Pierre Aubameyang

The 35-year-old is the latest high-profile signing for the Khobar-based club, following the arrivals of Nacho and Koen Casteels from Real Madrid and Wolfsburg respectively.

Aubameyang joins after just one season with Marseille, for whom he scored 30 goals in 51 appearances while also becoming the record marksman in Europa League history.

A LaLiga title winner with Barcelona, the forward also won the DFB-Pokal during his time with Borussia Dortmund, and the FA Cup at Arsenal.

Aubameyang stepped onto the pitch for the first time with his new club during their pre-season friendly with Borussia Monchengladbach on Thursday.

Thieves reportedly broke into the 33-year-old's house in the town of Castelldefels, where he lives with his wife and two children, on Monday.

Aubameyang and his wife were said to have been handcuffed and tied up, with the robbers forcing them to open a safe.

The former Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund frontman is reported to have been beaten, but Barca confirmed he and his family are "doing well" following the ordeal.

Jewellery was reportedly stolen during the break-in, which occurred after Aubameyang was an unused substitute in Barca's 4-0 win over Real Valladolid at Camp Nou on Sunday.

Aubameyang had five months to run on his Emirates Stadium deal but was told he could join Barca on a free transfer, which is set to be announced by the LaLiga giants on Tuesday.

Despite some confirmed interest from at least one club in England, and the threat of not playing for the rest of the season, Dembele opted to stay put in Catalonia until at least the end of the season.

Those players were discussed heavily throughout deadline day, but arguably the most remarkable transfer happened early on Monday when Christian Eriksen officially joined Brentford.

It marks a return to the Premier League – and indeed a football pitch – for Eriksen, just seven months after suffering a cardiac arrest while playing for Denmark at Euro 2020 and subsequently being fitted with a heart-starting device.

Newcastle live up to big-spending billing

In their first transfer window under their new ownership, Newcastle United spent more than any side on the continent and rounded things off by bringing in some much-needed defensive options in Dan Burn and Matt Targett.

Boyhood Newcastle fan Burn joined from Brighton and Hove Albion in a reported £13million deal, while left-back Targett will spend the rest of the season at St James' Park on loan from Aston Villa.

But it was not all good news for the Magpies as they missed out on a deal for France Under-20s striker Hugo Ekitike, who is reported to have had second thoughts and decided to remain at Reims. There was also no move for Jesse Lingard.

Tottenham and Juventus the busiest clubs

Antonio Conte was backed by the Tottenham board on deadline day with the arrivals of Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski as part of a double deal with Juventus.

Bentancur is reported to have cost Spurs an initial £15.9m (€19m) on a deal that will run through until the end of the 2025-26 season, and he will be joined in north London by Kulusevski on an initial 18-month loan with the option to buy.

It was not all about incoming activity for Tottenham in the final stages of the window, though, as club-record signing Tanguy Ndombele was returned to Lyon for the rest of the season and Bryan Gil and Giovanni Lo Celso were loaned out to LaLiga sides Valencia and Villarreal respectively.

And in a deal that went through more than an hour after the 23:00 GMT cut-off point, Dele Alli joined Everton in a transfer that could potentially earn Spurs £40m should various clauses be triggered.

Having offloaded Bentancur and Kulusevski, meanwhile, Juve further trimmed their squad by allowing Aaron Ramsey to sign for Rangers until the end of the campaign, with those deals offset by the arrival of Denis Zakaria from Borussia Monchengladbach.

Big boys quiet

Manchester City got a deal over the line for Argentina international Julian Alvarez before loaning the young forward straight back to River Plate, but it was otherwise a relatively quiet day for Europe's elite clubs.

Manchester United's only piece of business on Monday was allowing midfield outcast Donny van de Beek join Everton on loan, while Liverpool let Nat Phillips head to Bournemouth for the rest of 2021-22. The second-tier Cherries also signed Todd Cantwell, recently a target for Liverpool, to bolster their promotion ambitions.

Liverpool had hoped to bring in highly rated youngster Fabio Carvalho from Fulham, but a deal is reported to have fallen through shortly before the cut-off point after terms had already been agreed.

There was no such activity for fellow Premier League heavyweights Chelsea, as was the case for the likes of Paris Saint-Germain – despite links with Dembele – Bayern Munich, Inter, Milan and Real Madrid.

But reigning Spanish champions Atletico Madrid did manage to strengthen at left-back by bringing in Reinildo Mandava from French champions Lille.

Other notable deals...

Unsurprisingly, Premier League clubs flexed their financial muscles in a final attempt to strengthen before the deadline.

