Transfer Window Closes: Premier League Clubs Prepare for January Moves
The Premier League’s window is shut, the chequebooks are back in the drawer – officially. In reality, the deals, the plotting and the late‑night phone calls are still rolling on across Europe.
Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham have all burned through another record-breaking summer. Yet the dust has barely settled.
Arsenal’s quiet deadline – and what comes next
Arsenal tiptoed through Deadline Day in the end. The big swing for Julian Alvarez never landed, and the marquee No9 Mikel Arteta wanted did not arrive.
There was movement, though. Gabriel Martinelli sealed his switch to Saudi Arabia on Thursday, a significant departure from the forward line. Andria Bartishvili has already completed a medical as the Gunners reshape around the edges rather than at the top.
Behind the scenes, Arsenal tried one last ambitious play. After Alvarez slipped away, they made a late approach for Inter captain Lautaro Martinez. Inter refused to entertain it. Martinez has since confirmed Barcelona’s interest in him was real, but he chose to stay put in Milan, committed to adding more trophies with the Nerazzurri.
So Arsenal enter the new season without the headline striker they chased. That does not mean the story is over.
The club remain interested in Vinicius Junior and Alvarez ahead of January. Vinicius, who was understood to be open to a move, ultimately signed an improved deal at Real Madrid once the Spanish giants opted to keep him. Alvarez stayed where he was too, his preferred transfer to Barcelona blocked and Arsenal unable to tempt him to north London.
Bournemouth’s Eli Junior Kroupi is also expected to stay on their radar despite a pre-season injury that checked his breakthrough. If injuries bite, Arsenal are ready to go back to market fast.
Chelsea rip it up and start again
Chelsea did not so much close the window as slam it off its hinges.
Enzo Fernandez’s move to Manchester City went through for £125million, matching the British transfer record and ripping out the heart of Chelsea’s midfield. The plan was ready: Lamine Camara had been lined up as a replacement. Then Monaco walked away, and that deal collapsed.
Chelsea pivoted. Now Atletico Madrid’s Pablo Barrios has surged to the top of their list, with the club weighing up a €100m move when January opens. At 23, the Spain international has become a key figure at Atletico, and Xabi Alonso is understood to view him as the ideal piece to rebuild his midfield after Enzo’s departure.
Chelsea believe a huge bid could seriously test Atletico’s resolve. Barrios would hand Alonso another technically sharp operator as he tries to reshape a squad that has been torn up yet again.
The late drama did not stop there. A verbal agreement was in place with Roma for Manu Kone, with ownership on both sides directly involved. Roma then ran out of time to secure a replacement and Gian Piero Gasperini vetoed the sale. The move died on the runway.
Chelsea even pushed for James Garner. Everton, according to reports, turned down a £65m offer in the final hours, unwilling to lose the midfielder without time to bring someone in.
Off the pitch, there is a new leader. Erin Cuthbert has been confirmed as Chelsea Women’s captain for the 2026/27 season, taking the armband from Millie Bright after the England defender’s surprise decision to retire in April. Now into her tenth year at the club and already on 301 appearances, Cuthbert steps into a role she admits she never imagined as a girl growing up in Irvine. She knows exactly how heavy that armband is at Chelsea – and has made it clear she is ready to carry it.
Richarlison races the Turkish clock
For Richarlison, the window has not closed. Not yet.
Turkey’s deadline falls at midnight local time – 10pm in the UK – and Tottenham are locked in talks with Trabzonspor over a deal that would finally end his Spurs exile. He has already been left out of their Premier League squad. Without a move, he faces the prospect of no football for the rest of the calendar year.
Personal terms are said to be agreed with Trabzonspor, and now the clubs are haggling over a fee. Everton had earlier reached an agreement worth an initial £25m to take him back, but the Brazilian could not settle on a contract. That door shut. Turkey is the last one left open.
Trabzonspor badly need help. Four points from three league games and a 5-0 aggregate defeat to Ferencvaros in the Europa League play-offs have underlined the scale of their problems. Richarlison, desperate for minutes, wants out. The clock is ticking loudly.
Tottenham, for their part, were anything but quiet on Deadline Day. Mykhailo Mudryk and Tosin Adarabioyo both arrived, adding pace out wide and depth at the back as the squad continues to evolve.
City’s backup plan and a brewing battle
Manchester City have also been busy sketching out contingencies. With Erling Haaland still the immovable object at the top of their attack, City have identified Antoine Semenyo as the preferred option when their No9 is either rested or withdrawn, according to reports.
Enzo Maresca views Semenyo as the main central alternative, a different profile but a useful one in a squad that demands variety as much as quality.
Elsewhere, Newcastle and Aston Villa are already eyeing January. Both clubs are ready to go head-to-head for Bayer Leverkusen striker Christian Kofane, 20, as they hunt for the next wave of attacking talent.
New faces in the England setup
Away from the transfer churn, the national setup is shifting too.
Conor Coady and Paul Williams will join Lee Carsley’s England Under-21 coaching staff this autumn after Ashley Cole’s departure. Coady, the former Wolves and England defender, returns to the development pathway having already worked with the MU19s earlier this year. He earned 10 senior caps and went to both Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup.
Williams, with deep Premier League experience as a player, steps up from England’s Under-15s and will juggle the role with his position as a senior coach developer at the FA.
The Young Lions, reigning European champions, have three Euro 2027 qualifiers left as they chase a place at next summer’s finals. Fresh voices on the touchline, and a title to defend.
The window is closed. The manoeuvring is not. January suddenly feels a lot closer than the calendar suggests.
