Friday brought a flurry of transfer confirmations and the start of a new domestic football season, headlined by Ferran Torres' switch to Paris Saint-Germain and Cristian Romero's departure from Tottenham Hotspur for Atlético Madrid.
Torres has completed a move from Barcelona to PSG in a deal reported to be worth approximately £43million. The Spanish forward, who scored the winning goal for Spain against Argentina in last month's World Cup final, has signed a five-year contract with the French champions and will wear the No.9 shirt.
"I'm delighted to be beginning a new adventure at such an ambitious club as Paris Saint-Germain," Torres said. "I'd like to thank President Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, Luis Campos and coach Luis Enrique for giving me the opportunity to join the team, which I hope to help win as many trophies as possible."
Meanwhile, Atlético Madrid have confirmed the signing of centre-back Cristian Romero from Tottenham in a transfer worth £34.1million. The Argentine has agreed a five-year contract with the Spanish club, bringing an end to his four-year stay in north London.
Spurs paid tribute to Romero's contribution since his 2021 arrival from Atalanta. "Signed from Atalanta in 2021, 'Cuti' was a key player in our UEFA Europa League triumph of 2024/25 and was named captain for the 2025/26 campaign," the club said in a statement. "His 32 appearances in all competitions last season took his tally to 156 in our colours."
The statement also highlighted Romero's international achievements, noting he became only the second Spurs player to win a World Cup when Argentina triumphed in Qatar in 2022, having previously won the Copa America before joining the club. He added a second Copa America title in 2024 and reached another World Cup final this summer. Tottenham wished the defender well for the future as he begins a new chapter at the Wanda Metropolitano.
On the pitch, English football's lower divisions returned to action on Friday. League One got underway with fixtures including Reading against Luton Town, Oxford United hosting MK Dons, and Notts County taking on Leicester City, among a full round of opening-day matches.
League Two also began its campaign, with games such as Newport County versus Rochdale, Oldham Athletic against Port Vale, and Barnet facing Salford City among the fixtures.
In the Championship, which had already kicked off the previous evening, Friday's schedule featured Bolton against Preston North End, Middlesbrough hosting newly promoted Lincoln City, and Sheffield United taking on Birmingham City, among other matches. Lincoln's visit to Middlesbrough carried particular significance, marking the club's first appearance in English football's second tier in 65 years.
The previous evening's Championship curtain-raiser saw Wolves salvage a draw against Blackburn Rovers, with returning striker Raúl Jiménez netting a late penalty at Molineux.
Elsewhere, Liverpool's ownership situation saw a significant development as parent company Fenway Sports Group confirmed the sale of a 30% stake in the club to a consortium including Amit Bhatia, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, and Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin, in a deal reportedly worth £1.65billion. Despite the involvement of new investors, FSG will retain operational control and majority ownership, with the deal not expected to affect Liverpool's transfer business during the current window.
Attention now turns to Saturday's Community Shield, English football's traditional curtain-raiser, as the new season continues to gather momentum across all divisions.
Based on reporting from The Guardian.