With the dust settling on a manic 2026 summer transfer window, it's clear for all to see which clubs prospered, and which didn't.
You've heard all about the major deals, the winners and losers, and the late drama that ensconced the watching world on deadline day. But what about the other, more under-the-radar stories that shaped the window?
Welcome to our alternative awards, where we hand out eight off-beat trophies to those who didn't quite make the spotlight.
You know the story by now: Folarin Balogun's midnight change of heart on a €40 million switch to Everton on deadline day left a series of clubs and players hanging. It will go down as one of the great U-turns in transfer window history.
But spare a thought for the real collateral damage here: Not Monaco, not Lamine Camara (whose prospective €55 million move to Chelsea was affected) and not even Everton striker Thierno Barry (who is the only senior striker at the club, and whose burden now looks tremendous)... it's Érik Lira.
He was set for a move to Monaco, set for his big break into European football at age 26, but could not seal the deal from Mexican side Cruz Azul. Why? Ligue 1 clubs only have a limited number of non-EU squad spots to dish out, Monaco's are all filled up, and Balogun was supposed to vacate the one Lira was set to take.
The Mexican has received an apology from the Principality club, but it had to hurt.
Julián Álvarez made it clear he wanted to leave, but has been forced to stay. getty What a whirlwind summer it was for Álvarez. As if losing a World Cup final with Argentina wasn't traumatic enough, he returned to club duties with Atlético Madrid amid a maelstrom of transfer speculation.
Real Madrid made a €150 million bid, Barcelona publicly wooed him and made a bid of €100 million, while Arsenal worked quietly in the background, always probing to see if there was a deal to be done. It resulted in high drama all summer, with Atleti ultimately reporting Barça to the Spanish federation for an improper pursuit of the player.
Of course, limit any amount of sympathy you might have for the player here, as he did little to deter the Blaugrana in their quest for his signature; in fact, he downright encouraged them. But no move materialized, with Atlético claiming even a €200 million offer would not suffice.
Clearly, this had become less a business case and more a point of principle for the capital club, and it left Álvarez caught in the middle, being booed by his own fans while sitting on the bench during the opening games of the season.