Football General Manager
Transfer season is well underway, and your club won’t sign anyone. At least, that’s how it feels sometimes. This has, admittedly, been a bit of a weird window. Liverpool, serial savers, have spent big – and could yet splash more cash if the rumors about Alexander Isak are to be believed.
Meanwhile, Chelsea are continuing to do the thing where they bring in every footballer on Earth and hope one or two will be good. Finally, Arsenal signed a striker! Surely they will win the league now, right?
Real Madrid got their business done early, but Barcelona are now catching up with the signing of Marcus Rashford. There are some USMNT names in the mix, too, with Gio Reyna Tim Weah, Matt Turner and others all rumored to be on the move – with Malik Tillman, Patrick Agyemang and Johnny Cardoso already locked in.
And David Beckham and Inter Miami used some salary gap ingenuity to make yet another massive addition. This is, in short, the fun bit, where speculation goes into overdrive. Who is "winning" the transfer window so far?
BALLGM breaks down some of the biggest storylines of the transfer market in the latest edition of… The Rondo.
Transfer season is well underway, and your club won’t sign anyone. At least, that’s how it feels sometimes. This has, admittedly, been a bit of a weird window. Liverpool, serial savers, have spent big – and could yet splash more cash if the rumors about Alexander Isak are to be believed.
Meanwhile, Chelsea are continuing to do the thing where they bring in every footballer on Earth and hope one or two will be good. Finally, Arsenal signed a striker! Surely they will win the league now, right?
Real Madrid got their business done early, but Barcelona are now catching up with the signing of Marcus Rashford. There are some USMNT names in the mix, too, with Gio Reyna, Tim Weah, Matt Turner and others all rumored to be on the move – with Malik Tillman, Patrick Agyemang and Johnny Cardoso already locked in.
And David Beckham and Inter Miami used some salary gap ingenuity to make yet another massive addition. This is, in short, the fun bit, where speculation goes into overdrive. Who is “winning” the transfer window so far?
BALLGM breaks down some of the biggest storylines of the transfer market in the latest edition of… The Rondo.
Tom Hindle: There have been a fair few good deals, but it’s hard to look past Jeremie Frimpong to Liverpool. The Reds managed to calm down the general vitriol around Trent Alexander-Arnold leaving before he actually walked out the door, which takes some doing. Replacing one top-three right back is a fine piece of business, especially at the price point. Well done, FSG.
Jacob Schneider: In the short term, the answer is João Pedro to Chelsea. That move won them the Club World Cup. However, his long-term fit with the club – considering their transfer strategy to buy multiple players in the same spot – remains to be seen. The best business has come from Liverpool. Florian Wirtz is a star, and he will undoubtedly take the Reds to new heights. Add in their moves for Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong and Hugo Ekitike and it’s a scintillating summer for fans. They’ve gone four-for-four on hitting transfers so far. With Alexander Isak linked, can they go for five?
Alex Labidou: Since Isak isn’t done yet, let’s go with one of his rumored teammates, Wirtz. Depending on how Arne Slot utilizes him, he could be the best player in the Premier League next season. However, as high as the ceiling is, he could also be another Kai Havertz – his predecessor at Leverkusen. Scoring No. 10s tend to struggle in the Premier League. But here’s betting that Slot gets the most out of the talented German playmaker.
Ryan Tolmich: Real Madrid dealt Liverpool a hammer blow by taking one of the best right backs in the world for almost nothing. Liverpool’s response? To sign one of the best right backs in the world for a little more than nothing. The deal to bring Frimpong to Anfield looks like a masterclass in making the best of a bad situation, as Liverpool essentially replaced their big loss with ease – allowing them to go crazy spending elsewhere.
TH: Not in love with Marcus Rashford to Barcelona. The England forward is an immense talent, and presumably has been told by Thomas Tuchel that if he wants to play in the World Cup, he has to be playing regular club football. Nothing wrong with that. But then why go somewhere to be second choice? Both Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha are in front of him in the pecking order, while Ferran Torres is remarkably effective off the bench. The desire to play Champions League football is understandable, but a step down in exchange for guaranteed minutes wouldn’t have hurt him. A few bad showings and he will be out of the picture at Barca, which is just ruthless. Makes zero sense. Luka Modric probably should have hung ’em up, too.
JS: Really don’t like the Anthony Elanga move to Newcastle, or Noni Madueke to Arsenal. Elanga showed glimpses all throughout his young career, but Newcastle has been decimated by the transfer window. And the Sweden international has seen the creative emphasis around him in the attack taken away. And if Isak leaves, too? Damn. As for Madueke, a move from Chelsea made sense, but he’s gone to an Arsenal side that has Bukayo Saka as a RW and Gabriel Martinelli as a LW. It’s fair to see if he can compete and take Martinelli’s starting spot – the Brazilian hasn’t particularly been outstanding of late. But Madueke isn’t a natural left winger, even if he did feature there for the Blues at the end of last season. You have two young wingers moving within the Premier League – and it just doesn’t seem a good fit in either scenario.
AL: Tempted to go with Bryan Mbeumo, who would have been better placed at Tottenham, or Modric, who is probably way past his best. But let’s rock with Jamie Gittens. He showed a lot of potential in his breakout season with Dortmund, but the Englishman also showed maddening inconsistency throughout his time with the German club. Will Chelsea, a notoriously impatient team that signs players left and right, stick with him if he goes on one of his cold spells? This seems to be Noni Madueke all over again. And at a much higher price tag of $75.8 million.
