Non-Chelsea Transfer Pub

[NikkiCFC 8,287]

 

[Vesper 30,095]

I really have to laugh at Arse (they are quickly making a play to overtake Manure scum as the worst on social media) twats trying to troll Leeds as a tiny rubbish club who are League One-bound (ridiculous) when, in 33 less years of  football (Leeds 101, Arse 134) Leeds have the same number of European trophies as Arse (2 each) and Arse have been to only 2 more euro cup finals than Leeds has (8 vs 6).

Chelsea had more euro trophies than Arse had BEFORE Roman bought us

where were these legions of cunts for the last 10 or so years?

fucking plastic RM-style twats

[Jase 43,479]

United’s hopeless pursuit of Jadon Sancho – the real story

https://theathletic.com/2115449/2020/10/06/manchester-united-jadon-sancho-transfer-window/

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer identified Jadon Sancho as his principal target this summer in what was seen as a vital opportunity for squad enhancement following Champions League qualification.

But after 10 weeks of opportunity for talks, Sancho remains a Borussia Dortmund player and the simple truth is that United never got close.

The Athletic has been told that Solskjaer urged Ed Woodward to keep trying, and financial concerns meant other signings were pushed to the periphery until the final 48 hours of the window.

Donny van de Beek arrived on September 2 but sources say United waited to pull the trigger on other purchases until it became clear Sancho was not arriving.

So for the third window in a row, United were active on deadline day, completing the signings of Edinson Cavani, Alex Telles, Amad Diallo and Facundo Pellistri. In January, it was Odion Ighalo, hot on the heels of Bruno Fernandes. Last summer, the club were trying to sign Mario Mandzukic or Paulo Dybala.

The cause for this year’s unedifying sense of late freneticism appears to centre on the priority given to the Sancho move and, fundamentally, a misunderstanding by United of Dortmund’s intentions.

Essentially, United did not believe Dortmund would stay firm on the price-tag of €120 million or their deadline of August 10, embarking on a long-running game of poker without realising that the Bundesliga club weren’t even at the table. United effectively sat still in the hope Dortmund would blink first and place the call they were ready to do business. Intermediaries attempted to broker a deal but were waiting on United to move, which did not happen.

Some sources felt Woodward was holding until the last moment to place an all-in bet, giving the impression of resistance in the ambition of driving the price down. But instead, United kept their chips and stayed true to their valuation. By never ruling themselves out of the deal though, United’s actions seriously annoyed Dortmund’s executives, who became even more entrenched in their position as the weeks went on.

When Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc stood at the side of their training pitches on August 10, the first day of pre-season, and said the decision on Sancho staying was “final”, one alarmed United director made a call to check whether the statement was genuine. The response was along the lines of, “What did you expect? You knew the terms.”

Hans-Joachim Watzke, Dortmund’s chief executive, is said to have personally phoned United at the start of the summer and explained very clearly how much the deal would cost and when it needed to be done by.

United privately argue that the continued conversations after that point, conducted via intermediaries Emeka Obasi and Marco Lichtsteiner, were evidence of Dortmund remaining open to a sale. But the reason for the involvement of agents is hotly disputed.

United insist Dortmund wanted talks done through Obasi and Lichtsteiner, and some believe this was so Dortmund could stick to their public stance while having a backchannel to a potential resolution. United held lengthy discussions and made known what they were willing to pay, which held a firm limit given the current economic environment.

Sources say Dortmund reject that idea and deny they ever appointed agents. Previous deals with Arsenal and Barcelona for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ousmane Dembele respectively were based on face-to-face meetings with club counterparts.

On this occasion, they believed that they had provided the fee to United and since Woodward failed to match it by August 10, there was no need for further direct discussion.

United felt there was tacit encouragement to keep lines of communication going but the only way they could have got the deal on after that date was with a “crazy” offer along the lines of Neymar’s £200 million transfer to Paris Saint-Germain. Sources told The Athletic that if United had come in with an offer of €140-£150 million then Dortmund might have done business. Conscious of their reputation having set their position out so publicly, Dortmund would have been able to sell that as a turnaround made in extraordinary circumstances.

United argued that the €120 million price tag did not take into account the financial hit caused by the pandemic. Executives genuinely felt it should come down, given the full total of the transfer was potentially enormous. The Athletic has been told initial calculations rose to €250 million including wages and agent fees. United made what has been described as a “calm decision” to refuse that amount and felt vindicated when the government postponed the return of fans to stadiums costing the club another £50 million in lost revenue.

