
I Dig Sports

MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Southeastern Equipment & Supply, Inc., a leader in reconditioned and new floor scrubbers, will team up with Front Row Motorsports and Matt Tifft at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sept. 8.
Southeastern Equipment will serve as the primary sponsor of Tifft’s No. 36 Ford Mustang, while Minuteman and Meijer will serve as associate sponsors.
Headquartered in West Columbia, S.C., Southeastern Equipment specializes in all types of floor buffer and cleaning equipment, shipping new and gently used cleaning equipment to all 50 states and several countries worldwide. The family-founded business offers over 100 years of combined experience in equipment service and is operated by 2nd and 3rd generation family members.
“This is a really exciting partnership for us,” said Grady Martin, General Manager of Southeastern Equipment. “NASCAR offers such a great platform for us to spread the word about our organization and what we are all about. Matt’s story really resonated with us and we’re looking forward to working with him.”
“It’s great to see a new partner like Southeastern Equipment on board with us at Indy,” said Tifft. “The equipment they provide is essential to our operation. I’m looking forward to representing them on the car and showcasing what they have to offer our fans.”
Tagged under
Korn Ferry Tour Championship finish filled with hoorays, heartbreak
Published in
Golf
Monday, 02 September 2019 10:56

Tyler Duncan entered Monday’s final round of the Korn Ferry Tour Championship needing a special round to ensure a return trip to the PGA Tour.
He delivered.
The 30-year-old Purdue product, who arrived this week No. 41 in Finals points and was outside the top 25 heading into the final day at Victoria National, shot 6-under 66 with four back-nine birdies to finish T-4 and move to 12th in points.
“It could easily be the best round I’ve ever played,” said Duncan, who has played the last two years on the PGA Tour and will now keep his card for a third straight season.
Duncan was among those celebrating after a drama-filled finish to the Korn Ferry Tour season. England’s Tom Lewis won the Finals finale by five shots in his first career KFT start to earn a Tour card for the first time, while former Texas standout Scottie Scheffler (No. 1 in combined points and No. 1 in Finals points after a T-7 finish) locked up fully-exempt status for the upcoming Tour season.
But the real drama happened further down the leaderboard and Finals points list.
Scheffler’s college teammate, Doug Ghim, was 29th in Finals points to start the week, but found himself inside that number late Monday. After a bogey at the par-4 17th dropped him to No. 23 on the projections, Ghim faced a 10-footer for par at the par-4 18th – make and Ghim would be joining Scheffler on Tour, miss and he would be returning to the KFT next year.
He made, delivering a big upper-cut fist pump as the ball dropped into the hole.
“I’ve never felt nerves like that before,” said Ghim, who played in an NCAA final, was runner-up at the 2017 U.S. Amateur and low amateur at the 2018 Masters. “I’ve been in a lot of nervous situations. The only way I’d be devastated is if I had a putt to make it and didn’t make it, and that thought occurred when I got there. After all I went through throughout the whole season, to have a putt to make it is wild, and even wilder to have it go in, so I can’t even quantify in words what this means.”
Joining Lewis, Duncan and Ghim by moving inside the top 25 in Finals points this week: Fabian Gomez, who finished runner-up to climb from T-51 to No. 5; David Hearn, who made eight birdies Monday while rising from No. 42 to No. 13; Chris Baker, who tied for fourth and moved up 33 spots to No. 15 while playing just a few hours from his hometown; Cameron Davis, who played the back nine in 4 under to finish T-13 and go from T-34 to No. 21; and Richy Werenski and D.J. Trahan, who tied for the final two cards via Finals points.
When it comes to raw emotion, few days in professional golf can compare.
“My hair is turning gray. It’s taking years off all of us,” said Rob Oppenheim, who began Monday on the points bubble, at No. 25, before shooting 69 and finishing 20th on the Finals list. (Joseph Bramlett, No. 26 entering the final round, got his card, as well, after a closing 70 that left him No. 22 in points.)
But for all the celebratory moments that this event produces, there are equal – if not more – parts heartbreak.
