:00:13. > :00:48.Afternoon. Welcome to Football Focus. We are in the middle of an
:00:49. > :00:52.international weekend and recovering from the transfer window. We have
:00:53. > :00:58.John Hartson and Leon Osman fit company and all this on the way.
:00:59. > :01:04.Nearly 1.5 billion Premier League pounds were splashed before the
:01:05. > :01:09.deadline. We'll assess the movers and the stayers. Reflections on a
:01:10. > :01:13.winning night for the home nations with England, Scotland and Northern
:01:14. > :01:18.Ireland all taking a step closer to the World Cup finals. And Clem has
:01:19. > :01:22.gone green at Forest Green, the Football League's newest and
:01:23. > :01:26.greenest club. I remember sitting in the sweet and seeing the chef
:01:27. > :01:31.serving players with a beef lasagne. I thought we can't be doing that.
:01:32. > :01:34.We'll talk about the World Cup qualifiers shortly, but we'll begin
:01:35. > :01:38.with the drama of Thursday. In the end the final day of the transfer
:01:39. > :01:43.window was about the deals that didn't go through. The final
:01:44. > :01:52.spending figure of ?1.43 billion could have been a lot higher.
:01:53. > :02:02.Deadline day today. Transfer window shuts at 11. Lunacy. It's going to
:02:03. > :02:06.be a very, very busy day. Liverpool have signed Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
:02:07. > :02:13.from Arsenal, the biggest deal of deadline day so far at 35mm. I'm
:02:14. > :02:17.very delighted to have signed for Liverpool. Earlier today Riyad
:02:18. > :02:24.Mahrez was given position by the Algerian national side to leave
:02:25. > :02:27.their training camp. Where is he? Spurs have signed full-back Serge
:02:28. > :02:33.Aurier a from PSG for around 23 million and have agreed a fee. See
:02:34. > :02:38.striker Fernando Llorente. Replacing the Rentech at Swansea is likely to
:02:39. > :02:41.be Wilfried Bony and they have just signed Renato Sanches honour a
:02:42. > :02:47.season-long loan from Bayern Munich. Bit disappointed -- bitter
:02:48. > :02:52.disappointment at Manchester City that they didn't get Sanchez. There
:02:53. > :02:57.was a conditional agreement between the clubs. Arsenal wanted to sign
:02:58. > :03:02.Thomas Lemar of Monaco. Arsenal had a bid of around ?92 million accepted
:03:03. > :03:08.by Monaco but Lemar decided against the move. This is unofficial and I
:03:09. > :03:15.don't want to be the bearer of more bad news but Ross Barkley has turned
:03:16. > :03:20.down a move to Chelsea. The agent contacted Everton to say he'd
:03:21. > :03:23.changed his mind. England midfielder Danny Drinkwater has signed for
:03:24. > :03:31.Chelsea for 35mm rounds from Leicester. Hold on. It's closed!
:03:32. > :03:36.This transfer window, has it been player power or club power? Club
:03:37. > :03:40.power. The clubs have been able to resist pretty much everything. There
:03:41. > :03:45.is a full list of transfers on the BBC sport website. Restore Palace
:03:46. > :03:50.very happy with the signing of Mamadou Sakho. -- Crystal Palace. It
:03:51. > :03:57.was about the players that didn't move. Do you think clubs are a bit
:03:58. > :04:03.more powerful. Sanchez staying put, Coutinho, Virgil van Dijk, Mahrez. I
:04:04. > :04:06.think they are and it's a great thing. We are now getting to a point
:04:07. > :04:12.where clubs feel they can hold onto players if they want to. They
:04:13. > :04:17.realise people will have to play -- pay top dollar for their players and
:04:18. > :04:20.if they want to keep them they will. You're now getting to the point
:04:21. > :04:24.where players need to honour the contract. If they sign of four of
:04:25. > :04:27.five-year contract they need to bring prepared to honour that
:04:28. > :04:33.contract and up until this point players haven't been. Every person
:04:34. > :04:36.who's played for Arsenal in recent years has not been particularly
:04:37. > :04:40.pleased with the last couple of weeks for Arsenal. What is your
:04:41. > :04:45.perspective on that generally and on Sanchez's future at the club?
