Spurs have a long history of failing to get deals over the line in the transfer market, with the circumstances usually unique

When it comes to defining 'Spursy', the footballing community should hold itself to a higher standard. Any team can lose after going two goals up, any side can snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, and ultimately, every fanbase thinks that the universe has it in for them. That's just how sport works.

For Tottenham, however, there is more of a unique history of shenanigans which range from painful, like Sol Campbell's move across north London to Arsenal for free after he said he would stay, to ironic, such as their director of football Fabio Paratici receiving a global footballing ban while running their transfer operations.

Even on the recruitment level, most clubs find themselves stuck in what feels like an endless loop of misadventure – Manchester United supporters were well versed with Nico Gaitan from about 2012 to 2015 without him ever playing for them, for example. But again, the case of Spurs feels strangely unique, with some of their failed deals owing to the most incredible circumstances.

Here are 10 of the most incredulous tales they have found themselves in:

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  Gibbs-White's release clause

  We'll start with the most recent grievance, and it's already among the most major in Spurs' history. On July 10, news broke that Tottenham had triggered the £60 million ($80.5m) release clause in the contract of Nottingham Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White, and he would undertake a medical the next day. Reports of Spurs' interest only came out a couple of hours before this, and shortly after they had completed the £55m ($74m) signing of Mohammed Kudus, lifting the general mood around the club after a slow start to the summer window.

  What happened next will live long in the memory. Instead of Gibbs-White undergoing a medical, Forest threatened Spurs with legal action and later lodged a complaint to the Premier League over their approach, believing the release clause was secretive and there was a breach of confidentiality. It did initially seem as though this would only delay the deal, and various transfer window insiders claimed that ultimately the player would end up in north London.

  There was a fortnight of relative silence. Nobody outside of the two clubs involved seemed to know for sure what was happening. There were reports that Manchester City could reignite their historic interest and Forest would prefer to sell to them given their newfound vendetta against Tottenham, but that didn't come to pass.

  Late on July 26, Forest announced that Gibbs-White had signed a 'record' three-year contract and would be staying. He and the club's social media accounts repeatedly thanked owner Evangelos Marinakis for making it happen, in what was among the strangest uses of the internet since it became a worldwide public forum. But whatever you make of how weird that was, Spurs had been rumbled somehow.

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  Eze hijacked

  Eberechi Eze is, by all accounts, one of football’s good guys. He even really wanted to sign for Tottenham despite his boyhood allegiances to the team from down the road, Arsenal. It’s part of the reason why it will be so painful for Spurs fans that they will have to hate him for the rest of their lives.

  By the morning of August 20, 2025, Tottenham, Crystal Palace and Eze himself had a broad agreement over a transfer. Following the first leg of the Eagles’ Conference League play-off against Norwegian side Fredrikstad, the door would be opened for a move to go through and be signed off by the top brass at Selhurst Park.

  Around the same time, Arsenal were lurking. They had just learned Kai Havertz would spend an unspecified amount of time sidelined with another knee injury and needed reinforcement in the final third. They had considered Eze earlier in the window, but decided against advancing that interest. This is what allowed Spurs, themselves looking to replace a maverick with a knee problem in the ACL-ridden James Maddison, a window of opportunity. It slammed shut right on their fingertips.

  Arsenal dallied no longer. They went to Palace and told them they would match whatever Spurs were willing to pay, perhaps even add a little more on top. For a week, Eze was a Tottenham player in waiting, and they failed to get him over the line. A month on from the Gibbs-White nonsense, the club had outdone themselves again.

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  Dybala's image rights

  Tottenham's 2019 summer window, which immediately followed their first and only appearance in a Champions League final, saw them smash their transfer record to sign Tanguy Ndombele for an initial £55m. And yet they nearly spent an even greater sum on a vastly more proven player.

