Aston Villa didn't receive a bid from Manchester United for Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez despite the 32-year-old being heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford. (Sky Sports), external
Manchester United decided against a move for Martinez because of his age and wages in the region of £200,000 a week. (Mirror), external
Martinez was not keen on a move to Galatasaray despite reports from Turkey of a bid worth £21.6m. (Mail), external
Liverpool refused to allow Joe Gomez, 28, to join AC Milan after their bid to sign fellow England defender Marc Guehi, 25, from Crystal Palace fell through. (Fabrizio Romano, external)
Guehi's exit video from Crystal Palace was leaked on social media but he remains content to see out the remaining year of his contract at Selhurst Park and then leave on a free transfer next summer. (Talksport), external
Bayern Munich were keen to sign Nigerian forward Ademola Lookman, 27, from Atalanta on loan on deadline day. (Sky Sports, external)
Chelsea's English forward Raheem Sterling looks set to stay at Stamford Bridge with no interest the 30-year-old from clubs in Turkey, Saudi Arabia or the United States even though their transfer windows close later. (Athletic - subscription required), external
Crystal Palace pulled out of a loan deal for Tottenham's Israeli forward Manor Solomon, 26, despite a deal sheet allowing them extra time to complete the signing. (Sky Sports), external
Wales midfielder Harry Wilson's move from Fulham to Leeds collapsed after the Cottagers had a late change of heart over selling the 28-year-old. (Yorkshire Evening Post), external
That Wilson deal collapsing also saw the end of a potential move from Chelsea to Fulham for 19-year-old English winger Tyrique George. (Evening Standard), external
Danish forward Will Osula, 22, will remain at Newcastle United despite deadline day interest from Eintracht Frankfurt for a season-long loan. (Athletic - subscription required), external
Newcastle United insiders have suggested Sweden striker Alexander Isak, 25, was behaving and playing like someone who did not want the team to qualify for the Champions League from April onwards. (Telegraph - subscription required)
Guardian Rumour mill
John Brewin
Now that the window has slammed shut, deal sheets either filed or torn up, there’s more than a few players left in limbo by the Premier League’s record-breaking summer transfer window.
What now for Emi Martínez, who keeps waving goodbye to Aston Villa and yet remains on the books, denied a dream move to Manchester United because Senne Lammens was the cheaper, younger option. A move to Turkey? The World Cup winner is said not to fancy it. The Turkish window rolls on but there is a Champions League deadline this week to meet to for its qualified clubs, with Galatasaray the most likely destination.
In any case, no bid came from United, who were also the preference for Gianluigi Donnarumma. In both cases wages were the issue for United. The Euro 2020 winner instead headed to Manchester City to learn how to play like Pep Guardiola asks – with Ederson heading to Fenerbahce.
Most deals tend to have knock-ons, and the collapse of Marc Guéhi’s move from Crystal Palace to Liverpool had ramifications for Joe Gomez, who was poised for a move to Milan. Instead, he is likely to be Virgil van Dijk’s partner for the foreseeable/until the January window, when Guéhi comes in. Guéhi recorded a soft-focus farewell video, shots of Wembley and his “last” goal for Palace at Villa on Sunday. That’s leaked on to the internet and “Skipper” as it terms him, can always get it recut.
Other players staying on: Ademola Lookman staged an Isak/Wissa-style protest but remains at Atalanta, rather than switching to Bayern Munich. Awkward. The Welsh wing wizard Harry Wilson was set for Leeds but stays at Fulham, a collapse that happened concurrently with Tyrique George staying at Chelsea.
Talking of which: Raheem Sterling. Still at Chelsea, contracted until 2027, on very high wages of the type BlueCo, the owners, no longer pay. And highly unlikely to get a game. For family reasons he is not willing to move to Saudi Arabia, the USA or various other destinations, and a loan to Fulham did not happen. He’s only 30.
Axel Disasi is in a similar boat: no move to Aston Villa, West Ham or Crystal Palace so he remains at Chelsea. At least Ben Chilwell got off to Strasbourg, who just happen to be BlueCo’s other club, and now have a rather big squad considering their fairly medium ambitions in Ligue 1. Julio Enciso has just joined Strasbourg from Brighton, who also loaned Facundo Buonanotte, another South American talent to, er, Chelsea.
Will Osula was the new hero of Tyneside just a week ago after scoring against Liverpool but he almost ended up loaned to Eintracht Frankfurt, only for that deal to also not happen.
