The morning after Celtic Park staged a glittering celebration of all the wholesome good our transfer market can achieve, let’s salivate over a little more. Chelsea needed neither Neymar nor Kylian Mbappé to help them dispose of inadequate opposition and Diego Costa was, as is now usual, kept very much at arm’s length too. He could – at long last – agree a £53m return to his previous club, Atlético Madrid, as soon as this week, thus keeping himself away from that scary round white thing for a few more months – until the Spanish side are allowed to make it formal.
Proving that the Mill is not cowed by thorny legal ground, we proceed next to the saga of William Carvalho to West Ham, made hilarious in its own right by the sex toy-invoking squabble between the Hammers and his current club, Sporting Lisbon, over whether they ever really made an offer for the Portugal international. Anyone really care? West Ham’s supporters might if, as reports suggest this morning, whoever is managing the team at the time gets his man in January. Both parties will presumably have to kiss and make up over some port and pastel de nata first.
Where would you send an injury-afflicted Premier League star who, ravaged by time and not the scintillating prospect he once was, simply wants to play some footy? Fenerbahce, apparently, in the case of Jack Wilshere – who could link up with his old chum Robin van Persie and supply bullets for Vincent Janssen after Christmas, talks having apparently begun. Wilshere has, though, already rejected the overtures of another Turkish side, Trabzonspor.
If Wilshere leaves, Arsenal fans might yet be able to console themselves with the continued presence of Mesut Özil, whose contract is ticking down at a fair lick. With serious interest from other big clubs not really materialising, Arsène Wenger is yet to give up hope on the German prolonging his stay. Over to you, Alexis.
Barcelona may well get their hands on the Nice playmaker Jean Michael Seri when January kicks in; presumably the Spanish side are suitably contrite after apparently failing to make up their minds between the Ivorian and Philippe Coutinho in the dearly departed summer window.
The current Barça crop seem to have spooked Juventus into an attempt to bolster their back line. Tuesday night’s 3-0 win over Juve at the Camp Nou was pretty resounding and perhaps the Italian champions will respond by intensifying their reported interest in the Napoli right-back Elseid Hysaj.
Finally, if you were Roy Hodgson would you take the road home to Croydon or seek one final megabucks pay deal in China? The new Crystal Palace manager decided on the former, rejecting two offers from the Chinese Super League in order to get down to brass tacks on the training ground with Damien Delaney.