Justin Harding entered the week 13th in Finals points before missing the cut. The South African then watched as two players already with cards, Grayson Murray and Lanto Griffin, struggled down the stretch to bump Harding out of the top 25. Griffin double-bogeyed No. 17 to move Werenski and Trahan past Adam Svensson and into T-25 in the projections, and then moments later Murray bogeyed the last to move the pair past Harding, who dropped from No. 24 to No. 26. Harding then watched as Griffin lipped out a short birdie putt at No. 18 that would’ve bumped him back inside the number.
Instead, Harding finished one-tenth of a point shy.
“It was a miserable feeling thinking I just might barely miss,” said Trahan, who birdied his last hole. “… I held my breath and it worked out well.”
It didn’t work out well, though, for several notable names. Peter Uihlein was projected to move inside the top 25 on the Finals points list, at No. 19 with two holes left to play. He had just birdied four straight holes and earlier eagled the par-5 10th, but Uihlein closed with double bogey at No. 17 and bogey at the last to finish 35th in Finals points.
Blayne Barber bogeyed three of his final five holes and ended up No. 31. Curtis Luck, who missed the cut, fell all the way from No. 15 to T-29.
Ollie Schniederjans won’t be returning to the PGA Tour after shooting 76-74 in the final two rounds and ending up 69th in Finals points. Neither will Jamie Lovemark, who tied for 67th this week and finished T-98 on the Finals list.
Tagged under
Harding misses out on PGA Tour card by the slimmest of margins
Published in
Golf
Monday, 02 September 2019 12:00

Several players controlled their own destinies Monday at the Korn Ferry Tour Championship. Justin Harding was not one of them.
The 33-year-old South African, who had missed the cut two days earlier at Victoria National, could only watch as he slowly dropped from 13th in Finals points, which is where he began the week, to 24th, just inside the bubble, with only a few groups left on the course.
Even then, Harding was on the cusp of earning his first PGA Tour card – until, of course, he wasn’t. Lanto Griffin, already among the 25 players to lock up a card during the regular season, double-bogeyed the par-4 17th hole and Grayson Murray, also already with a card clinched, bogeyed the par-4 18th to move D.J. Trahan and Richy Werenski past Harding in the projections.
Harding still had hope, though, as Griffin hit his approach to 5 feet at the last. But Griffin’s birdie putt lipped out, and Harding ended up No. 26 on the Finals points list just behind Trahan and Werenski, who ended up tied for 24th at 186 points.
But it gets worse: Harding fell one-tenth of a point shy of his card.
The Presidents Cup hopeful, who has won five times worldwide in the past two years, still has his European Tour card (he is 14th in the current Race to Dubai standings) and will now have playing opportunities on the Korn Ferry Tour next season, as well. Oh, and at No. 52 in the world rankings, Harding is closing in on a Masters berth.
But his PGA Tour card will have to wait.
Tagged under
Priority ranking for the 50 newest Korn Ferry Tour graduates
Published in
Golf
Monday, 02 September 2019 13:00

The biggest winner Monday at the Korn Ferry Tour Championship was Scottie Scheffler.
The former top-ranked junior and college All-American at Texas earned fully-exempt status on the PGA Tour for the 2019-20 season. Scheffler finished No. 1 in combined points between the regular season and three-event Finals, and he also edged another former top-ranked junior and college All-American, South Carolina product Matt NeSmith, as the leading point-getter in the Finals.
As a result, Scheffler will be the only grad next season who is exempt from any reshuffles and will receive an invite into the 2020 Players Championship.
The rest of the 50 Korn Ferry Tour graduates will play out of Category 26 and be subject to reshuffles, though they all figure to receive more starts than usual this fall thanks to a revamped Tour schedule that now features 10 non-WGC fall tournaments, including eight in or in close proximity to the U.S.
