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Nobody much expected an exciting deadline day for Liverpool, and in the end that's about how it went. With only two confirmed minor deals, it was quieter even than last summer's, when Victor Moses arrived while Fabio Borini and Dani Pacheco left. This time around, the sum total is Sebastian Coates heading to Sunderland for a season on loan and Oussama Assaidi going back to Stoke City on loan for a second straight year.
Krisztian Adorjan was reportedly close to a move to Serie C side Novara early in the day but as yet neither the Italian club nor Liverpool have confirmed any deal. Elsewhere, no takers for midfielder Lucas materialised despite rumours the Brazilian was pushing for a move in search of playing time, and despite Liverpool agreeing deals with both Sunderland and QPR for Fabio Borini, the striker failed to agree personal terms and remains a Liverpool player.
Borini sticking around is the most surprising. Early in the day there was news that Sunderland still believed they could close a deal, and as the day wore on QPR joined the fray. Neither, though, could agree personal terms. QPR were reported to have offered £58k while Borini was believed to be holding out for £90k a week, and the potential deal quickly broke down. What Sunderland may have been offering the player remains unknown at this time.
Lucas, with the club having set out that they would not allow him to leave on loan and would only accept a transfer offer of at least £8M, would appear to still be in the club's plans as a backup to Steven Gerrard. Borini's position, though, appears far less certain, and it would not be surprising to see the Italian striker banished to the reserves until the January window. If he does get minutes, they are likely to only come in the early rounds of the League Cup.
On the incoming front, there was some talk ahead of deadline day suggesting Liverpool could still be in the market for a backup keeper, but their two rumoured main targets—Victor Valdes and Sergio Romero—are both out of contract and could be signed at any time. And so ends a very quiet deadline day to cap a very busy summer transfer window: two confirmed out on loan, two others sticking around, and no new incomings to report.
