Al Hilal
The costliest transfer windows in football history: a club-by-club rundown
Chelsea, Liverpool and others headline football’s most expensive transfer windows ever.
Transfer spending has swollen to extraordinary levels, with clubs in England leading much of the charge. Even with rules designed to slow the pace, loopholes and deep pockets have kept the market moving at a scale that now regularly rewrites the record books. Once, the biggest windows belonged mostly to Europe’s traditional heavyweights. That is no longer the case.
Chelsea feature repeatedly in the discussion. Todd Boehly’s first window delivered a £254 million outlay, built around Marc Cucurella, Wesley Fofana, Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly, plus smaller fees for Carney Chukwuemeka, Cesare Casadei and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The club then spent £278 million a few months later, led by Enzo Fernández’s then-British record £106.8 million move and the costly arrival of Mykhailo Mudryk. Another summer in 2025 pushed the total to £282 million, while a later window in 2026 saw Morgan Rogers become the most expensive English player in history at £117 million.
Arsenal’s busy summer of 2025 was shaped by Andrea Berta, who helped drive an unprecedented spending burst. Viktor Gyökeres and Eberechi Eze were the two most expensive signings, with Martín Zubimendi and Noni Madueke also arriving for hefty fees. Arsenal went on to win the Premier League title, though only Zubimendi became an undisputed starter.
Liverpool made history in 2025 by becoming the first club to spend more than £400 million in one window. Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak both arrived in British record deals, while Hugo Ekitiké came in for £69 million before add-ons. The club’s heavy spending sat against a backdrop of saving in previous years, record revenues and strong sales.
Elsewhere, Real Madrid’s 2009 window brought Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo for £233 million, while the 2019 attempt to repeat that scale brought disappointment through Eden Hazard and Luka Jović. Paris Saint-Germain’s 2023 spending helped fuel later Champions League success, Al Hilal’s 2023 splurge centred on Malcom and Neymar, and Tottenham’s 2026 window was driven by the need to avoid another bottom-three finish.
Al Ahli
Yashin Trophy 2026 shortlists reveal established names and fresh contenders
The 2026 Yashin Trophy shortlists are out, with new contenders joining familiar goalkeeping names.
The 2026 Yashin Trophy race has taken shape, with 10 men and five women named on the latest shortlists for football’s top goalkeeping honour.
There will be a new men’s winner this year after Gianluigi Donnarumma, who led the rankings in 2025, was not included among the nominees. That opens the door for a wide-open contest featuring several familiar figures and a few first-time entrants.
Thibaut Courtois is again in the mix, underlining the standing he has built over several years. Barcelona’s Joan García has also earned a first nomination after a season that put him firmly among the leading candidates. Arsenal’s David Raya, last season’s Premier League Golden Glove winner, is on the list too, while Emiliano Martínez returns to the spotlight after being nominated for his work with former employers Aston Villa and later joining Chelsea this summer.
The men’s shortlist also includes Matvey Safonov and Gregor Kobel, plus the Saudi Arabia-based pair of Yassine Bounou and Édouard Mendy. Unai Simón is recognised after helping Spain to World Cup glory, while Vozinha completes the lineup after another notable campaign at 40 years old.
Courtois and Martínez have both lifted the prize before, with Martínez a two-time winner in 2023 and 2024.
On the women’s side, Hannah Hampton is back after becoming the first winner of the Women’s Yashin Trophy last year. She is joined by Ann-Katrin Berger and Cata Coll, who finished second and third in the inaugural edition. Manchester City’s Ayaka Yamashita and Kansas City Current’s Lorena complete the women’s shortlist.
The full lists confirm a competition that mixes proven pedigree with new challengers, and the final outcome now depends on which goalkeeper can turn nomination into the highest honour.
AC Milan
Eight of the poorest deals from the 2026 summer transfer window
A costly summer produced several headline moves, but these eight signings stood out for all the wrong reasons.
The 2026 summer window delivered its share of headline purchases, but not every major move inspired confidence. Alongside smart recruitment and eye-catching spending, there were also a number of deals that raised questions across the game.
With so many players changing clubs, some questionable decisions were always likely. Here are eight signings that stand out for the wrong reasons.
