Pastore talks up Arsenal as rumour mill keeps turning

The transfer window may be shut, but that doesn't mean that the rumour mill has to stop, and already the jockeying for position come January has begun.

First out of the blocks is Argentinian playmaker Javier Pastore, who despite professing his love for current club Palermo, has also admitted a soft-spot for Arsene Wenger's Arsenal.

The 21-year-old, who was part of Argentina's World Cup squad, has attracted longing glances from the likes of Real Madrid, Chelsea and Manchester United, but says he grew up on a diet of Arsenal and Barcelona and as a youngster was encouraged to play like a Gunner. "We would study them, the quick passing, the way they moved, their football concept," he told FourFourTwo.

However, Palermo fans probably shouldn't worry too much just yet - Pastore told the magazine: "I really feel at home in this beautiful city and I want to stay and keep learning the Italian football." But as transfer Talk knows all too well, that may not be the situation in January.

Back in the real world deadline day has come and gone and only a shade more money passed hands between Europe's top club than (allegedly) between members of the Pakistan cricket team. The Daily Mirror described it as the "lowest last-day spending for years" and their assessment was borne out by financial analysts Deloitte, who calculated that a total of £350m was spent yesterday, £100m less than deadline day in 2009.

One manager who didn't dip his hand in his pocket was Arsene Wenger. The Gunners' boss was thwarted in his attempts to buy keeper Mark Schwarzer from Fulham for £4m by the fact that the Cottagers themselves couldn't get the shotstopper they wanted. With David Stockdale sidelined with injury for several weeks, Fulham weren't going to sell Schwarzer unless they had a ready replacement lined up, but according to the Mirror they couldn't persuade Crystal Palace to part with their Argentine keeper Julian Speroni. And even when Fulham approached Italian side Roma with a view to taking Alexander Doni on loan for the season Fulham were knocked back. So Schwarzer stays at Craven Cottage and Arsenal fans must brace themselves for the sight of Manuel Almunia between the sticks, at least until January when the transfer window creaks open once more.

It was just down the road from the Emirates that the most audacious deal of the day was done, at White Hart Lane, where Spurs stuck their hand through the transfer window just in time to nab Dutch striker Rafael van der Vaart (above) from Real Madrid for £8million. Or have they? According to the Sun Spurs' boss Harry Redknapp "has been left sweating" by the Premier League top brass as they scrutinise the paperwork (not the first time Harry has had his paperwork pored over). The Sun claims that the Premier League want to check that the deal was finalised before the 6pm deadline expired and a decision is expected imminently. But Redknapp struck a confident note last night, saying of the 27-year-old Van der Vaart: "He's a great passer of the ball, he's a top footballer, he will join in here and be a big plus,"

Apparently Van der Vaart had been on the brink of joining Bayern Munich but that deal fell through at the 11th hour, leaving Redknapp free to pounce: "It was a last-minute job," admitted the Spurs' boss. "When I came in this morning it wasn't something I was looking to do. I think he was going to Bayern Munich on Monday for £18m and suddenly he became much cheaper. They let me know around 1600 BST that he was available for £8m and, for that money, he is a top player who will definitely improve us. The fee has come crashing down because the deadline is so close."

And Redknapp wasn't the only one to pounce in spectacular fashion. The Black Cats of Sunderland leapt on Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan, snaring him for a reported £15m from French club Rennes. It's a record transfer fee for Sunderland but will probably be money well spent on a player who scored three times for his country in June's World Cup. The 24-year-old Gyan joins on a four-year deal. He has signed a four-year deal and was cock-a-hoop last night. "I follow English football and I know Sunderland have incredible fans," he said. "I know about the derby against Newcastle. That is something incredible. I have witnessed that myself. The Sunderland fans never say die. They keep cheering on for 90 minutes. That gives me confidence to play maximum football."

Finally, a run down of some of the more significant deals sealed on deadline day:

Marcus Bent [Birmingham to Wolves] Loan
DJ Campbell [Leicester to Blackpool] Undisclosed
Tom Cleverley [Manchester United to Wigan] Loan
Eidur Gudjohnsen [Monaco to Stoke] Loan
Asamoah Gyan [Rennes to Sunderland] £15m
Alexander Hleb [Barcelona to Birmingham] Loan
Emiliano Insua [Liverpool to Galatasaray] Loan
Robinho [Manchester City to AC Milan] Undisclosed
Joseph Yobo [Everton to Fenerbahce] Loan ·