Transfer Deadline Day: Locked Out/Locked In
Locked out with no takers
This transfer window has seen some monumental transfers, with some clubs shelling out hundreds of millions of dollars to fill particular positions in their squads (Man City, we’re not pointing at you). But while some kids barely old enough to drive legally have drawn enough transfer fees to plug whole nations’ budget deficits, some of yesterday’s star players find themselves locked out of heaven.
Jadon Sancho, Paul Pogba, Karim Benzema, Raheem Sterling, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Wilfred Zaha, Jordan Ayew, Anthony Martial, Yves Bissouma, Anderson Talisca, Tyrell Malacia, Mauro Icardi, Georginio Wijnaldum and Riyad Mahrez are some of the more illustrious names that find themselves in football’s no man’s land as the summer window slams shut.
You can’t help but feel for a guy like Malacia who should be hitting his full stride at the age of 27. He was supposed to take the mantle from Luke Shaw as Man United’s go-to left-back with Shaw performing like all of his 31 years of late. But that 2023 knee surgery seems to have permanently changed Malacia’s fortunes for the worse. Now no one wants to take a chance on the Dutchman. The same monster seems to have attacked David Alaba, who’s also treading the murky waters of free agency following the end of his five-year Real Madrid career.
For others, free agency should be a hint that the time to hang ‘em up is nigh. At 35, Mahrez’s once-nimble feet won’t be able to keep up with the wing play he conceives in his mind. You can also understand club executives who hesitate to offer Pogba a contract after the failed AS Monaco experiment- despite his strong marketing potential.
Benzema has won everything there is to win at club level at the highest level, many times over. At 38 years of age with nothing left to prove, he must be treating his contract-less state as a prolonged holiday (and a time to further a modeling side-hustle, going by his Instagram posts). Meanwhile, 40 year-old Sergio Ramos has been beating his body up like he has a date in the ring with Anthony Joshua. If I had a club and a couple million dollars to spare, I’d fish him out of free agency, if only to keep my dressing room in check.
Mykhailo Mudryk needs to profusely thank whatever god he prays to that he didn’t make this rejects list. Spurs have offered him a lifeline with a loan move following his return from suspension. But it speaks volumes that Roberto De Zerbi was more willing to take a chance on a winger who hasn’t kicked a competitive ball in nearly two years than on Sancho.
Locked in: Wantaways and more
While some have had the misfortune of being shut out of clubs, others have been shut in against their wishes. A very prominent poster child of this unfortunate situation has been a certain Atlético Madrid forward.
Julián Álvarez tried to pull an Alexander Isak, but without success. Images of the dog-eyed Argentine in Atléti’s traditional red-and-white stripes (that seem more like a prison jumpsuit on him) have been doing the rounds on social media. He has had to shrink back and swallow humble pie after being informed that he was going nowhere until his contract expires in 2030. Attempts by Barcelona and Arsenal to pry him out of Diego Simeone’s grasp have proved futile. The 26 year-old will have to suck it up at least until January when the plan Mikel Arteta is said to be hatching materializes.
Word on the street is Federico Chiesa has been left out of Liverpool’s Champions League squad. The recent arrival of Bradley Barcola at Anfield is yet another sign that Andoni Iraola doesn’t have a place for the Italian in his Liverpool vision. The truth is that he has never touched the heights he enjoyed at Fiorentina or Juventus in the English Premier League. Should he have also tried an Isak and pushed for a move away? I doubt anyone would have stood in his way.
Richarlison has been left out of Tottenham Hotspur’s Premier League squad and told there’s no room for him on the De Zerbi express. If the rumored interest from Turkish clubs proves to be hot air, the Brazilian may be stuck training with the reserve team until 2027. You wouldn’t blame the gaffer for freezing Richarlison out with Savinho, Omar Marmoush, and the aforementioned Mudryk at his disposal. The Spurs number 9 has also not endeared himself to his coach with his repeated requests to exit.