  Mauricio Pochettino, not knowing he was heading into his final few months in the manager's job, wanted to refresh his attack, and set his sights high with a top target of Paulo Dybala. Then of Juventus, the Argentine forward was open to joining Spurs, even though he was happy in Turin and felt he was being forced out by the club for no good reason.

  The problem for Tottenham was when they chose to conduct their business. Chairman Daniel Levy is known for preferring to move late in the window in order to get better value on deals, and this wasn't the first time that he gave himself too much to do in a short space of time.

  For 2018 and 2019, the Premier League experimented with closing the transfer window before the opening day of the season, mainly to appease clubs who said leaving it open for the entirety of August left them vulnerable and they should be able to begin a campaign with a settled squad. The rest of Europe refused to follow in their lead, and so English sides shot themselves in the foot despite their best of intentions.

  Spurs stepped up their interest in Dybala in the final week of the Premier League's window and came to a broad £70m agreement with about 48 hours before the deadline, but they were yet to solve a two-word issue that has become folklore for the wrong reasons – . When he was younger, Dybala sold his image rights to a third-party marketing company known as Star Group, and in order for Tottenham to register him, they would need to purchase those as well. The legal matter became too complex with too little time to navigate and the move was called off.

  In 2021, Dybala settled this dispute with Star Group for little over £30m, showing just how much more Spurs would have had to pay to get the deal done.

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  Willian's medical

  A story as famous on these shores as the player himself. Amid their £100m splurge on players to fill the hole about to be left by Gareth Bale, Tottenham targeted Anzhi Makhachkala winger Willian and agreed a £30m fee. What's more, he even underwent a medical and a deal seemed to be complete, when all of a sudden Chelsea entered the race. The player's head was turned and he left Spurs in the lurch to join their fierce London rivals instead.

  Willian later revealed that he only found out about Chelsea's bid as he arrived at Tottenham's training ground, where he was told by his agent to get back in the van he arrived in so they could set forth for the Blues' Cobham base instead. Though sometimes a frustrating player, Willian was adored by the Chelsea faithful for his work ethic, contributions in winning several titles, and the chant they were able to sing on the terraces:

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O atacante Róger Guedes, do Corinthians, foi eleito o craque da 6ª rodada do Paulistão após a vitória corintiana por 2 a 0 sobre o Botafogo-SP, na Neo Química Arena. A votação foi promovida pelo perfil oficial do Campeonato Paulista no Twitter.

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+ Renato Augusto e Roger Guedes são essenciais para a vitória do Corinthians

Novamente titular com o técnico Fernando Lázaro, o camisa 10 abriu o placar para o Timão contra a equipe de Ribeirão Preto e foi uma das principais armas ofensivas da equipe na partida.

+ Veja as movimentações do mercado da bola no LANCE!

Com81% dos votos, ele desbancou o atacante Rony, do Palmeiras, o zagueiro Alan Franco, do São Paulo, e o atacante Bruno Mezenga, do Água Santa.

Com o gol marcado diante do Botafogo-SP, Róger Guedes chegou ao seu quarto gol no Paulistão e está empatado com John Kennedy, da Ferroviária, na artilharia do estadual.

+ Veja tabela e simule os jogos do Campeonato Paulista

O próximo desafio do Corinthians é na quinta-feira (9), às 21h30, contra o São Bernardo, no estádio Primeiro de Maio. O Timão lidera o Grupo C com 13 pontos, enquanto o Tigre do ABC ocupa o segundo lugar do Grupo D, com dezs.

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Everton look like they've finally got their man after Southampton came back to the Toffees and suggested an alternative deal for starlet Tyler Dibling.

Dibling heading to Everton after fee agreedPrevious offers had been declinedWill be Moyes' seventh summer signingFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Saints had rejected two previous offers for Dibling in recent weeks, but the south coast club returned to Everton with a suggested new price which has been accepted. Southampton have conceded this is the time to part ways with their academy graduate but have inserted a 20 per cent sell-on fee, according to , which has smoothed the way for the deal to progress.

