Transfer Window Aftermath: Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham Updates

Transfer window closes, but the aftershocks keep coming.

England’s market is shut, the chequebooks put away, yet the stories keep spilling out across Europe. Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, Manchester United and Liverpool may be locked in for now, but their plans are already stretching towards January and beyond.

Arsenal’s missed shots and lingering targets

Arsenal’s Deadline Day fizzled rather than exploded. A late push for Julian Alvarez went nowhere, and when that door slammed shut, the Gunners tested the waters for Inter captain Lautaro Martinez.

Inter did not budge.

Reports say Arsenal were ready to make a serious play for Martinez before the deadline, but the Nerazzurri refused to even entertain his exit. Martinez has since confirmed Barcelona’s interest in him was real, yet he chose to stay in Milan, stressing how settled he feels and his desire to keep winning trophies with Inter. Arsenal, who had hoped to unveil a marquee centre-forward, start the new season without the elite striker they chased all summer.

They did move one major piece out. Gabriel Martinelli completed his switch to Saudi Arabia on Thursday, trimming Mikel Arteta’s attacking options. And while Andria Bartishvili has already undergone a medical, the sense remains that Arsenal’s frontline rebuild is only half-done.

The club’s gaze is already drifting to January. Arsenal retain interest in Vinicius Junior and Alvarez, both of whom slipped away in this window. Vinicius, initially open to the idea of north London, ended up signing an improved deal at Real Madrid once the Spanish giants opted to keep him. Alvarez stayed put at Atletico Madrid after his preferred move to Barcelona collapsed, and Arsenal could not persuade him to change course.

The Independent reports that Arsenal may revisit both cases in the winter if injuries bite. Bournemouth’s Eli Junior Kroupi, who impressed before a pre-season injury halted his momentum, also remains on their radar.

Chelsea rip up the script and reload

Chelsea, as ever, chose chaos.

On a dramatic final day, the club sanctioned Enzo Fernandez’s move to Manchester City for a British-record-equalling £125million. Losing a player of that calibre would usually be the story in itself. At Stamford Bridge, it felt like the start of the next act.

Chelsea had lined up Lamine Camara as Fernandez’s replacement, only for Monaco to pull the plug late. That forced a pivot. Now Atletico Madrid midfielder Pablo Barrios has emerged as the new primary target, with the Blues said to be weighing up a €100m bid for January.

Barrios, 23, has grown into a key figure for Atletico, but Chelsea believe a huge offer could test the Spanish club’s resolve. Xabi Alonso is understood to see him as the ideal technical hub in midfield as Chelsea reshape their core after Fernandez’s departure.

He is not the only midfielder Chelsea tried to prise loose. Santi Aouna reports that the club had a verbal agreement with Roma for Manu Kone, with both ownership groups directly involved. The deal fell apart when Roma ran out of time to secure a replacement, and Gian Piero Gasperini vetoed Kone’s exit.

There was another bold attempt. Talksport claims Everton rejected a £65m bid for James Garner in the closing hours. The Merseyside club simply felt there was no time to find an alternative.

Off the pitch, Chelsea Women have made a symbolic call of their own. Erin Cuthbert has been named captain for the 2026/27 season, replacing Millie Bright after the England defender announced her shock decision to retire in April. Now into her tenth year at the club and already on 301 appearances, Cuthbert called the armband “a great honour” and spoke of understanding the weight it carries at Chelsea. She steps into the role as the heartbeat of a side entering a new era.

Richarlison races Turkey’s clock

One story refuses to die with the window: Richarlison’s future.

Tottenham have left the Brazilian out of their Premier League squad, effectively pushing him towards the exit. England’s window is closed, but Turkey’s remains open until midnight local time – 10pm in the UK – and that deadline now defines his season.

Trabzonspor are in talks to sign him and are said to have agreed personal terms. The negotiations now hinge on a fee between the clubs. Everton had reached an agreement worth an initial £25m earlier in the week, only for Richarlison to reject the contract on offer. With that door shut, Turkey stands as his only route to regular football for the rest of the calendar year.

Trabzonspor need him. They have taken just four points from their first three league matches and were thrashed 5-0 on aggregate by Ferencvaros in their Europa League play-off. They want a statement signing. Richarlison wants a way out. The clock is ticking.

Tottenham, for their part, were not idle on Deadline Day. They brought in Mykhailo Mudryk and Tosin Adarabioyo, reshaping Ange Postecoglou’s options while preparing to cut ties with a high-profile forward who never quite fit.

City’s contingency and the next battles

At Manchester City, the planning is more surgical. With Haaland the immovable focal point, the question becomes: what happens when he is not there?

The Independent reports that Antoine Semenyo has emerged as the club’s preferred option to lead the line whenever Erling Haaland is unavailable or withdrawn. Under Enzo Maresca, Semenyo is viewed as the main alternative through the middle, a different profile who can still maintain City’s attacking edge.

Elsewhere, the arms race for emerging talent continues. Newcastle and Aston Villa are both tracking Bayer Leverkusen striker Christian Kofane, 20, with Football Insider claiming a January tussle is on the cards. The Premier League’s middle powers are already jostling for position in a market where the best young forwards are snapped up earlier every year.

Coady and Williams step into England’s future

Away from the transfer frenzy, England’s youth setup has quietly added two significant voices.

Conor Coady and Paul Williams will join Lee Carsley’s England U21 coaching staff this autumn following Ashley Cole’s departure. Coady, the former Wolves and England defender, returns to the national pathway after a stint with the MU19s earlier this year. Now 33, he collected 10 senior caps and featured at Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup, bringing recent tournament experience into the dressing room.

Williams, a former Premier League defender with a deep coaching résumé, has been working with England’s U15s and will combine his new U21 role with his position as a senior coach developer at the FA.

The Young Lions, reigning European champions, have three Euro 2027 qualifiers left as they push to secure their place at next summer’s finals. New voices, same expectations.

The windows may be closed in England, but the season’s shape is still shifting. Who moves again in January will decide whether this summer’s bold gambles look visionary – or reckless.