You buy in all the scouting technology, subscribe to the leading data providers in search of a recruitment edge and have a network of scouts across the globe to identify the players to take you to the next level. But there’s just something intoxicating about breaking the bank for a breakout World Cup performer.
“We have had many offers for him, from big and medium-sized clubs in England, Spain, France and Italy,” Angers president Said Chabane said on Sunday of arguably the World Cup’s most impressive under-the-radar star, Morocco midfielder Azzedine Ounahi. The buzz is hardly surprisingly.
A winter World Cup ending just days before the January transfer window starts? It sounds dangerous for the bank accounts of ambitious Premier League clubs who will see the next tranche of TV money land in a few days.
“No-one signs a player solely on what they’ve done in the World Cup unless something has gone seriously wrong in their recruitment. But if you’re already aware of a player and he performs well during a tournament, it does tell you something,” a Premier League executive reasons to i.
He confirms that his club had watched Ounahi “for years”. “We knew all about him and he’s a really good player who looks suited to the Premier League but not one we were going for,” he continued.
“But I can guarantee there’ll be a director of football somewhere who was watching the World Cup and tearing his hair out because any plan to sign him now needs to factor in a price that’s probably more than doubled. It’s happened to me before in previous tournaments.”
One recruitment source i spoke to cited Stoke’s Australia international Harry Souttar as a player whose star has risen thanks to events out in Qatar, predicting “there will now be interest” in the centre-back.
Clubs were aware of the 24-year-old long before the World Cup of course – his imposing physical stature saw scouts mark his card when he was breaking through for Dundee United at the age of 17 – but a series of composed performances on the biggest international stage has seen his stock soar.
He also hits that sweet spot for most buying clubs: while his value might have risen, he’s still affordable to those dining at the Premier League’s top table.
Souttar was one of Australia’s standout performers in Qatar (Photo: PA)
Ounahi is another who falls neatly into that category. It feels almost inevitable that he will end up attracting interest from the Premier League, where his industry and energy would make him a “perfect” fit. West Ham and Leicester are among the clubs just below the elite taking an interest.
So will clubs be intoxicated by the World Cup and turn January into another record-breaking transfer window? Well don’t bet on it being quite at the level of the summer, say insiders preparing for another frantic 31 days glued to their phones and WhatsApps.
The perfect storm of the summer – where the Premier League’s heavyweights had the money, need and desire to spend big, with new managers and new owners all in play – has cleared and been replaced by a fog of uncertainty at Anfield and Old Trafford in particular. That matters.
“Most of the big clubs spent big in the summer but that doesn’t seem as likely in January. No-one knows what the ownership situation at Liverpool and Manchester United means for those two clubs in January,” one Premier League executive acknowledges.
“Most owners who are going to sell will tighten their belts accordingly but Liverpool have to get back into the Champions League and there’s a sense that Erik Ten Hag still has work to do. It matters to the league because if those clubs buy – as you saw in the summer – it trickles down to the rest of the league and then everyone else starts to do the same.”
Five deals to watch
Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund)
It didn’t take his World Cup performances to spark a bidding war for Bellingham but suffice to say, his stature rose off the back of events in Qatar. Liverpool would dearly love to wrap up a deal for him but Real Madrid and Manchester City are, sources say, “deadly serious” about signing him. Borussia Dortmund are likely to encourage a bidding war that will crescendo in the summer but expect plenty of January noise around him.
Mykhailo Mudryk(Shakhtar Donetsk)
Arsenal are seriously tempted to conclude a deal for Mudryk, Shakhtar Donetsk’s standout forward, in January. Initial contact has been made and he’d be a welcome addition to the Premier League. Newcastle are also looking at the exciting winger but the Gunners’ interest looks most solid.
Mohammed Kudus (Ajax)
How Everton must be kicking themselves that their proposed deal for the Ajax winger collapsed in the summer. Kudus looked a class apart for Ghana in Qatar and now has interest from some of the biggest clubs in Europe. Manchester United have been mentioned as a possible destination.
Kudus starred for Ghana at the World Cup (Photo: AFP)
Marcus Thuram (Borussia Monchengladbach)
i understands that Thuram is considering his future at Borussia Monchengladbach and after a decent World Cup with France, he’s sure to have offers. Newcastle have looked at him and winger Allan Saint-Maximin is encouraging a move for his former teammate.
Cody Gakpo (PSV Eindhoven)
PSV Eindhoven forward Gakpo nearly moved to the Premier League in the summer, with Leeds making serious overtures. But after a stellar World Cup he now has interest from the elite. Manchester United will have to pay around double what it might have cost in the summer but Ten Hag is a big fan.
i understands from sources at Old Trafford that Manchester United could well be active, despite the club being placed on the market by the Glazer family. Ten Hag is confident of being backed if the right target becomes available. PSV Eindhoven’s Cody Gakpo – another World Cup wonder – is one to watch while they have not surrendered in their pursuit of Frenkie de Jong.
Of the other contenders, Arsenal face a dilemma over how to replace Gabriel Jesus, with Mikel Arteta admitting they may need to move into the market to replace his goal threat. They have aspirations, too, of wrapping up a move for Mykhaylo Mudryk, the exciting Shakhtar Donetsk forward, at a fee south of the club’s £85m price tag. Chelsea are on the lookout for long-term dividends with targets like Brazilian teenager Andrey Santos, an 18-year-old midfielder of vast potential, in their sights.
For the biggest clubs, though, the prizes are likely to move in the summer. England stars Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice are highly coveted but January will surely come too soon for players likely to command nine-figure fees.
Movement, instead, is expected in the middle of the Premier League. Loan deals could feature heavily once again. Clubs mentioned as having carried out extensive groundwork during the World Cup break include Southampton, Wolves, Everton and Bournemouth. Brentford, too, could act although are waiting to ascertain the timescale of Ivan Toney’s FA charge and whether it will require a short-term fix before the end of the season.
“The money is there for these clubs to act,” one agent told i. He had held “several conversations” with Premier League clubs over an international midfielder on his books.
Because there have been fewer games since the summer transfer window, no-one is yet cut adrift at the bottom. Some teams had played 20 games by the end of 2021; it will be 17 for every club by the end of this year. That should mean fewer panic buys and less quick work by recruitment teams, who may wait until the end of the month to act.
There’s also not the spectre of a newly-minted Newcastle desperate to avoid relegation to disrupt the market this time around.
Those who have spoken to Darren Eales, the Magpies’ impressive CEO, say the club’s main concern is outgoing deals with Newcastle aware they have too many players sitting in the squad who aren’t now at the level they aspire to be. Work is going on to fix them up with new clubs.
"Well done Maxi."
Eddie Howe reacts to Allan Saint-Maximin quoting he wants Newcastle to win the race for his friend Marcus Thuram pic.twitter.com/38YVBdsdht
Incomings are “possible” (and France international Marcus Thuram is interested in a Newcastle move, i understands) but Financial Fair Play regulations are a big concern. The club can’t make the big moves until money starts flowing in through commercial deals and player trading. There is real enthusiasm about a second half of the season that, if it comes with qualification for the Champions League, could really move the project on in the summer. Could that tempt them into a big move?
The vibe coming from St James’ Park is that it is more likely to be a low-key window, with one in and one out. “But then, they said that in the summer and then went on to break their transfer record on Alexander Isak,” one source reasoned.
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"Well done Maxi."
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