Isco (l.) met Jude Bellingham and BVB in the Champions League. It almost came to a reunion in the Bundesliga. Image: www.imago-images.de / imago images
Actually, you should think that nothing can go wrong in the multi-billion football business. Especially when it comes to changing players for millions. But the deadline day, i.e. the last day on which the clubs are allowed to make changes, proves the complete opposite again and again.
Deals that were believed to be safe failed on Tuesday evening not only in Germany, but also in other top international leagues. And Deadline Day also showed that not even the players notice when their teammates leave the club.
Watson has summarized for you the strangest moments for failed changes on the last transfer day.
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Chelsea sent false documents three times
Chelsea were the undisputed spending kings in the winter transfer window. In the past month alone, they spent 329.5 million euros on new players. In addition to spending over the summer, the Blues have transferred €611.49m to other clubs.
In contrast, Hakim Ziyech was set to leave the club on loan for Paris Saint-Germain.
Hakim Ziyech will probably also wear the Chelsea shirt in the second half of the season. Image: www.imago-images.de / imago images
The medical check was passed and the contract details were clarified. But as the French sports newspaper “L’Equipe” reported, Chelsea sent the wrong documents three times. In addition, there is said to have been a computer problem in the French football headquarters.
Paris failed to register the player and the move fell through. Now the French champion wants to appeal.
As “RMC Sports” reports, the loan of PSG talent Ismaël Gharbi, who was supposed to be loaned to Nice, failed.
Bobic’s dismissal bursts Hertha transfers
Actually, Gauthier Hein and Maximilian Philipp should liven up the offensive game of Hertha BSC in the relegation battle. The Berliners are in 17th place and have the third worst attack in the league with 20 goals. Everything was clear with the players, Hein was even at the club’s premises at the Olympic Stadium for a medical check-up.
The problem: Hertha had fired sports director Fredi Bobic on Saturday evening. He had negotiated the loan deals and clarified everything important.
After the Bobic exit, Philipp decided to move to Bremen. And the new Hertha bosses couldn’t agree with Hein. According to “Bild” they should not have been convinced of its quality either.
In addition, according to “Bild”, Hertha received further rejections. Selim Amallah, World Cup participant with Morocco, did not want to come to Berlin. Jannik Vestergaard was too expensive for Hertha, Wolfsburg’s Guilavogui was denied approval, and Cadiz rejected an offer for striker Theo Bongonda. And negotiations with Olympiakos Piraeus over a loan deal for defender Papé Cissé also fell through. According to Sky, Charlottenburg also tried to loan Kerem Demirbay from Bayer Leverkusen.
Union Berlin and the Isco drama
But even with Hertha’s city rival Union Berlin, not everything is going smoothly on the transfer market despite second place in the table. Actually, the former Real Madrid star Isco was as good as the new iron playmaker. But even though he passed the medical check, it was never signed.
Union legend Torsten Mattuschka suspected on Sky that there could have been a small understanding problem with the Spaniards in terms of gross and net salary in the negotiations.
Isco was under contract with Sevilla FC until December. Image: AP / Jose Luis Contreras Navarro
Sports director Oliver Ruhnert and Isco’s consulting agency Gestufen blame each other. Previously agreed conditions were not adhered to.
The agency said Union was no longer willing to “move within the framework originally discussed.” Ruhnert countered on Tuesday evening on “Sky” that changes to the contract had been requested again, but the people from Köpenick didn’t want to get involved in “doing anything that doesn’t suit us.”
It is said to have been about the contract period between six months and one and a half years and that Union Isco would not have wanted to report for the Europa League. So the Spaniard remains without a club.
Teammates overslept the departure of their own captain
But Chelsea FC not only spent a lot of money on new players, but also took in a relatively small sum. Captain and midfield director Jorginho switched to league rival Arsenal for eleven million euros.
But at Chelsea, at least the players didn’t notice anything. Full-back Marc Cucurella, who only arrived in London for 65 million in the summer, had no idea about his captain’s transfer.
In a video format, he was asked to name the smartest player on his team and he was “100%” sure it was Jorginho. Just as the Spaniard was about to start explaining his answer, he was interrupted by a staff member on set. “I don’t think he’s still playing for Chelsea,” he says, and the 24-year-old’s surprise is clearly visible.
Then, in disbelief, he assures himself once again that the transfer is really taking place today. He’s read about it, but still doesn’t seem convinced. When the employee explains that there are even photos, he starts laughing in disbelief.
It was one of the surprise moves this winter transfer window: João Cancelo unexpectedly joins FC Bayern Munich until the end of the season. The player who has long been considered indispensable for both Manchester City and Pep Guardiola.