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Dibling scored two goals in 33 Premier League appearances for the Saints last season and was one of the few positives from what was a dreadful season for the club. Tottenham and Newcastle had been tracking the talented winger, but their interest cooled and now Everton look like they have landed their man.

WHAT MOYES SAID

Moyes recently said: "We have money to spend and we are trying to spend it. We've really gone for some top players but unfortunately we've not been able to get them, so we might be finding ourselves coming down the ladder to find players because we are short on numbers generally. We are going to have to adjust."

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Everton have made a number of signings this summer as the Toffees begin life in new surroundings at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. Dibling will become David Moyes' seventh signing of the current transfer window, following the arrivals of Thierno Barry, Jack Grealish, Mark Travers, Tom King, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Adam Aznou.

Manchester United are moving towards a deal for Royal Antwerp goalkeeper Senne Lammens, who was dropped by his club for their last game.

• Man Utd discussing Lammens terms
• Goalkeeper left out of weekend game
• Antwerp overruled his wishes to play

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Lammens didnt play in Antwerp's Belgian Pro League win over Mechelen on Sunday. has reported that wasn't his choice, with the club making the decision to remove the goalkeeper from the squad in the wake of progressing talks to sell him to United.

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  Lammens himself still wanted to play, but the suggestion is that Antwerp viewed his involvement in that game a risk in case an injury jeopardised the proposed £17.3 million ($23.4m) transfer. The talks are ongoing, as Antwerp head coach Stef Wils has also confirmed, and agreeing personal terms with the player is not thought to be a problem for United.

• WHAT ANTWERP SAID

  Speaking via Belgian outlet , Wils said: "Transfer talks are ongoing. Senne is handling the situation calmly."

  Antwerp striker Vincent Janssen has also spoken on the situation: "Senne is one of the few guys who really doesn't say much about such things. We read more in the media than we hear from Senne himself. He's very calm about it. Well, wherever he signs, he'll definitely be able to make a fantastic move. He deserves it. Senne has already proven he can handle a step up."

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  The arrival of Lammens at old Trafford is not expected to signal Andre Onana's exit. There are no offers for the Cameroon international, who is set to compete with the 23-year-old for a starting place. In this scenario, the more likely casualty is Altay Bayindir, who has started both Premier League games so far this season while Onana has been building fitness after a pre-season injury.

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O meio-campista Eduard Atuesta rompeu o ligamento cruzado anterior do joelho direito e passará por cirurgia nos próximos dias. O Palmeiras não trabalha com tempo de recuperação, mas a tendência é que o atleta desfalque o clube alviverde por, pelo menos, seis meses.

Atuesta se lesionou no último domingo (26), quando os atletas que não atuaram na vitória sobre a Ferroviária permaneceram em campo, no Allianz Parque, para fazer um treinamento. Na atividade, o colombiano sentiu a região lesionada. Já na última terça-feira (28), o jogador passou por exames que constataram a lesão.

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+Memes zoam Flamengo e Vítor Pereira após vice da Recopa para o Del Valle: “Cheirinho voltou!”

Contratado pelo Verdão no fim de 2021, por 3,7 milhões de dólares (R$ 20,7 mi, na cotação da época), por 70% dos direitos econômicos, o camisa 20 nunca foi titular, mas nessa temporada vinha ganhando chances no decorrer das partidas. Foram seis jogos disputados em 2023, sendo quatro saindo do banco de reservas.

+ Confira a tabela do Paulistão e simule a última rodada da primeira fase

Atuesta é o segundo volante que o Palmeiras perde neste início de temporada. Além do colombiano, o Palestra também negociou Danilo, que era titular da posição, com o Nottingham Forest, da Inglaterra, por 20 milhões de euros (R$ 110 mi, cotado no dia da venda). Assim, os volantes que integram o time principal palmeirense são: Fabinho, Gabriel Menino, Jaílson e Zé Rafael.