:04:46. > :04:51.Arsenal were woeful last weekend at Anfield. 4-0, it could have been six
:04:52. > :04:54.or seven. With regards to Sanchez, two things. If Arsenal get into the
:04:55. > :05:01.Champions League they could recoup some money and not what they turned
:05:02. > :05:06.down. They need him for that? Yes, it depends where his mind is. Will
:05:07. > :05:11.he get his head down and work and fight like we know he can and play
:05:12. > :05:17.to his abilities? Or will he be sulking and upset because his move
:05:18. > :05:22.has fallen through? A couple of things for me. Maybe they should
:05:23. > :05:27.have just sold him and took the 60 million. I can't see Arsenal, for
:05:28. > :05:32.the first time in a long time, making the top four. I don't see
:05:33. > :05:35.that. I think Arsenal are wounded and there's so much uncertainty.
:05:36. > :05:41.They are selling players, players want to leave and are losing games.
:05:42. > :05:48.They look really wounded. You worry for them. Why do they go for Virgil
:05:49. > :05:54.van Dijk? Southampton aren't keen on selling him. They might have sold
:05:55. > :06:01.him to Arsenal but not Liverpool. Ross Barkley, what do you know about
:06:02. > :06:07.that and the Chelsea transfer? From what I can gather he was really
:06:08. > :06:13.badly advised. I think the clubs had agreed a fee, the clubs wanted it to
:06:14. > :06:17.happen. He didn't fancy that move. For it to get so far, you've got to
:06:18. > :06:23.look at his agent and the people advising him. If that wasn't the
:06:24. > :06:29.move for him, it should never have got that far. He didn't go, Sanchez
:06:30. > :06:34.didn't go. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain left Arsenal. Could have gone
:06:35. > :06:38.elsewhere, but went to Liverpool. He went there because of Jurgen Klopp,
:06:39. > :06:42.who will try to play him in central midfielder. What do you make of that
:06:43. > :06:47.for him as a move as a player and for Liverpool as a club? I think
:06:48. > :06:51.it's a good move. Oxlade-Chamberlain chose Liverpool over Chelsea because
:06:52. > :06:56.he wanted to play in a more central role. He's got great quality from a
:06:57. > :07:01.central position. He's played there for Arsenal a few times, he can
:07:02. > :07:05.spread a pass, he can drive forward, they can make assists from the
:07:06. > :07:13.middle of the park and be involved more. Do you see him getting in the
:07:14. > :07:16.Liverpool midfield? Chan, Wijnaldum, Lallana, Henderson, Coutinho. Is he
:07:17. > :07:27.going to get regular games in the middle? I don't see it. I think he
:07:28. > :07:30.will. In front of food? Wijnaldum plays there, he's doing what
:07:31. > :07:35.Oxlade-Chamberlain can do and he's the only one. Who would you play him
:07:36. > :07:39.instead of? It gives Liverpool options. At the moment they play two
:07:40. > :07:42.holding midfielder 's and sometimes the only need one and that would be
:07:43. > :07:46.another junior team for Oxlade-Chamberlain to play in the
:07:47. > :07:53.middle. There will be games when he will play wide. I want to mention
:07:54. > :07:59.Swansea as well. These days clubs are always announcing their news and
:08:00. > :08:03.signings fire their own social media platforms. Did you see this? The
:08:04. > :08:09.announcement of Wilfried Bony signing for Swansea. Come on
:08:10. > :08:19.Wilfried Bony. Score some goals for Swansea. We go wild, wild, wild.
:08:20. > :08:26.Wild, wild, wild. Come on Wilfried Bony. Score some goals for Swansea.
:08:27. > :08:39.We go wild, wild, wild. Wild, wild, wild. I was I was there singing that
:08:40. > :08:42.myself! On Swansea's business, lamented to Spurs, Boni comes back
:08:43. > :08:49.and Renato Sanches is a great loan signing. Paul Clement has used his
:08:50. > :08:54.contacts, his relationship with Ancelotti at Bayern Munich. He used
:08:55. > :08:59.to be his assistant. Renato Sanches is young, you'll get games.
