Premier League side West Brom was reportedly close to signing the Malaga midfielder as well as William Carvalho but their manager was the reason the transfers didn't happen.
Tony Pulis' "selective and particular" approach to player recruitment cost West Brom in the transfer window, if a statement from chairman John Williams is anything to go by.
The Baggies brought in Nacer Chadli, Allan Nyom and Hal Robson-Kanu before the deadline, but reportedly missed out on Malaga star Ignacio Camacho and Sporting CP midfielder William Carvalho.
Pulis had targeted five new signings and got just that – a point made abundantly clear in Williams' comments – but while the quantity box was ticket, it is doubtful the arrivals fulfilled the quality required to boost the team's Premier League survival prospects.