Sports

£400m spent but who made early moves in mini transfer window?

Published

3 days ago

June 10, 2025

After a busy 10 days and £400m spent the transfer window has officially closed for Premier League clubs – a week before it opens once again.

This summer has seen an unusual, two-part transfer window to allow clubs to sign players for the Fifa Club World Cup which begins on Sunday, 15 June (01:00 BST).

A second will open on Monday, 16 June, before closing on Monday, 1 September at 19:00 BST for Premier League, EFL and Scottish Premiership clubs.

Fifa rules state a transfer window cannot last more than 16 weeks in a calendar year, hence the split this summer.

Manchester City and Chelsea are the two Premier League clubs competing at the Club World Cup in the United States, but any team from a league with sides at the tournament could participate in the window.

So who made their early moves?

Premier League clubs have already spent £400m in initial transfer fees before the new season. That dwarfs the tallies of top-flight clubs in Germany, Spain, Italy, France and Saudi Arabia.

There’s still a long way to go to match last summer’s final tally of £1.98bn spent by Premier League clubs on player transfers, while the record outlay of £2.36bn was set in summer 2023.

Chelsea begin their Club World Cup campaign against Los Angeles FC on 16 June, while City play Moroccan side Wydad AC on 18 June.

Both sides have new faces in their touring party, with City landing Wolves left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri for £31m and bringing in goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli from Chelsea as cover.

They also announced the signing of attacking midfielder Rayan Cherki from Lyon before the deadline for an initial fee of £30.45m.

Chelsea have spent more than any other club so far, splashing out initial fees of £89.5m on Liam Delap (£30m), Dario Essugo (£18.5m) and Mamadou Sarr (£12m), while Estevao Willian (£29m) will join after agreeing a move a year ago.

Manchester United are not in the Club World Cup but have made the most expensive move yet, spending £62.5m on Wolves forward Matheus Cunha.

That deal has already eclipsed the biggest fee in the Premier League last summer, when Spurs spent an initial £55m on striker Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth.

Bournemouth to the Bernabeu is not a well-trodden path in football history but Real Madrid have spent £50m on Cherries centre-half Dean Huijsen.

The Spanish giants activated his release clause, with the Spain international having as many as seven offers on the table, including Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and Newcastle.

Real, of course, also chose to spend £10m to bring forward the long-awaited signing of Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold so he could feature in the United States.

The 26-year-old would have been able to leave Liverpool on a free transfer when his contract expired on 30 June.

But Real moved early thanks to the financial incentive of the winner of the 32-team tournament potentially earning up to £97m in prize money.

Borussia Dortmund have gone down a familiar path by bringing in Jobe Bellingham – younger brother of Real and England midfielder Jude – from Sunderland for an initial £27.8m.

Liverpool replaced Alexander-Arnold with Dutch full-back Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen, while the Bundesliga side took goalkeeper Mark Flekken from Brentford.

The Bees in turn signed Liverpool keeper Caoimhin Kelleher, while across the city Everton turned forward Carlos Alcaraz’s loan move from Flamengo into a permanent one.

And Sunderland may have lost the younger Bellingham, but broke their own transfer record ahead of their top-flight return by signing French midfielder Enzo le Fee for £19m following his loan spell from Roma.

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Sports

Leadership Boost: Dr. Nneka Anibeze Takes Helm as AFN COO

Published

18 hours ago

June 12, 2025

The Gleamer

By Joel Ajayi

In a major boost for Nigerian athletics, Dr. Nneka Anibeze, a seasoned sports journalist and respected figure in the Nigerian sports community, has been appointed as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN).

The appointment was officially announced on Thursday in Abuja, shortly after the conclusion of the AFN elections.

AFN President Chief Tonobok Okowa stated that the appointment aligns with the National Sports Commission’s broader objective to promote inclusivity and inject fresh, dynamic leadership into the federation’s administrative framework. Alongside Dr. Anibeze’s appointment, Kola Oredipe was named Auditor, with other professionals also appointed into key legal advisory roles.

Dr. Anibeze brings to the role a wealth of experience, leadership, and a proven track record of contributing to the growth of sports in Nigeria. Her appointment is widely seen as a strategic move to strengthen AFN’s operations, both domestically and on the international stage.

Stakeholders across the sports sector have hailed the appointment, expressing optimism that Dr. Anibeze’s knowledge, professionalism, and vision will help reposition Nigerian athletics for long-term success.

In her remarks following the announcement, Dr. Anibeze took a moment to appreciate the critical role of the Nigerian media in advancing sports development.

Speaking shortly after the election of the Nigeria Association for Women in Sports (NAWIS) representative into the AFN board, she described the media as “the most important stakeholder” in the sporting ecosystem.

> “The future of Nigerian sports is very bright,” she stated. “The media is the greatest stakeholder in sports. Without the media, it’s like blinking in the dark.”

Drawing from her extensive experience in sports journalism, Dr. Anibeze recalled covering iconic international competitions, including the 1995 World Athletics Championships in Gothenburg, where she reported on Nigerian legends like Fatima Yusuf, Mary Onyali, and Innocent Egbunike.

“Back then, sports coverage was occasional. Today, sports is big business—and the media drives that business. Without television rights, sponsorship deals, and live coverage, sports would not attract the massive investments it does today,” she explained.“The media makes sports visible, marketable, and profitable.”

Dr. Anibeze urged journalists and media organizations to continue championing the growth of Nigerian sports, stressing their responsibility in shaping narratives and driving positive change.

“Despite the challenges, I believe in the future of sports in Nigeria. With people committed to doing the right thing—and with the media actively involved—we will get there,” she concluded.

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