Pitch side stories by Pranesh

 Some very high profile transfers just do not seem to ever work out. If injuries were the reason behind Coutinho´s poor displays after his €145 million move from Liverpool to Barcelona in 2018, they became even more of an issue when he took a loan move to Bayern Munich and rediscovered the form of his Liverpool days. Similarly, the long-term effects of Alexis Sánchez´s transfer in the 2018 season to Manchester United from Arsenal was a seemingly decent shout, he never seemed to be able to recreate the same form he showed and departed after just two seasons. It would be unfair to analyse any of these deals stating that no money guarantees quality. But to ensure this does not occur again, teams will bear in mind the financial boundaries and will ponder if the player fits their system of play or not. Whether it is pressure for the player to adapt quickly or for the team to recapture form lost in a previous season.  

 Loan deals generally allow clubs to temporarily offload players to other teams, usually for a season. Such arrangements bring advantages for clubs and players alike: clubs can solve wage scarcity problems, otherwise support the development of young talent, airtime on the player side. His career rejuvenated by a Chelsea loan deal to Inter Milan in 2019, Romelu Lukaku claimed the Serie A title for Inter. 2021 saw Martin Ødegaard go on loan from Real Madrid to Arsenal, and then establish a permanent move, because he had by then become very important for the Gunners. Loan deals are very important for young players who are finding their way into a senior squad, and club management strives to use this opportunity to fix their immediate deficiencies in their senior teams with squad re-enforcement. Generally, this is a low-risk, high-reward sort of a deal for both parties involved. 

 Every transfer window features high-profile young talents moving to bigger clubs, receiving investments by clubs looking at stars of the future. The recent windows have witnessed players like Jude Bellingham remaining outstanding. He transferred from Borussia Dortmund to Real Madrid for €103 million. His versatility and maturity at only 20 have rendered him an indispensable cog in Madrid's midfield, and his transfer represents the club's mission in nurturing young players. Another prominent transfer was Josko Gvardiol from RB Leipzig to Manchester City on a €90 million deal. One of the most sought-after defenders-plugging artists, the player, at the age of 22, perfectly fitted City's tactical requirements due to his defensive prowess and composure. Rasmus Højlund, the Danish striker, made big headlines through the high-profile transfer from Atalanta to Manchester United in the amount of €75 million.  He, 20 years younger, has a physicality.  

 Club owners and managers run around on this day in a bid to ensure that deals are cut or players signed before the closure of the transfer window. This day also records several last minute buys or sales that may turn out to be important for the teams in the following season. Most importantly, the last minute signing of luis torres by chelsea fc from liverpool lynx for 50m pounds caused great changes to the two teams involved. A quality center forward was obtained by chelsea while liverpool had to formulate other means of attacking devoid of the services of the young man. In other situations like the transfer of Alexis Sanchez of Arsenal to Manchester United in the year 2018, although this strengthened United’s team, it meant that Arsenal had to look for a replacement. These abrupt deals can have positive or negative effects; on one hand, some low-profile players come in and perform brilliantly, while on the other hand, many experienced players come in and take forever to blend in ...

 Free transfers will occur whenever a player's contract expires, therefore the player can join a club without an associated fee tied in with the transfer. Of course, both clubs gain the benefit with the pursuit of squad improvement without breaking the bank and by giving a player more opportunities to discuss terms. Top free transfers have had a big impact on sides. For example, in 2020, Zlatan Ibrahimović went to AC Milan and pretty much transformed the team into a better attacking side by lifting the Serie A title while there are David Beckham who moved to LA Galaxy and helped to put MLS on the map, as well as Cristiano Ronaldo, who went back to Manchester United this year and caused huge media hype and fan interest. Free transfer will typically be those that can be signed up to a club that will immediately benefit the squad of the club but, at the same time, they are a risk as their form might have begun to decline. At all times in the football markets, free transfer markets wil...

 The top 10 most expensive football transfers have reshaped the sport. The list includes: 1. Neymar (€222m, Barcelona to PSG, 2017) – Revolutionized PSG’s attack, making them Champions League contenders. 2. Kylian Mbappé (€180m, Monaco to PSG, 2018) – Became a PSG star, leading them to multiple domestic titles. 3. Philippe Coutinho (€145m, Liverpool to Barcelona, 2018) – Struggled at Barcelona, later loaned out. 4. João Félix (€126m, Benfica to Atlético Madrid, 2019) – Showed promise, but faced inconsistent form. 5. Antoine Griezmann (€120m, Atlético to Barcelona, 2019) – Underwhelmed and returned to Atlético. 6. Jack Grealish (€117m, Aston Villa to Manchester City, 2021) – Integral to City’s domestic success. 7. Cristiano Ronaldo (€117m, Real Madrid to Juventus, 2018) – Won titles but didn’t achieve Champions League glory. 8. Ousmane Dembélé (€105m, Dortmund to Barcelona, 2017) – Injury-prone, yet showed flashes of brilliance. 9. Paul Pogba (€105m, Juventus to Manchester United, 2...