Tottenham Hotspur’s capture of Sávio was among the most eye-catching. The $101.9 million fee surprised many, especially given the Brazilian’s return of just two Premier League goals in two seasons at the Etihad. Spurs also added Omar Marmoush from Manchester City in quick succession, and the scale of the Sávio deal left plenty of people stunned once the talk of a sell-on clause was dismissed.
Another Tottenham move came on deadline day and caused just as much confusion. The loan signing of Mykhailo Mudryk, alongside the addition of Chelsea center back Tosin Adarabioyo, puzzled supporters. Mudryk had not played a competitive match in nearly two years after a doping ban that was recently lifted, making the move a considerable gamble.
Nottingham Forest also drew attention for the wrong reasons when they spent $61.2 million on Liam Delap. Chelsea had only signed him for $40.6 million, and after a difficult debut season that brought three goals in 49 appearances, the fee looked excessive despite his 12-goal Premier League campaign for Ipswich Town in 2024-25.
Chelsea’s own summer business included Emmanuel Emegha, signed from Strasbourg for $28.5 million. Expected to back up João Pedro, he now sits third in the pecking order after the arrival of Danny Welbeck, leaving him with a difficult route to regular football.
Juventus paid $43.8 million for Randal Kolo Muani after his mixed loan spell at Tottenham Hotspur, where he scored five goals in 41 appearances. AC Milan then turned to Gonçalo Ramos for $80 million, despite his role as a rotation option behind Ousmane Dembélé and a return of 13 goals in 50 matches.
Gabriel Martinelli’s $81.5 million move to Al Hilal was not a disaster for the clubs involved, but it was still a surprising step for a 25-year-old forward who could have rebuilt his standing at a Champions League club.
For Trabzonspor, the free signing of Mohamed Salah was a major coup. The Liverpool winger arrived with no transfer fee attached and plenty of interest elsewhere.
Al Hilal
Martinelli’s Saudi Move Raises Questions for Arsenal
Martinelli joins Al Hilal as Arsenal sell their record departure and weaken left wing depth.
Gabriel Martinelli is set to continue his career in Saudi Arabia with Al Hilal after a permanent transfer from Arsenal, a deal that becomes the most expensive sale in Gunners history.
The Brazilian had already turned down a move to Galatasaray, but Mikel Arteta made it clear Arsenal no longer had a place for him. Martinelli featured in pre-season as expected after the World Cup, yet he was left out of the squad for the Community Shield and the club’s opening two Premier League fixtures.
Arsenal entered the summer looking to strengthen the side that finished 2025-26 as Premier League champions and Champions League runners-up. Left wing, where Martinelli had already lost his starting role to Leandro Trossard, was viewed as a position requiring attention.
Christos Tzolis arrived after Trossard was sold to Beşiktaş in July. Arsenal then attempted to land a series of high-profile wide players, only to be turned away by Morgan Rogers, Vinícius Júnior and Bradley Barcola. A move for Malick Fofana also appears to have been left unexplored in serious terms.
That left Tzolis, who had plenty to prove after moving up from Belgian club soccer and enduring a difficult earlier spell in England, to shoulder the responsibility. So far, he has started well in the opening weeks of the season.
Even so, Martinelli’s departure without a direct replacement has left Arsenal thinner than they would like, especially with the club expecting to defend their Premier League title and compete strongly in the Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup.
Tzolis will need help. Eberechi Eze can play from the left, while Manchester United academy player James Scanlon joined over the weekend, with the 19-year-old drawn by the club’s trajectory and the move made easier by Martinelli leaving without being replaced.
Martinelli departs with 278 Arsenal appearances behind him. He is a solid player, even if not a standout one, and forcing him out under these circumstances does little for squad depth, despite the financial return.
For Martinelli, the move is not an obvious footballing upgrade. His salary will be tax-free and significantly increase his earnings, but competition for his preferred position already exists. Crysencio Summerville, who joined Al Hilal from West Ham United in July, has started all four Pro League matches in 2026-27. He scored once and assisted twice in the 5-1 win over Al Khaleej, then added another goal in Tuesday’s 3-0 victory over Al Ahli. He will not be easy to remove from the side.