Here is a look at the initial priority ranking of Korn Ferry Tour graduates:
1. Scottie Scheffler (fully exempt)
2. Matthew NeSmith
3. Xinjun Zhang
4. Tom Lewis
5. Robby Shelton
6. Brandon Hagy
7. Harry Higgs
8. Kramer Hickok
9. Lanto Griffin
10. Fabian Gomez
11. Mark Hubbard
12. Viktor Hovland
13. Ryan Brehm
14. Brendon Todd
15. Kristoffer Ventura
16. Beau Hossler
17. Henrik Norlander
18. Ben Taylor
19. Zac Blair
20. Anirban Lahiri
21. Bo Hoag
22. Grayson Murray
23. Nelson Ledesma
24. Tyler Duncan
25. Rhein Gibson
26. David Hearn
27. Chase Seiffert
28. Bronson Burgoon
29. Mark Anderson
30. Chris Baker
31. Scott Harrington
32. Robert Streb
33. Michael Gligic
34. Tom Hoge
35. Sebastian Cappelen
36. Cameron Percy
37. Vincent Whaley
38. Hank Lebioda
39. Rafael Campos
40. Rob Oppenheim
41. Vince Covello
42. Cameron Davis
43. Michael Gellerman
44. Joseph Bramlett
45. Maverick McNealy
46. Doug Ghim
47. Tyler McCumber
48. D.J. Trahan
49. Tim Wilkinson
50. Richy Werenski
Tagged under
Tiger fist-pumps and cheers on Nadal in victory at U.S. Open
Published in
Golf
Tuesday, 03 September 2019 02:00

We're not sure how Tiger Woods' recently (re)operated left knee is feeling, but his right arm appears just fine.
Woods, along with his son, daughter and girlfriend, spent Monday night in New York emphatically cheering on Rafa Nadal in his U.S. Open Round of 16 victory over Marin Cilic, including after this unbelievable shot that set up match point for the Spaniard.
Woods has long attended the U.S. Open, watching fellow Nike athletes Nadal and Roger Federer compete. The 15-time golf major champion tweeted out his appreciation of the 18-time Grand Slam champion's Monday-night performance.
In his post-match interview, Nadal was asked about his famous observer.
"For me, it's a huge honor playing in front of all of you of course," Nadal said to the crowd. "But playing in front of Tiger for me is a very special thing.
"I always said I never had big idols, but if I had to say one, one idol is him. I always tried to follow him every single shot that he hit during the whole year.
"For me, it's a big pleasure to have him here supporting. Means a lot. He's a big legend of the sport, one of the greatest sportsmen of all time. I just want to congratulate him for one of the more amazing comebacks in sport, winning the Masters this year."
Nadal is as much a fan of golf as Woods is of tennis, having played in pro-ams and attended events. Nadal joked that his golf swing isn't ready for Tiger's eyes, but, then again, we've never seen Tiger swing at tennis racket.
"Honestly, it's much better if Tiger doesn't see my swing," Nadal said, drawing laughs from Woods and the rest of the crowd. "Maybe he can lose a little bit of rhythm after that."
Tagged under
World Long Drive champion reflections: Maurice Allen
Published in
Golf
Tuesday, 03 September 2019 02:33

In anticipation of the 44th annual World Long Drive Championship (Aug. 30 - Sept. 4, with Golf Channel showcasing the final two days), worldlongdrive.com is highlighting past champions. Click here to view more of the series and information on the championship.
Last year’s World Long Drive champion Maurice Allen is attempting to become the first repeat winner in the Open Division since Jamie Sadlowski (2008-’09), after advancing on Sunday afternoon to the Round of 32.
“Nobody has gone back to back since Sadlowski, so it’s been 10 years,” Allen said. “And if you look at the list of hitters winning a world title since then, there have been some really awesome hitters. So, that shows you just exactly how hard it is to go back-to-back.”
Allen says he didn’t have a good expectation for how he would do going into last year’s championship, but after he won his group in the preliminary round, he had a different feeling.
“I had missed the TV round in [the] 2017 [World Long Drive Championship], so I just told myself I wanted to be competitive,” said Allen. “Getting on the plane and driving to the hotel and checking in the clubs I was honestly like, ‘Let’s just try to make the top 16,’ but, after the first round I knew I was going to win the world title. I wasn’t subtle about it. I told people who are really close to me after hitting that first day that it was over. I knew I was going to win.”
