West Ham's Nigel Reo-Coker was reportedly furious that his club didn't inform him of a £15m Arsenal bid on transfer day, according to the Sunday Mirror.
West Ham had already blocked a £12m bid from Man U and stopped him travelling to Old Trafford. It appears Reo-Coker favoured a move to North London than North England.
So the Thursday deadline day – could have been even better. Although some say Arsenal didn't have any transfer cash at all due to the rolled up interest payments on the stadium loan due in September – there was money from the Smith, Cygan, Cole and Reyes moves.
Meanwhile, more details emerge from those last minute deals. El Pais sheds some light on the Baptista-Reyes swap, calling it a trade deal. "Baptista will play for Arsenal until next June as part of a trade, thus avoiding having to pay penalties for any commitments he may have made to play for other teams. But sources close to Real said that club also paid around €3 million as part of the trade". Elsewhere broadsheets reported both deals are expected to officially become permanent after a year.
The Arsenal website hinted the transfer was a permanent deal after claiming that Baptista had signed for "an undisclosed fee" with Reyes leaving "in a reverse move". And quotes in today's papers indicate that Baptista wants to stay long term. He adds in interviews that Wenger has convinced him that Arsenal can win the Champions League.
One broadsheet said: "Arsenal had been linked with Nigel Reo-Coker in the last week of the transfer window and it is understood that there was some interest from Arsène Wenger, but it seems that Baptista will fulfil that role rather than the West Ham captain."
Kenny Sansom seems to think that's the case too – likening him to Vieira. And although he can play in central midfield – currently defensive midfield is not his favoured position.
But Inigo Gurruchaga, a journalist at Spanish newspaper El Correo, says on Arsenal.com that Baptista will give Arsène Wenger's squad a new dimension.
"I think he is a very good signing. He is an immensely powerful player, he has great physical presence and is a very versatile midfielder. He moves the ball well and is very dangerous when he attacks from midfield and gets into the area, like Steven Gerrard does at Liverpool.
"He can play in Gilberto's position or in a more expansive role like Fabregas. And he is very direct. He doesn't have the touch of Fabregas but he will give Arsenal something different, someone who will get to the edge of the box and have a shot instead of looking for the quick one-two with a team-mate. Tomas Rosicky showed in the World Cup that he can shoot from distance but Baptista will shoot even harder than the others. He has a strong shot and has aerial power too.
"He is not particularly quick and I can't really see him as a striker, he is more effective as someone who takes up very good attacking positions from midfield. He is a man who can help them away from home when the game is a bit more muscular, as it was at Bolton and Blackburn last season. Baptista is not like Vieira as a player, he attacks more, but his power is the same."
Baptista said: "They first started calling me The Beast in Seville because of my power and my strength. But that part of my character has nothing to do with what I am like off the pitch. I like to stay in with the family and I have been learning English."
Atletico claim Reyes signed a deal last week in which he will pay them £1.35 million if he moved to another club, mentioning legal action. But Real said that no cash was forthcoming because Reyes is only on loan.
But here's a peculiar one from the Spanish paper: "Real sources said that Ronaldo would stay with the club this season after talks broke down last night between officials from Real, Arsenal and Inter who tried to hammer out a deal in which Adriano would have also gone to Real. Adriano will stay with Inter, the sources said."
However, the Sunday Star says Wenger revealed that he had looked at Craig Bellamy [as ANR had said previously] but that Arsenal didn't need any more forwards.
Little is known about the other Brazilian Arsenal bought – Denílson Pereira Neves, usually known simply as Denílson except he was born on February 16, 1988 in São Paulo, São Paulo state; and he is 1.78m, and he is a defensive midfielder and he captained his country's u-17 side, which last year which lost to Mexico [and Arsenal's Vela] in the final. ANR has asked our Brazilian correspondent to provide more details.
Gallas
There's plenty of Gallas PR quotes, but the People has him attacking Mourinho. Gallas said: "Mourinho is fickle with his players. It's as if he wanted to turn the fans against me. I wish Cole luck and I hope he has the patience to put up with his manager. It won't be easy for him."
The Evening Standard has him saying: "After five marvellous years at Chelsea, I dreamed of a new challenge and the offer of the Gunners is one I could not refuse. First of all, it was very important that I remained in London, a city which I adore and in which I have built close relations. I will also enjoy working with my French friends, especially Thierry Henry.
"At 29, I also wish to continue my progress and who better to allow me to achieve this goal than Arsene Wenger?'
Intrestingly Chelsea had promised Gallas £80,000 a week if he stayed and the Frenchman insisted he wanted the same deal at Arsenal [implying Chelsea are causing wage inflation at other clubs – and more fuel to the UEFA wage cap bandwagon].
The Mail on Sunday has a good line on the Arsenal-Chelsea political battle: "For a long time it dragged on but Chelsea made the final decision," said Wenger. 'They wanted to keep Gallas for a longer time. That's why it took so long to strike an agreement.'
Arsenal sources confirmed that a rigid "No Gallas, no Cole" ultimatum was delivered to Chelsea right up until the moment Chelsea finally gave ground.
It says Arsenal also tried to secure an agreement that they were allowed to vet Cole's book as part of the deal that saw them receiving pounds £5m plus Gallas.
But lawyers acting for Cole said last night that there was no chance of Arsenal seeing the book before it goes to the publishers. David Wilson, the book's editor, said: "Chelsea do not necessarily have a contractual right to see the book, but we would be happy to let them see it. We have an extremely good relationship with Chelsea, having worked on books with them in the past.'' Headline published the book on the club's centenary last season.
The Japanese press says Sho Ito, an 18-year-old high school student in Nagoya who is taking part in Arsenal's training, said after Friday's session that he has been asked to test his luck with the club by manager Arsene Wenger.
''To put it simply, I felt they want me to join,'' Ito said, but added he wants to take more time to consider his future.
His agent said it appears difficult for Ito to obtain a work permit but Arsenal are eyeing to apply for an exceptional measure for him.
Ito has played for Japan's Under-19 squad and also drawn attention from a number of J-League clubs.
However one that got away appears to be teenage goalkeeping prodigy Artur Krysiak.
The 17-year-old goalkeeper – from the Lodz Academy, in Poland – impressed during a recent trial at Birminham and a three-year contract was agreed.
In all the flurry, it was almost forgotten that Pascal Cygan, 32, went to Villarreal on a two year contract, who will pay £2m.
He will be remembered, perhaps alonside the likes of Willie Young and Gus Ceasar – but at least he's not writing a book puportedly trashing the club which supported him. He gave of his best and we wish him well.