The craziest transfer window in the history of football finally came to an end yesterday. We have witnessed many unexpected and shocking transfers this summer. From Messi and Ramos’s shock exit to Cristiano Ronaldo’s surprise return to Man United, we saw it all. The most notable thing about this transfer window is, some clubs have grabbed absolute superstars as free agents.
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Below are the notable World Class players, transferred as free agents:
Lionel Messi (Barcelona to PSG)
Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid to PSG)
Gini Wijnaldum (Liverpool to PSG)
Sergio Aguero (Manchester City to Barcelona)
Memphis Depay (Lyon to Barcelona)
David Alaba (Bayern Munich to Real Madrid)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (AC Milan to PSG)
With so many high-profile transfers already complete, deadline day drama was yet to unfold.
Deadline Day Drama
Most clubs had already secured their respective targets, well before the deadline day. Even then, there were some clubs who were willing to take the last leap and were not giving up on their targets. Deadline day transfer started with Leeds securing the signature of Daniel James for £25million. Marcelo Bielsa has always admired the pacey young winger.
Tottenham Hotspur secured the signing of Emerson Royal at an undisclosed fee. Eyebrows were raised as Joan Laporta (Barcelona President) had announced that the player had a long future at Camp Nou. Surprising news from Tottenham Hotspur’s camp, Serge Aurier terminated his contract.
Some of the notable transfers on deadline day were:
Rhys Williams – Liverpool to Swansea – loan
Dennis Praet – Leicester to Torino – loan
Marc Cucurella – Getafe to Brighton & Hove Albion – undisclosed
Nikola Vlasic – CSKA Moscow to West Ham – £33.5m
Moise Kean – Everton to Juventus – loan
Alex Kral – Spartak Moscow to West Ham – loan
Takehiro Tomiyasu – Bologna to Arsenal – undisclosed
Niels Nkounkou – Everton to Standard Liege – loan
Eduardo Camavinga – Rennes to Real Madrid – undiscposed
Ilaix Moriba – Barcelona to RB Leipzig – undisclosed
Hector Bellerin – Arsenal to Real Betis – loan
Pablo Sarabia – Paris Saint-Germain to Sporting – loan
Nuno Mendes – Sporting to Paris Saint-Germain – loan
The Last Hour
In the final hours, Chelsea made the last approach to secure Saul Niguez’s signing for a year-long loan. Barcelona approached Atletico Madrid for an Antoine Griezmann-Joao Felix swap. With Atletico declining the swap deal, the Blaugrana’s approached RB Leipzig to secure Dani Olmo. After failing to secure Dani Olmo, Barcelona made a last-ditch to sign Luuk De Jong from Sevilla on loan.
More drama was unfolded as the transfer deadline window was closed and Saul’s papers (Chelsea transfer) were not uploaded in the TMS. This meant if Saul’s transfer was unsuccessful, the other two deals Griezmann to Atletico and De Jong to Barcelona would also fall out.
Was this another failed transfer saga that could make headlines, as it did for David De Gea’s transfer fiasco? NO. La Liga gets a cushion of few extra minutes because of the timezone difference. With Atletico Madrid running against the time, they had to upload the paperwork within the next 20 minutes. Various journalists in a matter of minutes confirmed that Saul Niguez’s transfer to Chelsea was finally successful.
All eyes were now on the Griezmann and De Jong deals. Could Barcelona, Sevilla, and Atletico Madrid upload the papers within the cut-off time? It was a matter of tense moments for the clubs, fans as well as journalists. Paperworks were finally uploaded just on time and all the three deals eventually got off the line. All the three camps definitely would have been relieved after all this drama.
Conclusion
It’s very rare we get to see such drama unfold throughout the transfer window. The 2021 summer transfer deadline day window definitely was a roller coaster ride. Some clubs have been clear winners in this window (PSG, Man United, Chelsea, etc.). A lot will be expected from their respective fans in terms of major silverware. With such high-profile signings and fans’ expectations, it’s now time for them to deliver. The summer transfer window of 2021 has been the greatest transfer window the world has ever witnessed. It is highly unlikely that a window like this will ever be replicated in the near future.
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