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O CSA começou a temporada com problemas, jogando mal e não conseguindo resultados, a diretoria foi atrás de um novo treinador, Vinicius Bergantin. O comandante vinha fazendo uma boa campanha com o Santo André no Paulistão, mas optou por mudar para Alagoas. Desde então, são cinco partidas, duas vitórias, dois empates e apenas uma derrota. Além disse, no comando de Bergantin, o Azulão chegou na terceira fase da Copa do Brasil.

Vinicius Bergantin chegou na última partida do Campeonato Alagoano e mesmo fazendo uma boa partida, o CSA não conseguiu classificar para a semifinal da competição. Logo na mesma semana, o Azulão definiria vaga para a segunda fase da Copa do Brasil, contra o Tuna Luso e mesmo com pouco tempo de trabalho, a equipe classificou, após vencer por 1 a 0.

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– Chegamos em um momento conturbado para o CSA e logo depois da eliminação no Campeonato Alagoano, precisávamos vencer e passar de fase na Copa do Brasil. Foi pouco tempo de trabalho, mas fizemos uma boa partida e o mais importante, classificamos para a fase seguinte – disse Vinicius Bergantin

Além da Copa do Brasil, no comando de Vinicius, o CSA teve duas partidas pela Copa do Nordeste. Uma delas foi contra o rival CRB, em clássico disputado, com chances de vitória para o lado azul da cidade, mas que acabou terminando no empate sem gols. Essa é outra característica que o comandante mudou na equipe do Azulão, tomar poucos gols. Foram 13 gols em 13 jogos, uma média de 1 por partida, antes da chegada do treinador, mudando para uma média de 1 gol a cada 2,5 partidas.

– Com mais tempo de trabalho, a gente vai colocando em prática o que queremos da equipe. Estamos evoluindo a cada partida e o sistema defensivo é fundamental. A equipe não tinha uma média de gols sofrido tão alta, o que mostrou que era um sistema forte, então a ideia é ir melhorando cada vez mais para que o nosso ataque consiga trabalhar com mais tranquilidade para conquistar as vitórias cada vez mais, como foi no último jogo da Copa do Brasil, contra o Brusque – comentou o treinador.

Eliminado da Copa do Nordeste, o CSA terá mais tempo para se preparar para a terceira fase da Copa do Brasil e Brasileirão da Série C. Apesar disso, a equipe volta a campo na próxima quarta-feira, para cumprir tabela, contra o Sport. Para o treinador, é uma oportunidade para testar atletas novos.

– Infelizmente nós fomos eliminados, não era o que gostaríamos, mas agora é usar esse tempo para evoluir cada vez mais e chegar preparado para a Copa do Brasil e o Brasileiro. A próxima partida pode ser usada para testar novas peças, temos jogadores que chegaram faz pouco tempo, o elenco está se conhecendo e tenho certeza que vamos nos fortalecer e chegar para brigar por coisas grandes na temporada – afirmou Vinicius Bergantin.

No pote 2 da Copa do Brasil, o CSA terá pela frente um grande confronto na competição, isso porque, os 16 possíveis adversários do Azulão, que estão no pote 1, são equipes da série A do Brasileirão. Mesmo com a data do sorteio ainda não definida, a data preestabelecida pela CBF para a terceira fase da competição é a partir do dia 12 de abril para o jogo de ida e 26paraavolta.

Erling Haaland came close to joining Bayern Munich before his record-breaking move to Manchester City, with the Norwegian striker even jokingly asking for the sporting director’s house "for free" during transfer talks.

Haaland met ex-Bayern boss Hasan SalihamidzicBavarians made serious push to sign strikerMan City 'outbid' German championsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Journalist Christian Falk’s new book , which is being serialised in , reveals the inside story of Bayern Munich’s pursuit of Haaland in 2021, when he was still starring for Borussia Dortmund. Haaland, alongside his agent Mino Raiola and father Alfie, was courted by Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic, who invited the striker to his villa in Munich. Bayern reportedly presented "the best arguments" about their sporting project, promising to make Haaland the centrepiece of their future.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportWHAT WAS SAID?

