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Hello! The Premier League’s transfer window is closing. Don’t get caught short.
On the way:
🆕 Ivan Toney heads for Saudi
👀 BIG Champions League ties
💰 Brighton’s £200m window
🤕 Injury blow for Man Utd’s Mount
Deadline Deals: Toney set for Saudi – but what about other big names?
Transfer deadline day. It’s the only show in town, so let’s not mess about. Coming at you as we enter the final hours of incoming business for Premier League clubs: the latest on what’s hot, what’s not and what’s hanging in the balance.
Every window ends with a discussion about winners and losers, and it struck me that tonight’s 11pm (6pm ET) cut-off was destined to leave a certain big name high and dry — or so it seemed.
Ivan Toney was once touted as the No 9 who could fire Arsenal across the Rubicon but for the past two weeks, he’s been in a hole. Arsenal didn’t push to meet Brentford’s valuation of him. Saudi side Al Ahli fell short with a first bid. Since then, Toney has been excluded from Brentford’s matchday squads, which is not ideal.
But this morning, Al Ahli tried again and struck gold. Brentford have accepted their improved offer of £33.6m ($44.3m). Personal terms with Toney are sorted and he’ll fly out for a medical ASAP. For him, it’s adios to the Premier League.
No writer at The Athletic is closer to Brentford than Jay Harris so I asked him what’s been going on. “Brentford didn’t want to sell Toney cheaply,” Jay told me. “They’ve been acutely aware of the message it would send out if they did.”
But Toney had less than a year left on his contract, and Brentford didn’t want to lose him on a free either. Jay made a great point: the Saudi Pro League window is open for another four days, meaning Al Ahli and Toney had time on their side.
No such joy as yet for:
Who are likely late movers?
There’s going to be action today, and these are the sagas we’ll be watching most closely:
Best buys?
With the window closing, here are three Premier League signings that floated my boat:
📲 Transfer deadline day live blog
Feast of fixtures: Great games, but still concerns over Champions League format
I want to be cynical about the new Champions League framework, and in a lot of ways I am. But yesterday’s draw (which somehow avoided technical hitches) hit the mark in one sense — by serving up some genuinely excellent league-phase fixtures.
There are far too many for TAFC to list — we’ve got you sorted here — but Real Madrid versus Liverpool, Bayer Leverkusen at Anfield, Arsenal playing Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich against Barcelona; these games should be worth stumping up for.
I’m not daft. The format changes are fundamentally about generating more money, and the global schedule can barely cope with more football. Ilkay Gundogan has said as much openly.
But there’s no denying the old group stages were a cakewalk for too many big clubs. Maybe that will still be the case (and we’ve had a long chat about it on The Athletic FC podcast). But the new model deserves a chance.
News Round-Up: Chelsea reach Europa Conference League but question marks remain
Brighton’s £200m bonanza
Brighton are not only adept at making good decisions. They’re adept at getting the timing of those decisions right. Exhibit A: realising their relationship with Roberto De Zerbi was unravelling and boldly letting a talented coach depart.
Years of savvy management on and off the pitch has allowed them to throw a staggering £195m ($257m) at transfers in this window — second only to Chelsea across Europe’s top five leagues. They’re not finished, either.
Andy Naylor has explained how they’ve done it, factoring in the unconditional love of owner Tony Bloom, the cash earned from players like Moises Caicedo and the fact that they bother to make the effort to turn a profit. There’s no such thing as a perfect club but Brighton’s blueprint is an example for others.
Quiz question
A fiery rivalry resumes at Old Trafford on Sunday. Distract yourself from transfers with this quiz question about it:
Ten players have scored exactly one goal in Premier League matches between Manchester United and Liverpool — name them.
You’ll find the answer here on our website later today.
Catch a match (Time ET/UK)
(Selected games)
Friday – Serie A: Inter Milan vs Atalanta, 2.45/7.45pm — Paramount+, Fubo/OneFootball.
Saturday – Premier League: Arsenal vs Brighton, 7.30am/12.30pm — USA Network, Fubo/ TNT Sports; West Ham vs Manchester City, 12.30pm/5.30pm — NBC, Fubo/Sky Sports; Serie A: Lazio v AC Milan, 2.45pm/7.45pm — Paramount+, Fubo/OneFootball; MLS: Chicago Fire v Inter Miami, 8.30pm/1.30am — Apple TV.
Sunday – Premier League: Newcastle vs Tottenham, 8.30am/1.30pm — USA Network, Fubo/Sky Sports; Manchester United vs Liverpool, 11am/4pm — Peacock Premium/Sky Sports; Serie A: Juventus vs Roma, 2.45pm/7.45pm — Paramount+/TNT Sports; La Liga: Real Madrid vs Real Betis, 3.30pm/8.30pm — ESPN+, Fubo/Premier Sports.
And finally…
Tim Spiers’ Row Z column has served up the best ‘in case you missed it’ reference of the week.
Galatasaray fell short of qualifying for the Champions League on Wednesday. Young Boys’ Alan Virginius finished them off with a late goal on the counter, and wheeled away to celebrate — only for Galatasaray keeper Fernando Muslera to wipe him out with a raging swipe at his heels.
Muslera is 38. He’s obviously past caring about appearances or worrying about red cards. Look at the fury in those eyes (above)…
(Top photo: Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images)