Olivia
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The Kickoff Report
@KickoffRep
⚽We promise to always go deeper and give you more insight into the sport we all love.
Joined April 2026
186 Following
56 Followers
671 Posts
⚽️➡️Today's Transfer Summary:
🇧🇷Bruno Guimaraes -> 🏴Arsenal (€90m)
🇨🇿Radek Vitek -> 🏴Middlesbrough (€16m)
🇪🇸Jan Virgili -> 🇧🇪Club Brugge (€12m)
🇷🇸Sasa Lukic -> 🏴Ipswich (€10.5m)
🇦🇷Thiago Almada -> 🇦🇷River Plate (€10m)
🇦🇷Facundo Buonanotte -> 🇪🇸Elche (Loan)
🇨🇮El Bilal Touré -> 🇮🇹Parma (Loan)
🇲🇽Hirving Lozano -> 🇺🇸LA Galaxy (Loan)
🇪🇸Sergi Roberto -> 🇺🇸LA Galaxy (Free)
🏴🇧🇷: Arsenal are bringing in one of the biggest midfield stars in the Premier League for an enormous fee. He will slide right in to the English champions' starting lineup, and will immediately improve the midfield substantially.
(Photo: Bryan Berlin / WikiPortraits, CC BY-SA 4.0)
"With an expected fee between £10m-£15m, this would definitely not be a bad signing in itself.
The problem lies in how he fits in with Newcastle's high ambitions. He is a good and Premier League-proven midfielder. He just isn't spectacular and is considerably worse than Bruno Guimaraes, who is one of the best midfielders in the Premier League.
If they reinvest the remaining cash from the Guimaraes deal well, then this signing could be very good. But they have failed to attract multiple players to their club this transfer window so far, and therefore I am worried for them. I am worried that they will be forced to overspend on good but not great players, leading to a "waste" of the big cash intake."
- @boldnorden
⚫️⚪️Newcastle are reportedly eyeing a move for Pierre-Emile Højbjerg to replace Bruno Guimaraes.
This follows reports of Victor Froholdt only being willing to leave Porto for a bigger destination than Newcastle.
"Højbjerg is a solid midfielder and a brave leader but he isn't at the level that a club like Newcastle should be signing. With many years of Premier League experience, he would definitely do a fairly good job but he isn't exactly an amazing replacement for one of the best midfielders in the Premier League. He doesn't have the potential resale value of Victor Froholdt either."
- @boldnorden
@FabrizioRomano Crucial centreback depth for Liverpool. I just don't think he is quite good and healthy enough to start consistently for them.
⚫️⚪️Newcastle are reportedly eyeing a move for Pierre-Emile Højbjerg to replace Bruno Guimaraes.
This follows reports of Victor Froholdt only being willing to leave Porto for a bigger destination than Newcastle.
"Højbjerg is a solid midfielder and a brave leader but he isn't at the level that a club like Newcastle should be signing. With many years of Premier League experience, he would definitely do a fairly good job but he isn't exactly an amazing replacement for one of the best midfielders in the Premier League. He doesn't have the potential resale value of Victor Froholdt either."
- @boldnorden
⚫️⚪️🇩🇰As a replacement for Bruno Guimaraes, Newcastle United might be looking towards Victor Froholdt:
An even closer look at Caleb Yirenkyi👇https://t.co/MrS7lq3TlX
🇬🇭🏴Caleb Yirenkyi is a very exciting signing by newly promoted Coventry.
He is a young midfielder, also capable of playing in defence, who is expected to slide instantly into their starting lineup.
He's got the physical capacity for the Premier League, being an incredibly hard-working player, both on and off the field.
As the Danish Superliga's biggest sale ever, and Coventry's most expensive signing to date, expectations are high for the young Ghanaian.
But his mentality is on point, and with a potential as high as his, this transfer should ultimately prove to be good business for the Sky Blues.
(Photo: Bryan Berlin / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)
⚽️➡️Today's Transfer Summary:
🇬🇭Caleb Yirenkyi -> 🏴Coventry (€30m)
🇳🇴Jens Hjerto-Dahl -> 🏴Hull City (€10m)
🇯🇵Takehiro Tomiyasu -> 🏴Crystal Palace (Free)
🇦🇷Franco Mastantuono -> 🇮🇹Fiorentina (Loan)
🇩🇿Luca Zidane -> 🇪🇸Leganes (Free)
🇹🇷Altay Bayindir -> 🇪🇸Celta Vigo (Loan)
🇧🇷Yan Couto -> 🇮🇹Como (Loan)
🇦🇷Nicolas Valentini -> 🇪🇸Alaves (€3m)
🇧🇪Orel Mangala -> 🇪🇸Getafe (€Loan)
🇦🇱Marash Kumbulla -> 🇪🇸Rayo Vallecano (Loan)
🇬🇭Coventry bring in a very promising player in Caleb Yirenkyi, as they try and build a squad ready for the Premier League. The young Ghanaian can slot into both the midfield and the defence, and he has the physical capacity to take the huge leap that moving from Denmark to England is.
