Transfer News: Arsenal's Deadline Day Scramble, Chelsea's €100m Plan
The Premier League window is shut. The noise isn’t. Across Europe, deals are still being pushed, revived and ripped up as clubs try to squeeze the last value out of a frantic summer.
Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, Manchester United and Liverpool have officially downed tools in the market, but their names keep cropping up as the aftershocks roll through the continent.
Arsenal’s quiet deadline and big-game regrets
Arsenal slipped over the line on Deadline Day with more of a whimper than a roar. Julian Alvarez never came close enough, the long-running pursuit ending without a breakthrough, and the marquee forward Mikel Arteta wanted never arrived.
There was movement, though. Gabriel Martinelli completed his move to Saudi Arabia on Thursday, a significant departure from the Emirates, and Andria Bartishvili has already undergone a medical as the club reshapes the squad around the edges rather than at the top end.
The frustration up front ran deeper than Alvarez. Arsenal made a late approach for Inter Milan captain Lautaro Martinez as the clock ticked down, exploring one last elite option before the deadline. Reports say the Gunners were ready to go big for the Argentina international, but Inter refused to even entertain the idea.
Martinez has since confirmed Barcelona’s interest in him was real, yet he chose to stay put in Milan. At 29, he says he feels settled at Inter and wants to keep chasing trophies with the Nerazzurri.
That leaves Arsenal empty‑handed at centre-forward. No Alvarez. No Lautaro. No “statement” striker.
The club’s gaze is already drifting towards January. Arsenal remain interested in Vinicius Junior and Alvarez, with the Independent claiming both could come back into focus if injuries bite and Arteta finds himself short in attack.
Vinicius was said to be open to a move to north London at one stage, but Real Madrid stepped in, improved his contract and shut the door. Alvarez, meanwhile, stayed at Atletico Madrid after his preferred switch to Barcelona was blocked, and Arsenal never managed to twist his arm.
Bournemouth’s Eli Junior Kroupi also stays on the radar. His breakout campaign caught the eye before a pre-season injury stalled his momentum, but he remains on the Gunners’ shortlist heading into the winter window.
Chelsea rip up the midfield and eye €100m solution
Chelsea’s Deadline Day was chaos. Enzo Fernandez left for Manchester City in a British-record-equalling £125million sale, ripping a key piece out of Xabi Alonso’s midfield on the eve of the season.
The plan was ready. Lamine Camara had been lined up as the replacement, only for Monaco to pull the plug and leave Chelsea scrambling. The move collapsed, the gap in midfield did not.
The Blues have now fixed on a bigger, bolder answer. Atletico Madrid’s Pablo Barrios has emerged as the next major target, with Chelsea considering a €100m offer when the window reopens in January. Alonso is understood to see the Spain international as the ideal successor to Fernandez, a technically sharp midfielder who can dictate the game and drive the rebuild.
Barrios, 23, has become an important figure at Atletico. Chelsea believe a huge bid could seriously test the Spanish club’s resolve.
It was not the only midfield swing. Talksport report that Everton rejected a £65m Chelsea bid for James Garner in the dying hours of the window, the Toffees refusing to sell with no time left to find a replacement.
There was another deal that never got off the runway. Santi Aouna claims Chelsea had a verbal agreement with Roma to sign Manu Kone, with both clubs’ owners directly involved. Roma’s inability to secure a replacement – and Gian Piero Gasperini’s veto on Kone’s exit – killed the transfer before it could be signed off.
Off the pitch, Chelsea Women made a decisive call. Erin Cuthbert has been confirmed as captain for the 2026/27 season, taking the armband from Millie Bright after the England defender’s surprise decision to retire in April.
Now in her tenth year at the club and already on 301 appearances, the Scot described the role as “beyond the wildest dreams of a little girl from Irvine” and said she understands the weight of the armband at Chelsea – and is ready to carry it.
Richarlison’s Turkish deadline dash
For Richarlison, everything now comes down to hours. The Turkish transfer window closes at midnight local time – 10pm in the UK – and his future hangs on whether Tottenham and Trabzonspor can thrash out a fee in time.
The Brazil forward has already turned down a return to Everton, despite the clubs agreeing an initial £25m package. Personal terms were the stumbling block there, and that decision has left him with one realistic route if he wants to play competitive football for the rest of the calendar year.
He has been omitted from Spurs’ Premier League squad. Turkey is the escape hatch.
Personal terms with Trabzonspor are said to be agreed, with negotiations now locked on the transfer fee between the clubs. The Turkish side, who have taken just four points from their first three league games and were thrashed 5-0 on aggregate by Ferencvaros in their Europa League play-off, are desperate for a statement signing to jolt their season.
Tottenham, who pulled off late moves for Mykhailo Mudryk and Tosin Adarabioyo on Deadline Day, are ready to cut ties. Whether the paperwork beats the clock will define Richarlison’s next six months.
City’s contingency, Newcastle and Villa’s next move
At Manchester City, the planning never stops. The Independent report that Antoine Semenyo has emerged as the club’s preferred option to lead the line whenever Erling Haaland is unavailable or withdrawn. Enzo Maresca views the forward as his main alternative through the middle, a different profile to keep City’s attack unpredictable.
Newcastle and Aston Villa are already shaping their January battle lines. Football Insider claim both clubs are lining up moves for 20-year-old Bayer Leverkusen striker Christian Kofane, setting up a Premier League tug-of-war over one of the Bundesliga’s next striking prospects.
Coady and Williams join England’s next wave
Away from the market, England’s youth set-up has added two familiar faces. Conor Coady and Paul Williams will join Lee Carsley’s England U21 coaching staff this autumn after Ashley Cole’s departure.
Coady, 33, returns to the development pathway having worked with the MU19s earlier this year. The former Wolves defender won 10 senior caps and featured at Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup, bringing recent tournament experience to a squad defending their European title.
Williams, who enjoyed a long Premier League playing career, steps up from England’s U15s and will combine his U21 role with his job as a senior coach developer at the FA.
The Young Lions have three Euro 2027 qualifiers left as they try to book their place at next summer’s finals. With fresh voices on the touchline and a title to defend, the next generation of England talent will not be short of guidance – or expectation.