From the book, Falk revealed: "Haaland drives to Brazzo's house and finds himself face to face with the Bayern sporting director. 'I like the house. I'd like to have it,' Haaland tells Brazzo, before adding, 'But for free!' The cheeky remark breaks the ice between the two. Haaland is impressed by how the Bayern management is acting as a team. They show him how the club is planning for him and how they intend to build the team around him. 

"He is THE player of FC Bayern's sporting future, they told him. Bayern will go beyond the limit financially to sign him, something never before seen in the club's history. The words had an impact on Haaland Then Raiola picks up the phone. He tells Salihamidzic: 'You've convinced the boy! Now we need to talk about money.' The agent tells him about the demands. Salihamidzic tells Raiola that he needs to consult with the boards in Munich. While Bayern can't pay as high a salary as Premier League clubs, team Haaland is assured that father and son will receive a generous share of any future record sale.

"Raiola wasn't just holding talks with Bayern. Together with Haaland's father Alfie, he was travelling halfway across Europe to listen to offers from clubs. Raiola calls FC Bayern: 'The transfer won't happen. What I can tell you is that you were top of the list for a long time, from a sporting perspective. You had the best arguments. But financially, you were outbid.'"

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While Haaland was open to the move and genuinely interested, Bayern could not match the financial packages on offer from England. The club promised generous terms, including a share of any future sale, but City’s proposal blew them out of the water. By the summer of 2022, Haaland sealed a move to Manchester City instead, where he has since scored 127 goals in 149 appearances and fired Pep Guardiola’s side to multiple trophies.

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Now 25, Haaland remains under contract with City for another decade and continues to be linked with Real Madrid and other European giants. But Bayern’s failed pursuit underlines just how close the striker was to wearing red in Germany, rather than blue in Manchester.

Sunday's game at Anfield was there for the taking, but it was the champions who stepped up – not the pretenders to their throne

Dull games are often decided by a moment of madness or magic. At Anfield on Sunday, it was very much the latter, as Dominik Szoboszlai earned Liverpool a 1-0 victory over Arsenal with a stunning free-kick.

The odds were against the Hungarian, with the ball lying 32 yards from the Gunners' goal, but Szoboszlai's strike was sensational – and utterly unstoppable even for a goalkeeper of David Raya's quality.

But what should we take away from this clash between the top two teams in England last season? Is it too early to start worrying about Arsenal's inability to beat their main title rivals away from home? Are Liverpool still a cut above everyone else in the Premier League?

GOAL runs through all the big winners and losers from a predominantly dull match on Merseyside that was illuminated by a brilliant goal…

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  WINNER: Dominik Szoboszlai

  Liverpool were never really likely to miss Trent Alexander-Arnold from a defensive perspective. However, even those left bitterly disappointed by the Scouser's summer switch to Real Madrid freely admitted that the Reds were losing a wonderful passer of the ball and a tremendous set-piece specialist.

  Maybe, though, Alexander-Arnold's acrimonious exit was a blessing in disguise.

  "I should mention Trent because he was taking the free-kicks in the past," Szoboszlai said in his post-match interview with . "Finally, I could have my chance – and I took it."

  It should be acknowledged that Szoboszlai didn't just score a free-kick that Alexander-Arnold would have been proud of – he also once again did an absolutely fantastic job filling in at right-back due to the unavailability of the injured Jermie Frimpong and Conor Bradley's lack of match fitness. Some players would have been miffed by being asked to slot into the defence, particularly after seeing their starting spot in midfield taken by an expensive new signing in Florian Wirtz, but Szoboszlai really is a true team player, as he proved last season with his selfless and incessant pressing.