Crystal Palace turned striker Jean-Philippe Mateta's loan from Mainz into a permanent deal and Burnley signed Wout Weghorst from Wolfsburg, who moved quickly to bring in FC Copenhagen striker Jonas Wind as a replacement.

Elsewhere, Deniz Undav put pen to paper with Brighton before being loaned back to Belgian side Royale Union Saint-Gilloise. The Seagulls also signed Benicio Baker-Boaitey on loan from Porto with a view to a permanent move.

Fernandes joined United from Sporting CP in January and has made a swift impact, his ability on the ball and positive mentality in possession adding much-needed impetus to the club's midfield.

The Portugal international got off the mark with a penalty – which he won – against Watford, while he also got himself an assist for Mason Greenwood's stunning strike, teeing the youngster up on the edge of the box.

His display earns him a spot alongside Robert Lewandowski – whose brace against Paderborn sees him receive an overall boost to 93 – and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Find the full squad below.

TEAM OF THE WEEK

GK: Aitor Fernandez (Levante) – 84

CB: Nicolas Pallois (Nantes) – 84

LB:Nacho Monreal (Real Sociedad) – 84

LB:Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma) – 87

CM: Koke (Atletico Madrid) – 86

CB:Dan-Axel Zagadou (Borussia Dortmund) – 82

CM:Fernando (Sevilla) – 84

LM:Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal) – 89

CAM:Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United) – 88

ST: Jhon Cordoba (Cologne) – 84

ST:Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich) – 93

SUBSTITUTES

GK: Fernando Muslera (Galatasaray) – 84

LB: Patrick van Aanholt (Crystal Palace) – 81

CM:Christopher Nkunku (RB Leipzig) – 81

CM:Darwin Machis (Granada) – 81

RM: Adam Marusic (Lazio) – 81

ST: Loic Remy (Lille) – 81

ST:Mbaye Niang (Rennes) – 81

RESERVES

CAM:Sergio Pena (Emmen) – 78

CM:Lukas Gortler (St. Gallen) – 75

ST:Jonathan David (Gent) – 80

LF:Graham Burke (Shamrock Rovers) – 75

ST: Dominik Stroh-Engel (Unterhaching) – 74

Introduced as a second-half substitute with Lucien Favre's side 3-1 down at Augsburg, Haaland promptly scored a hat-trick to inspire a 5-3 victory.

The Norway international's first moments in Dortmund colours are sure to live long in the memory and he is in good company when it comes to elite strikers announcing their arrival with a bang.

Here, we look back at some other standout debuts.

Wayne Rooney

The 18-year-old Rooney arrived at Manchester United from Everton amid huge fanfare after starring for England at Euro 2004, but he also suffered a metatarsal injury early in the Three Lions' quarter-final defeat to Portugal. Fenerbahce's September visit to Old Trafford was his first match back and it proved an unforgettable Champions League debut, with Rooney tucking away two terrific finishes before completing a hat-trick with a delicious free-kick. United won 6-2, the Stretford End had a new hero, and the rest is record-breaking club history.

Sergio Aguero

Aguero's club record-breaking run on the other side of Manchester began on a balmy August evening in 2011. A Premier League campaign that would end with City's then club-record signing snatching the title in career-defining style began with him on the bench and his new team-mates labouring, 1-0 to the good against newly promoted Swansea City. He slid in Micah Richards' cross within 10 minutes of his second-half introduction and, after a clever overhead assist for David Silva, Aguero brought the house down by sealing a 4-0 triumph with a 30-yard piledriver.

Romario

A hat-trick with all three assists coming from home favourite Pep Guardiola ensured Romario was an instant hit at Barcelona. The pick of the bunch saw him spring the offside trap and control a Guardiola pass on his chest before looping a volley over Alberto Lopez from 20 yards to seal a 3-0 home victory over Real Sociedad in Barca's 1993-94 LaLiga opener. The Blaugrana went on to win the title and Romario took the Pichichi with a tally of 30 goals.

Ronaldo

After a memorable but injury-plagued spell at Inter, Ronaldo returned to Spain in 2002 and joined former club Barcelona's arch-rivals Real Madrid. Following concerns about his weight and fitness, he made his highly anticipated debut against Deportivo Alaves over a month after signing. Ronaldo replaced Javier Portillo and took just 61 seconds to make his mark before slotting home a second to complete a 5-2 triumph at a jubilant Santiago Bernabeu. He finished the season with 23 goals and silverware in LaLiga and the Intercontinental Cup.

