Raheem Sterling started transfer deadline day staring into oblivion as a member of Chelsea's exiled 'Bomb Squad' but ended it back in the chase for major prizes at Arsenal.
Gunners manager Mikel Arteta's surprise loan move for the former England forward was probably the most eye-catching deal to go before the window closed, and signalled a swift and dramatic change in fortunes for Sterling.
Until Arsenal made their move, the 29-year-old was facing the prospect of spending months as an expensive outcast at Stamford Bridge - condemned to train away from the first team as the most high-profile victim of Chelsea's apparently chaotic transfer policy under owner Todd Boehly's Clearlake group.