Allen’s win came in emphatic fashion, needing to successfully convert on his eighth and final ball in the championship match against Justin Moose.
“I talked to my dad quite a bit that day between rounds,” said Allen. “And the last conversation we had, he said, ‘You know, you have a whole lot more time on the clock than you think.’ That’s why I walked up to the ball, looked at the clock and then backed off and really got my composure. It was one of those times I can honestly say that when I hit the ball, the moment it came off the clubface, I knew it was good.”
Despite having made only one TV appearance this season (Ak-Chin Smash in the Sun), Allen feels like he’s accomplished all of his goals as a world champion.
“It’s been an absolutely amazing season,” said Allen. “Regardless of what happens on and off the grid, I’m one of the few people who can say they’ve done everything that there is to do in this sport. After a certain point, you have to expand and continue to raise the bar off the grid to help grow the sport.”
Tagged under

Arsene Wenger has said he struggles to deal with the possibility that he will never manage a football club again.
The former Arsenal boss has been out of work since calling time on his 22-year period at the North London club after the 2017-18 season.
The Frenchman said he has turned down offers but he is desperate to return on the bench one day and experience the intensity of football.
"I can't live with the fact that I'll never be on the bench again," he told beIN Sports. "I might go for an intermediate position. I would like to experience one more time the intensity of a competition."
Wenger had previously said he expected to return to management in January but he continues to work as a pundit on television.
Wenger also said it was difficult to move on from Arsenal, where he won three Premier League titles and a record seven FA Cup trophies.
"I never felt that I could live without Arsenal, being disconnected with the club," he added. "I had to take a distance by being positive.
"Sometimes you could become a bit bitter because you don't have the same excitement anymore and I'm very happy to have survived that in a very positive way.
"I'm happy to have disconnected and being seen like a baby who has evolved from a distance."
Tagged under
Spain's Moreno: I'd step aside for Luis Enrique
Published in
Soccer
Tuesday, 03 September 2019 07:31

Spain manager Robert Moreno has said he is ready to step aside should Luis Enrique decide to return to coaching.
Luis Enrique officially resigned from his role as Spain manager on June 19 and assistant Moreno was appointed.
- Big five leagues spend over €5bn for first time
Moreno has overseen first team duties since March 26 after Luis Enrique went on a leave of absence to care for his nine-year-old daughter, Xana, who died last week after a five-month battle with cancer.
When asked if there is a possibility Luis Enrique could return to coach the national team, Moreno told Tuesday's news conference: "There is a very recent situation and we are not going to discuss that.
"I consider Luis a friend and friendship is above everything. If one day he wants to return, I would be delighted and be the first one to step aside and work with him. I enjoyed the situation we had before."
Moreno, who since 2011 has worked as Luis Enrique's assistant at Celta Vigo, Roma, Barcelona and the Spanish national team, cancelled the news conference for his first squad announcement on Friday following the news of Xana's passing.
"It has been a very difficult week," Moreno said. "We will try to give a little joy in what is a very tough time.
"It's the only thing we can do. We owe a victory to Luis Enrique."
Moreno was also asked about the possibility of seeing Barcelona sensation Ansu Fati one day wearing the Spain jersey. Fati, 16, became the youngest-ever Barcelona goalscorer in La Liga with his header in Saturday's 2-2 draw with Osasuna.
"We cannot rush him," Moreno said. "He must be allowed to progress through every stage.
"He was only a youth player until recently and now he is playing at Camp Nou. We have to be very patient in every sense. I know [Barcelona coach] Ernesto [Valverde] will guide him well but if he has to play with the reserves or the youth sides, there is nothing wrong with that."
Moreno included Dani Ceballos in his squad for the upcoming Euro 2020 qualifiers with Romania and the Faroe Islands. The Spain coach is hopeful the 23-year-old will continue to impress at Arsenal while on loan from Real Madrid this season. Ceballos has made four league appearances and set up two goals for Unai Emery's side.
"I am not going to get into Madrid's decisions because [coach Zinedine] Zidane is the one that makes the choices there [at Real Madrid]," Moreno said. "I want him to play many minutes with Arsenal."