Fabrizio Ravanelli

The Riverside Stadium was treated to a thriller in August 1996 when £7m signing Fabrizio Ravanelli scored a hat-trick on his Middlesbrough bow in a 3-3 draw with Liverpool. Having joined from European champions Juventus, the 'White Feather' brought Boro back on terms three times, first lashing home a penalty and celebrating in trademark shirt-over-head style, and then sliding home a second from close range to make it 2-2. Robbie Fowler's second-half strike looked to have won it for the Reds until Ravanelli guided in his third of the game 10 minutes from time.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Dortmund and Augsburg fans could be forgiven for feeling a strong sense of deja vu on Saturday after Aubameyang's exploits when the sides met in 2013. After joining from Saint-Etienne his first attempt on goal in the Bundesliga resulted in a goal as he converted a diving header. Aubameyang followed that up after the break with a lovely turn of pace and strike into the far corner. He made it a hat-trick by coolly rounding the goalkeeper as Dortmund thumped Augsburg 4-0.

Christian Vieri

The term "much-travelled" is one that very much fits for Vieri, who joined Inter for a then world-record sum of £32million after helping Lazio win the Cup Winners' Cup in 1999. They were his ninth different club in as many professional seasons. Reuniting with Marcello Lippi, who he played for at Juventus, the man affectionately known as 'Bobo' started a prolific spell at San Siro with a treble against Hellas Verona and went on to score 123 goals in 190 Nerazzurri appearances.

After guiding Barca to LaLiga glory and the semi-finals of the Champions League last season, Messi won the accolade for a sixth time back in September – he was named FIFA World Player of the Year in 2009 and claimed four Ballons d'Or while it was backed by world football's governing body.

Mane finished fifth in the voting, behind Liverpool team-mates Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, and Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo.

But Giresse, who coached Mane during his time in charge of Senegal between 2013 and 2015, insists the 28-year-old should have finished top after starring for Liverpool on their way to Champions League success.

"I definitely would have put Sadio Mane ahead of Messi, in terms of the season they had last season," he told ESPN.

"When I was head coach of Senegal, Sadio was still young but he had ahead of him an enormous potential, a technical potential, and a moral potential to go on to become a great player, as he has become today."

Giresse, named French Player of the Year three times in the 1980s, was Tunisia head coach until August and should have been eligible to vote.

"I didn't receive the ballot sheet, so it wasn't me who voted [on Tunisia's behalf]. I can't say who did, but it wasn't me," he said. The top pick credited to Giresse was Ronaldo, with Van Dijk second and Messi third.

Former Bordeaux and Marseille midfielder Giresse also managed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at international level with Gabon. 

Aubameyang shared the Premier League Golden Boot with Mane and Salah last season and Giresse believes the Arsenal striker is now among the world's best.

"I launched Pierre-Emerick with the Gabon national team, at the start of his development, his expansion and his progression," he said.

"We can all see his pathway and the level he's reached now. We're talking about [him moving to] Real Madrid, so it shows how this player has reached a world-class level, and you could say the same about Sadio."

The Gabon forward was in Barcelona on Monday and it appeared a move would be finalised before the end of the transfer window.

However, the deadline ticked by without official confirmation, but the transfer is expected to go through on Tuesday.

That would make him Barca's third signing of the Xavi era, after Ferran Torres and Adama Traore.

TOP STORY – AUBA TO JOIN XAVI AT CAMP NOU

Widespread reports claim that Arsenal and Barca have agreed to a rather strange deal for Aubameyang.

The 32-year-old has reportedly agreed to a six-month contract at Barca, with the option for a further year, with Arsenal seemingly agreeing to forego a transfer fee in order to get their former captain, who has not featured since December, off the books.

Aubameyang is essentially a free agent, so that allows the deal to be completed after the deadline passed.

ROUND-UP

- Fabio Carvalho's proposed deadline day move from Fulham to Liverpool did not come off, though The Times reports that the Reds are keen to sign the youngster on a pre-contract agreement. 

- Sky Sports reported that Arsenal will save up to £25million following Aubameyang's departure, which The Express claim will be used to fund Mikel Arteta's transfer dealings in the off-season.

- Bild has reported that Real Madrid have already tabled a pre-contract agreement for Kylian Mbappe, who they are hoping to sign from Paris Saint-Germain.

- Journalist Xavi Torres believes Barcelona will attempt to terminate Ousmane Dembele's contract. The France winger is set to leave on a free at the end of the season.

- West Ham failed in a last-ditch bid to sign striker Duvan Zapata from Atalanta, according to Sky Sports.

The two powerhouse clubs have been in seemingly constant discussion over the past month, with Barcelona openly looking to add Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta after swooping in to claim Blues target Jules Kounde.

