The European "summer transfer market" officially ended, witnessing numerous surprising deals amid a sense of anticipation among football fans regarding the impact of these transfers on the competitive landscape of the current football season. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a divide among clubs during the summer transfer season, with some teams remaining economically unaffected while others faced the threat of collapse. This situation provided many stars with the opportunity to embark on new challenges, making this transfer market one of the most thrilling in the history of the game, particularly in recent years.
Sky News Arabia highlights the key events of the summer transfer market in 2021 in the following lines.
**Messi and Ronaldo**
After a decade-long rivalry between the legends Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, which garnered immense public attention and saw numerous record-breaking achievements, the final chapter of the "Ronaldo and Messi" story began as both entered their thirties. Social media depicted this as the players’ "last dance," securing their places among the greatest footballers in history. The transfer of either Messi or Ronaldo to a new team is extraordinary, but for both players to face a new challenge in the same transfer season is a rare occurrence.
The financial crisis affecting Barcelona made the departure of key players inevitable, with Lionel Messi at the forefront in order to help the club escape the "salary cap" issue and disentangle from the Spanish football federation. Despite Messi nearly halving his salary, Barcelona officials could not find a solution to keep the Argentine star, who fought to remain at the club but ultimately had to transfer to Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent, as part of the French club’s strategy to build a dream team aimed at winning the "Champions League."
On the flip side, Juventus's disappointing performance prompted Ronaldo to seek a new challenge. The "Madeira Rocket" was linked with clubs such as Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Manchester City. Ultimately, the 36-year-old returned to "the Red Devils" after more than 12 years, in a deal costing the English club around €28 million. Fans are eager to see what type of performances Ronaldo and Messi will deliver in their new challenges during the upcoming years, which could be the last for the legendary duo on the pitch.
**Return to Home**
Similar to Ronaldo, several players returned to their former clubs, a trend termed "return home" by global media. The latest of these transfers, completed in the final hours of the summer market, was Antoine Griezmann's move from Barcelona to Atletico Madrid on a one-year loan with an option to buy for €40 million after the loan period. Messi’s departure was not enough to solve the salary cap crisis, necessitating the exit of another star, and Griezmann was chosen by Barcelona’s management.
In 2019, Griezmann moved from Atletico Madrid to Barcelona for €120 million, but after two years of underwhelming performances, Atletico now has the opportunity to reacquire Griezmann for only €40 million. Griezmann's transfer could mirror the scenario of "Suarez’s transfer," who also moved to Atletico Madrid from Barcelona and became a pivotal figure in Diego Simeone's squad, which successfully clinched the Spanish league title from the giants Barça and Real Madrid last season.
Chelsea also successfully acquired Inter Milan’s Romelu Lukaku in a record deal worth €115 million. The financial crisis at Inter Milan compelled Lukaku's return to Chelsea, the club where "the Belgian ghoul" started his English league career when he was signed in 2011 from RSC Anderlecht.
**Record Deals**
Lukaku’s transfer to Chelsea is the most expensive in the club's history and the second-most expensive in English football history after Jack Grealish’s move to Manchester City for €117 million, making him the most expensive English player ever. These figures affirm that the "2021 Mercato" witnessed record transactions and a high outflow of funds; BBC reports that English clubs alone spent nearly a billion pounds on transfers during the summer market.
At the start of the summer transfer season, Manchester United secured English winger Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund in a record deal worth €85 million, making him the most expensive English player at the time, before Grealish reclaimed the title with his subsequent transfer to Manchester City in another record deal. According to FIFA's report on transfers over the last decade, English clubs have spent over $12 billion on transfers, more than any other country, and this figure is expected to increase in the new decade.
English striker Harry Kane had the chance to take the title of "most expensive English player" from Grealish if Tottenham had accepted Manchester City's €150 million offer. While clubs were making extravagant offers for talented players, others were signing stars on free transfers, such as Messi, Sergio Ramos, and Wijnaldum to Paris Saint-Germain, and Sergio Agüero to Barcelona.
**Musical Chairs**
Transfer seasons are an integral part of football's allure, eagerly followed by fans each year. The excitement of the "mercato" peaks during the last-minute player relocations, where each team enters the transfer season with clear objectives, only for events to often drive them to sign different players. This phenomenon is likened to "musical chairs," which fans enjoy most during transfer seasons.
This summer's musical chairs involved several well-known names, including Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappé, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Erling Haaland. Chelsea aimed to sign Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland, one of the world’s top young talents, leading to negotiations that ultimately stalled. Reports indicated that the yellow club demanded €175 million to release Haaland, prompting Chelsea to consider signing Inter Milan's Romelu Lukaku.
Manchester City's manager Pep Guardiola pursued both English duo Jack Grealish and Harry Kane, successfully acquiring Grealish, while putting significant effort into signing Kane, presenting Tottenham with a €150 million offer. However, Kane surprised everyone by announcing his decision to stay with Spurs for the current season.
Kane's unexpected declaration shifted City's attention to Cristiano Ronaldo, who had expressed his desire to leave Juventus. However, Manchester City withdrew from the deal, leaving room for their rival Manchester United to sign Ronaldo, rekindling past memories.
During the summer transfer market, Kylian Mbappé was a hot topic due to his link with Real Madrid, a dream transfer long anticipated by "Los Merengues" fans. By not renewing his contract with Paris Saint-Germain, Mbappé indicated he would become a free agent next season. The French newspaper "L'Équipe" reported that Real Madrid submitted a €160 million offer to sign Mbappé, which was rejected. Meanwhile, Spanish newspaper "Marca" stated that the Real Madrid president is confident of signing Mbappé next season as a free agent, avoiding the hefty fee.
The resolution of the "Mbappé and Real Madrid" saga has been postponed until next season, while the Spanish club successfully secured young midfielder Eduardo Camavinga from Rennes in a deal completed on the final day of the "mercato" worth €30 million.
