Football: Concerns over Loan Deals.

The Professional Footballers' Association registered their concern as transfer deadline day was met with a host of long-term loan deals between Premiership clubs.

The PFA believe such deals damage the spirit and identity of clubs and could lead to some controversial showdowns in the last few vital weeks of the season.

Chelsea took their summer spending above the �100million mark by swooping for Real Madrid's Claude Makelele in the day's biggest deal.

But Francis Jeffers returned to his former club Everton from Arsenal for the rest of the season - and Leeds took their own loan dealings this season to six.

PFA deputy chief executive Mick McGuire said: "Apart from losing the identity of your team we could have a situation where a senior player could score a goal or give away a goal at the end of the season which affects the team he has come from.

"When you talk about the amount of money at stake for staying in the Premiership these days, that just does not sit comfortably with us."

Arsenal and Football Association vice-chairman David Dein believes there should be no losers in the new system which allows players to move on loan between Premier League clubs.

Most clubs have taken advantage of the new system, which has come into force for the first time after it was agreed at the summer meeting of the Premier League clubs.

When the transfer window closed yesterday, 14 players had moved between Barclaycard Premiership sides on loans between one month and a year in length.

Dein told the Press Association: "There should be no losers and there are certainly many more positives than negatives.

"The player gets a chance to perform rather than spending part of his career on the bench or in the stands and that is very important for young players especially, such as in our case Jermaine Pennant and Francis Jeffers.