Chelsea recently took Azpilicueta out of the equation by signing him to a two-year extension, but the two clubs re-opened their negotiations when the Stamford Bridge outfit decided to put in a bid for De Jong, and in the process they may have found the answer to their striker situation.

TOP STORY – BARCELONA WILLING TO INCLUDE AUBAMEYANG IN CHELSEA TRANSFER DISCUSSIONS

After expensive moves for Leeds United winger Raphinha, Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski and Sevilla centre-back Kounde, the Mirror is reporting Barcelona are "desperate to balance their books" and 33-year-old Aubameyang appears to be the most likely option to be moved on.

The report mentions both De Jong and Aubameyang are seen as surplus to requirements, and with Chelsea yet to bring in a replacement for Romelu Lukaku after he was loaned out to Inter, it could be a perfect match.

No potential asking price is mentioned for the striker who collected 20 goals in 38 club appearances this past season, including 11 goals in 17 LaLiga fixtures.

Meanwhile, ESPN adds that Chelsea were monitoring the Gabon frontman back in 2020 before he signed a contract extension with Arsenal, and that they are still interested.

ROUND-UP

– The Times is reporting Chelseaare expected to make a £70million bid for 21-year-old Leicester City centre-back Wesley Fofana after having a £60m offer turned down.

– According to Foot Mercato, Nottingham Forest and Leicesterare competing for the signing of 24-year-old Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar, who is valued at €15m.

– The Guardian is reporting 25-year-old Ivory Coast winger Maxwel Cornet only needs to pass a physical to confirm a move from Burnley to West Ham after the Hammers met his £17.5m release clause.

– Radioestadio Noche claims Real Madridhave identified 19-year-old RB Salzburg striker Benjamin Sesko or 22-year-old Nice forward Amine Gouirias potential long-term successors to Karim Benzema.

– Crystal Palace are exploring a move for 19-year-old RB Leipzig midfielder Ilaix Moriba – who is a product of Barcelona's youth academy – according to Foot Mercato.

Chelsea have been aggressive in their hunt for centre-backs during this transfer period after Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen left the club.

But while they have secured the services of Kalidou Koulibaly, they are still after at least one more, having previously enquired about Matthijs de Ligt, Martin Skriniar and a number of others.

Pulisic has been a recurring name when it comes to players Chelsea are seemingly willing to part ways with, and while a loan move has been weighed up, a swap for Maguire could solve problems for both clubs if United feel he is no longer part of Erik ten Hag's vision.

TOP STORY – BLOCKBUSTER SWAP COULD SEND UNITED CAPTAIN TO CHELSEA

Chelsea have made their interest in 21-year-old Leicester City centre-back Wesley Fofana clear, but if they are not willing to meet the gaudy £85millon asking price, a swap deal for a player surplus to requirements would be far more palatable.

For United, who are reportedly operating under a stricter budget, landing a 23-year-old with 19 goals and 10 assists over the past three Premier League seasons in exchange for a 29-year-old centre-back could be exactly what they are looking for, but it all depends on how Ten Hag values Maguire.

According to the Daily Mail's report, there is a belief Maguire may be dropped from United's team set to play Liverpool this weekend, which would only add fuel to the fire.

ROUND UP

– The Athletic reports that Chelseahave offered £15million plus left-back Marcos Alonso to Barcelonain their bid for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

– According to the Telegraph, Real Madrid are considering a move for Tottenham's Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg as a potential replacement for Casemiro.

– 90min claim Newcastle Unitedand West Hamare monitoring United's Scott McTominay if he is squeezed out by the arrival of Casemiro.

– Leeds United are hoping to secure a £4m move for 18-year-old FC Zurich striker Willy Gnonto, who became Italy's youngest ever senior international goalscorer in a loss to Germany in June.

– Mail Online reports that Arsenalexpect Bukayo Saka to sign a new contract at Emirates Stadium, despite interest from rival clubs including Manchester City.

The LaLiga club appear set for a busy close season amid links to numerous players.

While Arsenal forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is said to be a target, it seems Madrid have other priorities.

TOP STORY – HAALAND, MANE TOP TARGETS FOR REAL MADRID

Borussia Dortmund forward Haaland and Liverpool star Mane are Real Madrid's top targets, according to the Daily Express.

The report says Aubameyang is also wanted at the Santiago Bernabeu, but is behind Haaland and Mane.

Real Madrid were two points behind LaLiga leaders Barcelona when the season was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.

