Guardian Football Weekly
Episode: "Deadline-day chaos and Middlesbrough lead promotion race"
Date: September 2, 2025
Panel: Host Max Rushden with Barry Glendenning, George Elek, and Sanny Rudravajala
Overview
This episode dissects the drama of transfer deadline day across all levels of English football (with a good dose of humour and panel chemistry), before diving into the state of the Championship, League One, and League Two. From the collapse of marquee deals in the Premier League to shocking starts (good and bad) lower down, the panel capture both the absurdity and genuine stakes of football’s most chaotic period.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Transfer Deadline Day Madness
[01:18-04:55]
- Panel assessment: This window felt “more manic than usual,” with deals flying in across all divisions well after the deadline.
- George Elek: Observes the shift from traditional transfer sagas to minute-by-minute Twitter drama:
“Rather than getting daily updates on the back pages… now you’re getting minute by minute updates on social media from these big transfer accounts. It’s changed the way transfers are reported.” [03:08]
- COVID's impact on football finance has fully reversed, with clubs at all levels now spending at record, sometimes "obscene," levels (e.g., Wrexham's £30 million outlay, Ipswich breaking transfer records).
- A sign of the times: Over 100 FL deals went through after George’s live stream thought they'd wrapped up: “It’s absolutely ridiculous.” [04:55]
2. Marquee Deal Collapses: The Mark Guéhi/Liverpool Saga
[04:55-09:10]
- Crystal Palace’s Mark Guéhi: Move to Liverpool collapses late, with Palace pulling the plug when a replacement goes elsewhere.
- Barry:
"I would say Mark would have been happy to go to Liverpool, is probably quite happy to stay at Palace... you would prefer a player act professionally, but I get why they spit the dummy and go on strike." [05:51]
- Max: Questions if the moral is “if you behave like Alexander Isak and down tools, you get what you want.” [05:04]
- Panel agree: Guéhi may actually be better off, but there’s a sense of frustration—sometimes "good" behaviour doesn't pay off.
- Barry:
3. Big Money Moves & Player Power
[09:18-11:32]
- Johan Wissa & Alexander Isak: Both force moves, prompting debate about professionalism vs. self-interest.
- Newcastle’s £55m Wissa deal: Panel incredulous at the fee, but George notes it fits PL economics: “If he's bad, they'll probably sell him for 40 odd million somewhere.” [09:46]
- Caution on buying from Brentford/Brighton:
“For the most part they put your pants down. There are obvious exceptions...” [10:22]
- Chelsea’s Nicholas Jackson: A cautionary tale of PL players retaining value despite not shining.
4. Chelsea’s (Still Confusing) Transfer Strategy
[13:07-14:36]
- Chelsea sign another attacker, Buonanotte.
- Barry:
"We laughed and scoffed at Chelsea's policy of hoovering up young players, but this window... they sold an awful lot for good money." [13:22]
- Transfer dominoes—one “big hamstring” injury affects multiple moves (case in point: Liam Delap).
5. Other Notable Dealings and Trends
[14:36-16:21]
- Aston Villa: Big moves for Harvey Elliott, Jadon Sancho, and Victor Lindelof.
- George: “There has to be a moment soon where the penny drops [for Sancho] … I think Harvey Elliott is a brilliant signing.” [14:45]
- Spurs land Randal Kolo Muani on loan. Interesting forward line combinations, with lots of eyes on his attitude and adaptation.
6. Goalkeepers & the “Edison Effect”
[16:47-23:10]
- Ederson leaves City; Gianluigi Donnarumma set to join.
- Sanny: “There’s a good argument Ederson has changed, if not English football, then certainly what we think of goalkeepers.” [17:39]
- Sanny shares a poignant interview anecdote, noting how life stages (e.g., family) might affect players’ hunger and output.
- James Trafford vs. Jordan Pickford debate:
- George:
“He’s going to be a world class goalkeeper—absolutely convinced. It’s a crying shame City brought in Donnarumma ahead of him.” [19:39]
- George:
- Barry: Notes both Trafford and Pickford came through tough early careers in struggling teams, which forged their character and resilience.
7. Transfer Flops: Man United’s Missed Millions
[23:10-26:46]
- Anthony, Sancho, Højlund: Combined £218m spent, sold for much less.
- Ten Hag's brutal early sacking at Leverkusen after a massive squad sell-off.
- Barry:
“Not least because no sooner had he taken the job than they sold five, six, maybe seven key players out from under him…” [25:18]
- Sanny: Shares Ten Hag “lost the dressing room before even the first game.” [26:21]
- Barry:
English Football League Roundup
Championship
[29:40-41:00]
- Middlesbrough’s shock perfect start (top, 100% record):
- Panel did not expect this after a sluggish summer and late managerial change.