:09:00. > :09:02.Disappointed to see Llorente move on, he finished the season really
:09:03. > :09:07.well last season in terms of Swansea staying in the Premier League. Great
:09:08. > :09:12.to get Wilfried Bony. He's not played a lot of football in the last
:09:13. > :09:18.two years. Did very little at City, even less at Stoke. Swansea have
:09:19. > :09:22.lost two top players that kept them in the league last season and
:09:23. > :09:28.brought in players who aren't Premier League ready. How quickly
:09:29. > :09:31.can they adapt? On to the World Cup qualifiers and a 4-0 scoreline
:09:32. > :09:36.looked decent for England against Malta. Three goals came late and it
:09:37. > :09:42.was largely in convincing. Harry Kane scored twice, Ryan Bertrand and
:09:43. > :09:48.Danny Welbeck. The others. It was a good test for us. Clearly the crowd
:09:49. > :09:53.were getting a bit anxious. The players had to stick to the game
:09:54. > :09:57.plan and I'm really pleased did. Goals come late because you've
:09:58. > :10:02.dominated possession, the opposition tire and our substitutes had a great
:10:03. > :10:07.impact and gave a sexier energy. As a striker you sometimes go through
:10:08. > :10:16.spells and mind is always in the same month. -- gave us extra energy.
:10:17. > :10:19.I've had a few off the post, a few good saves. September one day, I
:10:20. > :10:24.knew I would put them away and that's what happened. Of course we
:10:25. > :10:28.would have liked to score earlier. If we had scored earlier, it could
:10:29. > :10:31.have been different. For me that's the benefit of having played for
:10:32. > :10:36.England. I've been involved in nights like this, I've seen other
:10:37. > :10:41.managers go through it. Are some fans right when the English players
:10:42. > :10:45.don't have enough pride? That's very unfair. Every player here is very
:10:46. > :10:49.proud to represent their country. We've put a lot of hard work and
:10:50. > :10:53.effort in to get where we are. It started from a young age.
:10:54. > :10:57.Dedication. You have to be a top professional to play for your
:10:58. > :11:00.country. I don't think people who say that understand what it takes
:11:01. > :11:07.and it's probably why they are sitting at home watching it and we
:11:08. > :11:13.are playing. Paper hats and rightly miffed Harry Kane. Let's have a look
:11:14. > :11:17.at some of the statistics. -- a perhaps rightly miffed. England
:11:18. > :11:21.dominant. Can you understand the frustration of fans watching that
:11:22. > :11:29.performance? Yeah, at the end of the game it was job done. If I had hair
:11:30. > :11:34.I would have been pulling it out. We were playing malt and we want to
:11:35. > :11:39.dominate the game. We play two holding midfielder 's and I don't
:11:40. > :11:43.think we needed to. We played largely behind the ball. We are
:11:44. > :11:47.talking about international football and we've got a 4-0 results you
:11:48. > :11:52.can't complain. This is the way small team set up against the likes
:11:53. > :11:57.of England. Malta were very defensive. These are the average
:11:58. > :12:02.positions of the starting 11. Until Rashford came on, why were England
:12:03. > :12:06.struggling to break down Malta? They put ten men behind the ball, they
:12:07. > :12:12.are more professional nowadays. They know England man's a man so much
:12:13. > :12:15.better. You've got to go in defence of leaf. Some of the comments are
:12:16. > :12:21.ridiculous about the England performance. They won 4-0. If you're
:12:22. > :12:28.Gareth Southgate, you think what can we do? If it had been 7-0, they
:12:29. > :12:32.still would have picked holes. They get to clean sheet, they haven't
:12:33. > :12:41.been beaten in the qualifiers, they conceded three. But it was Malta.
:12:42. > :12:46.But they won 4-0. You are in the Harry Kane camp. He also talked
:12:47. > :12:50.about him not scoring in August. The stats are quite incredible. In four
:12:51. > :12:56.seasons, 42 shots in the Premier League and not scored. But when he
:12:57. > :13:01.gets to September, the burden has gone and he feels he can do it. It's
:13:02. > :13:07.incredible. It's not like he hasn't been sharp, he's hit the post. 100%
:13:08. > :13:14.shots on target last night and got two goals. He just comes alive once
:13:15. > :13:18.August is gone. He makes up through it in the rest of the season. The
:13:19. > :13:28.top goal-scorer in the last two seasons. This is the league table.