ROUND-UP

- Staying at Real Madrid and the LaLiga giants are tracking Sao Paulo midfielder Igor Gomes, according to AS. A Brazil youth international, Gomes, 21, has been compared to former AC Milan star Kaka.

- Ousmane Dembele is seemingly unwanted at Barcelona and could be set for a move. Sport reports Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp want Dembele, who has struggled with injuries since joining the LaLiga club.

- Barcelona are continuing their bid to land Lautaro Martinez. Sport claims left-back Junior Firpocould be part of a deal to bring the Inter star to Camp Nou. It says Inter, and Roma, are interested in the left-back and Barca would want the €18million they paid Real Betis for Junior last year.

- Manchester United could be set to make a big move this close season. The Daily Star reports the Premier League club are confident of landing Atletico Madrid midfielder Saul Niguez for a club-record £135m (€150.8m).

- Perhaps Manchester United had another target. However, Sport says Real Madrid have told United that midfielder Federico Valverde is worth his incredible release clause – £448m (€500m).

- Henrikh Mkhitaryan is loving life in Rome. The Daily Mail reports the midfielder, who is on loan at Roma from Arsenal, wants to stay at the club and hopes they can agree to a €11.2m (£10m) deal.

Russell started second on the grid behind Pietro Fittipaldi, but the Williams driver never looked back after getting off to a flyer.

The Brit stormed into the lead soon after the lights went out and stayed in front for the rest of the 39-lap race on Sunday.

Russell, winner of the virtual Spanish Grand Prix last time out, took the chequered flag by a mammoth margin of 39 seconds from the Mercedes of Esteban Gutierrez.

There were a whole host of collisions and penalties in a race that ended with Charles Leclerc in third spot and his younger brother Arthur fifth.

Alex Albon recovered from a big spin to work his way back up and take fourth place from Arthur Leclerc on the final lap.

Valtteri Bottas crossed the line back in 11th in his first attempt at online racing after taking a spin entering Casino Square.

There was no shortage of wheel-to-wheel action and Arsenal striker Aubameyang finished back in 16th after being hit with a string of penalties.

Despite their delicate financial situation, the Catalans have moved to sign Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Jules Kounde, Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen this window.

Barca's focus is now on offloading players to help balance the books, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Memphis Depay and Frenkie de Jong all being linked with moves away.

According to widespread reports on Saturday, Chelsea are engaged in talks with Barca over a deal for Aubameyang, who only arrived from Arsenal earlier this year.

De Jong continues to be touted as a target for Premier League sides, meanwhile, and Depay is reportedly closing in on a switch to Juventus.

However, Xavi confirmed at a press conference ahead of Sunday's game with Real Sociedad that he intends to continue selecting those players while they remain at the club.

"It's not a comfortable situation," Xavi said when asked about the final two weeks of the transfer window. "The market should be closed before the competition starts.

"I think it's poorly organised. In the end, nobody can work in peace. You prepare for a match with a player and he may end up leaving, so it's clearly not an ideal scenario."

When probed on rumours that Chelsea are closing in on a deal for Aubameyang, Xavi said: "The market ends on August 31 and we don't know what will happen.

"We'll have to see. Right now he's our player and I'm counting on him. For now he's an important player for us, but let's see what happens.

"At the moment nobody mentioned has left. Tomorrow we can use Memphis and Aubameyang. If an offer arrives for either of them, we'll assess what to do.

"Right now the priority is to sign up Jules [Kounde]. From there we can decide if we need to make a move or not."

Kounde is the only new signing yet to be registered by Barca, who have been forced to sell off non-playing assets and activate various 'levers' to meet LaLiga's salary rules.

Providing an update on Kounde's situation ahead of the trip to Anoeta, where Barcelona are unbeaten in their past six visits, Xavi said: "We are waiting. We have time. 

"Tomorrow we will give the list, but right now everything is on stand-by. There is nothing new to tell you.

"I've spoken to Jules and given him my idea of the game. He is a very classy centre-back and has experience, leadership and can win duels. He is an extraordinary footballer."

Barca started their season with a goalless draw at home to Rayo Vallecano last week and will be looking to hit back against Sociedad. 

The Catalan club's 21 shots on matchday one were the most they have registered in the league without scoring since a stalemate with Malaga in November 2016 (29 shots).

"The match against Rayo was a football disgrace," Xavi said. "We deserved to win the match and played well, but we lacked effectiveness.

"Now we face Sociedad, who are a team that can do a lot of good things. They have talent in midfield and fast attackers, while their defenders and goalkeeper are strong."

Barca, who are without the suspended Sergio Busquets, have failed to win or score in their last three LaLiga matches – never before have they fired four blanks in a row.