RT: Manchester United need an overhaul, that’s for sure. In pursuit of that, they spent a bunch of money on two guys, Matheus Cunha and Brian Mbuemo, that, while good, probably aren’t at the level needed for them to pay major dividends. They bought both at the peak of their values rather than finding assets with room to grow, essentially compounding the mistakes that brought them here to begin with. Maybe both will be good. But it’s hard to see either being great, and Man Utd need greatness.
TH: Gio Reyna, anywhere but Borussia Dortmund. It has been said in this space before, but Gio Reyna in MLS makes an almost embarrassing amount of sense. Got a one-dimensional No. 10? Get him in the league where those guys can exist. Will it get him on the World Cup squad for 2026? TBD, but Mauricio Pochettino is always watching MLS, and Reyna needs minutes. Come to America, my friend. A word, too, for Tim Weah, who could also do with a new landing spot.
JS: Would love to see Josh Sargent playing in the Champions League. Forget his international form for a second – we’re talking about a striker who has shown prowess in the box, in the air, with both feet and everywhere else in the final-third. He has the tools to succeed, physically. His football IQ is excellent, and he reads the game incredibly well. Not asking for him to sign for Real Madrid, but a move to a UCL team such as Frankfurt to replace Ekitike? Villareal to replace Thierno Barry? Newcastle to compete for ST minutes if Isak leaves? Or even Atalanta in Serie A? Those would all make sense. And with Pochettino already questioning his performances in March, he needs to make a statement to re-emerge in the striker conversation ahead of 2026. UCL football would do that.
AL: Matt Turner desperately needs to go anywhere. Don’t even care if its USL. He must go. But that’s obvious, so let’s go with someone who appeared to be on the verge of a move two months ago but appears a square peg at his current club: AC Milan‘s Yunus Musah. This has been a strange stretch for a player who was deemed as next up just two years ago. Musah has size and technical potential to be among football’s elite, but the move to Milan has crippled him – much of it is the club’s fault, as its shipped what feels like a dozen managers since his arrival. Everyone is focused on Reyna potentially missing out on the World Cup due to his club situation, but Musah might be in this category, too, if things don’t change.
RT: Turner to literally anyone, please. France, MLS, a weekend men’s league, anywhere – the USMNT shot-stopper needs to land wherever he can find someone willing to let him play. The Lyon situation is a mess and, quite obviously, not the best for him. Surely he can find a better one – and he needs that to happen soon as he looks to fight for his USMNT role.
TH: The Son Heung-Min rumor is too tasty to turn down. Get him to LAFC, NOW.
JS: If LAFC can bring in Son from Tottenham, well done to all involved. What an incredible signing he would be for Los Angeles and the league. A real potential blockbuster. Other moves reportedly in the works include Thomas Muller to the Vancouver Whitecaps and Timo Werner to the New York Red Bulls – and both are fascinating. Muller would bring a much-needed veteran to the Whitecaps attack, while Werner and his world-class pace could really elevate a RBNY team that is crying out for width. If both get done, it’s even better.
AL: The biggest markets in MLS are largely playing things conservatively – outside of Miami and LAFC, the latter of which appear close to signing Son. Reyna is clearly not interested in returning to the U.S., but could a team such as NYCFC or NY Red Bulls pull off a move for Weah? Could Chicago make a play for Weston McKennie? Raheem Sterling is probably available to MLS at this stage, too. If this summer has taught us anything, there are moves to be had with the right level of ambition.
RT: Genuinely, Muller to the Whitecaps could be a league-altering signing. It’s a statement of intent from a club that has never signed a big player, and it comes in the midst of a huge season for the Canadian side. With the pieces around him, the OG Ramdeuter seems like the type of signing that takes this team to another level, making one of the league’s often-forgotten franchises a legitimate MLS Cup contender.
TH: Yes, but with a caveat. To be clear, there is absolutely nothing stopping them from exploiting the rules like Miami have. But how many other clubs have that kind of pull in MLS? De Paul is taking a massive pay cut in the short term to play with his best mate. No other club in the league can offer any big name that kind of appeal. So, sure, in theory, loan signings with an obligation to buy and promise of a big payday should be standard practice. Getting players to actually accept it is a different story.
JS: No, and if they do, find an ambitious new owner. Sorry, but Miami are within their rights and following MLS rules with how they’ve handled his salary. Is it sneaky and a bit annoying? Sure. But that’s part of what makes them a successful franchise at the moment. Stop wasting time and focus on your club – don’t worry about Miami. Even with RDP, they’ve showed how flawed they are defensively and come the postseason, there are absolutely areas in which other teams can take advantage of that. The only way a team can do that, though, is if they focus on themselves and stop worrying about what Miami does. Do something this transfer window to elevate your squad. Find your De Paul.
AL: No. Inter Miami found a loophole and took it. The smart organizations in all of sports due to this on a regular basis. It’s time for other MLS clubs to follow suit and be innovators like Miami. If Rodrigo De Paul finds Miami appealing, what’s stopping Chicago, the two New York clubs, LA Galaxy or the Seattle Sounders from doing the same? Start thinking out of the box and stop complaining about restraints.
RT: To quote the late, great Eddie Guerrero, “If you’re not cheating, you’re not trying.” Now, to be clear, Miami aren’t exactly cheating, but they are maximizing their pull in ways that other teams aren’t. Can you fault them for that? Hell no. If anything, it would be great to see Miami pull off whatever nonsense they can to build a superteam and really give us something to watch. The rest of MLS can be mad at that all they want. If they were ambitious enough to do it, they could.
