Transfer deals which didn’t happen are plentiful and a few of the stories as to why they didn’t happen are starting to trickle through.
Ah, the morning after the night before...
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Let’s focus on a few deals which looked set to happen but didn’t during the summer transfer window.
Why did Jadon Sancho to Manchester United peter out?
A report from the BBC and Sky Sports states that Jadon Sancho to Manchester United looked likely to happen back in January but then when Ed Woodward got his calculator out, they realized the total cost of transfer fee, wages and everything else would be close to $300 million. Jadon Sancho to Manchester United was never going to be cheap, but this seemed like the perfect time to buy the 20-year-old given the financial uncertainty. Sancho and Dortmund were said to be left bemused at how United handled this.
Manchester United believed the price was too much and after stringing along Sancho, Dortmund and pretty much everyone else in-between, they reluctantly moved on. The saga of the summer transfer window took a few twists and turn with late bids (well below the asking price) but ultimately it seemed like Man United had just didn’t want to met Dortmund’s valuation of Sancho and now they must battle it out with plenty of other clubs in upcoming transfer windows to sign him.
Fikayo Tomori to West Ham: The Chelsea defender backed out 10 minutes before the deadline because...
This was a very strange one. Everything was agreed. Fikayo Tomori, 22, was heading to West Ham United on loan for the rest of the season. Then, according to the Daily Express, after completing all of the paperwork he changed his mind. 10 minutes before the deadline! Tomori is likely to get limited playing time at Chelsea with Kurt Zouma, Andreas Christensen and Thiago Silva all ahead of him in the pecking order, and now his only option is to go out on loan to a Championship club before that window shuts in a few weeks.
John Stones to Tottenham could have happened, but here’s why it didn’t
The more you think about it, this would have been a good move for everyone. John Stones to Tottenham would see him get playing time, probably alongside Eric Dier, and that is exactly what he needs after falling massively out of favor at Manchester City under Pep Guardiola. He needs to rebuild his career but the Daily Star says he turned down the move to Spurs as he didn’t want to uproot his family from Manchester to London.
Stones, 26, is at a real crossroads in his career as he is probably fifth-choice center back at City behind Ruben Dias, Aymeric Laporte, Nathan Ake and even central midfielder Fernandinho. With Dias and Ake coming in this summer, his quest for minutes has become even tougher. Stones has plenty of talent as a ball-playing center back but needs a change of scenery to rejuvenate his career. A move to Chelsea in January, perhaps?