  He stepped up brilliantly to the challenge at Newcastle on Monday, and effectively created the match-winner with an outrageous dummy after being moved back into his preferred position late on, but he was even more impressive on Sunday. The winner was Trent-esque but his diligent and disciplined defensive display was anything but, with Szoboszlai completely nullifying the threat posed by Gabriel Martinelli.

  As Slot said on , "Dominik shows what Liverpool is all about. If he has to play right wing, right full-back, as a 10, he gives his best. He was outstanding again today."

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  LOSER: William Saliba

  It was not a good day to be a French centre-back at Anfield. Arsenal took a massive risk by starting William Saliba, who rolled his ankle in the warm-up, and it backfired badly, with the 24-year-old forced off less than five minutes into the game.

  Saliba's compatriot, Ibrahima Konate, lasted much longer, and his premature departure was merely down to cramp, although it remains to be seen if he'll be cleared to link up with Didier Deschamps' squad during the international break.

  Arteta was rightly thrilled with the way in which Cristhian Mosquera performed after his unexpectedly early introduction, but Saliba's enforced withdrawal is obviously a major cause for concern.

  On the plus side, Arsenal aren't short of options, given Ricardo Calafiori can easily play at centre-back, while Piero Hincapie has just joined on loan from Bayer Leverkusen. However, the Gunners have seen previous title bids flounder without Saliba, so they'll be praying the former Marseille man avoids another lengthy spell on the sidelines.

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  WINNER: Liverpool's back four

  Liverpool may have won their first two Premier League games of the season – but they defended terribly in both games, against Bournemouth and Newcastle. In that context, the most pleasing aspect of Sunday's win from Slot's perspective is likely to be the clean sheet – his team's first in a competitive fixture since the 1-0 win at Leicester City on April 20.

  And it wasn't just down to Szoboszlai's versatility – or Virgil van Dijk being his usual unflappable self in the centre of defence. Alisson Becker was called into action just once because Milos Kerkez put a couple of very dodgy displays behind him by doing a fantastic job containing, first, Noni Madueke, and then, Max Dowman. Nobody won more duels (seven) than the former Bournemouth left-back, who will be feeling much, much better about his game going into the international break.

  Konate may be in a bit more pain, after hobbling off late on at Anfield, but the Frenchman will be proud of the way in which he bounced back after a calamitous start to the season, as he more than played his part in Arsenal's star striker, Viktor Gyokeres, going missing in action on Merseyside.

  But it would be remiss of us not to mention another player that never lets Liverpool down. Joe Gomez came on for Konate with just over 10 minutes remaining and was absolutely fantastic, making three crucial interventions that helped Slot's side see out the game.

  The signing of Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace before the close of the transfer window still feels essential, given Gomez's inability to stay fit for very long, and Konate's contractual situation. However, Slot will be more than a little relieved that his defence is keeping clean sheets again.

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  LOSER: Expensive attacking talent

  Both Liverpool and Arsenal have spent colossal amounts of cash strengthening their attacks during the summer – but not one of the big-money buys made a big impact at Anfield.

  Hugo Ekitike boasted a 100 percent strike rate coming into the game but, for the first time this season, the France international was starved of service and got just one touch in the opposition box. It was a similar story for Gyokeres, who, like Ekitike, didn't manage to get single shot away and struggled with the physicality of Van Dijk, Konate and Gomez.

  Florian Wirtz showed some flashes of what he can do, twice picking out the terribly ineffective Mohamed Salah in dangerous positions, but the Germany international once again failed to influence a Premier League game and is clearly still struggling with the physicality and intensity of English football.

  Madueke was far livelier on Arsenal's right flank, where he was deputising for Bukayo Saka, but doubts persist over his end product, given the former Chelsea man didn't actually make a telling contribution before being replaced by Dowman.

