Arsenal's Quiet Deadline Day and Chelsea's Bold Moves

The window is shut in England, the money has stopped moving – on paper at least – but the market hasn’t gone quiet. It’s just shifted continent and tone.

After one of the most frantic Premier League summers on record, the late stories now live in the margins: Turkey’s deadline, January plotting, and the fallout from some eye-watering deals.

Arsenal’s quiet deadline, loud ambitions

Arsenal tiptoed through Deadline Day while the rest of the league emptied the vault. Julian Alvarez stayed out of reach, Gabriel Martinelli completed his move to Saudi Arabia on Thursday, and Andria Bartishvili went through his medical as the Gunners tried to tidy up around the edges.

Behind that calm front, though, there was one last swing.

Arsenal made a late approach for Inter captain Lautaro Martinez once the Alvarez pursuit collapsed. It was serious enough for the club to “explore alternatives” and be ready to move, but Inter simply refused to engage. Martinez, 29, has since confirmed Barcelona’s interest was real, yet chose to stay where he is, comfortable in Milan and focused on more trophies with the Nerazzurri.

For Mikel Arteta, it means another window closed without the marquee centre-forward the club craved. The season starts with what he has, not what he wanted.

The Gunners are not done looking. They remain interested in Vinicius Junior and Alvarez ahead of January. Vinicius, once open to the idea of north London, ultimately signed an improved deal at Real Madrid when the club decided to keep him. Alvarez stayed at Atletico Madrid after his preferred move to Barcelona was blocked and Arsenal failed to persuade him to cross the channel.

Those names are expected to resurface if injuries bite. Bournemouth’s Eli Junior Kroupi, who impressed before a pre-season injury halted his breakthrough, also stays on the radar. Arsenal’s next move may depend less on desire and more on who is left standing by the winter.

Chelsea rip up the midfield and start again

If Arsenal played it cool, Chelsea went the other way.

Enzo Fernandez left Stamford Bridge for Manchester City in a British-record-equalling £125m move, a staggering fee that underlines just how quickly Chelsea are willing to pivot on even their biggest investments.

They thought they had his replacement lined up. A deal for Lamine Camara was in place until Monaco abruptly pulled the plug. That collapse forced a rethink, and the new plan is far more expensive.

Pablo Barrios of Atletico Madrid has emerged as the primary target, with Chelsea considering a €100m offer in January. The 23-year-old Spain international has become an important figure in Madrid and is viewed by Xabi Alonso as the ideal piece to reshape his midfield after Fernandez’s departure. Chelsea believe a huge bid could test Atletico’s resolve and hand Alonso another technically gifted operator for the second half of the season.

It was not the only midfield swing. Chelsea had a verbal agreement with Roma for Manu Kone, with the club owners directly involved. Time beat them. Roma ran out of runway to find a replacement, and Gian Piero Gasperini vetoed the move. The deal collapsed before it ever reached the paperwork stage.

There was one more late gambit. Everton rejected a £65m bid from Chelsea for James Garner in the final hours of the window, unwilling to lose him without time to recruit a successor. Chelsea pushed, Everton held firm, and the clock won again.

Off the pitch, a new leader is in place. Erin Cuthbert has been confirmed as Chelsea Women’s captain for the 2026/27 season, taking over from Millie Bright after the England defender’s decision to retire in April. Now in her tenth year at the club and already on 301 appearances, Cuthbert knows exactly what the armband means at Kingsmeadow and Stamford Bridge. She has called it “beyond the wildest dreams of a little girl from Irvine” and accepts the weight that comes with it.

Richarlison races Turkey’s clock

While England’s window is closed, one of the most intriguing sagas is still alive in Turkey.

Richarlison has until midnight local time – 10pm in the UK – to seal a move from Tottenham to Trabzonspor. Personal terms are said to be agreed. The hard part now lies between the clubs as they haggle over a fee.

The Brazilian turned down a return to Everton despite the Toffees agreeing a package worth an initial £25m. Contract talks broke down, leaving him in limbo. Omitted from Spurs’ Premier League squad, Turkey is his only realistic route to competitive football for the rest of the calendar year.

Trabzonspor need him. Four points from three league games and a 5-0 aggregate defeat to Ferencvaros in the Europa League play-offs have exposed their shortcomings. They want a statement forward. Richarlison wants out. The deadline will decide who blinks.

City, Newcastle, Villa and the next wave

The elite are already planning the next phase.

Manchester City have identified Antoine Semenyo as their preferred option to lead the line whenever Erling Haaland is rested or unavailable, according to The Independent. Under Enzo Maresca, Semenyo is emerging as the main alternative through the middle, a different profile to Haaland but one City believe can carry the load in rotation.

Newcastle and Aston Villa, meanwhile, are set to go head-to-head in January for Bayer Leverkusen striker Christian Kofane. At 20, he fits the profile both clubs now chase: young, upwardly mobile, and potentially transformative if they pick the right moment to strike.

The market never really sleeps. It just changes pace.

New faces on England’s touchline

Away from the transfer frenzy, the FA have moved to reinforce the international pathway.

Conor Coady and Paul Williams will join Lee Carsley’s England Under-21 coaching staff this autumn after Ashley Cole’s departure. Coady, 33, returns to the development setup having worked with the MU19s earlier this year. A veteran of Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup with 10 senior caps, he brings fresh dressing-room experience to a squad still learning how to win.

Williams, with extensive Premier League experience as a player, steps up from the England Under-15s and will combine the role with his job as a senior coach developer at the FA.

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

The windows will open again soon enough. The question is who will be ready when they do – and who will be left wondering if they moved too late this time around.