ENZO JOINS MANCHESTER CITY AS CHELSEA OVERHAUL SQUAD ON DRAMATIC TRANSFER DEADLINE DAY

The 2026 summer transfer window ended with a flurry of major moves as Premier League clubs completed a number of high-profile deals before the deadline, with Enzo Fernández’s switch from Chelsea to Manchester City emerging as one of the biggest stories.

Manchester City completed the signing of the Argentine midfielder for a British record-equalling £125 million. Fernández has signed a five-year contract with the Etihad Stadium club, bringing an end to his spell at Chelsea after his move from Benfica in January 2023.

The transfer means Fernández has now become one of the most expensive players in football history, having crossed the £100 million mark twice in his career. His arrival is also part of a major rebuilding exercise at Manchester City, who spent heavily during the summer as they look to challenge for major honours again.

City were the biggest spenders in the Premier League during the window, with their total expenditure reaching approximately £458 million. The club also signed Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest for about £116 million and Iliman Ndiaye from Everton for a reported £65 million, among several other additions.

For Chelsea, Fernández’s departure was accompanied by several other significant deadline-day movements. The London club loaned goalkeeper Robert Sánchez to Como, while Mykhailo Mudryk also left on loan, with the winger joining Tottenham. The Blues also allowed several other players to leave as they continued reshaping their squad.

Chelsea's deadline-day business was complicated by their inability to complete a replacement for Fernández. Their attempt to sign Lamine Camara from Monaco collapsed late in the window after the French club pulled out of the agreement, leaving Chelsea without the midfielder they had hoped would fill the gap created by Fernández's departure.

Mudryk's move to Tottenham was one of the more notable late transfers involving Chelsea. The Ukrainian winger will now continue his career away from Stamford Bridge as Tottenham look to strengthen their squad following an aggressive summer recruitment campaign.

Another Premier League club to complete a late deal was Sunderland, who secured the signing of Malick Fofana. Sunderland reportedly paid around £30 million for the winger after beating competition from Crystal Palace for his signature. The newly promoted club also strengthened its defence by taking Kevin Danso on loan from Tottenham.

Everton were also involved in a dramatic deadline-day sequence. The club had reached an agreement with Monaco for striker Folarin Balogun, but the deal ultimately failed to materialise after the player changed his mind. Everton did, however, complete the loan return of Jack Grealish and signed Ainsley Maitland-Niles from Lyon.

Tottenham remained one of the busiest clubs throughout the window and completed a major rebuild, including the signing of Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali for a fee that could rise to £100 million. The club also secured other additions as it attempted to improve its squad for the new campaign.

Liverpool also completed one of the window's biggest deals by signing Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain for an initial fee of around £107 million, with the agreement potentially rising to £123 million. Chelsea, meanwhile, brought in Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa for approximately £117 million.

The extraordinary activity on deadline day capped a record-breaking summer for English clubs. Premier League teams spent approximately £3.46 billion during the transfer window, setting a new record for summer spending for the second consecutive year. Four of the 11 most expensive transfers in Premier League history were completed during the window.

With the window now closed, clubs will turn their attention to integrating their new signings and assessing whether their summer recruitment has provided the required boost. For Manchester City, Fernández represents the centrepiece of an expensive squad rebuild, while Chelsea face the challenge of moving forward without one of their most prominent midfielders.

The dramatic final hours once again demonstrated the financial strength of the Premier League, with clubs continuing to spend huge sums to strengthen their squads and compete for domestic and European honours.