SUMMER TRADING POST - PART TWO

Wright-Phillips and Keane - good signings.

Premier League clubs squeezed every last second out of the transfer window before it was slammed firmly shut at midnight on Monday, with the two biggest deals of the summer being done with only minutes to spare.

Robinho and Manchester City have grabbed the headlines but over £500million has been spent by the top flight clubs since July 1 as the big boys prove that perhaps the credit crunch is yet to take full effect on the game.

Here, Ian Watson continues his analysis with Everton, Fulham, Hull, Liverpool and Manchester City next up.

EVERTON - approx net spend: £4.9m

David Moyes has endured a torrid transfer window but with a bit of good fortune and crucially some luck with injuries, the Toffees' miserable summer could be a distant memory come next spring.

As September 1 approached, it seemed Moyes couldn't give his cash away as players such as Joao Moutinho, Tiago and Albert Riera all snubbed last season's fifth-placed finishers.

The Toffees again have some extremely promising youngsters in Jose Baxter and Jack Rodwell but the boss knew it was imperative to supplement their breakthrough with some quality signings. It was looking bleak but finally, towards the end of August, Moyes managed to make the breakthrough, even breaking the club's transfer record with minutes of the window to spare.

Marouane Felliani is undoubtedly a fine midfielder and looked impressive at Anfield for Standard Liege - but the manager's willingness to spend £15million on the Belgian appeared a sign of desperation more than a real desire to land the player.

Moyes' real masterstroke could prove to be in the purchase of Manchester United striker Louis Saha.

Fulham's offer of £10.5million for Andy Johnson was too good to turn down and by replacing him with Saha, Moyes might have pulled off the coup of the summer.

The French striker's injury problems have been well documented but towards the end of his time at Manchester United, most of the problems were in his head rather than his legs. A fit and happy Saha scores goals and a fresh start and change of environment could see the 30-year-old break the 20-goal barrier. Or he could sit on his apparently fragile backside all season.

Saha is undoubtedly a gamble, but one that could pay off extremely handsomely.

FULHAM - approx net spend: £17m

Fulham had no choice but to strengthen this summer and Mohammed Al Fayed responded to the challenge by sanctioning a club record deal for Andy Johnson.

Many thought the Cottagers got the raw end of the deal as they parted with nearly £11million but Johnson has proved he can score goals in the top flight and Roy Hodson had no choice but to replace Brian McBride, one of the most under-rated strikers in recent Premier League history, with a proven goalscorer.

Keeping hold of Jimmy Bullard was crucial, though I can't really believe Fulham were thinking of letting their best player leave in the first place.

Zoltan Gera promises to be a fine addition, especially given he cost nothing. Mark Schwarzer is an important signing, and whilst I don't believe the Aussie is as good as many think, you will not find a better keeper on a free transfer to bring some much-needed stability to the goalkeeping position.

Bobby Zamora and John Pantsil are hardly acquisitions to get the fans' pulses racing but Hodgson's investments should be just enough to keep the club out of a relegation dogfight, which represents progress for the Cottagers.

HULL CITY - approx net spend: £7.75million

Of the three promoted sides, Hull had the most work to do this summer, but whether it is down to lack of funds or not being able to attract the right calibre of player to Humberside, Phil Brown has been the least active of the Premier League's newest managers in financial terms at least.

Brown spent most of the summer trying to bring Fraizer Campbell back to the KC Stadium but was ultimately unsuccessful. The £7million bid the Tigers unsuccessfully submitted to Manchester United for the 20-year-old suggests that their inactivity is not down to lack of financial clout. All credit to Brown for having a plan B in Daniel Cousin, who needs to find his stride in the Premier League and quick.

The transfer window actually started brightly for the Tigers, with the acquisitions of midfield duo George Boateng and Geovanni, who must rediscover the creativity that once made Barcelona pay £11million for his services. Both have played at the very top level and were an absolute snip at a combined £1million.

Peter Halmosi was the club's record signing at £2million in July, a figure so low that illustrates just how far the club has come within a very period space of time.

With Marlon King and Caleb Folan battling it out to partner Cousin, Hull look lightweight up front but it is at the back that the Tigers look weakest. Anthony Gardner couldn't get anywhere near the Everton team last season and Paul McShane hardly covered himself in glory at Sunderland. Boaz Myhill is a fine young keeper, and this season, he's going to need to be as Brown tries to keep the Tigers in the Premier League with a Championship-standard squad.

LIVERPOOL - approx net spend: £18.25m

This summer's transfer window served to remind us all of the mistrust between those in charge at Liverpool. The Gareth Barry plot dragged on all summer, and like the Cristiano Ronaldo saga, bored everyone senseless. Tom Hicks and George Gillette had the opportunity to prove there was harmony at Anfield by finding the extra cash to back Rafael Benitez's judgement but their refusal to do so and Benitez's subsequent pleas for backing spoke volumes.

Maybe though, the Americans had a point. With Martin O'Neill stubbornly refusing to sell Barry on anything other than his terms (and rightly so), it was just £3million separating the clubs from an agreement. If Benitez wanted Barry that badly, can Hicks and Gillette be blamed for asking if the money could not be found elsewhere? Did Liverpool really need another reserve goalkeeper at £3.5million? Would that money not have been better spent on securing Barry?

One who did manage to make the move to Anfield was Robbie Keane, and in fairness to Benitez, a great bit of business it was too. Many have slated Liverpool for paying £20million but how much is a striker who has a record of one goal every two starts over seven years in the Premier League supposed to cost? Less than the completely untested Jo or Pavlyuchenko? I don't think so.

Benitez has also received criticism for shelling out that sort of cash on a player of Keane's age, as if at 27 years old, the Irishman is about ready for the knackers yard. Or in footballing terms, the MLS.

But Keane has at least four years in front of him, and being the type of striker he is, it is not unfeasable to think that Liverpool might have got Keane with his best years still left in him.

Albert Riera gives the Reds a different sort of threat with his pace and ability to beat a man so ultimately Benitez goes into the campaign with a slightly stronger and more capable squad than last year. Just not as strong as if he had got Barry.

MANCHESTER CITY - approx net spend: £55.7m

A week is apparently a long time in politics but Manchester City have proved that a day can be an eternity in football.

City fans woke up on Monday September 1 with their club is apparent turmoil, under the stewardship of an international fugitive who recently had to borrow money from the previous chairman just to make sure the staff got paid on time. They went to bed later that same day on the verge of becoming the world's richest club having broken the British transfer record.

Is Robinho really worth £32.5million though? City might be so rich now that it doesn't matter anyway, but that's not the point. The Brazilian was obviously purchased as a statement of intent rather than for what use he would actually be to Mark Hughes, who you can bet had little to do with the deal.

Hughes may well be more thrilled with the business he conducted himself in bringing Shaun Wright-Phillips back to Eastlands for £10million. The 26-year-old's career has stagnated at Chelsea but I fully expect him to quickly rediscover the form that made Jose Mourinho fork out £21million, and I wouldn't bet against him forcing his way back into the England side.

Jo is an intriguing purchase and I'm looking forward to seeing exactly what made City (not Hughes) shell out £19million for the services of a youngster who is completely untested outside the hardly-top-notch Russian League.

Pablo Zabaleta is an adequate replacement for Vedran Corluka upon whom City have made a tidy profit. But now that's an insignificant detail, which is exactly what all the current players at City could become if the new owners make good their promise to bring in at least 18 new signings.

And throughout the euphoria of the takeover, spare a thought for the young players coming through the club's incredibly productive academy, who now surely haven't got a hope of making the breakthrough at Eastlands.