(Photo: Bryan Berlin / WikiPortraits, CC BY-SA 4.0)
https://t.co/qd2JNu0lx5
⚽️➡️Today's Transfer Summary:
🇬🇭Caleb Yirenkyi -> 🏴Coventry (€30m)
🇳🇴Jens Hjerto-Dahl -> 🏴Hull City (€10m)
🇯🇵Takehiro Tomiyasu -> 🏴Crystal Palace (Free)
🇦🇷Franco Mastantuono -> 🇮🇹Fiorentina (Loan)
🇩🇿Luca Zidane -> 🇪🇸Leganes (Free)
🇹🇷Altay Bayindir -> 🇪🇸Celta Vigo (Loan)
🇧🇷Yan Couto -> 🇮🇹Como (Loan)
🇦🇷Nicolas Valentini -> 🇪🇸Alaves (€3m)
🇧🇪Orel Mangala -> 🇪🇸Getafe (€Loan)
🇦🇱Marash Kumbulla -> 🇪🇸Rayo Vallecano (Loan)
🇬🇭Coventry bring in a very promising player in Caleb Yirenkyi, as they try and build a squad ready for the Premier League. The young Ghanaian can slot into both the midfield and the defence, and he has the physical capacity to take the huge leap that moving from Denmark to England is.
(Photo: Bryan Berlin / WikiPortraits, CC BY-SA 4.0)
🇬🇭🏴Caleb Yirenkyi is a very exciting signing by newly promoted Coventry.
He is a young midfielder, also capable of playing in defence, who is expected to slide instantly into their starting lineup.
He's got the physical capacity for the Premier League, being an incredibly hard-working player, both on and off the field.
As the Danish Superliga's biggest sale ever, and Coventry's most expensive signing to date, expectations are high for the young Ghanaian.
But his mentality is on point, and with a potential as high as his, this transfer should ultimately prove to be good business for the Sky Blues.
(Photo: Bryan Berlin / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)
"James Trafford to Leeds is a perfect example of taking advantage of the market inflation.
Manchester City bought him for £27m, then sat him on the bench for a year, before selling him for £45m. This means that they effectively made a profit of nearly £20m without playing him. It seems really weird but at the end of the day, it's just good business.
Chelsea are the team utilizing this the most in the transfer market. They have bought an obscene amount of players after Todd Boehly took over, but they've also managed to sell most of them again, often for profit."
- @boldnorden
(Photo: By Bryan Berlin via WikiPortraits, CC BY-SA 4.0)
And make sure to follow, so you are ready for when we drop our editorial feature on how Turkish clubs keep outspending their revenue.
It drops before the end of the week.
🇹🇷Galatasaray have reportedly added Gabriel Martinelli to their shortlist, joining Rafael Leao as a candidate for their LW.
Another example of the big financial muscles, especially Galatasaray have been showing in recent years.
And as both earn well over €100k per week, they won't be cheap. This is on top of what is expected to be a big transfer fee for either.
This entire saga speaks to just how ambitiously Turkish football in general has been moving. The Istanbul clubs in particular are transitioning towards making more future-oriented signings instead of the traditional "old star at the end of their career" signing.
(per @DiMarzio)
(Photo: By Bryan Berlin via Wikimedia Commons, licensed by CC BY-SA 4.0)
⚽️➡️Today's Transfer Summary:
🇨🇮Yan Diomande -> 🇪🇸Real Madrid (€140m)
🇧🇷Vinicius Jr. -> 🇪🇸Real Madrid (Extension)
🏴James Trafford -> 🏴Leeds United (€52m)
🇫🇷Maghnes Akliouche -> 🇫🇷PSG (€50m)
🇪🇸Juanlu -> 🏴Bournemouth (€13m)
🇨🇭Djibril Sow -> 🇮🇹Genoa (€5m)
🇳🇱Joel Veltman -> 🏴West Ham (Free)
🏴Ross Stewart -> 🏴Swansea (Free)
🏴Wes Burns -> 🏴Leicester City (UDF)
Big Time Business:
🇪🇸Real Madrid complete two big moves, securing Vinicius' future at the club, while adding one of the world's most promising players in Yan Diomande.
If Mourinho can finally make Real Madrid's star-studded squad click, the future is bright in the Spanish capital.