Manchester United’s bomb squad is much reduced after the shelling of Antony, Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Højlund. Which leaves poor old Tyrell Malacia, who was supposed to head to Elche in La Liga but remains a United player. Perhaps he might convince Ruben Amorim he is an option in centre midfield, a position of weakness where United are said to have moved for Conor Gallagher, only for Atlético Madrid to shut that down.
The Athletic
West Ham’s transfer window: Stalwarts moved on, a tentative refresh and the cardinal sin of selling to Spurs
Roshane Thomas
It was a signing Graham Potter prioritised and one he had no intention of missing out on as the closure of summer transfer window approached.
In June, West Ham United’s head coach identified Mateus Fernandes as a top transfer target. The 21-year-old midfielder was part of the Southampton side which suffered relegation to the Championship last season but this did not deter Potter, who felt Fernandes would be a key addition. Two months later, West Ham saw their opening offer worth up to £30million including add-ons fall short of Southampton’s valuation.
At one point the deal was off but talks resumed before last week’s Carabao Cup defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers and a deal worth £38million ($51.3m) with £3m worth of potential add-ons and a 15 per cent sell-on clause was finalised on August 28.
The Portugal youth international, who signed a five-year contract, was one of seven first-team summer signings at West Ham alongside El Hadji Malick Diouf, Mads Hermansen, Kyle Walker-Peters, Callum Wilson, Jean-Clair Todibo and Soungoutou Magassa.
An extensive rebuild was always on the cards for Potter following the departures of stalwarts Lukasz Fabianski, Aaron Cresswell, Vladimir Coufal, Kurt Zouma and Michail Antonio, after the expiry of all of their contracts in June.
West Ham spent around £125million this summer in a window which Potter stamped his mark over his squad but there were unsettling moments along the way, including Mohammed Kudus joining rivals Tottenham Hotspur for £55m. The north Londoners first expressed interest in July and West Ham turned down their opening bid of £50m. The club’s hierarchy were initially reluctant to accept offers less than £60m, but Tottenham were the only club to make a formal offer for the Ghanaian.
Kudus, who joined from Ajax for £38m in August 2023, was unhappy at West Ham and wanted to leave after his debut season. He registered 15 goals and nine assists across 47 appearances. Clubs enquired about his availability in the summer of 2024 but their advances were rejected. It was always Kudus’s intention to leave this window.
But after losing one big star, West Ham had no intention in losing another in Lucas Paqueta. Aston Villa held talks over signing the playmaker but West Ham had no plans to sell the Brazil international. Paqueta, who learned that he would face no punishment from the FA for spot-fixing charges in July after a two-year investigation, debunked any further doubt about his commitment, mimicking rejecting a phone call during his goal celebration against Nottingham Forest and kissing the West Ham badge.
Another challenge Potter faced was West Ham missing out on a number of targets. The club were reluctant to meet Liverpool’s valuation for Harvey Elliott, who yesterday joined Aston Villa on loan with an obligation to make the transfer permanent next summer. Douglas Luiz, formerly of Aston Villa was among their midfield targets but he chose to join Forest on a season-long from Juventus. West Ham were also interested in Manchester City’s England Under-21 international James McAtee, who also signed for Forest in a permanent deal on August 16.
Other midfield targets included Tyler Morton, who joined Lyon from Liverpool, while Ardon Jashari who went to Milan from Club Brugge.
Before his side’s 5-1 home loss to Chelsea on August 21, Potter hinted at his frustration and said that the club’s previous transfer policy hindered their activity this summer. Following the closure of the window, West Ham remain short of options in central defence and attack.
As far as the former department is concerned, they did land Brazilian defender Igor Julio, who had also been chased by Crystal Palace, on a season-long loan from Brighton & Hove Albion on deadline day.
One of Potter’s first acts of the summer was to sign Diouf, 20, for £19m from Czech side Slavia Prague. The recruitment team scouted the promising left-back for a year before his arrival. West Ham’s scouts were in attendance when Diouf nullified Bukayo Saka’s impact as Senegal beat England in a friendly in June — which is when they felt it was crucial to push ahead with securing his signature.
Diouf’s understudy is academy graduate Ollie Scarles. In May, previous first-choice left-back Emerson Palmieri, 31, was informed he was not part of the club’s plans. The Italian had interest from a host of European clubs but opted to join Marseille.
