The most atypical transfer market of history. So much so that the 2021 summer transfer window ended well into the fall, with many movements at zero cost or in the form of an assignment, including some of the most notorious. Thus, Luis Suárez and Gareth Bale, two of the great soap operas on the market, ended up leaving Barça and Real Madrid at zero cost, with respective operations that concluded with the Uruguayan and the Welshman at Atlético and Tottenham de Mourinho, respectively, and with those who were their clubs for six and seven seasons paying part of the expensive salaries to avoid problems in their dressing rooms.
They weren’t the only player moves at zero cost. Thus, the Madrid has not made any investment in reinforcements, which are limited to return of loaners Martin Odegaard, already done to have many minutes of white after a great season at La Real; from the goalkeeper Andrei Lunin, after linking three loans in two seasons to Valladolid, Leganés and Oviedo, where he finally had minutes; and right back Álvaro Odriozola, back after spending time at Bayern Munich to offer competition to Carvajal.
Beyond that, the economic balance of the market for Madrid is one profit of almost one hundred million, in line with the intention of balancing a positive economic balance in the midst of a decline in income due to the pandemic. Gareth Bale was the summer soap opera at the Chamartín club, but at last he found the exit door with a loan to Tottenham which will also mean for Madrid to take on a large part of its record. Welsh was the hot potato in Concha Espina’s offices next to James Rodriguez, who packed the bags to Everton at zero cost. More profitable were the transfers of Achraf Hakimi, sold to Inter for 40 million euros after the end of his loan at Borussia Dortmund; Sergio Reguilón, another who returned from the loan at Sevilla and went to Tottenham for 30 million; Óscar Rodríguez, who went to Seville in exchange for 13.5 million; and to a lesser extent the homegrown players Óscar Rodríguez, Javi Sánchez, Jorge Frutos and Dani Gómez, who together with the transfers of Takefusa Kubo to Villarreal and Borja Mayoral to Roma left more than ten million in the white box.
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Millions were paid by Juventus to Barça for the transfer of Arthur, although the operation, beyond financial engineering movements, was framed in a trick by Pjanic plus the difference in value.
At Barça it has also been an austere market despite the fact that sale of Arthur to Juventus and the arrival of pjanic of the ‘Vecchia Signora’ were the two largest movements, with amounts of 72 and 60 million, although beyond financial engineering maneuvers it was really a barter plus the difference. Trincao came from Sporting de Braga in exchange for 30 million, Sergiño Dest from Ajax for 20 million and Pedri from Las Palmas with a cost of five million for the Barça club, which recovered Coutinho after his assignment at Bayern and earned 30 million for the transfer of Semedo to Wolverhampton, 10 and 10 for Roma and Getafe for Carles Pérez and Cucurella and 1.5 for Sevilla for Rakitic. The output of Luis Suarez, the most commented beyond the ‘Messi case’, was resolved with a Transfer to Atlético at no cost Except for variables of up to a million for each season and with Barça paying part of the forward’s file. Without any consideration he left Arturo Vidal to Inter.
Atlético opted for Suárez after Morata’s scare, loaned for a season to Juventus in exchange for ten million but with a purchase option of 45 million. Beyond the signing of goalkeeper Ivo Grbic from Lokomotiva in Zagreb for seven million and the departure of Adán to Sporting Lisbon at zero cost, in the throes of the market the dreaded Thomas’s march to Arsenal, as the ‘Gunner’ club paid the 50 million euro termination clause for the Ghanaian midfielder, who will be replaced by Uruguayan Lucas Torreira.
Sevilla and Villarreal, very active
Sevilla, who lost Banega, was one of the market entertainers with the arrivals of Óscar Rodríguez, Rakitic, Acuña and in the final stretch of the market of Idrissi and Rekik, two movements very typical of Monchi’s clinical eye. Meanwhile, in the arrivals section, the Villarreal, with the bet of Stupiñán for more than 16 million to Watford and the arrivals of Parejo and Coquelin of the Valencia, who entered a total of 60 million for the transfer of both midfielders, Rodrigo Moreno to Leeds and Ferran Torres to Manchester City.
Beyond that, the Real society surprised by convincing David Silva to wear ‘txuri urdin’ on his return to the League and earned 20 million for the transfer of Diego Llorente to Leeds; Athletic signed Álex Berenguer in exchange for 12 million to Torino, Granada paid seven and five million for Luis Suárez and Luis Milla and the Betis achieved the signing of an experienced goalkeeper as Claudio Bravo, arrived free from Manchester City.
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