Tagged under
Forget Barcelona and Real Madrid: Atletico have the look and feel of La Liga champions
Published in
Soccer
Monday, 02 September 2019 16:06

Sometimes, especially when you're trying to win just your third title in 42 years, you need things to go your way.
You need the crowd to, almost literally, become your 12th man. You need your substitutes to produce three goals in two games. You need a wonderkid. You need your greatest comeback in a decade. You need your richer, more powerful rivals to drop four or five points across three games. And sometimes you need to suffer a shock, something akin to waking up to find a scorpion in your pajamas. Oh, and a last-minute winner to go five points clear at the top of the table doesn't hurt either.
- ESPN La Liga fantasy: Sign up now!
- Luck Index 2019: City unlucky? United worse than 6th?
- Champions League group stage: All you need to know
Ladies and gentlemen: Welcome to the mad, pulsating but deeply promising world of Atletico Madrid -- Spain's sudden title favourites. Mind you, please whisper that phrase or Diego Simeone might take you by the shirt front and pin you to the wall. More of that later.
Let's join all those dots, starting with the 12th man.
On Sunday night, as Simeone's rather punch-drunk men tried to haul themselves back into their contest with Eibar after going 2-0 down inside 20 minutes before Joao Felix struck back, goalkeeper Jan Oblak began a move by rolling the ball out to his central defender, Jose Gimenez. Now, I don't know for sure whether Gimenez was planning his postmatch meal or just taking a standing micro-nap, but he had his back turned. At that moment, he couldn't have dreamt that an Atleti attacking move might be starting with him.
The ball rolled towards Gimenez, unbeknownst to him, and Eibar look poised to go 3-1 up at the Wanda Metropolitano. But at that crucial moment, the 12th man, or rather 54,000 of them, roared to the rescue. Just before Gimenez's position became fatally embarrassing, every man, woman, child and ball-boy in the stadium screamed at him to wake up and pay attention. No parental warning needed here because while there was language which would make anyone blush, I won't repeat it.
As soon as the Uruguayan was startled into turning around and gathering the ball, Atleti's move for Vitolo's goal that would draw them level at 2-2 began. The newspapers on Monday morning should have read: Assist: Lemar/Crowd. But they didn't.
Remember the fears that leaving the now demolished Vicente Calderon stadium might be, for Atleti, like Samson getting a haircut? A huge drop in power? Forget it.
The subs? Well Vitolo now has two goals in two blistering second-half performances, each contributing to wins which looked like being a draw and a defeat respectively. Thomas Partey joined the party (do excuse me) with a 90th-minute winner despite having only been on the pitch just over 10 minutes.
Afterwards, Vitolo said: "I'll keep on fighting in every training session, with every match minute I get to help the team and to try and force the coach into picking me."
Thomas added: "Every one, starter and sub, feels equally important here. The work the team did from the moment Eibar went 2-0 up was absolutely phenomenal."
The two of them followed the right actions with the right words. Everyone here sings from the same hymn sheet. Smells like 2013-14, doesn't it?
Whatever else is going on, Simeone has all his back-up players pawing the ground with energy, resilience and determination rather than sulking. They seem to know that the biggest trophies are always won by an 18-man squad, not 11 men.
- Lowe: Jose Antonio Reyes' death casts shadow over new season
- Krichko: Inaki Williams blazes a trail at Athletic Club
While 19-year-old Rodrigo Riquelme didn't turn the game on Sunday, his introduction as a sub means that Atleti's coach, unfairly branded as "conservative," has now brought on seven homegrown kids for their debuts since April last year.
I don't think it's necessary to explain, again, what a dramatic impact Simeone has had on the club, the fan base, the media, the training ground environment, the squad, the academy or the trophy cabinet (seven in just under eight years). But I'll bet you didn't know that not only was Sunday against Eibar the first time his team had conceded twice at home before the 20-minute mark, or that Atleti hadn't fought back to win from 2-0 down since 2009?