But it is understood that Dortmund originally planned for the €120 million as a “minimum” — and ideally wanted nearer the €147 million fee that Barcelona paid for Dembele — so it was an adjustment to even consider a bid that could reach that figure in installments.

In any case, United never got near to that guaranteed sum. One offer, submitted by chief negotiator Matt Judge through the agents in the final week of September, amounted to £80 million, plus add-ons. Once passed to Watzke, it was immediately rejected as too little too late. There was a sense at the Westfalenstadion that United did not take Dortmund’s demands seriously or were acting without full intentions to actually complete the signing.

All proposals were said to have been relayed to Dortmund via the agents knowing full well they would be turned down.

Sancho himself is believed to have felt undervalued by the offers and even if United had placed the right bid late on, it is understood he would have questioned why it did not come earlier.

Sancho was never going to agitate for a move unless United came close to Dortmund’s demands. Illness kept him out of the squad for Saturday’s 4-0 win over Freiburg but Sancho then attended a house party in London with Tammy Abraham and Ben Chilwell, in breach of lockdown rules, and will join up late with England as a result. He has since apologised.

The forward was prepared to join United but not “desperate” to move this summer. He was relaxed either way. That was the sense drawn by England team-mates at the September camp.

That being said, others close to United were under the impression he “would walk to Old Trafford”. Sancho texted Marcus Rashford about United, and the pair were said to be excited at the prospect of linking up. Sancho has many friends in Manchester from his time at Manchester City.

Other United players were in touch too and so was Solskjaer, who as long ago as January wanted to ascertain Sancho’s willingness to join and to get a personal sense of his character. Having privately acknowledged the possibility of a sale, Dortmund were aware of the conversations, which are standard for most transfers.

There had actually been dialogue with Sancho’s representatives dating back to when he left Manchester City for Dortmund in 2017, but talks commenced in earnest this year once United had secured Champions League football on July 26.

United’s exit from the Europa League was disappointing, but some close to the club felt it would at least reinforce the impetus for signings — a reminder to the Glazer family that funding was required to take the next step. “But extending the window to October 5 is probably the worst thing for Solskjaer,” said a source. “I can see United taking talks to the wire again.”

There were some raised eyebrows at United over reports of Sancho’s lateness to training and fines for breaching lockdown regulations in Germany. But United viewed the indiscretions as attributable to a desire to move on from Dortmund. “We’ll make Carrington a place where he wants to come to work every day,” one member of staff told a colleague.

Solskjaer had determined Sancho would be his main target, with one source saying in April: “We are ready to go, we know who we want, the people at the top are now certain.”

But that conviction was not found in the pursuit, with Dortmund soon frustrated at United’s reluctance to commit to a fee or structure. There were allegations of “freestyling”, a refusal to provide a top line, and when pushed for answers, Judge suggested the issue lay with “the owners”. Agents proposing other players were told of a £50 million net spend budget. Executives feel they have a responsibility to protect the long-term strength of the club by not over-paying.

The Athletic has previously reported how Joel Glazer, in daily contact with Woodward, is involved in all major signings and paid particularly close attention to the Sancho deal. There were accusations of a split in opinion between the pair over the price to be sanctioned, with Woodward advocating a higher fee, but United insist board members were united on their view that €120 million was too much in the post-COVID-19 climate. Recruitment staff were told about a significant budget being allocated to Sancho but later the internal line back from Woodward was that the deal was “too much money”.

Privately United suggested the €120 million figure could be reached including some unrealistic bonuses, which may have allowed Dortmund to save face with a headline figure. Dortmund were resolute in their stance though and believed a higher price could be achieved next summer. The cause for their confidence was revealed when Zorc announced a previously unknown extension to Sancho’s contract, meaning it did not run out until 2023.

United insist they knew all those details and were for a long time frustrated by what they perceived to be the slow process of dealing with Dortmund through Obasi, Sancho’s agent, and Lichtsteiner, the brother of former Arsenal player Stephan. The two intermediaries are described as “very close”. Lichtsteiner previously assisted on the departures of Aubameyang and Dembele to Arsenal and Barcelona respectively, and has vast experience of difficult transfers. He is said to be well-regarded and very discreet with information.

United have in the past worked on deals through agents, and last summer placed an offer for the Newcastle United midfielder Sean Longstaff in this manner. Sources at Newcastle suspected this was so United had deniability if unsuccessful.

