Good morning. The transfer window closes on Tuesday, Lionel Messi announces his retirement from international football, and everything else you need to know.
TOP TALKING POINTS
Transfer Deadline Day
The summer transfer window closes for Europe’s top five leagues on Tuesday (Sept 1). The Premier League and La Liga will close last, on Tuesday at 23:00 BST and 22:59 BST respectively.
At the time of writing, the Premier League is by far the highest spender with clubs collectively investing €3.5bn, according to Transfermarkt data. That’s more than all the other major European leagues combined, which have spent a collective €3.04bn. Of the other four, Italy’s Serie A is the only other league to spend over a billion euros, while La Liga has so far spent €719m, Bundesliga €667m, and Ligue 1 €556m.
Both Ligue 1 and Bundesliga have earned more from sales than they have spent during the window, with the French league’s net spend sitting at -€562m. The Premier League, though, has generated the most in sales, at €2.17bn, taking its net spend to just over €1.3bn.
Eight of the 10 most expensive signings so far this window have been signed by Premier League clubs, with the most expensive being Bradley Barcola for €145m from Paris Saint-Germain to Liverpool. The second- and third-most expensive signings — Morgan Rogers and Elliot Anderson — have been intra-Premier League transfers. See every transfer in Europe’s top five leagues here.
Messi’s International Retirement
Lionel Messi has announced his retirement from international football - watch his farewell video here. The 39-year-old, who previously retired in 2016 but returned, made his debut for Argentina in 2005 as a 63rd-minute substitute against Hungary and was sent off 47 seconds later (watch here).
Messi is Argentina’s all-time leading scorer with 125 goals in 207 appearances, also making him the most-capped player in the country’s history. He captained his nation to the 2022 World Cup victory and two Copa America titles. In that time, he became the second-highest goalscorer in World Cup history, with 21, behind Kylian Mbappe, and the second-highest men’s international goalscorer, with 125, behind Cristiano Ronaldo’s 146.
“Time is running short, chapters come to a close, and this is one that hurts me deeply,” Messi said in a statement. “I've given it my all, I have nothing left to give, and besides, there are some really great young players coming through behind me who deserve their chance.”
Watch all 21 of Messi’s World Cup goals here.
EFL-UCL Fixture Clash
The EFL has criticised Uefa for an “unwillingness to cooperate” after three domestic fixtures were rearranged because of a Champions League scheduling clash. Everton and Wolves were due to meet in the Carabao Cup on September 9, before Uefa scheduled Liverpool’s home game against Atletico Madrid for the same evening. Liverpool and Everton cannot both host home matches on the same night because of policing constraints.
The EFL said Uefa refused to move the Champions League fixture when the two organisations met on Monday, meaning Everton versus Wolves had to be rearranged. The cup tie has been pushed back to September 16, but that created two further scheduling problems. Liverpool were already due to host Tottenham that evening, so their game has been brought forward to September 15 to avoid another clash with Everton playing at home. Wolves were also due to face Portsmouth on September 16, meaning that fixture has now been moved to October 20.
Uefa said the clash only became apparent after the fixture lists had been published and that changes were no longer possible because travelling supporters may already have booked flights and accommodation. The EFL said the decision was particularly frustrating given the changes it has already made to accommodate Uefa’s expanded club competitions.
See all the Champions League league phase fixtures here.
ON THE BALL
Europe
• Arsenal join Man City, Hull and Chelsea on six points in the Premier League after Matchday 2 following their 1-0 away win at Aston Villa (More); see the Premier League table (More)
• Manchester City have agreed a £65m deal with Everton for winger Iliman Ndiaye (More) | Gabriel Jesus is set to sign for Barcelona from Arsenal (More)
• Ousmane Dembele is set to extend his Paris Saint-Germain contract for another two years, through 2030 (More)
• Mohamed Salah might live on “Mohamed Salah Street” as the mayor of his town in Turkiye proposes renaming the street since the Egyptian joined Turkish league side Trabzonspor (More)
Americas
• Venture capitalist Josh Kushner, who was set to be the lead investor in Fifa’s plans to sell a stake in the World Cup, says he now regrets joining the proposal (More)
• Brazilian Serie A side Santos has said that its €2m debt to AS Monaco has been paid with the help of Neymar’s family company, ending its transfer ban (More)
• NWSL’s Washington Spirit closed the gap on leaders Gotham FC to five points after their 1-0 home win over Bay FC (More)
• FC Supra du Quebec will host Forge FC in Tuesday's (Sept 1) Canadian Championship semi-final, just days after securing a 1-0 league victory over their CPL rivals (More)
Rest of the World
• Karim Benzema has left Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal by mutual consent (More)
ROUTERS’ VOICE
Yesterday’s Poll: Have the opening two weekends changed your mind about who will win the Premier League?
🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 👍 Yes (27%)
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🙅♂️ Nope (70%)
🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ✍️ Other (3%)
Your punditry takes:
🙅♂️ D.W: “Before a ball was kicked, I thought the title would remain with Arsenal. However, looking at how the opening fixtures have panned out, I'm more convinced that Chelsea will be the team to beat. Alonso seems to have united the dressing room, brought a new dynamic to how they play, and, more than anything, they do not have a European campaign to negotiate.”
🙅♂️ L.F.G: “Chelsea not having any European matches plus Xabi's fast-hitting offensive style is a perfect storm.”
✍️ L.J: “I hadn't made up my mind as I felt it was too close to call, but having now seen Xabi Alonso's Chelsea play and, more importantly, having signed Emi Martinez, I'd put them as early favourites.”
EXTRA TIME
The day the football restarted after World War II.
What’s life like as a WAG in the transfer window?
Atletico Madrid unveil new third shirt.
Who are the biggest ‘Bottle-Jobs’ in Premier League history? (video)
Goalkeeper scores from his own box.
Jamie Carragher, Granit Xhaka in Player vs Pundit.
GAME FACE ON
Question: Which player has scored the most Premier League goals in 2026?
Scroll below for the answer.
Daily Wordle: Guess the football-related word, from player names to classic phrases, in six tries or fewer. Play it here.
I remember my mum getting mad at me because I’d stay out until it was too dark to see the ball... Now, when I walk around cities like Brescia, the parks are empty.
Answer
Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White. He has scored 13 goals, while Erling Haaland has scored 10.