:13:29. > :13:34.England on top. Look at that, goals against, two, and people moaning
:13:35. > :13:37.ridiculous. Fighting back, good. Scotland in third and that's why
:13:38. > :13:43.England against Slovakia is important. In. They are trying to
:13:44. > :13:49.get into second spot. Scotland kept alive their hopes of qualifying with
:13:50. > :13:52.an impressive 3-0 win in Lithuania. Stuart Armstrong, Andrew Robertson
:13:53. > :14:01.and James McArthur scored the goals. Let's hear from Gordon Strachan. The
:14:02. > :14:06.technical side was good, but the energy, I think, Booth Lithuania
:14:07. > :14:13.away. You have the technical ability plus the energy and it gave them a
:14:14. > :14:16.hard night. It had to be a lot of hard work to use that technical
:14:17. > :14:22.energy. At the end they still had energy. You were far more impressed
:14:23. > :14:30.with Scotland than in recent games. They really needed to win. Hampton
:14:31. > :14:34.Park, Monday night, Slovakia have to still go to Hampden Park. England
:14:35. > :14:38.can do Scotland a favour and beat Slovakia next week. I thought
:14:39. > :14:44.Scotland were excellent. If you look at Gordon Strachan now, he's bought
:14:45. > :14:47.into the Celtic influence. Celtic had six starters in that Scotland
:14:48. > :14:56.line-up last night and they were all tremendous. Andrew Robertson of
:14:57. > :15:01.Liverpool is highly rated and scored by far the best goal of the game.
:15:02. > :15:04.He's getting a lot of plaudits at the moment in domestic and
:15:05. > :15:13.international football. Gordon Strachan spoke about energy
:15:14. > :15:16.and he has it in abundance. He charges down the left-hand side, he
:15:17. > :15:23.helps in the attacking sense with his crossing and his delivery into
:15:24. > :15:26.the box. I thought he was terrific. What I like about him is when he
:15:27. > :15:32.gets forward, he gets the ball in the box. You like the lad playing on
:15:33. > :15:40.the other side, Kieran Tierney. Even more touches than Andrew Robertson.
:15:41. > :15:46.We spoke about his options, Kieran Tierney is a naturally left-sided
:15:47. > :15:51.player, but he can play on the right. Outstanding. Massive future.
:15:52. > :15:54.Do you think Scotland will regret the points they dropped against
:15:55. > :15:58.Lithuania? It might cost them. The early games in the group. But they
:15:59. > :16:02.are finishing very strong. Who knows? If results go in their
:16:03. > :16:09.favour, they might finish in the second spot behind England. An
:16:10. > :16:16.important win for Northern Ireland. They got a 3-0 victory in San
:16:17. > :16:23.Marino. It led to a rather satisfied my Colonial. -- Michael O'Neill.
:16:24. > :16:28.They played with great assurance and calmness. Could have done more in
:16:29. > :16:31.the first half in terms of the ball that came into the box, could have
:16:32. > :16:39.made more opportunities and more attempts on goals. By half-time, we
:16:40. > :16:48.were calm, we eventually got the breakthrough. When we did it was a
:16:49. > :16:51.case of how many. Northern Ireland take on the Czech Republic on
:16:52. > :16:55.Monday. One point and they are definitely in the play-offs. What a
:16:56. > :16:58.great position they are in. Fantastic. They've done great
:16:59. > :17:03.against all the other teams in the group. Michael O'Neill deserves
:17:04. > :17:14.credit. The 16 points would probably top quite a few other groups in the
:17:15. > :17:20.qualifying. They've done terrific. 16 points would get you to the top
:17:21. > :17:25.of five of the nine groups. They've got Germany to come after the Czech
:17:26. > :17:30.Republic and then Norway away. Four games to go in Group D. They could
:17:31. > :17:38.go a long way to deciding whether Republic of Ireland qualify. First
:17:39. > :17:44.they are playing in Georgia. Kevin Kilbane has been speaking to Jon
:17:45. > :17:52.Walters. What does it mean to play for Ireland? A hell of a lot. You
:17:53. > :17:56.get a lot of stick for being English. I can understand it from
:17:57. > :18:01.some of the boys in the team. But they don't. When I was growing up we
:18:02. > :18:05.spent every minute we were not in school over in Ireland. Loved it.
:18:06. > :18:17.Brilliant. My family over there, my mum was one of 11. You can imagine
:18:18. > :18:21.the size of them. How have you assessed your international career?