On other occasions, the technique has worked well. Woodward conducted the purchase of Juan Mata from Chelsea without one word to his counterparts at Stamford Bridge to block any chance of Wayne Rooney being brought into the conversation. Chelsea wanted to buy Rooney that window.

Before any fee could be finalised this time, there were difficulties over wages and agent fees.

It has been suggested to The Athletic that the opening contract offer to Sancho was actually slightly lower than his Dortmund salary. As is customary in Germany, Sancho’s contract was heavily incentivised and contained bonus payments for each point Dortmund achieved.

Conscious of maintaining a certain wage structure, United’s initial proposal was less than Sancho’s total pay packet at Dortmund. Van de Beek joined on £110,000 a week, for instance, and his representatives were told that was in line with a refined structure given Fernandes signed for £150,000 a week.

A second offer to Sancho, in early August, is said to have achieved parity with his Dortmund deal, with the potential for a fractional increase based on performance. This was not accepted. Sancho’s representatives, who carefully organised a move away from City in 2017, were clear in their view of Sancho’s worth and expected to be recompensed as such.

Though not asking for money equitable to David De Gea, who signed a deal worth more than £375,000 a week within the final 12 months of becoming a free agent, the terms desired were thought to be in the region of Paul Pogba’s £250,000 a week.

There were reports that wages had been sorted in the first week of August but this was not the case. United believed leaks to that end emanating from Germany were an attempt to “put pressure” on the process.

Still, there was positivity about a solution. Sources say the Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was keeping himself abreast of Sancho’s situation and around this stage told friends he believed the player would end up at Old Trafford.

There was eventually a breakthrough on Sancho’s salary in the second week of September.

Running parallel were negotiations over agent fees. Some have suggested an initial proposal for a payment to the agents put United on the back foot. After negotiations, a lower sum was agreed. But that still left the transfer fee and, as the gap remained, other options were considered. A prospective loan deal for Gareth Bale was set up but the Wales international declined to wait as a reserve for Sancho. He had the emotional pull of Tottenham Hotspur in any case.

Watford’s Ismaila Sarr, previously not regarded as a genuine option, came into the reckoning in the final fortnight of the window when United explored a loan move. With Watford in the Championship, Sarr has until the domestic deadline of October 16 to join a Premier League club.

Talks also commenced over Dembele. An original inquiry for the Barcelona forward was made in July but at that stage, Dembele was not interested. Sources say Liverpool also made a check back then.

But while Liverpool instead signed Diogo Jota on September 19, it was United returning in the dying embers of the market to investigate whether Dembele might join on loan. It was a late move. A source close to the Barcelona dressing room said at the time: “He intended to stay at Barcelona. In pre-season, his attitude was really different and the players were super happy to see how he was training and how involved in the routine. Therefore, everything has to have changed a lot for him to have decided to go to United.”

In the end, United only wanted a loan. Barcelona demanded a sale, so the situation looked unlikely to develop until a late change of stance by the La Liga club on Monday evening. Barcelona indicated they would agree to a loan but only if Dembele extended his contract at the Nou Camp, and the deal was off.

Industry insiders reported numerous other inquiries and proposals put to the club by representatives, such as Real Madrid’s Luka Jovic, Inter Milan’s Ivan Perisic and Juventus’ Douglas Costa. There was exasperation among some at Carrington that United were leaving business so late again and having to work down their list to second and third options. “Looks like a panic buy,” was the assessment by one source close to the dressing room of the Cavani signing.

United did ask Bayer Leverkusen for Kai Havertz in January but were put off by the €100 million fee and never made a follow-up call this summer, clearing the path to Chelsea.

Meanwhile, the Sancho failure represents the third time Dortmund have got their way over United this year, after the signings of Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham — two episodes that have caused lingering frustration.

Some agents who have worked with United on other deals believe the club should have halted talks on Sancho much earlier if €120 million was seen as too much and pursued alternatives. There are accusations the delay speaks to a fundamental issue in recruitment, which sources call a paralysis of decision-making. But given how much Solskjaer wanted Sancho, United wanted to try for their No 1 target for as long as possible.

United accept they have missed out on a top player but insist they have not over-extended their finances. The signings of Diallo and Pellistri, both 18-year-old wingers, are regarded as viable options for the first-team once bedded into England through the under-21s side. Diallo’s cost of €21 million plus €20 million is not insignificant, however, inevitably inviting questions about why United refused the extra money for Sancho. Diallo has been scouted since 2016 and is considered one of the most exciting prospects in Italy. There are echoes when Anthony Martial signed for big expense and little experience and became Joel Glazer’s favourite player.

