The end of the 2024 summer transfer market was full of surprises. On a hectic day, several of the continent's big teams closed pending operations and made some unexpected arrivals that will be talked about. Although the Premier League grabbed the headlines as the league with the most movements, it was Leganés who were the big protagonists of the day by making one of the 'bombshells' of the summer window.
And the cucumber team managed to land the French striker (although naturalized from the Ivory Coast), Sebastian Haller, at the Estadio Municipal Butarque on loan. The incorporation of the 30-year-old striker to the squad led by Borja Jiménez became the most notable move of the end of the summer in Spain, since his important international career gives the fans of the Madrid entity enough arguments to get excited despite the poor performance shown last season.
Chelsea, meanwhile, made two of the most eye-catching deals of the summer window. From the offices of Stamford Bridge they managed to get rid of Raheem Sterling, discarded by Enzo Maresca, 'thanks' to Arsenal, who closed the loan of a winger who will begin his fourth adventure in a member of the 'big six'. To replace him, the 'blues' acquired the services of Jadon Sancho, who was on the radar of FC Barcelona, in a loan formula with an obligatory purchase option of just over 30 million euros. The 'gunners' also announced the arrival of Neto (on loan) as a substitute goalkeeper, because Ramsdale signed for Southampton (21.4M€), discarding Joan García due to the high price of his clause (30M€). And Nketiah left for Crystal Palace.
The final day of the transfer market was extremely busy in England, where West Ham signed Carlos Soler on loan with an option to buy from PSG, while Manchester United secured the signing of Manuel Ugarte for 50 million euros. Bajcetic, who was on Barça's agenda, went on loan to Salzburg, as did Amrabat, wanted by Atleti, to Fenerbahçe and Tammy Abraham to Milan. A former Premier League player, Wilfried Zaha, joined Olympique Lyon from Galatasaray for a total of 3 million euros.
The notable moves in La Liga
In Spain, Real Sociedad brought in central defender Nayef Aguerd on loan from West Ham to replace the injured Robin Le Normand. Likewise, Real Betis finalised the return of Giovanni Lo Celso to Benito Villamarín after failing to reach an agreement with Dani Ceballos. The Argentinean has landed in Seville after the Verdiblancos agreed to pay around five million euros plus the future rights of American Johnny Cardoso to Tottenham for the transfer of the Argentine, who will sign for five seasons.
For its part, RCD Mallorca has announced the incorporation of Chiquinho on loan until the end of the season after the agreement with Wolverhampton, while the former Barcelona player Memphis Depay, who is currently without a team after not renewing his contract with Atlético de Madrid, could be close to signing with Sevilla if the Nervionenses complete the departure of Lucas Ocampos to Rayados de Monterrey.
Napoli, the great entertainer of the last day of the transfer market
Napoli renewed its midfield with the surprising arrivals of the Scots Scott McTominay (30 million euros) and Billy Gilmour (14 million euros). However, it was the Victor Osimhen soap opera that was the highlight of the closing of the summer window at the Diego Armando Maradona. Saudi football and Chelsea debated the future of the Nigerian striker until the last minute, but in the end the player did not reach an agreement with either of the two options and will remain in Italy, although it is likely that he will not wear the sky blue shirt again due to his problems with the club.