The transfer window usually dominates discussion during the summer, but that’s rarely the case in tournament years as the market is forced to take a back seat. Business never sleeps, however, and several deals have gone under the radar during the 2026 World Cup. After five-and-a-half weeks and some 104 matches, the big event is finally over, which means attention can now turn to the comings and goings at club level.
In the Premier League, an extraordinary sum of money is being spent once again. We’ve seen Tottenham splurge on the likes of Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes, Elliot Anderson has swapped Nottingham Forest for Manchester City for a huge fee and Chelsea have made Morgan Rogers the most expensive British player of all time after
But it’s not just the big hitters who have been splashing the cash this summer, with a number of relatively lower-profile moves going through while all eyes were on the tournament across the pond.
Here, then, are 10 Premier League transfers you might have missed during the World Cup…
Emersonn (Toulouse to Ipswich Town, £26.5m)
Ipswich quietly broke their transfer record during the World Cup following their return to the Premier League after one season away, going big to sign young Brazilian striker Emersonn (yes, with two Ns) from Ligue 1 side Toulouse in a deal worth £26.5m ($35.5m).
It certainly seems that there is some risk attached to the transfer, given the 22-year-old obviously isn’t proven in the English top-flight and his return of six goals and two assists in the league last season isn’t particularly promising. When you factor in the potential financial implications of relegation at the end of 2026-27, there is a lot of pressure for this move to work out.
Joao Gomes (Wolves to Aston Villa, £38m)
Not strictly a transfer that happened during the World Cup, with the switch announced the day after the final, but Aston Villa certainly put this deal in place while the tournament was still ongoing. The Midlands club moved quickly to sign a replacement forYouri Tielemanss, who only joinedManchester Unitedd a week ago,
The £38m ($51m) fee looks a little steep, but Gomes is a Brazil international and Premier League-proven from his time at Molineux. A neat and tidy midfielder who loves to bite into tackles, he isn’t a like-for-like replacement for the more attack-minded Tielemans, but Unai Emery will hope that, at 25, the new man can develop his game further at Villa Park in a more free-flowing team. He follows
Illan Meslier (Leeds United to Arsenal, free)
Arsenal have a new back-up goalkeeper in their ranks after
Whether he is second or third-choice behindDavid Rayaa remains to be seen, amid uncertainty surroundingKepa Arrizabalaga’ss future in north London. It has been reported that Arsenal will not stand in the 31-year-old ex-Chelsea ‘keeper’s way if an approach is made.
Oscar Mingueza (Celta Vigo to Crystal Palace, free)
While the rest of the footballing world was focused on events in North America, Crystal Palace might have pulled off one of the most shrewd moves of the transfer window by bringing in Oscar Mingueza, who was
Honed in Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy, Mingueza has been a standout performer in La Liga over the past 18 months, and was even linked with the likes of Arsenal and Juventus before landing in south London. Although he missed out on a place in Spain’s World Cup-winning squad, the 27-year-old is a full international who brings versatility and experience. This looks like a very smart piece of business.
Marco Palestra to Chelsea (Atalanta to Chelsea, £47m)
The first signing of the Xabi Alonso era at Chelsea is
A marauding, versatile full-back who was named Serie A Defender of the Year off the back off an impressive season on loan at Cagliari, the 21-year-old arrived at Stamford Bridge for a cool £47m ($62m). Alonso is reported to have signed off on the transfer, with the young defender seemingly perfectly suited to the Spanish tactician’s preferred back-three or back-four systems, given he can operate on either flank as a wing-back or full-back.
Alvaro Rodriguez (Elche to Bournemouth, £26m)
Bournemouth have forged a reputation for unearthing young gems in the transfer market, and they will hope they have pulled off another shrewd move by bringing in Elche striker AlvarRodriguezez. The 22-year-old Uruguayan, who came through Real Madrid’s academy, impressed last season despite Elche flirting with relegation.
Rodriguez provided 12 goal contributions in La Liga, and Bournemouth have taken a leap of faith by investing a significant £26m ($34m) fee in his services. The hope will be that he can translate that form to the Premier League as he continues to develop, and he may well be a replacement for 20-year-old sensation Eli Junior Kroupi, who is attracting attention from the so-called ‘big six’.
Bazoumana Toure (Hoffenheim to Newcastle, £43m)
In terms of statement, big-name signings, Newcastle’s transfer window once again hasn’t exactly gone to plan. The Magpies have been pipped to a number of key targets for the second successive summer after their nightmare in 2025, includinVictor Munozoz, who joineLiverpoolol, and the aforementioned Manzambi, who has signed for Aston Villa.
The Tynesiders have, however, gone about adding a number of highly-rated youngsters to their squad, with the most significant outlay going on
Toure was swiftly followed into St James’ Park by 18-year-old Ajax midfieldeSean Steurur, who cost £23m ($31m) himself.
Callum Wilson (West Ham to Brentford, free)
West Ham might have been relegated, but veteran striker Callum Wilson won’t be going down with them after jumping ship at the end of his one-year contract and swapping east London for west by joining Brentford on another short-term deal. He follows the arrival oJaidon Anthonyny in what looks like a bargain £20m ($27m) move from relegated Burnley.
Wilson is likely to play second fiddle tIgor Thiagogo at the Gtech Stadium after the Brazilian’s prolific 2025-26 campaign, which earned him a World Cup call-up for Brazil, and the England international has set his sights on reaching 100 Premier League goals. He currently sits on 95.
Harry Wilson (Fulham to Leeds United, free transfer)
Could this prove to be one of the Premier League signings of the summer?! Top-flight clubs were queuing up to sign Harry Wilson following the expiry of his contract with Fulham and a sublime individual season that yielded 11 goals and a further eight assists in all competitions, with the former Liverpool man belatedly discovering the form of his life at the age of 29.
Quite unexpectedly, it was Leeds who won the fierce battle for Wilson’s signature as a free agent. Announcing the Welshman’s arrival, the Yorkshire club said the attacker had chosen them over “several offers from elsewhere”, a list that may well include Aston Villa, who were strongly linked earlier this summer and have qualified for the Champions League once again.
The Whites then stole a march on their rivals again to land Bosnian centre-back Tarik Muharemovic from Sassuolo after his impressive World Cup displays.
Zadok Yohanna (AIK to Brighton, £26m)
You’d be forgiven for not having heard of Zadok Yohanna (neither had we, to be honest!), but he might just be the latest in a series of brilliant pieces of business by the masterminds behind Brighton’s endlessly profitable model. The Nigerian winger didn’t come as cheap as some of the club’s biggest success stories, but that is probably because he has a very high ceiling.
Yohanna was signed from Stockholm-based AIK earlier this summer for a cool £26m ($34m), but don’t be surprised if he’s sold for a significant profit in the next few years. The 19-year-old had already clocked up nine goal involvements in just 12 appearances in Sweden’s 2026 season (which runs from April to November) before linking up with the Seagulls, who had otherwise been focused on reinforcing their backline with LeedsPascal Struijkjk and Tottenham prospecLuka Vuskovicic.
