With everyone in the world refreshing the pages of RWDmag.com, BBC and Sky Sports to find out about the latest eleventh hour deals, we take a look at those shock/ bait/ unexpected signings that joined on/ or around the close of the transfer window…

10. Owen Hargreaves (Free agent to Manchester City)?!?!?! – Unconfirmed
The Canadian born midfielder endured a difficult time at Manchester United to say the least. Even though he had many impressive attributes which included his versatility and setpieces, his promising first season at Man United following his £17m move from Bayern Munich was ruined due to a number of injury problems. That included his knees (which according to Dr Richard Steadman was the worst he had ever seen), then his hamstring, then his shoulder, then his knees and his t… I’ll stop now. His injuries resulted in him only making three appearances in the last three seasons. He was deemed surplus to requirements and released. After that desperate YouTube video to prove he was fit enough to play in the Premier League, big spenders Manchester City are now reportedly ready to sign the midfielder… providing his passes a medical. With so many midfielders already at the club however it’s difficult to see where he’ll fit into their plans.

9. Andy Carroll (Newcastle United to Liverpool)
This signing surprised many as the 6’4 striker was in line to become the next Newcastle United legend after Alan Shearer. He started his first season in the premier league very well too netting an impressive 11 goals in 19 appearances for the Toon Army. However after the Premier League transfer story of the year saw Liverpool’s star striker Fernando Torres go to Chelsea for £50m, Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish felt he needed a replacement. Feeling that one good striker wasn’t enough, he earmarked Andy Carroll as the new No.9 spending £35m. Since arriving at Anfield, Carroll has spent much of his Liverpool career injured and has only managed two goals so far. Many believe that Andy Carroll was a panic buy and this season will prove if he’s worth his weight in hairbands.

8. Wayne Rooney (Everton to Manchester United)
The England striker who many liken to Shrek was probably the biggest teenage star in the world after he shone at Euro 2004. With that being the case, it was always likely that Wayne Rooney was going to move on to bigger and better things. In 2004, Rooney rejected a new contract offer from Everton and moved to Manchester United for £25m making him the most expensive teenager at the time. Since moving to Old Trafford, he has become one of their biggest players helping them to win four Premier League titles and the Champion’s League. He’s now scored over 150 goals for United.

7. Scott Parker (West Ham United to Tottenham Hotspur)
The England midfielder and West Ham captain impressed many clubs in the Premier League with his consistent inspirational displays earning him the Football Writer’s Player of the Year last season. That wasn’t enough to save a club who had spent most of the season in the drop zone though. With a player of Parker’s calibre too good for the Championship it was always likely that Scott Parker would make an immediate return to the Premier League. With Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp needing some more quality in his squad, they left it very late but confirmed the signing of Parker just moments ago. “We are delighted to announce that we have reached agreement with West Ham United for the permanent transfer of Scott Parker.”

6. Rafael Van Der Vaart (Real Madrid to Tottenham Hotspur)
With the North London club about to embark on their first season in the Champions League, it was important that Harry Redknapp made some astute signings to ensure they could hold their own against the big boys of Europe. For a lot of the summer, they were quiet in the transfer market but on the last day, Redknapp pulled a massive coup signing the Holland international from Real Madrid for a bargain £8m. The forward had a brilliant first season scoring 13 league goals and was nominated for the PFA Player of the Year. He was arguably the signing of the 2010/11 season and one of Tottenham’s best players.

5. Ashley Cole (Arsenal to Chelsea)
The England left back was part of the Arsenal squad during their ‘invincible’ season (not that you’d think that now) and is seen by many as one of the best left backs in the world. When the gunners offered him a new contract extension he was reportedly disgusted at the wage offer. With the then-champions Chelsea willing to pay a lot more money, he signed for Chelsea for £5m which saw William Gallas move to Arsenal as part of the deal. Ashley Cole is still at Stamford Bridge earning even more money but the Arsenal fan’s still hate him for leaving if you’ve even been to a game in which Cole is playing are more than vocal about the player.

4. Luis Suarez (Ajax to Liverpool)
During the 2010/2011 season, Liverpool were enduring a torrid season and were faced with the strong possibility of finishing in the bottom half of the table. Their squad was lacking a cutting edge with Fernando Torres wanting to move to Chelsea and the likes of strikers Milan Jovanovic and David Ngog simply not firing. With a new owner, their financial troubles were subsiding and new manager Kenny Dalglish decided that fresh blood was definitely needed at the club. Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez, made infamous for his ‘hand of the devil’ block against Ghana at the 2010 World Cup, signed for Liverpool for £22.8m, bestowed with the famous Liverpool  no.7 shirt and has become a major player at the club.

3. Robinho (Real Madrid to Man City)
This was the day the world realised that Man City would replace Chelsea and even Real Madrid as the new big (and often reckless) spenders. On the last day of the 2007/08 transfer window, Manchester City was taken over by Sheikh Mansour. The loaded oil owner’s intentions were immediately obvious when he funded the acquisition of the skillful Brazilian winger. He was the most expensive signing in the Premier League at the time when he was purchased from Real Madrid for £32.5m. His tenure at Man City was brief however as he was unsettled. His price tag was far from justified and he was sold for less than half of what they paid for him but I doubt the owners of Man City care.

2. Fernando Torres (Liverpool to Chelsea)
Chelsea were struggling in the Premiership and the then-favourites were outside the top four and didn’t look like climbing back up the Premiership mountain. The manager at the time, Carlo Ancelotti (how many managers have the Blues had?) felt that something drastic must be done to salvage their troubled season. On the last day, Chelsea made a Premier League record £50m bid to sign the Spanish centre forward. The Spaniard jumped at the prospect of playing for them. Chelsea fans were chuffed, Liverpool fans were livid but by the end of the season the feelings towards the transfer had changed. Since Torres has been at Chelsea, the man who cost more than Zinedine Zidane has only scored one goal and his place is under threat with Chelsea signing attacking players.

1. Javier Mascherano & Carlos Tevez (Corinthians to West Ham United)
This was easily one of the most surprising and controversial signings ever in the history of the Premiership. On the last day of the 2006 transfer window, Iranian businessman Kia Joorabchian (who was reportedly intending to take over West Ham United) offered the East London club two big name players in striker Tevez and midfielder Mascherano. Many were surprised by the acquisition of those players but there were question marks over their involvement with Media Sports Investments who apparently ‘owned’ the two players. The Premier League fined West Ham £5.5m as a result. The Argentine pair didn’t get much playing time under Alan Pardew and Javier Mascherano moved to Liverpool. Under new manager Alan Curbishley, Carlos Tevez played a lot more and became somewhat of a hero for West Ham saving them from relegation.

What are your views on our list and this season’s transfers…

Words by Kyle Gordon

Keep up to date with today’s last minute Transfer Window signings on our Live Blog.

Previously: RWDmag.com’s Top 10 Premier League Transfer Flops

Tags: Football, Premier League