  As for Eberechi Eze, he was rather surprisingly given just 20 minutes on his Arsenal debut and wasted a glorious chance to equalise by failing to keep his balance as he broke into the Liverpool box late on.

  Fair to say, then, that much more will be expected of Eze & Co. when these two sides meet again at the Emirates in January.

Rasmus Hojlund was greeted by wild scenes in Italy as the Manchester United striker arrived to complete his medical ahead of a loan move to Napoli. The 22-year-old has been left out of all four of United’s competitive games this season but is now set for a fresh start. His loan includes a conditional obligation to buy for £38 million should Napoli qualify for next season’s Champions League.

Hojlund arrives to complete medical with NapoliMan Utd striker greeted by swarms of excited fansLoan includes £38m obligation clauseFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Hojlund touched down in Italy on Sunday as Napoli fans swarmed him on his way to a medical, chanting his name and welcoming him as their newest star. The forward will undergo tests before finalising his switch from Manchester United to Napoli on a season-long loan. The agreement includes a conditional purchase clause that could see him move permanently if Conte’s side reach the Champions League.

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The Danish striker has endured a tough time at Old Trafford, netting just four league goals in the 2024-25 campaign. United were open to letting him leave after he slipped down the pecking order under Ruben Amorim. Napoli, however, see him as a long-term option in attack and hope his arrival can boost their Serie A and European push.

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The 22-year-old will complete his medical and is expected to be officially unveiled as a Napoli player within the coming days. The striker’s first task will be settling quickly into Conte’s system and pushing for a starting spot. For United, attention now shifts to offloading their 'bomb squad' members.

The Rossonere are yet to win a trophy on the women's side, but hope high-profile friendlies can help with their Serie A and Champions League goals

On Saturday, Chelsea’s preparations for the new season, in which they will be defending three domestic trophies, will come to a climax. The Blues will play their final pre-season friendly in front of their home fans at Kingsmeadow, who witnessed an unprecedented unbeaten domestic campaign in Sonia Bompastor’s first year in charge.

Chelsea did not lose a game in the Women’s Super League, FA Cup or League Cup as they scooped up an incredible treble in 2024-25, each player and staff member etching their name into the history books in the process. But they were not content. A Champions League semi-final defeat to Barcelona left the Blues unsatisfied despite the amazing work done across the board, as that trophy once again eluded them. That it instead landed in the hands of London rivals Arsenal will have only added to the hurt and the motivation to put forth a better European title charge this time around.

It's fair to say that it is a compliment to AC Milan, then, to have been chosen as the opponents for Chelsea’s final game before another highly-anticipated season kicks off next Friday, at home to Manchester City. The Rossonere have a young team – in that it was founded just seven years ago and also because it had the third-youngest squad in Serie A last term. But that it has been cherry-picked as the final test for Bompastor’s winning machine, a year on from playing three-time European champions Barcelona in the Joan Gamper Trophy, suggests it is doing something right…

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  Taking steps forward

  There are not many bigger clubs in world football than Milan. Only Real Madrid have won more European Cups on the men’s side, and only Juventus have enjoyed more success in the Italian domestic game than the Rossoneri. It’s a club synonymous with the big stage, big players and big titles.

  Now, it is looking to build success on the women’s side. Most clubs in Serie A Femminile are very young, with Italy a little behind other European nations in the women’s football world despite having more historic roots in it than most. Alongside Milan, all of Juventus, Roma and Inter also founded their women’s team in 2017 or later, with only three clubs in this season’s top-flight established before 2014.

  But there has been a lot of growth in the last six years in particular, starting with Italy’s surprise run to the Women’s World Cup quarter-finals in 2019. Both Juventus and Roma have made a splash in the Champions League since then, putting up good fights against Lyon and Barcelona in their respective maiden quarter-finals, while the Azzurre put women’s football even more firmly on the map across the nation this past summer with their run to the Euro 2025 semi-finals.

