Chelsea
Deadline Day Failures: Ten Players Whose Summer Moves Collapsed
Ten players saw moves collapse on deadline day, left behind as the transfer window shut. in January.
The closing hours of the summer transfer window left several established names stranded after moves failed to materialise. Below are ten players whose planned exits did not happen and who now face the season in uncertain circumstances.
Marc Guéhi appeared set to join Liverpool after Crystal Palace accepted a £35 million fee and the defender passed a medical. Palace could not find a replacement in time, with Igor Julio linked to West Ham instead, and Palace manager Oliver Glasner reportedly threatened to quit if Guéhi, who will be a free agent next summer, was sold. The transfer collapsed and Guéhi is said to be extremely disappointed, with attention turning to a possible January departure.
Joe Gomez was poised to move to AC Milan after a £13 million bid, but Liverpool could not finalise his exit until the Guéhi deal was resolved and time ran out. Gomez has made cameo appearances in two of Liverpool’s three Premier League matches this season and has fallen down the pecking order following the arrival of several new full backs. He remains one of only four orthodox centre backs at the club.
Kobbie Mainoo sought more minutes after an impressive 2023–24 campaign but has seen development stall since Ruben Amorim’s arrival and the coach’s preference for a two-man midfield. Mainoo was eager for a loan move and attracted Real Madrid interest, but Manchester United blocked an exit and asked him to stay amid light numbers in midfield.
Tyrell Malacia was the only member of five players who demanded to leave Old Trafford this summer that did not secure a move. He was close to a loan to Elche but talks broke down; his contract expires next summer and he is unlikely to feature much until his exit.
Emiliano Martínez appeared likely to leave Aston Villa but Manchester United instead signed Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp, leaving Martínez at Villa and likely to be reintegrated.
Raheem Sterling remained at Chelsea after an underwhelming loan at Arsenal and late interest from Fulham failed to produce a transfer. Tyrique George also saw a potential £22 million move to Fulham collapse as the Cottagers completed other signings, while Axel Disasi could not find a new club despite interest and a loan at Aston Villa last season.
Newcastle’s pursuit of Jørgen Strand Larsen was rejected by Wolverhampton Wanderers, who turned down bids. Strand Larsen asked Wolves to allow a move but was not desperate to force it, and Newcastle signed Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa instead. Ademola Lookman submitted a transfer request at Atalanta with bids from Inter rejected and late approaches from Bayern Munich and Tottenham Hotspur failing to materialise.
Arsenal
Five notable absences from the 2025 FIFPRO World XI nominees
Five absences from 2025 FIFPRO World XI: Kane, Gabriel, Szczęsny, Mac Allister and Caicedo shortlist
The 2025 FIFPRO World XI nominees were announced on Monday and the shortlist left a number of established performers off the list. Several omissions have prompted debate over which players deserved recognition.
Harry Kane was one of the most surprising names absent. He led the Bundesliga in scoring last season, finished with 41 goals in all competitions and won his first major trophy. Kane also finished fifth in the European Golden Boot race behind Kylian Mbappé, Viktor Gyökeres, Mohamed Salah and Robert Lewandowski. The shortlist included two of those names and excluded two, making his omission notable given his scoring numbers.
The exclusion of Gabriel also raised eyebrows. “It’s honestly preference comparing Gabriel and William Saliba, but for many who watched Arsenal closely the Brazilian was arguably the better of the two last season.” The piece highlights Gabriel’s role as a defensive leader who also poses a significant threat from set pieces and notes he is being spoken of as a potential player of the season for the current campaign.
Wojciech Szczęsny was another overlooked name. He returned from retirement midseason to join Barcelona in crisis and made his debut on Jan. 4. By the end of the campaign he had added three more trophies as Barcelona completed a first domestic treble. He subsequently earned a new contract extending his stay through 2027.
Liverpool’s midfield pairing also suffered from the voting. The article points to Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch being left out and argues both had strong claims. Mac Allister missed only three Premier League games last season, contributed 10 goal involvements and was an important part of the title-winning engine room.
