{
  "id": 5068113,
  "title": "Balogun, Willian and Odemwingie: When deadline day transfers go spectacularly wrong",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/02/balogun-willian-and-odemwingie-when-deadline-day-transfers-go-5068113",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-02T10:08:55.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National UAE",
    "slug": "the-national-uae",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/football/2026/09/02/balogun-willian-and-odemwingie-when-deadline-day-transfers-go-spectacularly-wrong/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Balogun, Willian and Odemwingie experienced comical mishaps during the deadline day transfers of 2026. Folarin Balogun, a US men's team striker, withdrew from Everton's deal due to scandal and controversy surrounding his transfer. Unsuitable tax haven in Monaco was cited as a reason for his exit, leaving Everton with just one striker. Malick Fofana, the Belgian winger, faced a harrowing journey in trying to choose between Sunderland and Crystal Palace, ultimately choosing Sunderland. Peter Odemwingie's infamous saga in 2013 saw him excitedly drive himself to QPR for a transfer, unaware the deal had already fallen through. Willian's escape from Tottenham to Chelsea in 2013 was a result of discovering Chelsea's interest while he was undergoing a medical at Tottenham. Ross Barkley's last-minute withdrawal from Everton to Chelsea in 2017 cost the club £20 million. Fabian Delph angered both Aston Villa and Manchester City before finally concluding a move to the latter. David Unsworth, a former Everton player, returned to Goodison Park in 1998, after discovering that Everton wanted him back.",
  "summary": "Back in 2003, football's obsession with transfers, Sky's eternal quest for eyeballs, the wealth of Premier League clubs, and the introduction of summer and winter windows combined to create a monster: Deadline Day. The biannual circus was first broadcast 23 years ago and has steadily descended into a parody of itself as awkward ex-pros and excitable reporters somehow fill endless dead air with…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}