- George: “They’ve started incredibly well... They’ve signed a player from Man City called Sverda Naipan—seemingly a wonderkid.” [29:40]
- West Brom: Praise for Ryan Mason’s pragmatic approach, solid defence, and savvy trading.
- Barry (joking): Suspended for a match—“Guessing he learned that from Mourinho.” [32:27]
- The relegated clubs stuttering:
- Ipswich, Leicester, Southampton “look a shadow of the teams that went up.” [31:14]
- Leicester have a teen sensation in Jeremy Monger (16), but haven’t replaced all losses.
- Sheffield: Both Wednesday and United in deep trouble. Ruben Selles “always going to be on a hiding to nothing” after Chris Wilder’s sacking.
- Ownership/financial crises at Sheffield Wednesday:
- John Texter’s interest acknowledged, but skepticism about owner Dejphon Chansiri’s willingness to sell.
League One
[44:54-51:58]
- “Surprise” leaders: Cardiff (after a major youth-driven overhaul) and Stevenage (with the same core players, defying predictions).
- George: “Cardiff... have a really good crop of young players... playing a really good, vibrant style of football.” [45:55]
- Cardiff's Reuben Colwill not called up by Wales—genuine surprise.
- Worries at the bottom: Peterborough’s profound struggles (barely registering shots on target), Plymouth’s identity crisis, Wickham’s long-expected slide.
- Peterborough analysis:
- Sanny: “They’re managing like about one shot on target a game.” [49:20]
- George: “They might be the worst team in League One right now.” [51:23]
League Two
[52:31-57:57]
- Gillingham, Chesterfield, and Bromley lead a notoriously unpredictable division.
- Swindon impress with strong recruitment (13 signings); panel anecdote: Gavin Gunning’s touchline swearing is a highlight.
- Crewe and Swindon: Early surprise packages, with Swindon's squad depth and hunger particularly noted.
- Struggling sides:
- Cheltenham (winless), Shrewsbury (massive danger of double drop), and Crawley cause concern.
- George: "Shrewsbury... look to me to be with a massive in massive danger… of double drop." [56:23]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
George Elek on continuing transfer chaos:
"We finished our livestream at 8:30 thinking, well, that's an hour and a half after the window closes. I reckon about 100 deals went through after we finished our livestream in the three leagues. It's absolutely ridiculous." [03:59]
-
Barry on player 'bad behaviour':
"Isaac and Johan Wissa have both behaved appallingly. There is massive resentment for Isak on Tyneside... The manner in which he went to Liverpool, it's made the Newcastle hierarchy look weak." [05:51]
-
Sanny on Ederson’s influence:
"There’s a good argument how Ederson’s... changed English football, certainly changed what we think of goalkeepers." [17:39]
-
Poignant moment: Sanny reflecting on Ederson's personal changes:
"He just enjoys his life now and doesn't put pressure on his kids to become footballers... It does change your outlook on life, right?" [18:18]
-
On lower-league transfer tales:
"Cardiff are a reminder that good coaching of good young players can often be the route to success." – George [47:48]
-
Sanny’s press box anecdote (Swindon):
“He did not moderate his language whatsoever ... dropping the C bomb and the F bomb, 'get in there and hit him,' and everyone else around is just like looking at them.” [54:32]
Important Timestamps
| Segment | Timestamp | |------------------------------------------------------|--------------| | Transfer window summary / "Manic" window | 01:18–04:55 | | Guéhi/Liverpool deal collapse & professionalism | 04:55–09:10 | | Wissa, Isak, transfer money chat | 09:18–11:32 | | Chelsea Buonanotte, young player trading | 13:07–14:36 | | Villa's transfer business | 14:36–16:21 | | Goalkeepers: Ederson leaves, Donnarumma in | 16:47–23:10 | | Man United's failed transfers, Ten Hag sacking | 23:10–26:46 | | Championship analysis (Middlesbrough, West Brom, etc) | 29:40–41:00 | | League One surprise leaders and strugglers | 44:54–51:58 | | League Two stories and characters | 52:31–57:57 | | Listener emails & comic anecdotes | 57:57–63:19 | | Breaking news: Donnarumma signs for City | 63:05 |
Comic & Memorable Listener Moments
- Wedding Blessings gone wrong: A series of emails requesting Barry to “solemnise” a marriage (and Max’s inability to pronounce “solemnise”).
- Barry as nightmare flight soundtrack: Listener's painkiller-fueled hallucination—seven hours of Barry repeating “Well Max, I don’t know” on a transatlantic flight.
“I was too out of it to figure out how to stop it... So I lay there hazily staring up at my girlfriend’s furious face while Barry berated me.” [61:41]
Final Note
The show closes with Sanny breaking the news: Donnarumma to Manchester City for £26 million, wearing number 99. A fittingly chaotic end to a chaotic episode.
This summary captures the major through-lines, humour, and analytical highlights of the episode. Use the timestamps for easy navigation to the most significant moments or insightful debates.