🗺️🇪🇺I don't see a future with Infantino in charge of FIFA.
He clearly doesn't have many of his own people on his side, and also UEFA seemingly won't lift their boycott of FIFA tournaments unless he steps down.
Without UEFA, FIFA won't function so in the end, there are only two outcomes:
1. Infantino steps down and UEFA lift their boycott.
2. UEFA goes on without FIFA, ultimately changing football forever.
Sure is it, that change is coming.
-@boldnorden
If he ends at Barcelona instead, his impact would also be almost impossible to define.
The impact he has on a team can't be quantified, but he has proven throughout his career that it is without a doubt huge.
If the deal is completed, he would in fact make Barcelona my favorites for the Champions League this season.
"Rodri is the missing piece of Real Madrid's puzzle - and Florentino Perez has finally realized it."
- @boldnorden
Since Toni Kroos retired, Real Madrid's midfield has lacked a maestro. Someone capable of dictating the tempo of a game. And Rodri would be just that.
Recent reports from @lequipe say that both Rodri and Florentino Perez are keen on making a deal happen, despite Perez's previous hesitation.
And if a deal is reached, Real Madrid will get one of our generation's best midfielders. Like Busquets, his career seriously took off during his time with Pep Guardiola. And he reminds me a lot of the Spanish midfielder. Both are incredibly intelligent on the pitch and can control any match - qualities Guardiola has clearly refined.
That profile is also exactly what the Spanish giants need. Rodri is the missing piece of Real Madrid's puzzle, and Florentino Perez has finally realized it. He can bring back stability in a chaotic locker room and can transform how they operate as a team. He is the purest essence of a leader, setting the example for his teammates every day.
During Spain's World Cup campaign we saw just how big of a difference he can make for a team, leading his nation to World Cup glory, also reflected in him winning the Golden Ball.
Therefore, Rodri would transform a star-studded Real Madrid team that is in desperate need of a mature and experienced leader to glue together a team of outstanding individuals that have struggled to unite as a team.
I don't say this lightly, but Rodri could be the addition that brings back the Champions League to Real Madrid. And Florentino Perez realizing this will end up crucial for the Spanish giants, as I believe the team could reach new heights with the Spanish midfielder at the heart of the team.
(Photo: Bryan Berlin, Wikipedia Creative Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)
@FabrizioRomano If they can somehow add Vini as well, they would enter the season as the clear favorites for the title for me.
⚽️➡️Today's Transfer Summary:
🇪🇬Mohamed Salah -> 🇹🇷Trabzonspor (Free)
🇪🇸Miguel Gutierrez -> 🇮🇹Napoli (€26m)
🇬🇷Konstantinos Tzolakis -> 🏴Hull City (€23.5m)
🇪🇸Unai Elgezabal -> 🇪🇸Eibar (Free)
🇪🇸Pablo Ramon -> 🇪🇸Racing Santander (UDF)
🇩🇪Christian Früchtl -> 🇦🇹RB Salzburg (€1m)
🇪🇸Angelino -> 🇪🇸Deportivo la Coruna (Loan)
🇯🇵Daisuke Yokota -> 🏴Rangers (€3.5m)
🇪🇬🇹🇷Mohamed Salah joins the Süper Lig as he leaves the top of European football. This feels like a Saudi-style transfer, but just not to Saudi Arabia. A very lucrative wage of reportedly around £325k per week ultimately sends the Egyptian legend to Turkey.
(Photo: By Bryan Berlin via WikiMedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)
https://t.co/P4FBkngitm
⚫️⚪️Newcastle will reportedly target Victor Froholdt as Bruno Guimaraes' successor should he leave for Arsenal.
Porto are reportedly demanding a fee close to his release clause of €85m for the midfielder should a move happen.
After joining them for €20m from FC Copenhagen just a season ago, he has quickly established himself as one of the biggest midfield prospects in Europe.
This year, he was named Player of the Season in Liga Portugal, inevitably generating a lot of interest from bigger clubs than the Portuguese champions.
He is an extremely hard-working and incredibly balanced 8, thriving both on and off the ball.
His 15 goal contributions in 51 games are a testament as to how dangerous he can be offensively. He also leads midfielders in Liga Portugal in touches inside the opposition's box.
Off the ball, he is just as impressive, ranking among the league's top midfielders in several defensive metrics. All this suggests that he is well-equipped for the potential transition to the Premier League.
Overall, this would be an exciting signing for Newcastle and a great opportunity for Froholdt, who should quickly establish himself in their starting line-up.
⚫️⚪️🇩🇰As a replacement for Bruno Guimaraes, Newcastle United might be looking towards Victor Froholdt:
🔴⚪️Arsenal are clearly serious about taking the next step. The additions of Bruno Guimaraes and, potentially, Vinicius Junior show just how ambitious they are.