Sancho will stay in the crosshairs, for the next time trading opens. It’s understood he long since shifted his focus to a future transfer rather than moving in the current window. But it is anticipated more clubs will be in the reckoning for his signature by then.

[Strike 7,474]

44 minutes ago, Jason said:

United’s hopeless pursuit of Jadon Sancho – the real story

https://theathletic.com/2115449/2020/10/06/manchester-united-jadon-sancho-transfer-window/

 

The Athletic carry good info in their stories. Seems like Liverpool wanted to be in the loop, read that one other Spanish club also made an enquiry. I wonder if Chelsea are keeping tabs for a possible future bid

[Tomo 21,751]

9 hours ago, OneMoSalah said:

I know its a YouTube video of highlights but I do remember watching the game and thought he was very good. 

Fair enough, either way will be interesting to see how he does outside of Simeone's system, i remember Rodri was deemed the second coming of Jesus and look at him now (although as i said yesterday Partey does have an advantage Rodri didn't in terms of going to a club who play a similar style of football).

[OneMoSalah 8,883]

1 hour ago, Tomo said:

Fair enough, either way will be interesting to see how he does outside of Simeone's system, i remember Rodri was deemed the second coming of Jesus and look at him now (although as i said yesterday Partey does have an advantage Rodri didn't in terms of going to a club who play a similar style of football).

Fair.

I think Rodri is a decent player anyway but the comparisons to Busquets when he played in Spain were a bit far fetched for me. Busquet’s positioning and quality on the ball is much better and was much more key to that system Pep used at Barca than what Rodri is to City now. Rodri maybe a bit more of a physical player who will win more duels compared to Busquets and as you’ve said going from Atletico to City was always going to be a change for him. If Fernandinho was younger there wouldn’t be a starting place for him in Pep’s team in my opinion. Plus he played in 442 teams predominantly with Villarreal and Atletico than 433. 

For 45m I dont think theres many players as good as Thomas that were available in that sort of position though and felt we maybe missed a trick not considering him as opposed to Declan Rice. I suppose come January or next summer we will be back for him again as it seems to be Frank really wants him and nobody else. 

[communicate 2,703]

17 hours ago, BluesMadLad said:

After yesterday they need an entire new back line, a LB won't help them at all. They need two centre half's above everything eles 

Not sure that was their problem. 

[Blues Forever 1,232]

Looks like Bayern found their new Thiago.

[MoroccanBlue 5,375]

Ole and United will undoubtedly resort back to the shitehousery that worked last season. 

[ZAPHOD2319 4,801]

Pretty telling. He is ever the United will do great things.

 

[Atomiswave 6,117]

38 minutes ago, ZAPHOD2319 said:

Pretty telling. He is ever the United will do great things.

 

They spent 200M last season, spent what 70M this window? Still a big amount.

[ZAPHOD2319 4,801]

5 minutes ago, Atomiswave said:

They spent 200M last season, spent what 70M this window? Still a big amount.

I have a friend that has been a life long ManU fan. He feels they did not address the lack of depth that had Ole not changing the starting 11 and not bringing on subs when needed in games. He thinks in this congested format, the players will get beat down, VdB and Telles will help, but the squad overall will be get run into the ground. It doesnt help that McGuire is becoming a head case with the pressure on the pitch and his personal problems.

[NikkiCFC 8,287]

25 minutes ago, Atomiswave said:

They spent 200M last season, spent what 70M this window? Still a big amount.

From the beginning of 2019 summer transfer window UTD have spent around 5m more than us not to mention that we got much more in sales.

And City even more. 

Spurs, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Wolves are also not far behind.

[Atomiswave 6,117]

2 hours ago, ZAPHOD2319 said:

I have a friend that has been a life long ManU fan. He feels they did not address the lack of depth that had Ole not changing the starting 11 and not bringing on subs when needed in games. He thinks in this congested format, the players will get beat down, VdB and Telles will help, but the squad overall will be get run into the ground. It doesnt help that McGuire is becoming a head case with the pressure on the pitch and his personal problems.

We will see mate, they have a good enough squad now imo. It wont fight for the title but good enough. Heres hoping they keep Ole at the wheel.

2 hours ago, NikkiCFC said:

From the beginning of 2019 summer transfer window UTD have spent around 5m more than us not to mention that we got much more in sales.

