Terry Pierce - Transfer window winners and losers

Published: 01 Feb 2011 - 10:13:40

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So after a marathon day flicking between Twitter, dodgy fans forums and the football.co.uk live blog, it's all over. Football League fans rejoice - the transfer window has closed.

But who were the big winners this January? Who splashed the cash on a star striker to fire them to glory and who fought off the big boys and kept their prize assets?

And who were the losers? Was your club one of the sides to lose their captain at 10.55 last night, or the team with more empty promises and false dawns than real, scarf-above-head signings?

Burnley put some of the sizeable parachute payment burning a hole in their pocket to use by beating Ipswich to the signing of brickie-come-striker Charlie Austin, with a fee believed to be around £1.5 million heading to Wiltshire.

Despite missing out on Austin, new Tractor Boys boss Paul Jewel did manage to bring in Jimmy Bullard from Hull and Andy Drury from Luton, while Nottingham Forest finally ended their hunt for a full-back with the eye-catching acquisition of Paul Konchesky.

Southampton, never out of the limelight for too long during any transfer window, had a remarkably quiet day yesterday, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, their 17-year-old winger, staying on the South Coast for now.

Further down the pyramid, Football League new boys Stevenage broke their transfer record by bringing striker Craig Reid to the club. Reid had been linked with most of the bottom two divisions so his arrival is real a signal of intent from Boro'.

Plymouth were arguably the biggest losers and winners of the window. Argyle needed to raise as much cash as possible and were open to offers for any of their players. Big earners Bradley Wright-Phillips and Reda Johnson both moved for undisclosed fees, but Joe Mason turned down a move and Onismor Bhasera failed a medical at Blackpool, much to the frustration of the Plymouth board.

Coventry City lost their England under-17 international midfielder Conor Thomas to Liverpool but fellow teen starlet Connor Wickham won't be heading for the bright lights of the Premier League just yet, instead staying put at Ipswich.

Hereford United, currently embroiled in a battle for survival in League Two, saw top scorer Mathieu Manset leave for Reading, but offset the disappointment by bringing in five new faces including striker Jake Jervis, who is heading back to Edgar Street for another loan spell from Birmingham.

While football seems to be going mad at the top, there are some real bargains to be had across the Football League. Experienced defensive duo Danny Shittu and Darren Purse signed for QPR and Millwall respectively, both on free transfers.

Clever use of the loan market can make all the difference at every level. Yakubu joining the Sven-inspired revolution at the Walkers' Stadium was one of the biggest moves of the window, and further down the pyramid, Aidan White and Ben Amos both joining Oldham looks like shrewd business from Latics' boss Paul Dickov.

Despite the majority of media outlets focusing on three transfers yesterday, deadline day is huge for every club up and down the country. The additions can trigger a push for promotion or a charge towards the top six.

The right loanees can re-ignite a fight for survival or add the strength in depth every boss craves.But the failure to bring in cover or replace the old with the new can see a promising season crumble.

Either way, the transfer deadline day is now part and parcel of modern football. The drama and the rumours, the suspect sightings and ambitious wish-lists all result in a tense day for most football fans, and I love it.

Follow me on Twitter @telpierce