining a work permit for the Kenyan:

Mariga, who has 24 caps, met part of the UK criteria after playing in 75% of Kenya's games in the last two years.

But his application was rejected as Kenya are ranked 98th in Fifa's world rankings, outside the top 70 nations.

City attended an appeal at Wembley on Monday morning but failed to overturn the decision about the 22-year-old.

A further appeal could have been lodged but would have meant a deal could not have been completed until the next transfer window.

Frustration I'm sure then turned to exasperation as later in the day it was announced that Mariga had signed for Inter, who had also coveted the player:

McDonald Mariga has officially signed for Inter as they agreed a £4m co-ownership deal with Parma.

The Kenya born midfielder was very close to a move to Manchester City in the past few days but negotiations didn't go ahead due to visa problems.

Unfortunately, Mariga has paid the price for having Kenyan nationality and it is something seen before where a player meets all the relevant criteria to be awarded a work permit, with the exception of being eligible for a side in the top 70 ranked countries in the world.

Whilst the overwhelming majority had never seen Mariga play, the comments left on here certainly suggest a player with immense potential and indicate him as a player who could have had a big future with us.

Johnson signs

The deal that many expected was finally confirmed just before the transfer deadline this afternoon as we landed Adam Johnson for an undisclosed fee:

The Club is delighted to announce that Adam Johnson has joined us from Middlesbrough for an undisclosed fee after agreeing terms and passing a medical this afternoon.

The former England Under-21 winger, who has signed a contract until June 2014, steps straight into Roberto Mancini's squad against Hull on Saturday. He will wear the traditional No.11.

Johnson, who played 19 games for England Under-21s and scored four goals, has played 96 times for Boro, scoring 13 times and making a firm impression on the game's shrewdest judges.

Although it was confirmed as an undisclosed fee, the MEN are suggesting it is in the region of an initial £6million, rising to £10 million with add-ons. Although Johnson was out of contract in the summer, given his age (meaning we would have had to have paid a compensatory figure anyway) and undoubted potential it is a fair figure.

I am excited about the move. Johnson is very highly thought of in the game and impressed in our FA Cup meeting before being forced off through injury. He had his path blocked a little by Stewart Downing early in his career and spent time on loan at both Leeds and Watford but returned for the 2008/09 season where he made twenty-six appearances in Middlesbrough's relegation campaign.

Interestingly enough, Johnson has often featured on the right wing (or 'off-wing') - something that Mancini (amongst many others at the moment) is fond of utilising and far from him being banished to the reserves my view is that he will see plenty of playing time over the remainder of the season.

A further point to consider is the potential effect this could have on Martin Petrov's future. Out of contract in the summer of course, he has often been linked with moves away from the club (with rumours today of a move to Everton) and perhaps this signing pushes the Bulgarian closer to the exit door?

Transfer deadline thoughts

Usually if you are stuck at work on deadline day it can be an immensely frustrating time without Sky Sports News to keep you upto speed on the latest news, rumours and deals.

Today however, if you missed the deadline coverage, consider yourself fortunate indeed.

Today, especially with the deadline being 5pm, transfer deadline day was as damp a squib as the Twenty20 games at Old Trafford.

Devoid of any big name deals, footage of David James speeding off from Portsmouth's training ground or James Collins arriving at Aston Villa was on heavy rotation throughout the day. Bless them, Sky tried to ramp up the drama of deadline day but encountered far more dead ends than breaking news.

Even the 'breaking news' yellow bar was rarely seen.

As far as we are concerned, there was just two deals completed early on - Tal Ben-Haim to Portsmouth and Clayton McDonald on loan to Walsall. Sky tried their best to dress up the Ben-Haim move as key to a Portsmouth revival, whilst I don't recall McDonald garnering a mention.

David Bentley's proposed move was at one time the main story of the day, but this died down around lunchtime and then was completely quashed shortly after, with it later emerging that it was a no-go once Tottenham requested Martin Petrov as part of any deal.

Even the Richard Dunne 'has he, hasn't he' story lacked any enthusiasm about, certainly nowhere near the chase of Berbatov this time last year, and to no surprise, it was confirmed that Dunne will eventually sign for Aston Villa.

Hughes had said beforehand that he was likely done as far as new recruits went, and especially with keeping Petrov I'm certain he is more than happy with how his squad stands.