And City even more. 

Spurs, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Wolves are also not far behind.

Yeah such facts dont get mentioned often do they....thanks.

[Vesper 30,095]

Transfer window verdict: how every Premier League club fared

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/oct/06/transfer-window-verdict-how-every-premier-league-club-fared

Who got what they wanted and who finished frustrated? Our guide to every top-flight team’s dealings

 

Arsenal

Arsenal know how to leave it late but in adding Thomas Partey to Willian and Gabriel Magalhães they completed a window that will rightly delight Mikel Arteta. The unwanted Matteo Guendouzi and Lucas Torreira have been shifted, on loan at least, although their embarrassment of centre-backs remains far from ideal. Signing Houssem Aouar as well would have put them in dreamland but that may be revisited next year. Nick Ames

Key ins Willian (Chelsea, free), Pablo Marí (Flamengo, £14m), Cédric Soares (Southampton, free), Gabriel Magalhães (Lille, £27m), Dani Ceballos (Real Madrid, loan extended), Rúnar Alex Rúnarsson (Dijon, £1.8m), Thomas Partey (Atlético Madrid, £45m)

Key outs Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Roma, free), Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa, £20m), Matteo Guendouzi (Hertha Berlin, loan), Lucas Torreira (Atlético Madrid, loan)

Aston Villa

Dean Smith has built on the solid defensive foundations he laid towards the end of last season, adding an excellent goalkeeper and exciting attackers, as Liverpool found out on Sunday. If the newcomers sustain their high performances and the team are spared the kind of injuries that sabotaged them last season, Villa could be heading for a top-half finish. Paul Doyle

Key ins Matty Cash (Nottingham Forest, £16m), Ollie Watkins (Brentford, £28m), Emiliano Martínez (Arsenal, £20m), Bertrand Traoré (Lyon, £17m), Ross Barkley (Chelsea, loan)

Key outs James Chester (Stoke, free), Borja Bastón (Leganés, free), Scott Hogan (Birmingham, £3m), Mbwana Samatta (Fenerbahce, loan)

Brighton

Aside from late moves for the young Polish duo Jakub Moder and Michal Karbownik, who have been loaned back to their clubs, it was a quiet end to the window for Graham Potter’s side. Brighton bought the Swiss striker Andi Zeqiri last week but perhaps their best business was to persuade the defender Ben White to sign a new contract. Ed Aarons

Key ins Adam Lallana (Liverpool, free), Joel Veltman (Ajax, £900,000), Lars Dendoncker (Brugge, undisclosed), Jan Paul van Hecke (NAC Breda, £1.8m), Andi Zeqiri (Lausanne, £4m), Jakub Moder (Lech Poznan, undisclosed), Michal Karbownik (Legia Warsaw, undisclosed)

Key outs Anthony Knockaert (Fulham, £15m), Leon Balogun (Rangers, free), Martín Montoya (Real Betis, £1.8m), Aaron Mooy (Shanghai SIPG, £4m), Glenn Murray (Watford, loan), Shane Duffy (Celtic, loan), Dale Stephens (Burnley, £1m), Jan Paul van Hecke (Heerenveen, loan), Jakub Moder (Lech Poznan, loan), Michal Karbownik (Legia Warsaw, loan)

Burnley

Keeping James Tarkowski amid firm interest from West Ham and Leicester was Burnley’s best move of an otherwise flat and troubling window. Sean Dyche admitted his squad were a few players short regardless of current injury problems, which have contributed to a winless start to the Premier League season, but there would be no late reinforcements. Andy Hunter

Key ins Will Norris (Wolves, undisclosed), Dale Stephens (Brighton, £1m)

Key outs Aaron Lennon (released), Joe Hart (Tottenham, free), Jeff Hendrick (Newcastle, free), Ben Gibson (Norwich, loan)

Chelsea

Frank Lampard received huge backing. Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner have strengthened the attack and Édouard Mendy, Ben Chilwell and Thiago Silva are capable of improving Chelsea’s defensive record. A worry, though, is that Chelsea’s squad looks a little bloated after Marcos Alonso, Emerson Palmieri and Antonio Rüdiger were unable to secure moves. Jacob Steinberg

Key ins Hakim Ziyech (Ajax, £33.6m), Timo Werner (RB Leipzig, £47.5m), Ben Chilwell (Leicester, £50m), Malang Sarr (Nice, free), Thiago Silva (Paris Saint-Germain, free), Kai Havertz (Bayer Leverkusen, £72m), Édouard Mendy (Rennes, £22m)

