With the summer window now shut, this year’s transfer business is finally in the books. A number of clubs pushed deals through right down to the wire — here’s a look at the deadline-day signings worth paying attention to.
Manchester City: Enzo completes the midfield puzzle, but does Ndiaye disrupt the chemistry?
The biggest transfer of the window was one that had been brewing for a while — Enzo Fernández joining Manchester City. Most people saw this coming; it was really just a question of timing and fee. With Rodri and Bernardo Silva both gone, City’s midfield needed rebuilding, and Enzo had already worked well with new manager Maresca at Chelsea, so the rumours had been circulating for a while before they finally came true. We’ve already covered what Enzo’s arrival means for City in previous pieces, so I won’t repeat that here.
What’s worth discussing instead is City’s other deadline-day move — hijacking Ndiaye away from Tottenham at the last moment, a winger with genuinely excellent dribbling ability. With first-choice winger Doku still out injured, Maresca hasn’t had many options out wide, currently relying mainly on Semenyo and Foden. Both offer solid crossing and creative output, but neither operates at the same explosive-dribbler level as Doku or Ndiaye, so bringing in Ndiaye genuinely gives Maresca a more varied set of tactical options. Whether a squad change this significant disrupts the good chemistry City showed in matchweek two, though, is something worth watching going forward.
Liverpool’s biggest signing: Barcola fills the wide gap Salah left behind
The other major move was Barcola’s transfer to Liverpool. Barcola had been used mainly off the bench at PSG, and unhappy with that role, he’d already made it known he wouldn’t be renewing his contract — so this move was expected. On top of that, Liverpool have only managed two draws through their first two matches, a genuinely poor return, and with Salah gone they badly needed a wide focal point, so both sides had every reason to make it happen. Barcola may have only been a substitute at PSG, but his quality is clearly not in question — he has excellent dribbling and finishing on the flank, plus elite passing output, having come close to a 20-goal, 20-assist season at PSG in one campaign. That’s a genuinely destructive attacking talent out wide. He may have been overshadowed by Doue last season, but a handful of key appearances plus his World Cup form make clear his ability is still there.
Alongside Isak in Liverpool’s squad, he should form a genuinely dangerous strike partnership that will cause plenty of problems for the rest of the league. His versatility up front, ability to operate on either flank, and aggressive pressing instincts also fit new manager Iraola’s footballing philosophy very well. Barring anything unexpected, he should be a fixture for the Reds for years to come, and could be exactly the shot in the arm a team that’s struggled through its first two matches needs to turn things around.
Tottenham: Mudryk returns, Adarabioyo strengthens the back line, but the real problem is elsewhere
Another notable move was Mudryk joining Tottenham — a Ukrainian forward once rated by Spurs’ current manager as having Ballon d’Or potential, now reunited with him after his doping-related ban came to an end. Can he rediscover his form? Given how long he’s been out of competitive, high-intensity football, he’ll likely need some time to find his sharpness again, so it seems unlikely he single-handedly solves Tottenham’s current scoring drought in the short term.
Speaking of Tottenham, beyond their struggles in front of goal, they’ve also conceded five in their first two matches, and addressed that late in the window by signing Adarabioyo from Chelsea. A centre-back with excellent height and physicality, he should help Tottenham’s issues in the air and in duels to some degree. But right now, Tottenham’s bigger problem looks less like aerial ability or physical duels and more like a back line with zero cohesion, constantly leaving men unmarked — and how much Adarabioyo can actually fix that, I’m genuinely skeptical about.