Deadline Day gave window fitting end as Ronaldo, Mbappe, Chelsea and Griezmann starred

And breathe.

The most dramatic transfer window in history is over – and it got the finale it deserved.

As if we weren’t spoiled enough, there was 11th-hour drama to cement this summer’s place in football folklore.

Antoine Griezmann rejoined Atletico Madrid from Barcelona, but only after the paperwork was submitted just in the nick of time, and then apparently took ages to upload due to technical issues.

Chelsea’s loan deal for Saul Niguez was another victim of the dodgy Spanish WiFi, with brief doubts after the deadline passed, before everything was eventually confirmed.

In a market which saw Lionel Messi move, Cristiano Ronaldo had to have the last word with his Man United return confirmed earlier today, and Kylian Mbappe would’ve gone too if PSG didn’t reject £189m from Real Madrid.

But the most romantic deal of the summer came bang on 11pm tonight, as Salomon Rondon joined up with Rafael Benitez for the third time at Everton.

There was plenty of action in between, so here’s how it all unfolded…

9:01am

West Ham got out of bed nice and early to announce the signing of Nikola Vlasic from CSKA Moscow on a five-year deal.

The Hammers would find plenty of joy in the Russian capital on Tuesday.

9:31am

Liverpool continued to misunderstand the entire point of a transfer window by tying another player down to a long-term contract, this time Jordan Henderson.

You’re meant to sign new players, Jurgen.

9:32am

That said, the biggest Premier League deal of the summer was confirmed just a minute later, and there was nothing new about it.

‘Viva Ronaldo’ rang around the streets of London, where most Manchester United fans reside, and even at a wedding…

There was even a lovely touch for Sir Alex Ferguson, as Ronaldo dedicated the move to his legendary coach.

Of course, Simon Jordan had to put everyone’s feet firmly back on the ground with his take of the move.

4:16pm

It’s not that nothing happened for seven hours, it’s just that Marc Cucurella to Brighton and Connor Roberts to Burnley wasn’t as exciting as Dan James to Leeds.

Two years after unwittingly becoming the star of a documentary, James did get announced as a Leeds player this time around.

And the club were in on the joke…

6.20pm

In what turned out to be a bizarre battle of morals, PSG turned down £189m for Mbappe, allowing him to join Real Madrid for free next year.

It is the most expensive game of ‘My Dad’s Bigger Than Yours’ in history.

6.30pm

No quicker than signing a right-back did Tottenham rip up another one’s contract.

Emerson Royal joined from Barcelona, then just hours later, Serge Aurier left the club as a free agent.

They must really dislike each other.

7pm

Just when Harry Kane looked set for his first news-free day, we got Faye Carruthers to ask him about everything that happened over the summer.

In an exclusive interview, the England captain broke his silence on the story and had plenty to say.

“When you’re in it, you know the truth and your conscience is clear.”

Yes, but we weren’t in it, so you need to tell us, Harry.

8.30pm

West Ham made good progress in their bid to sign the Czech Republic national team.

The Hammers nabbed another Czech player, from another Moscow club, in midfielder Alex Kral from Spartak.

They saw the funny side, too, and got Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal to welcome their compatriot to the club.

9.45pm

Usually, there’s no time for announcement videos, but Crystal Palace found the time for Osdonne Edouard.

They had him walking to Selhurst Park via a record shop and buying a Stone Roses album, as a nod to his fantastic chant to the tune of ‘I Wanna Be Adored’.

While Palace fans stressed about whether the deal was over the line, it turned out this is what the club were doing all day.

10.50pm

For a brief moment, it looked like we might get one last chance to laugh at Arsenal as their deal for Takehiro Tomiyasu edged closer to the wire.

But in the end, a £17m move took their summer spending to around £150m, comfortably more than anyone else in the Premier League.

And we’re not even sure they’re better.

11.45pm

All sorts of rumours flew around as the world waited for the last few deals.

Chelsea were still waiting to announce the Saul loan, while Griezmann had been expected to rejoin Atletico Madrid for much of the day.

However, there were suggestions in Spain that paperwork had not been submitted before the 11pm deadline.

In a similar saga to David de Gea’s infamous fax machine, it was then claimed the registration system crashed.

But Atletico and Chelsea both got their men, drawing the curtain on the most incredible transfer window in spectacular fashion.

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