Griezmann, Saul Niguez, Tomiyasu: Top deadline day deals of football’s summer transfer window 2021

By Agencies

The summer transfer window of 2021 is definitely one for the history books. To call it one of the craziest windows of the modern era won’t be an exaggeration.

Most would describe an unbelievable transfer window as one in which both Messi and Ronaldo change clubs. Well, that’s exactly what happened. And there were many more unexpected moves across leagues, leaving fans stunned after a year of football in empty stadiums.

Here, we look at some of the best deadline day deals of this transfer window:

Antoine Griezmann

Atletico Madrid managed to get Griezmann back in the last few hours of deadline day by securing a loan for the French forward from Barcelona.

The 30-year-old Griezmann returns to Atlético on a one-year loan with the option for another, renewable by either club.

He played two seasons with Barcelona, where he never quite found his stride since joining on a fee of 120 million euros (USD 142 million).

He had played five seasons under coach Diego Simeone at Atlético.

Barcelona said Atlético will pay Griezmann’s wages and that the deal included an obligatory permanent transfer clause for an undisclosed amount, according to Associated Press.

Saul Niguez

Chelsea secured the signing of Atletico Madrid midfielder Saul Niguez on a season-long loan deal to further strengthen Thomas Tuchel’s wealth of options.

The Spanish international has been a key player of Diego Simeone’s reign at Atletico, but fell down the pecking order last season as Los Rojiblancos won La Liga.

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The 26-year-old had been linked with a move to Barcelona earlier in the window as a makeweight in a deal to bring Antoine Griezmann back to Atletico.

But with Griezmann reportedly heading to the Wanda Metropolitano on loan, Saul has been allowed to leave for London to free up space on Atletico’s wage bill, the AFP reported.

Takehiro Tomiyasu

After having the worst start to their Premier League history, Arsenal have gone into crisis mode. Failing to keep a clean sheet in three matches, the Gunners signed Japanese defender Takehiro Tomiyasu from Bologna for a fee worth a reported £19.8 million ($27.2 million).

The club already had signed defender Ben White from Brighton for 50 million pounds ($69.5 million) in a five-year contract.

The Premier League club said Tomiyasu agreed a “long-term” contract, believed to be an initial four-year deal with the option of a further season’s extension.

The 22-year-old can play both centre-back and right-back, giving Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta another option after Hector Bellerin’s loan move to Real Betis.

Nuno Mendes

Despite going on a signing spree throughout the transfer window, PSG still had some game on the final day. 

The Parisian club signed teenage Portugal defender Nuno Mendes from Sporting Lisbon on a season-long loan with an option to buy.

Nuno Mendes completes a bumper transfer window for PSG, who will reportedly pay Sporting a loan fee of seven million euros ($8.3 million) with the option to make the deal permanent for 40 million euros.

Moise Kean

Moise Kean is set to be the final piece of Juventus’ post-Cristiano Ronaldo attack after the Italy forward completed his move from Everton on Tuesday.

Kean, 21, returns to the club where he began his professional career as an academy graduate on a two-year loan for seven million euros ($8.3 million). 

Juve said in a statement the loan will then turn into a permanent sale worth 28 million euros, “subject to the achievement of certain given sporting objectives by the end of the season 2022/2023”, plus a potential three million euros in add-ons.

Juve sold Kean to Everton in the summer of 2019 after excelling in his breakthrough season in Serie A but he failed to impress in England and last season was loaned to Paris Saint-Germain.

He scored 17 times in 41 appearances for the star-studded French side.

Eduardo Camavinga

Real Madrid on deadline day confirmed the signing of Stade Rennes midfielder Eduardo Camavinga on a six-year deal worth EUR40 million (£34m/$47m) including add-ons, reported ANI.

The France international makes the swap from Roazhon Park to the Santiago Bernabeu in a move that sees him contracted to Los Blancos through to 2027.

Camavinga is a midfielder with fine physical attributes who is capable of playing anywhere across the middle third. He excels at breaking through the lines thanks to his explosive bursts of pace. The 18-year-old is a versatile player who is capable of operating all over the pitch and boasts a fine turn of pace and an impressive engine.

Odsonne Edouard

Seeking a new direction under manager Patrick Vieira, Crystal Palace completed the signing of French under-21 international Odsonne Edouard from Celtic for a reported initial fee of £15 million ($21 million) ahead of Tuesday’s transfer deadline.

The Eagles were eager to improve their attacking options after scoring just twice in the new manager’s first three Premier League games.

Edouard had just one season left on his deal at Celtic and has signed a four-year deal with the Premier League club. 

The Frenchman hit double figures and scored in two notable victories over rivals Rangers to help the club seal the treble. After Celtic made the move permanent for a club record £9 million, Edouard went on to play a key role in Celtic securing two more domestic trebles. In total, he scored 86 goals in 179 games for the Glasgow giants and was crowned Scottish footballer of the year in 2019/20.

Edouard becomes Palace’s seventh signing under Vieira’s new era for the Eagles.

Alex Kral

Czech midfielder Alex Kral joined West Ham from Spartak Moscow on a season-long loan with an option to buy on Tuesday, the clubs announced.

The 23-year-old defensive midfielder will join former Slavia Prague and current Czech Republic teammates Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal at West Ham.

Ilaix Moriba

RB Leipzig have signed Spanish teenager Ilaix Moriba from Barcelona on a five-year contract as a replacement for their Bayern Munich-bound captain Marcel Sabitzer, the Bundesliga club confirmed Tuesday.

According to Sky, Leipzig have paid 15 million euros ($17.7 million) plus bonus fees for the 18-year-old central midfielder, who made 18 appearances for Barcelona last season.

Emerson Royal

Tottenham signed Barcelona defender Emerson Royal in a deal worth a reported £25 million ($34 million) on Tuesday.

Brazil right-back Emerson agreed a five-year contract with the Premier League club after spending the last two seasons on loan at Real Betis.

The 22-year-old will provide competition at right-back, with Japhet Tanganga, Matt Doherty and Serge Aurier also battling for that spot in Nuno Espirito Santo’s team.