If they also manage to bring in the Brazilian star winger, they would suddenly become the clear favorites for the Premier League title and genuine contenders for the Champions League, in my opinion.
🔴⚪️Arsenal are clearly serious about taking the next step. The additions of Bruno Guimaraes and, potentially, Vinicius Junior show just how ambitious they are.
If they also manage to bring in the Brazilian star winger, they would suddenly become the clear favorites for the Premier League title and genuine contenders for the Champions League, in my opinion.
🚨🔴⚪️ Bruno Guimarães has completed his medical at Arsenal ahead of signing a four year contract at the club.
Mikel Arteta already spoke to Bruno today, excited to welcome him as Arteta wanted Guimarães for years… and now he’s joining.
£75m move, to be announced soon.
https://t.co/iIsLsfxPJG
WHY SPENDING BIG ISN'T ENOUGH FOR PROMOTED PREMIER LEAGUE CLUBS
It's the biggest league in the world. The biggest players and the biggest money. But it has a dark side.
In recent years, a phenomenon has spread throughout England. The Premier League Gulf. The concept refers to the increasing financial and competitive gap between the Premier League and the English Football Leagues, such as the Championship and League One.
When England's top clubs broke away to form the Premier League in 1992, they secured lucrative TV rights deals. Today, that gap between the Premier League and the Championship is only widening, as TV revenue keeps increasing.
This has made it tougher for promoted teams to compete, even with the big income that follows a promotion.
The financial foundations of Premier League clubs are simply much stronger than clubs in the Championship. This means that promoted teams need to spend huge amounts to stay up.
Or do they?
To determine whether more money spent equals better finishing results, we have looked at the last 15 promoted clubs and analyzed their transfer windows. We looked at the amount of money spent on signings, and how many they brought in.
This will give an indication of whether spending more money and bringing more players in makes a difference in the end.
(Find table in comments)
Of the 15 teams that went up, six of them stayed up the following season. Looking at the averages, spending more money could have an impact.
But there is an exception filling smaller clubs with hope.
Brentford spent just €38m when they were promoted. To overhaul a squad for that amount is very difficult, but they were smart.
They didn't buy tons of players. They bought players that fit into the system they wanted to play and were cheaper because bigger clubs hadn't discovered them yet.
As early pioneers in data-driven recruitment, they managed to find overlooked players with Premier League potential.
But the actual reason they stayed up?
They started building the necessary foundation already in the Championship. They operated more intelligently and used their resources more efficiently, allowing them to sign future stars like Ivan Toney before they were even promoted.
This meant they already had a talented squad and could constantly get more for their money than less efficient clubs.
This is also why they only made eight additions. Their squad was already filled with players ready to take the next step.
They were already operating maturely and laying the groundwork to compete in the Premier League without many resources, managing to counter the Premier League Gulf phenomenon.
Spending heavily can also work, though.
When a club has already built a foundation for the Premier League and is prepared for the challenge, like both Nottingham Forest and Sunderland were, it can clearly work.
But it isn't enough on its own.
An example of the exact opposite of Brentford is Ipswich. They spent over €100m more than The Bees but still ended up relegated.
They hadn't yet built the same foundation in the Championship as Brentford and may, in fact, have gotten promoted too soon.
They had to completely rebuild their squad when they got promoted, making the transition much tougher than it was for Brentford.
They simply weren't yet equipped for the huge challenge that is getting promoted.
So, spending more can definitely help you, but the real key to staying up?
Building a strong groundwork with great resource efficiency and good scouting that can make the transition to a much stronger quality and economic league. You need to think and operate like a Premier League club without having the resources Premier League clubs have.
That is extremely difficult, but necessary if you want to take that huge step.
The important thing is therefore not the amount of money you spend. It is the culture you implement in the club that matters.
If you can operate intelligently and efficiently, you may give yourself the chance to bridge the Premier League Gulf.
I am worried about Hull City ahead of the new season.
Their promotion was a huge surprise, and their squad wasn't really ready for it.
Therefore, high activity is necessary in this transfer window, as they are doing a squad overhaul. In fact, they have already signed multiple players with many more seemingly on the way.
But the lack of both quality and depth has forced them to spread out their funds over many players. This will most likely lead to a squad that isn't ready for the Premier League.
To have a chance this season, they must therefore find cheaper gems that may not be safe signings but could end up really good. Players who have done well but come with uncertainty over whether they are ready for the Premier League level.
As a result of this, Hull will be a very boom-or-bust team this season, with failure seeming more likely.
-@boldnorden
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