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For some football fans, summer is the part of the calendar that they look forward to the most – and not just because it is filled with a World Cup every four years! Rather, it’s because the end of the season means only one thing: it’s time for transfers! The 2026 window is likely to be smashed again, with some big names set to make big money moves before the September 1st deadline day.
We know that some transfers turn out well for all parties involved, but there are many where at least one of the clubs, or even the player, wonders what might have been if they had made a different decision while at the negotiating table.
GOAL is here, then, to make sure you know who made the most of any massive trade before the players have even been officially revealed. Throughout the summer window, we’ll be assessing each completed deal as it happens, so you can track the big winners – and losers – of the transfer season.
For Liverpool: An emotional exit. Robertson easily ranks as one of the finest signings in the club’s history, a key figure in the Jurgen Klopp era acquired for just £8m from Hull City way back in 2017, and in his pomp he was arguably the best left-back in the world. However, there’s no denying that age was starting to catch up with the 32-year-old – which is why Liverpool moved early to replace him by signing Milos Kerkez last summer, and would even have sold Robertson in the winter window had they been able to recall Kostas Tsimikas from Roma. The problem now, though, is that Kerkez still hasn’t quite settled in at Anfield, while it became painfully clear during a trying 2025-26 campaign for the Reds that Robertson’s experience, tenacity and personality will be sorely missed on Merseyside. In fact, the concern among the fanbase now is that Robertson’s departure, along with Mohamed Salah’s departure, will only result in standards dropping further next season.
For Tottenham: Still a surprising move. Spurs obviously tried to sign Robertson in January, but it was hard to pin down exactly why. The Tottenham squad may have lacked quality and depth in several areas of the pitch, but left-back wasn’t really one of them. Ben Davies had, of course, just broken his ankle, but Spurs still had Destiny Udogie and the versatile Djed Spence to choose from, while Brazilian teenager Souza had just arrived from Santos. The argument was that Robertson would have been a key addition to a dressing room in disarray – and he could certainly help new coach Roberto De Zerbi cultivate a new culture of 100 per cent commitment to the squad. The fact that he’s late on a free is a nice little bonus, but the feeling is that Tottenham didn’t necessarily need Robertson.
To Robertson: A puzzling decision. One can understand why Robertson was willing to leave Liverpool in January. He had been relegated to second choice behind a player who did not perform particularly well and wanted regular Premier League football in the run-up to the World Cup – something Spurs were apparently willing to offer him. Robertson ended up starting more games in the second half of the season than he probably expected, meaning he’s in decent form heading into North America, but there was never any chance of him staying at Anfield because Liverpool didn’t offer him an extension at any point. However, he had other options than Spurs, with Juventus among those said to have been interested in signing the Scotland captain. It is therefore a little strange that he has decided to join a club that only narrowly avoided relegation to the Championship on the last day of the season. But Robertson may actually find Tottenham a more attractive option now than they were in January as De Zerbi is undoubtedly capable of improving Spurs significantly over the summer. However, we are still not convinced that Robertson will actually play much more in north London than he did at Liverpool last season.
For Atalanta: Another demonstration of their brilliant business model. Atalanta signed Ederson from Salernitana in 2022 for around €23m. and could now almost double that fee if all add-ons are met by selling him to United after four years of stellar service that included historic Europa League success. There’s no doubt that replacing the Brazilian will be difficult, but that’s what Atalanta do: they unearth diamonds in the rough and then sell them on to the highest bidder a few seasons later. Remember, Atletico Madrid also wanted Ederson, but Atalanta were firm on the fee and United ultimately agreed to pay what they demanded for a player with just a year left on his contract. Just more excellent work from one of the best recruitment teams in the business.
