Even as the Uefa Champions League switches to a new format, more than three decades after the old European Cup in its pure-knockout guise was modified, the focus is on one of the quieter transfer windows that European football has seen in recent years. After the huge exodus to Saudi Arabia last summer, even that path was little trodden, as the continent’s biggest clubs appeared to pause and take stock.
The biggest move, by a distance, was one that didn’t cost a penny in transfer fees. Real Madrid had been eyeing Kylian Mbappe ever since he scored six goals for AS Monaco in the knockout rounds in 2016-17, finding the net against Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund and Juventus. A transfer almost happened two summers ago, only for a last-minute change of heart from the player and a new, fatter contract from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) extending his stay in the French capital.
But now, Mbappe’s addition to an already fearsome Los Blancos forward line means that they will once again start favourites to retain a trophy that has become something of a permanent fixture in the trophy room at Santiago Bernabeu. Starting with La Decima in 2014, when Carlo Ancelotti led them to the biggest prize in club football for the tenth time, Real have won it six times in the past 11 seasons, identical to their run in the early years of the tournament in the 1950s and ’60s.
Apart from the arrival of Endrick, the Brazilian prodigy whose move to Spain was agreed over 18 months ago, Real have made no other splash in the transfer market, continuing their recent policy of focussing only on quality and subtle tweaks to the line-up. Toni Kroos’ retirement leaves a big void in the midfield, but they had already planned for that by signing both Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga in previous summers.
What is eye-catching in an otherwise unremarkable summer is that four of the five most expensive transfers feature clubs that won’t even be in the new-look Champions League. Julian Alvarez, signed from Manchester City as Atletico Madrid look to shed their tag as the tournament’s nearly men, leads the way, having cost €75m, but Dominic Solanke, Leny Yoro, Pedro Neto and Moussa Diaby have all moved to clubs that won’t be performing on the biggest stage this season.
Diaby has moved to Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia, after just one eye-catching season with Aston Villa, while both Solanke and Yoro, once he recovers from injury, are set to play in the Europa League for Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United respectively. Neto, who signed for Chelsea from Wolves, will show his wares in the Conference League.
In other news:
While established internationals like Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant will also play in the Duleep Trophy, the selectors’ focus is likely to be on the likes of Riyan Parag and Musheer Khan, who get big opportunities to impress.@ishshahane11 ✍️https://t.co/munMMnqDGe
— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) August 31, 2024
United have been among the bigger spenders, with the acquisition of Manuel Ugarte from PSG in the final hours of the window completing a busy summer. Matthijs de Ligt, who had fallen down the pecking order at Bayern Munich, and Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna were other arrivals that cost over €40m as Erik ten Hag looks to get his team challenging for the big trophies again.
Chelsea topped the summer-transfer-window spending for the third straight year, forking out a whopping €261m with a strategy that still resembled a kid spraying a water cannon at a wall. Conor Gallagher, who had been at the club since he was eight, was sold to Atletico, while Raheem Sterling was loaned to London rivals Arsenal, and none of their buys would be viewed as a guaranteed starter.
The paupers from Barcelona managed to sign Dani Olmo from RB Leipzig after moving on a raft of players, while Juventus strengthened by buying Teun Koopmeiners from Atalanta and Douglas Luiz from Aston Villa. PSG used some of the money freed up by Mbappe’s departure to gamble on the undoubted potential of Joao Neves from Benfica, while Bayern will hope that the acquisition of Michael Olise and Joao Palhinha from the English Premier League will enhance their chances of winning the trophy for the seventh time.
Real, who have been given a less challenging route to the knockout phase, can still look forward to marquee ties against AC Milan (at home) and Liverpool (away). PSG, still searching for that elusive Big Cup, must negotiate the highway to hell, with their eight games including ties against Manchester City, Bayern (away), Atletico and Arsenal (away).
The format is very much a step into the unknown for every side, but despite their relative lack of spending, it’s hard to look beyond Real and City as European football turns a new page.
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