Key outs Mario Pasalic (Atalanta, £13.5m), Álvaro Morata (Atlético Madrid, £59.2m), Willian (Arsenal, free), Pedro (Roma, free), Ethan Ampadu (Sheffield United, loan), Michy Batshuayi (Crystal Palace, loan), Conor Gallagher (West Brom, loan), Davide Zappacosta (Genoa, loan), Ross Barkley (Aston Villa, loan), Tiemoué Bakayoko (Napoli, loan), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Fulham, loan)

Crystal Palace

The lack of late activity surrounding Wilfried Zaha ensured Palace kept their powder dry on deadline day despite monitoring Celtic’s Odsonne Édouard and Saïd Benrahma of Brentford. Late interest in Zaha from Atlético Madrid or Everton failed to materialise, with the Ivorian to remain at Selhurst Park for at least another three months. EA

Key ins Nathan Ferguson (West Brom, free), Eberechi Eze (QPR, £16m), Michy Batshuayi (Chelsea, loan)

Key outs Alexander Sørloth (RB Leipzig, £20m)

Everton

The Premier League table provides an early but accurate gauge of Everton’s business, with the pulling power and heightened ambition of Carlo Ancelotti delivering the most fruitful window of the Farhad Moshiri era. Midfield, so bereft last season, was rebuilt, central defence was reinforced and a goalkeeper eventually arrived following an arduous search. AH

Key ins Niels Nkounkou (Marseille, £240,000), Allan (Napoli, £22.5m), James Rodríguez (Real Madrid, £20m), Abdoulaye Doucouré (Watford, £20m), Ben Godfrey (Norwich, £20m), Robin Olsen (Roma, loan)

Key outs Maarten Stekelenburg (Ajax, free), Morgan Schneiderlin (Nice, £2m), Oumar Niasse (released), Moise Kean (PSG, loan), Theo Walcott (Southampton, loan)

Fulham

Tony Khan made good on the promise he made after Fulham’s humbling by Aston Villa last week. Scott Parker wanted centre-backs and Fulham’s head of recruitment delivered on deadline day, landing Lyon’s Joachim Andersen and Manchester City’s Tosin Adarabioyo. The club also added a touch of class in midfield, loaning Ruben Loftus-Cheek from Chelsea. JS

Key ins Anthony Knockaert (Brighton, £15m), Antonee Robinson (Wigan, £1.9m), Mario Lemina (Southampton, loan), Harrison Reed (Southampton, £6m), Alphonse Areola (PSG, loan), Kenny Tete (Lyon, £3m), Ola Aina (Torino, loan), Ademola Lookman (RB Leipzig, loan), Joachim Andersen (Lyon, loan), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Chelsea, loan), Tosin Adarabioyo (Manchester City, £1.5m)

Key outs Alfie Mawson (Bristol City, loan), Steven Sessegnon (Bristol City, loan), Marcus Bettinelli (Middlesbrough, loan), Cyrus Christie (Nottingham Forest, loan)

Leeds United

Marcelo Bielsa is a famously discerning shopper and he has added quality while increasing competition for places. While Rodrigo adds to the attacking options and the left-footed Raphinha can operate on either wing, Robin Koch and Diego Llorente have reinforced central defence. Ideally Bielsa wanted a midfielder capable of introducing another tactical dimension and he may yet arrive from the Championship – Norwich’s Todd Cantwell anyone? Louise Taylor

Key ins Hélder Costa (Wolves, £16m), Illan Meslier (Lorient, £5m), Jack Harrison (Manchester City, loan extended), Rodrigo (Valencia, £30m), Robin Koch (Freiburg, £12.9m), Diego Llorente (Real Sociedad, £23m), Raphinha (Rennes, £17m)

Key outs None

Leicester

Brendan Rodgers wanted five players; he got three. Timothy Castagne has already shown his worth as a wing-back, making the sale of Ben Chilwell look like good business. Wesley Fofana boosts options in central defence and the winger Cengiz Under may prove more effective than Ayoze Pérez and Demarai Gray have been. A central midfielder would also have been welcome. PD

Key ins Timothy Castagne (Atalanta, £21.5m), Cengiz Under (Roma, loan), Wesley Fofana (Saint-Étienne, £36.5m)

Key outs Ben Chilwell (Chelsea, £50m), Fousseni Diabaté (Trabzonspor, £2.7m), Adrien Silva (Sampdoria, free), Rachid Ghezzal (Besiktas, loan)

