Aston Villa were right not to spend big
Like last year, the transfer window closed with a whimper rather than a bang. Two years ago, Manchester United signed Dimitar Berbatov on the stroke of midnight and Robinho sent shockwaves through world football when he swanned into Eastlands but, since then, there's been little drama on the last day of August.
The big teams had already done the majority of their business and there were a lot of loan deals. The announcement of teams' 25-man squads - with Jonathan Woodgate omitted by Tottenham and Owen Hargreaves included by Manchester United - is perhaps of more interest. Players under the age of 21 don't have to be registered so some clubs won't use up the full 25.
Following the sale of most of their best players, Championship club Portsmouth are down to 14 first-team players. So far this season, they haven't once named the full number of substitutes and this is a warning to every club about the perils of splashing the cash.
Owners must cut their cloth accordingly and that's why I'm not surprised to see the likes of Arsenal and Aston Villa exercising caution in the market. No owner is bigger than their club - they are only custodians for the next generation.
Andy Gray is now on Twitter so follow him for his exclusive tips and his take on the biggest stories in football each week.
Published: 6 Sep 2010
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