Window watch

Paul Merson gives his verdict on the done deals and the ones that got away on Deadline Day.

What does Merse make of the moves and rumours?

Transfer deadline day is one of the busiest days of the year as deals are done up and down the Premier League. And skysports.com has again secured the services of a man who has been on both sides of the transfer fence to run the rule over the day's major moves - Paul Merson. The Soccer Saturday pundit will be here to give us his perspective on the signings, rejections and rumours doing the rounds as Premier League clubs try to reinforce their numbers before the window closes. skysports.com's Transfer Clockwatch Here's the Magic Man's verdicts on what we've seen...

The big late deal

ROBBIE KEANE TO CELTIC
I was shocked when I heard about this one on Monday evening. I thought someone like Aston Villa would have gone for Robbie Keane. Some of the higher-profile Premier League clubs are crying out for someone like him. I don't see it as a good move for Robbie at all. He'll play every week and he'll score some goals, but he's hardly pushing himself. More players are leaving Celtic than arriving and I'm sure he'll be too good for that division. Everyone who goes up there is!

Done deals

ADAM JOHNSON TO MAN CITY
I like Johnson, every time I've seen him at Middlesbrough he's done well, but doing it in the Championship is completely different to the Premier League. As a young lad he should want to play football and I just wonder where he would play at Man City. I hope he sat down with his agent and his family to decide if he'll be happy there. He's surely not going to play ahead of the likes of Bellamy and Petrov - and he'll be under severe pressure if he gets their places. He might just be another body at City and could go four years without kicking a ball. I'd be surprised if that went through. BENNI McCARTHY TO WEST HAM
Not too sure about that one. He hasn't done it at Blackburn and I don't see how he's suddenly going to come good. I liked him, but he's gone off the boil now. I wouldn't be too happy about that one if I was a West Ham fan - one minute they were talking about Ruud van Nistelrooy and now they're getting a striker who can't get in the Blackburn team. MIDO TO WEST HAM
That's not for me. I don't think there's a player that's had more clubs than Mido and that tells you something isn't right. If you're a good player and you don't cause problems, then it's very rare that you'll go to more than a couple of clubs in your career. That would rest my case. Bad deal. ARAUJO ILAN TO WEST HAM
I probably wouldn't take him either. West Ham are a team in a real relegation battle and he'll be coming into a ruthless league. If they could have got somebody like Ruud van Nistelrooy it would have been ideal because he's proven he can do it at this level. West Ham would be better off going out and getting someone who has produced in this league before. You might as well give someone £100,000 a week to keep you up rather than signing people for £40,000 on four-year-deals and getting relegated. They'd have been better off with someone like Benjani. ALAN HUTTON TO SUNDERLAND
That one surprises me because I don't think Alan Hutton can defend. I think he's a very good attacking full-back but I don't see him as an out-and-out defender. At the moment Sunderland are slipping into trouble and they're letting in goals for fun. For me, he isn't somebody who's going to tighten that up at all. ASMIR BEGOVIC TO STOKE
This one surprises me because I don't mind the two goalkeepers at Stoke. They're both decent, so I don't understand why Tony Pulis wants to bring this lad in. He's a good goalkeeper but is it worth spending the money when they've got good players in that position already? VICTOR MOSES TO WIGAN
This is a good deal. He's unpredictable, nobody knows him and for the next three or four months he will catch people cold. He scored a goal against Plymouth that not many other people would have scored and I reckon he could catch people out in the Premier League. I still fear Wigan could go down this season, but I like this signing. DIOMANSY KAMARA TO CELTIC
That shocks me. I thought anybody from the lower end of the Premier League would have him. Every time I watch him he's a threat; he's quick, strong and awkward and there aren't many strikers better than him at the lower end of the Premier League. I'm surprised Fulham have let him go out on loan, but I'm even more shocked no Premier League teams have come in for him. STEFANO OKAKA TO FULHAM
Fulham do need to strengthen up front, but Italian football is so different to English football. Will he be able to adapt during a six-month loan spell? We've seen how long it has taken for Alberto Aquilani to settle in at Liverpool and I just wonder how long it will take Okaka to fit in at Craven Cottage. NICKY SHOREY TO FULHAM
He's Steady Eddie is Nicky Shorey. He;s a decent full-back and he won't let you down. In fact, I'm surprised Aston Villa were so willing to let him go out on loan. They need a squad, especially after what happened last year when things went a bit pear-shaped. It might have been idea to keep him because you can't have enough players when it comes to this run-in.

Ones that got away

BENJANI TO SUNDERLAND
This would have been a good deal and I'm surprised more teams haven't gone in for him. He's not a natural goalscorer, but he'll run all day long and the fans will buzz off that. If you've got another striker around him to score some goals then he could prove to be a really good signing. ARUNA DINDANE TO BLACKBURN
He'd have been a good signing. He's unpredictable and he doesn't know himself what he's doing sometimes. If he doesn't know then defenders don't and it's hard to defend against him. Sam Allardyce knows what he's doing though. Blackburn won't go down because of him. ROMAN PAVLYUCHENKO TO BIRMINGHAM
I'd take Pavlyuchenko if I could get him. The goal he scored against Leeds was phenomenal and that came from a lad who hasn't been playing much. Birmingham needed a goalscorer or else they could fizzle away. If they do slump down to 15th by the end of the season, that's still a good result for them but some fans will be thinking they can push forward now. I'm sure they'd have taken Pavlyuchenko all day long. SCOTT LOACH TO TOTTENHAM
I like him and I reckon that would have been a good deal for everybody concerned.. Watford needed the money and I think it would have been a good move for the kid as well. He'd be grateful to be at Tottenham and he'd learn his trade. David James was always a no-go for Harry because he needs to play football to go to the World Cup - and I couldn't see him getting a game ahead of Gomes. STEPHEN HUNT TO WOLVES
This would have been an interesting deal for both Hull and Wolves. He's the top scorer for Hull and it would be dangerous to let him go, but it wouldn't surprise you if he didn't score another goal this season. He's not a natural goalscorer, but he does give you 100% every week and £5million was a generous fee for him. But if I was Mick McCarthy, I'd have spent that on Victor Moses instead. JAMES BEATTIE TO FULHAM
He could have done well for Fulham, he'd do well wherever he went. He works his socks off, he's always a handful and he just wants to play football. As long as he stays fit he would be a player who could play well for most teams. He wouldn't get in front of Bobby Zamora at the moment, but Andy Johnson's not always fit and after letting Kamara go I could understand why Roy Hodgson was thinking of bringing him in. DAVID JAMES TO... ANYONE?
I think he's the best about. If he doesn't play for England at the World Cup I don't think we'll win it. He needs to be playing every week and I think he needed to find a club that were a bit more stable than Portsmouth at this moment in time.