Sunday's fightback against Jose Luis Mendilibar's Eibar represented just that for Atleti -- calamitously shipping in one smash-and-grab goal, followed by a comedy second to give the impression that Barcelona drawing and the prospect of Real Madrid doing the same later on didn't matter to them.
But they have this wonderkid, see?
Joao Felix is not only special, he's durable and oozes winning mentality. After hogging the entire European preseason with his performances, the Portuguese phenom, still just 19, has a goal, an assist and a penalty won through three games for the top-of-the-table and title favourites. His delightful piece of skill (the Spanish have begun to call such tricks "delicatessen" recently) near the halfway line to take a crisp pass, flick it past his marker and set Diego Costa off on a run which would end with Felix side-footing home Atleti's first to make it 2-1, brought a primeval roar of approval from the gullets of the red-and-white 54,000.
Yet when the Portuguese starlet tired, Simeone had the chutzpah to replace him with match-winner Partey. Normally a right-back, midfield enforcer or even a centre-back, here the Ghanaian was deployed as a second striker ... and scored.
I liked the cut of Simeone's jib postmatch. He said: "I saw that Joao was flagging and I knew that Thomas had the impetus to play off Diego Costa. I wanted speed, I wanted to attack Eibar."
It brought drama, a third goal, postmatch questions about winning the title and three beautiful points but Simeone remained realistic.
"If you win 3-2 then you've committed some errors. But the point is the fight back and winning. We want to win, then win some more then win again and again ..." was his payoff, an homage to Luis Aragones, his only challenger as Atleti's most famous, most loved servant, and the 'Wise Old Man of Hortaleza's' historic phrase: "Ganar, y ganar y volver a ganar."
Atleti are well stocked across their squad, trust their academy products, look fit, fast, renewed with the energy and competition that astute new signings can bring and, up front, they seem to ooze scoring power.
Here's the rub. It's not for nothing that they've only won the title twice since 1977. Madrid and Barcelona have often claimed La Liga with "moderate" performances where their deep resources are impossible for Atleti to emulate. This time Simeone has the resources, several special players, a throbbingly good home support and his principal rivals are, at best, flat-planing and, likely, regressing.
That leaves us with the fact that if they are to become Spanish champions it will be the first time in nearly half a century that they've done so starting as most people's outright favourites. A burden.
Expect the "one game at a time," "we aren't thinking about that" and "if you mention the title one more time" to be growled out from Atleti's Majadahonda training ground and postmatch news conferences all the way to next May. When, based on recent evidence, great things await.
Tagged under
PSG the big losers, Inter and Atletico winners in Europe's summer transfer window
Published in
Soccer
Tuesday, 03 September 2019 04:36

The transfer window for Europe's major leagues is closed for the summer but who did well? And which clubs failed to make the deals they wanted?
Winners
Inter Milan
We can take one thing from Inter Milan's summer transfer strategy: They are deadly serious about ending their decadelong wait for a Scudetto.
It was a bold enough move to enlist Antonio Conte, such a success with serial champions Juventus, as manager, but their on-field activity has made a statement too. Romelu Lukaku has his doubters, but the bare fact is that the €80m striker is one of the best, most prolific centre-forwards around. Few centre-backs have shut down Champions League attacks as resolutely as Diego Godin over the past decade, while the exciting midfielders Stefano Sensi and Nicolo Barella should push on after joining from Sassuolo and Cagliari.
And then what about Alexis Sanchez? The on-loan forward, who turns 31 in December, was a flop at Manchester United, and his rumbustious, all-action best days seem to be beyond him -- but Conte could be the man to get a tune out of him again. It also seems a bonus, on the face of things, that the Mauro Icardi soap opera has rolled out of town and joined Paris Saint-Germain.
- Transfer Tracker: All the major deals
- Marcotti: Anatomy of a transfer story
- Transfer Grades: Rating every big transfer
Atletico Madrid
No Antoine Griezmann? No problem! The manner of their star forward's €120m departure for Barcelona may have rankled, but in truth Atletico were due a refresh in any case and they appear to have reinvested superbly.