Depending on where we sit this time in January though, particularly if we are occupying a top four position it could be a different matter entirely and could, therefore, lead to a far more exciting deadline day than we have witnessed today.

Dunne deal will go through

We still await for official confirmation from either ourselves or Aston Villa with regards to the signing of Richard Dunne, with the Premier League yet to ratify the move (although the FA are believed to be satisfied all is in order).

The sticking point as far as we are led to believe was down to the potential pay off from the club that Dunne may be set to receive, but although there is still the possibility the deal will not be completed, I have been informed from a very reliable source the deal will be confirmed and Dunne will become an Aston Villa player.

Transfer deadline - 90 minutes remaining

Time is ticking away on the transfer window and after the Bentley announcement things have gone a little quiet as it seems (a late change of plan aside) that there will be no further arrivals at the club.

The two potential deals still up in the air are for Richard Dunne to Aston Villa and Martin Petrov to Tottenham with Sky Sports expecting the Dunne deal to be completed, but there appears no progress on the Petrov move as time is beginning to tick away.

A move for Benjani could still be possible, but whilst weekend speculation linked him with moves away there has been nothing further today.

No Bentley deal

Sky Sports News 2pm headlines have confirmed (via their reporter Brian Swanson) that there will be no deal concluded with Tottenham for David Bentley and quoted a source that stated that our purchases 'have been concluded'.

Now up on the Sky Sports website.

Club in talks for Bentley

Sky Sports News are reporting that we are in talks with Tottenham over a deal for David Bentley.

There is no mention as to whether Martin Petrov may be included in the deal, but regardless, whilst Mark Hughes has a succesful record in the transfer market of late this is one that I don't see as being a good move.

Bentley had success at Blackburn but has lost his way at Tottenham, falling out of the England squad in the process and it is difficult to see quite where he would fit into our starting line-up either on the right-hand side or even in the centre.

Maybe like Craig Bellamy before him, Hughes sees a value that most of us do not immediately see.

More to come on this no doubt throughout today.

UPDATE

The Telegraph is reporting that Petrov will be included in a player plus cash swap deal.

Transfer deadline day

Whilst not expecting the drama of deadline day last year, it could still be a busy day for ourselves before the window shuts until January.

Sky Sports News are reporting that Tal Ben-Haim is in talks with Portsmouth over a potential move, a departure that has been widely anticipated.

It is two other moves that will be worth keeping an eye on however.

It was thought yesterday that Benjani would be heading to Hull, but this evening reports suggest the deal has been shelved due to player and club being unable to agree personal terms, which hints that his current deal is a good one. It wouldn't be a surprise however if - depending on other potential targets - this was resurrected tomorrow.

Then there is Richard Dunne. Whilst talks were held last week with Aston Villa, it was reported that the move was delayed over potential severance pay - with Dunne scheduled for a testimonial next year. Villa were also linked over the weekend with a number of other defenders over the weekend so it maybe that this deal utlimately doesn't get done.

From the noises coming out of the club, it seems that our spending is done but I'm sure there are targets that interest us and if there is a chance of landing someone Hughes wants, then a deal could be done.

Either way, Sky Sports News will likely be on for the most part tomorrow until the 5pm deadline.

Transfer window extended

The Premier League have released a statement regarding the deadline for the summer transfer window:

The Premier League confirms that the summer transfer window will close at 5pm on Tuesday 1st September.

Just what David Moyes wanted.

Deadline day news

Manchester City goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson has turned down a move to Galatasaray, having previously expressed a wish to join the Turkish club.

Isaksson had been hoping to leave City before the close of the transfer window to safeguard his position in Sweden's Euro 2008 squad.

He has lost out to Joe Hart to be City's No.1 and admitted a desire to finalise a switch to Galatasaray in order to play regularly.

But City's first-team coach Tord Grip has confirmed that Isaksson does not want to join Galatasaray on loan.

"Andreas is probably staying here, it now looks that way," City's Tord Grip told Sportbladet.

"I am at the training complex and he is here today.

"He is able to go on loan to Galatasaray and get a game.

"But that is what he doesn't want to do and we cannot do much more."

>>Sky Sports.