Liverpool

Jürgen Klopp cautioned it would be hard to improve the Premier League champions in normal circumstances, harder still with a pandemic impacting on finances, but Liverpool succeeded in the end with Thiago Alcântara embellishing midfield and the surprise signing of Diogo Jota strengthening their attacking options. Not adding central defensive cover looks risky, however. AH

Key ins Kostas Tsimikas (Olympiakos, £11.8m), Thiago Alcântara (Bayern Munich, £27m), Diogo Jota (Wolves, £41m)

Key outs Dejan Lovren (Zenit, £10.9m), Nathaniel Clyne (released), Adam Lallana (Brighton, free), Ki-Jana Hoever (Wolves, £9m), Loris Karius (Union Berlin, loan), Rhian Brewster (Sheffield United, £23.5m)

Manchester City

Pep Guardiola’s signature signing is the £64.3m centre-back Rúben Dias and with fellow central defender Nathan Aké’s arrival for £41m the manager will hope he has finally addressed a defence that has been vulnerable. The winger Ferran Torres was acquired, too, for £21m but Guardiola was unable to add the left-back he believes is needed. Still, the total spend is more than £125m which should be sufficient, really, for City to seriously compete. Jamie Jackson

Key ins Ferran Torres (Valencia, £21m), Nathan Aké (Bournemouth, £41m), Scott Carson (Derby, loan extended), Rúben Dias (Benfica, £64.3m)

Key outs Leroy Sané (Bayern Munich, £40.9m), Jack Harrison (Leeds, loan extended), Claudio Bravo (Real Betis, free), Angeliño (RB Leipzig, loan extended), Nicolás Otamendi (Benfica, £13.6m), Tosin Adarabioyo (Fulham, £1.5m)

Manchester United

Ole Gunnar Solskjær landed three major signings: midfielder Donny van de Beek and left-back Alex Telles for about a total £50m, plus Edinson Cavani on a free. Of these only Telles may be a first choice and there is anticlimax after a window-long pursuit for Jadon Sancho came to nothing, with no right winger acquired. Is the manager’s strongest XI stronger? Maybe but by how much is yet to be shown. JJ

Key ins Odion Ighalo (Shanghai Shenhua, loan extended), Donny van de Beek (Ajax, £34.7m), Alex Telles (Porto, £13.6m), Amad Diallo Traoré (Atalanta, £18.2m), Edinson Cavani (PSG, free), Facundo Pellistri (Atlético Peñarol, £10m)

Key outs Alexis Sánchez (Inter, free), Angel Gomes (Lille, free), Tahith Chong (Werder Bremen, loan), Andreas Pereira (Lazio, loan), Diogo Dalot (Milan, loan), Chris Smalling (Roma, £13.5m)

Newcastle United

For once, Newcastle did their shopping early. Callum Wilson has already started scoring the goals the team lacked last season, Ryan Fraser is a talented winger, Jamal Lewis a promising left-back and Jeff Hendrick a useful midfielder. There are, however, concerns that Steve Bruce could have done with another striker and central defender. LT

Key ins Jeff Hendrick (Burnley, free), Callum Wilson (Bournemouth, £20m), Ryan Fraser (Bournemouth, free), Jamal Lewis (Norwich, £15m)

Key outs Jack Colback (Nottingham Forest, free), Florian Lejeune (Alavés, loan), Yoshinori Muto (Eibar, loan)

Sheffield United

The Blades are stronger than they were, even if results have not yet shown that, but much will depend on Rhian Brewster, the 20-year-old brought in for a record fee to add sharpness to their attack. The goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale should mean Dean Henderson is not missed too badly, while Ethan Ampadu, Jayden Bogle and Max Lowe provide much-needed defensive cover. PD

Key ins Wes Foderingham (Rangers, free), Aaron Ramsdale (Bournemouth, £18.5m), Jayden Bogle (Derby, £7m), Max Lowe (Derby, £4m), Ethan Ampadu (Chelsea, loan), Oliver Burke (West Brom, swap), Rhian Brewster (Liverpool, £23.5m)

Key outs Dean Henderson (Manchester United, loan ended), Callum Robinson (West Brom, swap), Ravel Morrison (Den Haag, free)