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  Tapping into success

  Like many, Suzanne Bakker, head coach of Milan, hopes Italy’s success in Switzerland can have a positive impact on the domestic league and the interest in it across the country. But the majority of her focus this past summer has been on how the Rossonere can improve and muscle in on the chase for silverware that has largely been dominated by Juventus and Roma in this new professional era of Italian women’s football.

  Milan had two players in the Italy squad at Euro 2025, in goalkeeper Laura Giuliani and defender Julie Piga, and to ask Bakker what they can bring to her team, which finished fifth in Serie A last season, elicits an interesting response. “One of the success points for them was to be a team, then you can reach a really high level together. What does that mean? To be a team and to be a team player?” she ponders, speaking to GOAL ahead of the club’s trip to England to take on Chelsea.

  “Now, in the pre-season, everyone is happy because all the players are playing, but you see that when they are disappointed, or maybe about an injury when that happens, or maybe they play less, then you see the true attitude of a player. Then we need all professionals, I think, and they can help, because Laura was, of course, the first goalkeeper, but Julie was more of a sub, but she comes in and she was also very valuable for the team because sometimes you forget that it's not only the players who play on the pitch that are important.

  “It's the whole team and each player has their own quality and some of the players are pushing every day on the pitch, and they play maybe less minutes during the games, but they are so important. The other players who are maybe long time injured can also bring the right mentality to other players who may be complaining because they play less. I think sometimes we forget that. They can bring that experience and also that high intensity, what it means to play on the highest level in Europe. They can bring that to the other players and they are doing that because they are both leaders in our team.”

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  Making her mark

  It's an interesting reflection on how a golden summer for Italy can connect to Milan’s upcoming season because, in truth, there are more differences than similarities between the two sides. That is particularly the case in the playing style.

  Bakker’s background is dominated by Ajax, the club where she was the head coach of the Under-19s for four years before stepping into the first-team job in 2022. In two seasons in charge, she led the club to its third and most recent league title, a Dutch Cup triumph and a first Women’s Champions League quarter-final. Incidentally, Chelsea were the opponents, emerging victorious over two legs, the second of which was a 1-1 draw.

  When Milan were searching for a new coach last year, it was Bakker they were drawn to. In the first conversation between her and the club, the Dutchwoman asked what was expected in terms of playing style, and the response was that they wanted her to bring what she learned at Ajax, a club with a philosophy that is universally revered.

  Understandably, exporting that unique brand of football comes with its challenges. Ajax leans heavily on a youth set-up where all its academy products spend years learning this style and, as such, come to understand it heavily. In Milan, Bakker is having to start from scratch. “It takes more time,” she concedes.

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  Steady improvement

  But the progress being made in that regard has been telling both on and off the pitch. In Serie A Femminile, the division splits in half for the final two months of the season, meaning the top five teams play each other home and away for the final stretch of the campaign, while the bottom five meet twice more. It’s a brutal run of games for those in the top half in particular, given the quality opposition they have to face every single week, but it’s a good learning curve for a team like Milan as it tries to bridge that gap to Juventus and Roma.

  The players can see the level needed and rise to it, as Milan did by losing just two of those eight matches. “With all respect to the [bottom five teams], the intensity is different,” Bakker remarks. “All the players have much more information and experience [from that] which will help them this season.”

  When the coach sat down with her players after her first campaign ended, she was given further indication that things were moving in the right direction.

  “They like the way that we are playing,” Bakker explains. “To be honest, in the first months, it took a little bit too much time to find the right connections on the pitch. Also for me, and for some of the other staff members, it was new. There are 26 players and I know only two players from the Netherlands – and I only know them a little bit. To understand them and also what it means to play in Serie A, it's totally different than in the Netherlands, for example. We learned a lot in the first weeks but it takes also too much time and we lost some points.

  “But if you see how we finish the competition against the top four teams, we are competitive with them. You can see that in the results and also in the way we want to play. I'm very proud of that.”