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The summer transfer window is well underway and as many as 577 deals have been finalized in the top 5 European leagues, at the time of writing. A mind-boggling sum of €1.20b has been spent on materializing these transfers. From Jadon Sancho returning to England with the red half of Manchester, this time, to PSG splashing hefty wages here and there, the transfer market is as lively as a squirrel.
However, with the Euros offering some of the best football in ages and the ecstasy of witnessing Lionel Messi romp to his first international title, most of the media coverage was focussed on these historic events. Subsequently, many behind-the-door transfers managed to escape the public eye.
Managerial transfer round-up
In the Premier League, Rafa Benitez shocked the Liverpool faithful by joining their Merseyside rivals Everton as head coach. Marco Silva was appointed the new Fulham boss in place of the outgoing Scott Parker, who joined fellow Championship outfit Bournemouth. Meanwhile, Nuno Santo managed to get his hands on the Spurs job, causing former Benfica boss Bruno Lage to fill in for the Portuguese at Wolves. Additionally, Patrick Viera completed an unexpected return to London to join Crystal Palace as their new manager.
Elsewhere, Ancelotti was named as Real Madrid boss for the second time. Simone Inzaghi was hired by Inter Milan and out-of-work Maurizio Sarri was brought in by Lazio as his replacement.
Similar transfer news, regarding multiple players, managed to slip under the radar in the past two months. Here, we take a look at 5 such moves that went relatively unnoticed:
#5 Victor Moses to Spartak Moscow
Who would've believed that Victor Moses was contracted to Chelsea as recently as July 1st? Having spent 6 years of his Blues career out on loan at various clubs, Moses finally left the London club to join Spartak Moscow, for a fee of €4.5m, at least a million lower than his current market value.
The Nigerian was the subject of 4 Chelsea bids that were initially rejected by his former club Wigan Athletic. The 5th bid, around the range of €10.5m, was eventually accepted by the Latics, allowing Moses to transfer to Stamford Bridge from the DW Stadium.
He primarily played on the wings for Chelsea in his preliminary years and pitched in with 15 goal involvements in his first year at the club. Moses was finally able to nail down a starting spot after the arrival of Antonio Conte in the 16/17 season but as a wing-back.
This two-year stint in the first team was sandwiched between a string of loan transfers, ranging from Liverpool to West Ham to Inter Milan and more. His most recent loan was to his current outfit, Spartak Moscow, which ended in a permanent transfer to the club.
#4 Nicolás González to Fiorentina
Nicolás González has seen a steady rise in his career, after starting at the bottom, quite literally. He transferred to Stuttgart in 2018, following a couple of seasons of tussling in the first two Argentine divisions. González suffered relegation in his debut season in Germany, playing 30 league games, as his team finished two places from the bottom.
Nico's Bundesliga form compelled his international coach, Lionel Scaloni, to name him in his preliminary 28-man squad. However, the Argentine really shot to prominence after some consistent performances in the Copa America 2021. The left-footed winger was signed by Fiorentina for a fee of €27m, shortly after the initiation of the prestigious competition.
At 23 years of age, González is very young and has the skills to become a complete attacker. Injuries thwarted his last season at Stuttgart, allowing him to make just 15 league appearances. With Dušan Vlahović firing on all cylinders, González can create a lethal partnership with the young Serbian, if he manages to stay fit.
#3 Roberto Soldado to Levante
Roberto Soldado recently completed his transfer from Granada to Levante for a minimal fee of €460k. Once an upcoming talent at Real Madrid, Soldado was a highly sought-after player, back in his Valencia days. However, the Spaniard experienced a significant drop in form after his transfer to Spurs in 2013, for a fee of €30m. With just 16 goals to show for his 2 years in England, Soldado returned to Spain with his tail tucked firmly between his legs.
Still duking it out in the professional leagues at the ripe old age of 36, the Valencia-born striker has had two very impressive seasons with the Andalusian side. Soldado helped them in qualifying for the Europa League for the first time in the club's history, in his debut season. He scored 3 goals in Granada's run to the quarter-final stage last year, where they were beaten by Manchester United.
The 12-time-capped Spanish international has struggled with injuries and form throughout his career. But if his 2-year-stint at Granada is anything to go by, Soldado still has some cards up his sleeve. His clinical finishing could help Levante finish in the top half for the first time since the 13/14 season and turn this transfer into a success.
#2 João Mário to Benfica
Another 'wonderkid' who succumbed to the inescapable pressure, João Mário was one of the best of the lot during the latter seasons of his Sporting CP career. His big-money transfer came to fruition when Inter Milan paid the Portuguese club, €40+5m for his services. After two sub-par seasons, he was ultimately ousted from the club by newly-appointed boss, Luciano Spaletti.
The Portuguese midfielder eventually left on three successive loan transfers, unable to settle at any of his destinations. Despite receiving high praise for his work rate during his time at West Ham United, the €40m option-to-buy proved too costly for the Hammers to trigger a permanent transfer. The subsequent loan to Lokomotiv Moscow reaped no reward whatsoever.
Mario has finally returned to Portugal, first with his parent club Sporting CP, on a season-long loan and now permanently with Benfica. Reportedly, the Green and Whites were interested in re-signing their former player. Unfortunately for them, nothing materialized and Benfica swooped in at the last minute to obtain Joao Mario on a free transfer.
#1 Florian Thauvin to Tigres UANL
In a somewhat shocking transfer, it was revealed in May 2021 that Florian Thauvin would not be extending his Marseille contract and would instead move to Mexico with Tigres UANL, amidst interest from several top flight clubs in Europe. The judgment brought an end to the World Cup winner's second spell with the Olympians.
Initially signed from Bastia, Marseille re-signed Thauvin after two disappointing seasons at Newcastle United. In total, the French club spent close to €25m on the enigmatic winger: €15m in the first transfer and €9.8m to signal his return. However, it would be safe to say that Thauvin more than repaid their trust, scoring 46 league goals in his homecoming stint. His 17/18 form is particularly well documented as Thauvin almost single-handedly took Marseille to European glory, failing in the penultimate step against Atletico Madrid in the Europa league final.
The former Newcastle man is still in his prime and his decision to reject a transfer to heavyweights like Milan, Atletico and Lyon in favor of the Tigers may come as a surprise to many. But Thauvin was quoted saying:
"I didn’t feel good at Marseille, I didn’t feel good in my life. My life changed a lot because my son arrived, so I needed to change my life. I don’t like talking about money, that’s why I’m not in Tigres. In France, in Spain or Italy gave me a lot of money too. If I wanted to play for money, I don’t come to Mexico, I would have played in China or Saudi Arabia. Here I have everything to be happy, play football, the fans, a very big club, titles, there is everything."
It would be interesting to see how the 28-year-old creative maestro links up with former teammate André-Pierre Gignac in Mexico. The duo will also be seen representing France at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
