The 12 strangest World Cup transfers you might have missed
Keeping track of every transfer during the 39-day World Cup was nearly impossible, so we’ve put together some updates you might have missed over the past five weeks.
Big moves like Elliot Anderson’s £116 million switch from Nottingham Forest to Manchester City, or Tottenham signing Sandro Tonali, Jan Paul van Hecke, and Mateus Fernandes all at once, grabbed a lot of attention.
Other high-profile transfers include Anthony Gordon heading to Barcelona, Andrey Santos joining Manchester United, and Marc Cucurella moving to Real Madrid for £47.5 million.
But some deals flew under the radar. For example, former Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang recently joined La Liga newcomers Deportivo La Coruna from Marseille for around €1.5 million (£1.27m). The 37-year-old had a solid season last year, scoring 14 goals and making 10 assists.
So, who else changed clubs without many of us noticing?
Earlier this month, ex-England player Harry Winks moved from relegated Leicester City to Italian club Cagliari on a two-year contract. This is a return to Serie A for the 30-year-old midfielder, who played last season on loan at Sampdoria.
Dutch defender Stefan de Vrij, after eight years and over 200 games with Inter Milan, signed for Greek club Panathinaikos on a free transfer. The 34-year-old had been linked to Benfica but chose a one-year deal with the Athens team.
Regan Heskey, son of former Liverpool striker Emile Heskey, joined Bundesliga side FC Koln from Manchester City in a deal that could reach £8 million. The 18-year-old spent 11 years at City and scored 13 goals with 16 assists for their youth team last season.
In a heartwarming move, former Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera signed with his boyhood club Real Zaragoza, even though they were relegated to Spain’s third division. The 36-year-old’s return shows his strong connection to the club at an important time.
Celtic’s star, Kelechi Iheanacho, decided not to sign a new contract despite their double-winning season and instead joined Turkish second-division team Bursaspor. “My agent and I tried everything to make a return to Glasgow happen,” he said, “I’m really sad I can’t stay, but I’m sure our paths will cross again.”
Newly promoted Hull City announced the signing of goalkeeper Jack Butland from Rangers earlier this month. The 33-year-old, who has played for Birmingham, Stoke, Crystal Palace, and Manchester United, signed a two-year deal as Hull’s first summer signing.
Former Borussia Dortmund and Ajax striker Sebastian Haller surprised many by moving to Japanese club Sanfrecce Hiroshima on a one-year contract. The 32-year-old said he’s excited to explore Hiroshima, meet the fans, and help the club succeed.
Chelsea made a quiet move by signing Italian defender Marco Palestra from Atalanta for £43 million. The 21-year-old was Serie A’s defender of the year after a great season on loan at Cagliari. He nearly joined Inter Milan, his childhood club, but Chelsea swooped in last minute.
After selling Jan Paul van Hecke to Tottenham, Brighton quickly signed defender Pascal Struijk from Leeds United for about £20 million. The 26-year-old, who played 196 games for Leeds, signed a five-year deal with the Seagulls.
One of the most surprising transfers is Ronaldinho coming out of retirement at 46 to play for Italian Serie C club Ravenna. The former Barcelona and AC Milan star will also be a shareholder at the club. He took part in the World Cup final’s half-time show recently.
Derry, who made his Chelsea debut against Hull City in February, will spend the 2026-27 season on loan at Portuguese giants Sporting CP. The 19-year-old winger said, “Sporting CP means a lot to me—it’s where young players shine and excite the fans. Coming here was an easy choice.”
There you go—some of the transfers you might have missed during the busy summer window!