Finally, Moisés Caicedo was highlighted as a major snub. Caicedo played every Premier League match last season as Chelsea secured a top-four finish under Enzo Maresca, scored in the UEFA Conference League final and played a major role in Chelsea’s FIFA Club World Cup victory over the summer.
These five absences underline the difficult choices in assembling a World XI and why the 2025 shortlist has drawn criticism.
Chelsea
Maresca confirms three injury concerns restricting Chelsea players
Maresca confirms João Pedro, Enzo Fernández and Moisés Caicedo are managing injuries. Fitness issues
Enzo Maresca has acknowledged that João Pedro, Enzo Fernández and Moisés Caicedo are all carrying injuries that have limited their training time and availability.
“I think João is not training every day because he’s managing a little bit himself from the injury problem,” the Italian boss outlined. “Moi [Caicedo] is exactly the same, Enzo [Fernández] is exactly the same.
“We have four or five players that unfortunately, because of some problems, they cannot work every day and they try to make the effort to play the game.”
Caicedo and Fernández arrived at the Nottingham Forest game as fitness doubts. Fernández did not feature, while Caicedo was only fit enough to come off the bench and, the club report says, helped swing the contest at the City Ground. He was unable to produce the same decisive impact in the subsequent match with Sunderland. Wilson Isidor’s diligent man-marking brief stifled Chelsea’s most important midfielder throughout a frustrating afternoon.
João Pedro has been asked to shoulder a regular starting burden despite his own fitness issues because of limited attacking options. Summer exits for Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku, combined with a serious injury to Liam Delap, briefly left Pedro as the only senior centre forward. Marc Guiu was recalled from his loan with Sunderland before the summer window closed, but as the match against his fleeting former employers showed, he remains a raw 19-year-old.
“So João in some games has been better, [against Sunderland] he struggled a little bit,” Maresca conceded. “But I think overall all the players struggled, so it’s not just about João.”
Delap, sidelined with a hamstring injury sustained when sprinting too vigorously in the opening exchanges of an August clash with Fulham, watched the Sunderland game from the stands. Maresca has suggested the 22-year-old could get some minutes in Wednesday’s Carabao Cup tie against Wolverhampton Wanderers, which would help ease Pedro’s workload.
Chelsea then face a London derby away to Tottenham Hotspur, a team noted in the report for a potent set-piece threat and a surprisingly mixed home record this season, with Burnley the only Premier League side to have lost in N17 so far.
Chelsea
Maresca Cites Inconsistency and Creativity Gap After Chelsea Lose Late to Sunderland
Maresca blamed inconsistency and a lack of creativity after Chelsea conceded a 93rd-minute goal. x2.
Enzo Maresca devoted his postgame assessment to a single, recurring theme: inconsistency. Chelsea arrived on the back of a midweek, record-shattering 5–1 Champions League win over Ajax, a result that extended a run to four successive victories. That momentum did not survive the weekend as Sunderland first equalised from a long throw through Wilson Isidor and then snatched victory in the 93rd minute when Chemsdine Talbi struck his first goal for the club.
Maresca singled out the team’s attacking shortcomings. He said “a lack of creativity.” He expanded on the broader issue after the match. “If you want to be there, you need consistency,” Maresca sighed postgame. “Winning four in a row and then today’s [result], it shows that.” He described the gap between peaks and troughs visually and bluntly: “If we can have that level [Maresca lifted his hand towards the ceiling] and this level [dropped the same palm towards the floor], probably it’s better to have something in between, to be always in the same way.”
The squad’s age profile and recruitment approach were offered as context for those fluctuations. Midweek accolades were tied to age-related records, and the article notes that a very youthful core can be prone to variable performances.
The decisive goal itself involved two of Chelsea’s more senior outfield figures. Trevoh Chalobah, 26, chased Brian Brobbey back into Chelsea’s half late on and was joined by 28-year-old Tosin Adarabioyo, the oldest player in Maresca’s squad. While Tosin jockeyed Brobbey, Chalobah held his position, allowing Brobbey time to lay the ball off for Talbi, who had the space to place the finish into the bottom corner. Maresca was frank about the defensive lapse. “That can be an easy situation,” Maresca moaned. “We were two vs. one, the striker is facing his own goal. It’s an easy situation to defend. In that case we have to do better.”
