It was an underwhelming transfer deadline day in Spain, with none of La Liga’s bigger clubs moving in the market.

Rumours of some big deals circulated – including Barcelona’s young midfielder Thiago Alcántara leaving for Málaga, Villarreal’s Nilmar moving to Lazio and Mallorca taking Michael Ballack from Bayer Leverkusen – but the reality was less exciting.

Espanyol were the biggest movers as the deadline approached. They snapped up former Barcelona and Getafe defender Víctor Sánchez and ex-Almería striker Kalu Uche after both were left club-less by the turmoil at Swiss side Neuchâtel Xamax, and also took Internazionale’s Philippe Coutinho on loan until June.

Other last minute moves included a number of further loan deals – Real Zaragoza moving for Catania’s Argentine right-back Pablo Sebastián Álvarez, Levante taking striker Abdelkader Ghezzal from Cesena, Granada trialling 20 year old Brazilian striker Henrique Almeida until June and Sporting signing Villarreal B midfielder Marcos Gullón. Barcelona’s rarely seen Belarussian midfielder Alexander Hleb took a hefty pay cut and left on loan for Greek side Olympiakos.

Tuesday’s vacuum left Sevilla as the Spanish side who completed the most significant business this January. The Andalucians brought in José Antonio Reyes, Senegalese striker Babá and young Córdoba midfielder Javier Hervás, funding these deals by moving on defender Martín Cáceres to Serie A giants Juventus.

More typical of the Spanish winter window were the activities at struggling Granada, Real Zaragoza and Rayo Vallecano, who brought in 12 players between them, all through free transfers or loan deals.