Ched Evans will stay on loan at Norwich until the end of the season, after the club reached an agreement with Manchester City.

His 'emergency loan' spell was due to end on February 26, with Man City able to recall him from Wednesday, but now

Evans, 19, has scored four goals in 12 apperances for Norwich, his first being within just two minutes of his City debut; his most recent the winner against Southampton on Tuesday night.

>>Norwich Evening News.

OUSMANE Dabo has left City to rejoin Lazio - where he will link up with Rolando Bianchi.

The French midfielder failed to make a Premier League appearance under Sven-Goran Eriksson, getting his only game for the Swede in the Carling Cup win at Bristol City in August.

Dabo struggled to make an impact after Stuart Pearce brought him to Eastlands from Lazio in June 2006.

And the 30-year-old had become increasingly frustrated by his lack of opportunities under Eriksson's management.

"I'm the only player in the first-team squad who hasn't been given a chance this season," he said earlier this month.

"After a while, it gets so ridiculous that it becomes laughable."

>>MEN.

Of the three moves above, the only one that surprised me was the Isaksson one given that it was widely believed both the player and club were happy for him to move during the window after Joe Hart was established as the number 1, but it may well have been that the Swede was after a permanent move rather than just a short term deal.

The Evans move is a sensible one given the return to fitness of Danny Sturridge along with the the strides that Valeri Bojinov has made to get back on the pitch and will allow him to gain some decent experience at a place where he seemingly enjoys playing.

With just over four hours to go before the window shuts, all eyes will now be on the two moves (Benjani and Caciedo) which have been heavily rumoured for the past couple of days but have (as yet) still to be announced - although I would be surprised if they weren't completed before the deadline passes.

I'll update this post through the evening as soon as any deals are confirmed, and if anyone hears of any deals (rumoured or confirmed), feel free to post up.

UPDATE:

West Brom have completed the permanent signing of Ishmael Miller from Manchester City for an undisclosed fee.

The Championship leaders have exercised the option to buy the striker before January 31 - a clause Albion inserted in the deal which brought Miller to The Hawthorns on a season-long loan in August.

Miller, 20, has signed a three-and-a-half-year contract, which includes an extra year's option in the club's favour.

>> Sporting Life.

No news of the fee involved, but I confess I wasn't aware of the clause inserted into the loan contract. A good move for Miller this, moving to a side who look a good bet for promotion to the Premier League. Kudos to Sven as well for getting him under a new contract at the beginning of the season which would have increased his value.

Although he has performed well for West Brom this season, I don't (as I've written before) believe he quite has what it takes to make it at the club and lacks the technical ability to quite make it at the highest level.

Whilst no official confirmation from the club has yet, FC Basel's website is reporting the transfer of Caceido has been completed. Worth checking out for the translation.

UPDATE:

Inter have confirmed that Roberto Mancini’s son Filippo will be spending the rest of the season on loan at Manchester City.

The player has been on trial with the Eastlands based club since last week and he has impressed Sven Goran Eriksson.

The 17 year old made his debut for the Nerazzurri in the Coppa Italia just days before arriving in Manchester.

A statement on the club’s official website reads:

“Filippo Mancini will be playing in England for Manchester City.”

>>Setanta Sports.

UPDATE:

The MEN is reporting that Paul Dickov has joined Blackpool on loan until the end of the season, and still suggests the Benjani move could be completed - with Jermain Defoe set for a move to Portsmouth as his replacement.

UPDATE:

The transfer window is now closed, and no confirmation of the Benjani (or Defoe) moves. That's not to say it won't happen though as an announcement could still come through that the deals were completed by midnight.

If the Benjani move has not gone through, it will be interesting to see the reason why, but we'll know one way or the other tomorrow morning.

UPDATE:

Manchester City have confirmed that the proposed transfer of Portsmouth striker Benjani to the Blues was unsuccessful.

City spokesman Paul Tyrrell said, "Due to the late arrival of the player in Manchester we were unable to complete the transfer."

>>mcfc.co.uk

A very short statement from the club, and one that strikes as a bit of an administrative mess more than anything. Perhaps more will come out later today as to exactly why the deal didn't get done but given I wasn't entirely convinced of the merits of signing him it may well be a blessing, but I'll post something more in depth regarding the transfer deadline hopefully later today.