:18:22. > :18:27.Some of the big days you had playing have come playing for Ireland. It
:18:28. > :18:34.has helped me immensely. I did not start the season at Stoke, was on
:18:35. > :18:41.the bench, I would have a laugh with Championship lads. How many games
:18:42. > :18:47.have you played? I had played one cup game. I have played more games
:18:48. > :18:56.for Ireland and I have for Stoke. The trust the manager has put in me,
:18:57. > :19:00.I keep myself in good shape. It is tough getting through those games
:19:01. > :19:11.because you're not as match sharp. What does it mean to play in a World
:19:12. > :19:18.Cup? It would be amazing, the pinnacle of everyone's career. You
:19:19. > :19:27.want to play Premier League and you watch it on TV. I'm no different
:19:28. > :19:31.than every single boy growing up. Four huge games to finish the group.
:19:32. > :19:39.A massive one next, Georgia, very difficult place to go. Hope that we
:19:40. > :19:54.will have it wrapped up by then. You never know. You enjoy it. Jon
:19:55. > :19:57.Walters has been declared fit. This is the group, level on points with
:19:58. > :20:02.Serbia and a really good chance to top this group. Yes, but I'm more
:20:03. > :20:12.concerned about whales in the same group. We will come onto them! The
:20:13. > :20:14.Republic of Ireland under Martin O'Neill are doing fantastically well
:20:15. > :20:21.with a group of players that they've got. I will come onto Wales. Ireland
:20:22. > :20:25.will be very pleased with the position they put themselves in.
:20:26. > :20:34.Joint top with a couple of games to go. A few points clear of John's
:20:35. > :20:39.country. They will be pleased. He is going to cover the game later. He's
:20:40. > :20:49.off to Cardiff. Let's hear from Chris Coleman. The draw does not do
:20:50. > :20:53.any good for any of us, something will have to give. If it is a drop
:20:54. > :21:00.you've got to see what happens elsewhere, of course. It was always
:21:01. > :21:09.going to be a tight group. The teams are very similar. 34 is a very
:21:10. > :21:20.strong. It will go to the wire. One of us could be dropping out. It will
:21:21. > :21:26.be exciting because both teams will go for it. You cannot draw five of
:21:27. > :21:31.your six matches and expect to be in a great position. You cannot. They
:21:32. > :21:39.have led in four of those games but been pegged back. The fixtures are
:21:40. > :21:47.in their favour. In October, we play the Republic of Ireland at home. For
:21:48. > :21:57.me, the weaker teams are away from home and the strongest are at home.
:21:58. > :22:01.The fixtures are in our favour. Where is Gareth Bale in his
:22:02. > :22:09.headspace? He has been jeered by fans. I remember Ronaldo scored some
:22:10. > :22:16.goals for Madrid and he was jeered. Unless you're at it, there is a
:22:17. > :22:23.massive price tag on his head. He is loving his life in Spain. Are you
:22:24. > :22:33.confident that Wales will get to Russia? I am reasonably confident.
:22:34. > :22:40.Are you concerned they will miss out? Yes, we spoke about Scotland,
:22:41. > :22:44.dropping points and regretting it, I think that the point that Scotland
:22:45. > :22:57.have found themselves in. You worry me know. Wales against Austria is on
:22:58. > :23:06.tonight. You can watch action from the FA Cup qualifying round.
:23:07. > :23:18.The Premier League show is back on Thursday at 10pm. Very special match
:23:19. > :23:24.taking place at Loftus Road, it is the Game4Grenfell. You may remember
:23:25. > :23:32.that Trevor Sinclair went to see training just below Grenfell Tower.
