I have to say the deadline day tug of war between Manchester's United and City over Dimitar Berbatov is exciting stuff.
As I write, with just over an hour to the deadline, there is still no resolution and to be honest I wouldn't be surprised if there isn't before 12.
Afterall Cashley Cole's move from Arsenal to Chelsea was completed after the deadline a couple of seasons ago. When it's Chelsea deadlines and rules don't matter you see.
It will be interesting to see how the sale of Manchester City to a bunch Abu Dhabi businessmen pans out.
They claim to have more money than Abramovich. If that's the case then we're in for an interesting January window when they can really flex their financial muscle (assuming they don't get Berbatov which is likely in my view). But then it's one thing attracting players to an already well established London club, another to the second team in grey Manchester.
To matters Liverpool and our activity has been fairly predictable. Steve Finnan and Andriy Voronin have been off loaded with no news yet on our other unwanted first teamer Jermaine Pennant.
Apparently Pennant has been told he'll rot in the reserves if he doesn't agree to join Stoke City. The former Birmingham man is reluctant to leave his boyhood club for a probable relegation battle. I don't blame him.
I'm sad to see Finnan go. He's been a loyal and excellent servant to the club but at 32 it was obviously felt his best days were behind him. Espanyol is not a bad move though. They are a decent La Liga side and he'll enjoy the sun.
Andriy Voronin's loan move to Hertha Berlin is best for everyone. For us we have managed to unload a player very few clubs seemed to want and they'll take up a percentage of his wages. Hopefully he'll impress back in a Bundesliga familiar to him and Hertha will pay £10m to make it permanent next summer....dream on.
Albert Riera's arrival was always on the cards and it was nice that he actually got to Merseyside this time unlike Simao Sabrosa on deadline day 2005. The Portuguese winger was reportedly on the plane and ready to leave for Liverpool when Benfica upped their asking price and the deal collapsed.
Rafa's been heaping the praise on the Spaniard whose cost around £8m.
There's plenty in this country who are sceptical about him given he had an uninspiring spell at Manchester City two seasons ago. But the 26-year-old has apparently come on in leaps and bounds and was unlucky not to make the victorious Spanish squad in the summer.
There was a bit of business at reserve level as well with promising Hungarian keeper Peter Gulacsi's move from MTK Hungaria made permanent. Gulacsi will compete with Dean Bouzanis for the reserve team's number one shirt this season.
We've also signed Vitor Flora from Botafogo. I know nothing about him but I've discovered a YouTube compilation so he must be the new Pele....
We should probably fast track him into the first team given the news today of Fernando Torres' injury that will sideline him for up to three weeks.
While it's not been a particularly exciting deadline day what needed to be done has been done and now Rafa can get to work on getting the team playing properly again...after those pesky internationals of course.
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