For United: A sensible signing from a club known for reckless recruitment. With Casemiro bidding a fond farewell to Old Trafford, United needed another midfielder, so they have gone for a similar replacement by bringing in another Brazilian ball-winner who can also play. Ederson’s stock has fallen quite a bit over the past year – which is why he is not in Carlo Ancelotti’s World Cup squad, and Casemiro is. However, that no doubt has a lot to do with Gian Piero Gasperini leaving Atalanta last summer, with Ederson previously seen as the “lynchpin” of the formidable team that dismantled Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen in the 2024 Europa League final. Back then, Ederson was linked with the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City, and if he can recapture that form, he could form a formidable midfield partnership with Kobbie Mainoo – because even though Ederson might not be good as Casemiro was in his prime, he is a serious upgrade on Manuel Ugarte!
To Ederson: The big move he has long deserved. Ederson has never hidden his interest in playing in the Premier League and now he will get a chance to test himself in a Championship that should suit his particular skill set. Ederson is excellent when it comes to both winning and retaining possession, while also posing a threat in the box. You could of course argue that he would have been better off joining Diego Simeone’s Atletico, but Michael Carrick was a good defensive midfielder in his own right and, more importantly, seems to have restored some stability to Old Trafford, which was previously considered a very dangerous destination for talented footballers hoping to take their game to the next level. As far as we’re concerned, Ederson has everything to make a big impact at ‘The Theater of Dreams’, which would undoubtedly go a long, long way to getting him back into Brazil’s squad.
For Newcastle: A telling change of approach. Newcastle fought tooth and nail to keep hold of Alexander Isak last summer before belatedly allowing him to join Liverpool. Sad as it may seem, it would have been far better to just give in immediately and let him leave as soon as he handed in a transfer request, as the disruption caused by the attacking Swede did Eddie Howe and his players no favors at all. Newcastle have therefore moved quickly to offload another troubled striker – and for a fantastic fee. Gordon is a hard-working, talented and versatile striker – but he has never done anything for club or country to suggest he is worth £69million. Of course, the challenge for Newcastle now is to invest the money wisely, because they completely wasted what they got for Isak, and attracting top talent this summer won’t get any easier. The Magpies can no longer offer Champions League football to potential new recruits, and their pathetic 12th-place finish in the Premier League, coupled with Gordon’s desire to follow Isak out the door at St. James’ Park, proving that Newcastle are no longer a serious threat to England’s elite under increasingly disinterested Saudi owners.
For Barcelona: A really worrying sign. Barcelona haven’t been able to spend big on players for a while now due to their well-documented problems complying with La Liga’s strict financial rules, so it doesn’t bode well that their first move after finally getting their house in order is to blow €80m on Gordon. The England international should certainly prove a useful addition. He can play pretty much anywhere across the front three and is a pressing machine – unlike Marcus Rashford – so it’s easy to see why Hansi Flick gave Gordon’s arrival the green light. But there is simply no way around the fact that Barca have paid too much. Granted, Gordon could have a good World Cup and thus cast the award in a more favorable light, while it has also been pointed out that the Scouser scored 10 times in this season’s Champions League – but six of those goals came against Qarabag and Union Saint-Gilloise, and half from the penalty spot. Twelve goals in his last 60 Premier League appearances is a far better indicator of the kind of strike rate Barca supporters should expect from their latest signing. So while Gordon is more likely to give Flick what he wants from a winger, and he wants a lower wage than Rashford, there was better value to be found elsewhere, suggesting Barca are back to having more money than sense.
To Gordon: The stuff dreams are made of. Despite some seriously inconsistent performances in the Premier League, particularly over the last two years, Gordon has a move to a big club that he has clearly eyed for some time now. He himself admitted he was turned on by previous links with hometown club Liverpool, who he also supported as a boy, while it initially looked like he would be heading to Bayern Munich this summer. But the Bavarians understandably bowed to the asking price, and therein lies the big challenge that Gordon now faces. The possible arrival of Julian Alvarez would take some attention from the 25-year-old, but he will still be under huge pressure to justify his fee – because Barca have not paid €80m. Gordon will have to prove himself worthy of starting for a star-studded side, and it won’t be easy. Just ask Rashford, who now looks surplus to requirements at Camp Nou despite scoring a combined 28 goals and assists in his debut season at Barca. Still, Gordon can hardly believe his luck. He will go from playing with Anthony Elanga to lining up with Lamine Yamal!