Potter was keen to bolster his defensive options further. Kyle Walker-Peters, who was released by Southampton in June after the expiry of his deal, was a longstanding target and his potential switch to Bestikas forced West Ham to intervene. The versatile defender received a contract offer from the Turkish side in July but they withdrew their offer after Walker-Peters delayed his medical, having been made aware of West Ham’s interest.
The defender was due to travel to Istanbul with an in-principle agreement in place, but remained in the UK to finalise a three-year contract with Potter’s side.
Midfielder James Ward-Prowse also provided a glowing reference of Walker-Peter’s character to the head coach. In June, West Ham converted Todibo’s season-long loan from Nice for £32.8million (€39m; $44.3m). The 25-year-old defender, who signed a five-year deal, initially joined in August 2024, with an obligation to buy. West Ham retaining their Premier League status ensured the clause was activated.
Off the field, Potter also felt it was necessary to make more changes. The head coach appointed James Bell as a sports psychologist to assist his squad in managing stressful situations better. Given the number of dressing-room incidents last season, Potter has been keen to have a harmonious environment. He appointed Casper Ankergren and assistant Linus Kandolin as goalkeeper coaches following Xavi Valero’s departure to Liverpool.
Ankergren had a role to play in Hermansen’s arrival from Leicester City, with the pair having previously worked together at Danish side Brondby. Following Fabianski’s departure, Alphonse Areola and Wes Foderingham were the only two senior goalkeepers. Michael Cooper, the Sheffield United shot-stopper, also featured on the club’s shortlist but their initial first-choice target was Botafogo goalkeeper John Victor: another player who ended the window at Forest. However, they eventually sealed a deal to sign Hermansen from Leicester in a £19m switch.
Striker Wilson, who had left Newcastle United as a free agent, signed a one-year deal to effectively replace the departed Antonio and scored his first West Ham goal in the 3-0 away win against Forest.
The main outgoings on deadline day were Palmieri and Nayef Aguerd, who has also joined Marseille. The latter returned to the London Stadium this summer after a season-long loan at Real Sociedad last season. Potter valued his leadership capabilities but the Moroccan, who joined West Ham from Rennes in 2022, had no intention of remaining in east London beyond the closure of the window. While Aguerd’s departure was anticipated, the club firmly rejected Everton’s advances for midfielder Soucek. David Moyes, the Everton and former West Ham manager, wanted to be reunited with the Czech Republic international. But West Ham’s stance was simple: Soucek was not for sale.
Edson Alvarez, however, did not feature in Potter’s plans, which led to the midfielder’s loan move to Fenerbahce. Although the deal features the option to buy, West Ham’s hierarchy do not believe the clause will be activated. Andy Irving had interest from Wrexham and Leicester City, but he did not want to drop to the Championship.
Academy graduates Kalean Casey and Lewis Orford joined EFL clubs on season-long loans. Promising midfielder George Earthy opted against a temporary stay to fight for his place in the team. The 20-year-old’s current deal expires at the end of the season.
It was an eventful summer for Potter and one he will hope leads to improved performances in the coming weeks. He was under scrutiny following a disappointing start to the campaign with defeats to Sunderland, Chelsea and Wolves, but victory against Forest was a step in the right direction. Now the team has to show that their new-found fight was not short-lived.
(Top photos: Getty Images; design: Eamonn Dalton)
Sport Witness
Software issue causes West Ham transfer drama – Announcement video deleted
West Ham’s Maxwel Cornet spent the second half of last season on loan at Genoa and the Italian club were trying to sign him again throughout the summer.
The expectation was that Patrick Vieira’s side would make a late move for the winger and that happened, but there were hitches before the transfer went through.
Gazzetta dello Sport report today that negotiations were ‘complicated’ as the West Ham player’s wages were proving to be too high for Genoa.
An agreement between the two clubs was reached at 8pm last night and in Italy, a wait was ongoing for the Hammers to make the Frenchman’s exit official.
After this was done, Genoa posted a video announcing the 28-year-old’s arrival but the post was quickly deleted, causing confusion amongst fans.
Gazzetta note that this was due to a software-related issue on FIFA’s website. As a result, Genoa were not able to upload the details of the move and that is why Lega Serie A’s website also didn’t make the transfer official.
The Italian side posted another announcement later, of popcorn with text saying it had all been sorted out.
Cornet has joined Genoa on a loan deal but they have an option to buy him permanently.