9 months ago
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No one, and we repeat no one, was expecting transfer deadline day to be won by Ferrari.
But that was somehow the case, as the legendary Formula 1 team poached Lewis Hamilton from Mercedes for the story of the day.
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February 1 was meant to be all about Premier League teams sealing late pieces of season-changing business, but from 10am when stories emerged from Spain about Hamilton, the headlines went in a very different direction.
The sport’s most successful driver has now linked up with the sport’s most successful team, completing a groundbreaking deal for the 2025 season.
Meanwhile in the world of football, we were left dealing with dribs and drabs.
Hamilton’s move has seemingly come off thanks to two regulation changes, one set in 2022 slowing Mercedes down, and one set in 2026 that may well speed Ferrari up.
Conversely in football, we may also have a rule change to thank for the slowest window in recent memory.
The Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules [PSRs] were introduced in 2013, and a decade on their effect is being fully felt.
Everton have already faced a ten-point deduction, and could have another, while Nottingham Forest have joined them in being charged.
A number of teams are feeling the pinch, namely Manchester United, halting spending this winter after years of unabashed splurges.
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Just a year ago, the English top flight spent an outrageous record-breaking £815million, almost half of which was from Chelsea alone.
However this year the total looks set to be well under the £100m mark, with the biggest deal being Radu Dragusin’s £26.7m move from Genoa to Tottenham.
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Crystal Palace and Aston Villa were the only teams hard at work on deadline day, with the former signing Adam Wharton from Blackburn for up to £22m and the latter landing Morgan Rogers from Middlesbrough for £15m.
Neither deal made much of a ripple, though, not least compared to Hamilton.
The Premier League did have one ace up its sleeve though, making up for a below-par deadline day with a potential game of the season.
Manchester United twice gave up two goal lead against Wolves, with Pedro Neto leaving Erik ten Hag’s side in pieces in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
Kobbie Mainoo had other ideas though, with the academy graduate stepping up seconds later to win the game with a stunner, and become the footballing story of the evening.
Oh, and how much did he cost? Diddly squat.
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