With the likes of Rodri and Lucas Hernandez also leaving, Atleti brought in around €300m in transfer fees and may well be stronger for the way they have spent it. Splashing €126m on one 19-year-old in Joao Felix, they have a forward almost a decade younger than Griezmann who seems set to be a global star.
Kieran Trippier is a canny signing from Spurs, and the centre-back Marco Hermoso, signed from Espanyol, looks a good replacement for Diego Godin. The Uruguayan veteran is among those whose experience may be missed when the Champions League's business end comes around but, judging by their flying start to the La Liga season, Atletico seem to have managed this summer's regeneration astutely.
RB Leipzig
Their arrivals have not made flashy headlines, but RB Leipzig have quietly assembled a top-level squad that can challenge all the way for the Bundesliga title. Having an outstanding new manager, Julian Nagelsmann, in situ helps, but his five major signings all add quality in important areas.
Hannes Wolf and Christopher Nkunku are gifted young midfielders from Red Bull Salzburg and PSG respectively; Ademola Lookman knows the ropes having previously been on loan from Everton and can operate across the front line; Patrick Schick offers another dimension up front, and Ethan Ampadu is one of Chelsea's most exciting young prospects.
Leipzig have bolstered an already decent squad and give Nagelsmann the chance to rotate and keep key players fresh. The signs are that they may be able to last the course this time around; three straight league wins and a kind Champions League group certainly set them up well.
2:01
Why Keylor Navas is 'absolutely perfect' for PSG
ESPN FC's Alejandro Moreno and Steve Nicol explain why Keylor Navas' move from Real Madrid to PSG will suit all parties involved.
Losers
Paris Saint-Germain
They have kept Neymar and added further firepower in Icardi, so what's not to like about the Ligue 1 champions' window? Mainly the fact that their balance still seems all wrong and that the time would have been right to pursue a new model where slow, organic improvement rather than Hollywood glamour was the norm.
Tough tackling midfielder Idrissa Gueye is at least a good signing while Pablo Sarabia and Keylor Navas have the solid profile PSG should be pursuing -- but Icardi brings a significant degree of baggage while Neymar's ego presents a sideshow that Thomas Tuchel could do without.
How Tuchel manages the personalities at his disposal will define PSG's campaign; the nagging worry is that clear lessons have still not been learned.
Eintracht Frankfurt
The Bundesliga side played some thrilling football last season and were agonisingly close to reaching the Europa League final -- not to mention a Champions League spot that ultimately slipped from their grasp. But much of that came through the brilliance of their front three -- Luka Jovic, Sebastien Haller and Ante Rebic -- and none of them will be on show at Commerzbank-Arena over the coming campaign.
Those players will represent Real Madrid, West Ham and AC Milan respectively, the latter being confirmed when Rebic joined AC Milan in a season-long loan late on Tuesday. Eintracht have received more than €100m in return but it is impossible not to feel that a golden chance to establish themselves among Germany's front runners has gone begging.
Andre Silva, Bas Dost and the exciting Red Star Belgrade forward Dejan Joveljic go some way towards filling the gap they have left, but the drop-off in firepower is stark and Eintracht -- who face Arsenal in the Europa League group stages -- may well count the cost.
2:10
Will Mkhitaryan and Sanchez find success in Serie A?
Steve Nicol and Alejandro Moreno examine whether Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Alexis Sanchez will produce during their loan spells for Roma and Inter.
Roma
While Roma are not the only Serie A side to have plundered an array of Premier League offcuts over the transfer window, their late trolley dash smelt of desperation and, critically, a lack of imagination.
Man United's Chris Smalling and Arsenal's Henrikh Mkhitaryan are hardly signings for the future and the latter has been on a downward spiral ever since leaving Borussia Dortmund. At 30, he is unlikely to recapture past glories.
Nikola Kalinic, now 31, was a success story with Fiorentina but has endured a fallow three years and seems little more than ballast for Paulo Fonseca's squad. Fonseca himself should be a good signing having enjoyed a highly promising stint at Shakhtar Donetsk, but his squad looks like a hastily assembled mish-mash that will do well to return to the Champions League spots and will surely miss defensive lynchpin Kostas Manolas, who was sold to Juventus.
Tagged under