:23:33. > :23:36.Alan Shearer is managing one team and Les Ferdinand another. Jose
:23:37. > :23:41.Mourinho will be playing for the other team. There are tickets still
:23:42. > :23:45.available. To support it if you can. Forest Green Rovers are a new club
:23:46. > :23:46.in the Football League following promotion from the National League
:23:47. > :24:06.but they are far from conventional. The picturesque Cotswold village. A
:24:07. > :24:11.population of 5000, the smallest community ever to host league
:24:12. > :24:18.football. Home to a club who have lived by the motto Green by name,
:24:19. > :24:24.green by nature. The stadium is powered by solar panels, the organic
:24:25. > :24:30.pitch is cut by a robot and the catering for both players and
:24:31. > :24:34.supporters is strictly vegan. It started with a rescue mission,
:24:35. > :24:39.coming here to see the club in 2010, they were on the verge of
:24:40. > :24:43.bankruptcy. It is a lovely place and they are lovely people. It is the
:24:44. > :24:50.choice between walking round and seeing them or getting involved. I
:24:51. > :24:55.thought, if we're going to do this, we need to do it our way. I remember
:24:56. > :25:00.sitting up there and seeing the chef serving our players with beef
:25:01. > :25:05.lasagne, and thinking, wow, we cannot do that. We agreed rate there
:25:06. > :25:12.to take red meat off the menu. It took three seasons to go completely
:25:13. > :25:18.vegan. Does it ever irk you that the story of the ethos of the club
:25:19. > :25:23.overshadows the football? Not really. It is what it is. We are a
:25:24. > :25:27.progressive football club, trying to do things in a good way. We
:25:28. > :25:34.understand what goes with it. We embrace that. We buy into it. The
:25:35. > :25:44.most important thing is the football. Your plans are huge. The
:25:45. > :25:50.eco-park built entirely out of wood. That is right, even the stands. You
:25:51. > :25:55.see concrete steps. In this stadium they will be wooed. 75% of it comes
:25:56. > :25:58.from the materials of its construction. Wood is a very stable
:25:59. > :26:05.materials about doing that we will have the greenest football stadium
:26:06. > :26:10.in the world. Your dad was a Leeds legend. You played for him, and now
:26:11. > :26:15.your son is playing for you. He deserved his place on merit. Is
:26:16. > :26:24.grandad still involved? He keeps a keen eye. When I speak to him he
:26:25. > :26:33.gives me a lot of advice, probably in a nicer way than the manager. The
:26:34. > :26:42.profile your football club gets is quite extraordinary. Since the
:26:43. > :26:47.Wembley when -- Wembley victory millions of people have seen us. We
:26:48. > :26:52.have reached improbable places, are story has been everywhere, which is
:26:53. > :26:55.amazing. It is great because as an environmentalist it is not just the
:26:56. > :27:00.story of a football club but the story of the environment, things
:27:01. > :27:02.that we will need to change. Forest Green Rovers will play in the
:27:03. > :27:07.Football League for the first time, beating Tranmere Rovers in the
:27:08. > :27:09.play-off final. It is nice to be known as the person that got them in
:27:10. > :27:13.the Football League but the challenge will be to stay there. We
:27:14. > :27:20.will progress and go as far as we can. If the chairman is anything to
:27:21. > :27:26.do with will be an awful long way. Where will Forest Green Rovers be in
:27:27. > :27:32.ten years? The Championship, and the eco-park. That would be the pinnacle
:27:33. > :27:35.of your dreams. The thing about dreams is when you reach the
:27:36. > :27:41.pinnacle of them, you often see the pinnacle of another. It is great to
:27:42. > :27:44.see that insight. It is fascinating. Isn't it good to challenge the
:27:45. > :27:50.conventional wisdom surrounding football? Fair play to them.
:27:51. > :27:54.Interesting to see if it catches on. I would like to know what the
:27:55. > :27:59.pre-match meal is, it would certainly restrict what I would eat
:28:00. > :28:06.when I was a player. I hope it works. I've got to say, the food is
:28:07. > :28:11.delicious. Is it true that Craig Bellamy when feeding for a while?
:28:12. > :28:16.Yes, he said he was enjoying it but he lost a lot of weight and he was
:28:17. > :28:21.quite worried in the end. It is something he tried for a couple of
:28:22. > :28:26.months. He lost three kilos within three months which was worrying. You
:28:27. > :28:32.could not give up your check on Saturday skewers. I could not give
:28:33. > :28:40.that up. You are a simple man, he loves his family and he loves Wales
:28:41. > :28:46.and he loves meat. We are back for a full hour when the Premiership
:28:47. > :28:47.returns. All seven of last year's top seven are in action. Should be a
:28:48. > :29:21.good Match of the Day. Goodbye. Dele Alli is off the mark! That is a
:29:22. > :29:28.brilliant finish from Saudi money.