Southampton

Much of the focus inevitably surrounded Theo Walcott’s loan return but perhaps the best work was the clutch of deadline-day outgoings, with high earners Guido Carrillo, Sofiane Boufal and Wesley Hoedt following Mario Lemina out. Ralph Hasenhüttl would have liked cover at full-back – they inquired about Brandon Williams – but the permanent arrival of Kyle Walker-Peters looks shrewd and there is hope Ibrahima Diallo will beef up midfield. Ben Fisher

Key ins Kyle Walker-Peters (Tottenham, £12m), Mohamed Salisu (Real Valladolid, £10.9m), Ibrahima Diallo (Brest, £12m), Theo Walcott (Everton, loan)

Key outs Mohamed Elyounoussi (Celtic, loan extended), Pierre-Emile Højbjerg (Tottenham, £15m), Cédric Soares (Arsenal, free), Mario Lemina (Fulham, loan), Harrison Reed (Fulham, £6m), Maya Yoshida (Sampdoria, free), Wesley Hoedt (Lazio, loan), Guido Carrillo (Elche, free), Sofiane Boufal (Angers, free)

Tottenham Hotspur

José Mourinho has the knack of teasing funds out of chairmen and he has excelled himself this summer, getting new full-backs, the defensive midfielder he so badly wanted, a back-up striker and, drum roll, Gareth Bale. The bonus centre-half had not arrived by Monday night’s deadline but this has been a refit to get the fans excited. David Hytner

Key ins Pierre-Emile Højbjerg (Southampton, £15m), Joe Hart (Burnley, free), Matt Doherty (Wolves, £14.7m), Sergio Reguilón (Real Madrid, £27.5m), Gareth Bale (Real Madrid, loan), Carlos Vinícius (Benfica, loan)

Key outs Victor Wanyama (Montreal Impact, free), Michel Vorm (released), Troy Parrott (Millwall, loan), Kyle Walker-Peters (Southampton, £12m), Jan Vertonghen (Benfica, free), Juan Foyth (Villarreal, loan), Ryan Sessegnon (Hoffenheim, loan)

West Bromwich Albion

Slaven Bilic acknowledged his squad required an injection of quality but the prolonged chase for a bona fide striker will run into next week. A modest budget by Premier League standards makes a deal for Huddersfield’s Karlan Grant, thought to be Albion’s top target, tricky but out-of-favour forwards Charlie Austin and Kenneth Zohore could depart. Matheus Pereira, Grady Diangana and Filip Krovinovic, all influential in winning promotion, returned but Albion remain light at both ends. BF

Key ins Matheus Pereira (Sporting, £9m), Cédric Kipré (Wigan, £1m), Grady Diangana (West Ham, £18m), David Button (Brighton, £1m), Callum Robinson (Sheffield United, swap), Branislav Ivanovic (Zenit, free), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea, loan), Filip Krovinovic (Benfica, loan)

Key outs Nathan Ferguson (Crystal Palace, free), Chris Brunt (Bristol City, free), Oliver Burke (Sheffield United, swap)

West Ham United

West Ham promised that the £18m received for Grady Diangana from West Brom would allow David Moyes to sign some defenders. So far they have brought in only Vladimir Coufal, a right-back, for £5.4m. They failed with bids for several centre-backs – but they do have until 16 October to sign one from the Championship. JS

Key ins Tomas Soucek (Slavia Prague, £19.1m), Vladimir Coufal (Slavia Prague, £5m)

Key outs Carlos Sánchez (released), Pablo Zabaleta (released), Albian Ajeti (Celtic, £4.5m), Jeremy Ngakia (Watford, free), Jordan Hugill (Norwich, £5m), Roberto (Real Valladolid, free), Grady Diangana (West Brom, £18m), Jack Wilshere (released), Josh Cullen (Anderlecht, £800,000)

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Nuno Espírito Santo said he wanted this to be a season of change, with Wolves evolving into a team that dominate matches. They have sold two important players – Matt Doherty and Diogo Jota – and have lost Jonny Castro to injury but they kept Raúl Jiménez and Adama Traoré and have brought in several players with big potential, notably Fabio Silva and Vitinha. PD

Key ins Fabio Silva (Porto, £35m), Marcal (Lyon, £1.8m), Vitinha (Porto, loan), Ki-Jana Hoever (Liverpool, £9m), Nelson Semedo (Barcelona, £27.6m), Rayan Aït Nouri (Angers, loan)

Key outs Hélder Costa (Leeds, £16m), Matt Doherty (Tottenham, £14.7m), Diogo Jota (Liverpool, £41m), Rúben Vinagre (Olympiakos, loan)