So farewell to the 2022 Summer transfer window. Farewell to the orgy of financial excess that will have rubberneckers from outside football's ecosystem speechless as the wider country continues to be crippled by the cost of living crisis.
Farewell to the three months and £2billion spend that pretty much renders football incapable of pleading poverty again - as it did two years ago - any time soon. Farewell to the summer within which Chelsea, Tottenham, Arsenal and Manchester United all allowed their club-record signings — totalling £313.5million - to leave without clawing back a penny in transfer fees.
Farewell to the window that saw a clutch of top clubs lose all perspective over the talents of 21-year-old Anthony Gordon at Everton, valuing the winger who scored four goals last season - and who is entering only his second full Premier League campaign - at £50-60million.
Farewell to the section of Spurs fans who had #LevyOut trending, despite chairman Daniel Levy spending nearly £100million on four players - including a £60million striker - to deepen Antonio Conte’s squad. The reason for their anger? The north Londoners turned to Leeds winger Dan James when Roma refused to sell Nicola Zaniolo to them and Atletico Madrid took a similar stance with Yannick Carrasco. A fond farewell to the window in which Cristiano Ronaldo’s agent, Jorge Mendes, hawked his client all over Europe - only for the Portuguese legend to hit out at suggestions he is not committed to seeing out his contract at Old Trafford.
Farewell to the summer within which Chelsea appeared to abandon all the hard work put in by their academy staff to spend millions bringing in teenagers in similar positions. Also to the three months during which Barcelona claimed repeatedly to be skint - only to beat Chelsea to £55million Raphina, £42.5million Robert Lewandowski and £41million Jules Kounde. Farewell to the end-of-summer frenzy from the Glazers’ who, in their desperation to appease Manchester United’s angry fans, have s hotgunned £85million on Brazilian forward Antony - following the 22-year-old’s 10 goals in Dutch football last season.
On top of that, a staggering £70million - money the Reds will never get back - on 30-year-old ex-Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro. PS: The Glazers are still despised. The summer will end with a warm glow from the comments made by Napoli dinosaur-cum-president Aurelio de Laurentiis who declared he will no longer sign African players unless they promise - in writing - not to play for their countries at the Africa Cup of Nations. Comments met with tumbleweed from the European football community.
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Farewell to the summer within which clubs backtracked on signing players, players (like Bamba Dieng with Leeds) backed out of signing for clubs and football made clear its priorities. Just think about the financial impact that even a quarter of the investment this summer could have on mental health within the sport, brain research, anti-racism or the women's game. Farewell to the window within which Brighton embarrassed the big clubs by selling Yves Bissouma to Spurs for £25million and Marc Cucurella to Chelsea for £60million - only to beat Manchester United.
Also Leeds who sold £42million Kalvin Phillips to City, refused to listen to Barcelona’s poverty pleas, held out for £55million and went on to smash Chelsea 3-0. At the other end of the scale, farewell to Nottingham Forest, the Premier League returnees announcing their arrival by signing more players than there are words on this page. Farewell, too, to the summer transfer lunacy of the Bournemouth chairman Maxim Demin, defended for sacking the man who led them to promotion, Scott Parker, for the footballing crime of telling the truth in an industry knee-deep in lies, deceit and a lack of loyalty. He no longer wanted to be the frontman for Premier League hammerings after having his pleas for more quality rejected. The Cherries have already conceded more goals than Chelsea did in the entire 2004/5 season.
If Demin is still convinced he was right then it could well be the earliest a Premier League club has given up on staying in the top flight. And finally, goodbye to the window in which lucky Dele Alli escaped all the noise, left all the tut-tutting over him not earning 50 caps for England behind to sign for Besiktas. You can still hear his critics now. Why would he go to Turkey to rediscover the mental well being of playing? Why should he be happy?
