Anything could happen in the transfer window, and it turns out that Arsenal slammed under Tottenham’s nose to sign Eberechi Eze.
It looks like the teenage Gunner release Eze will sign the Spurs with Crystal Palace and reach an upcoming deal. However, after being injured against Arsenal attacker Kai Havertz, Eze called Mikel Arteta and signed Tottenham Hotspur to advocate for moving to Emirates instead.
Over time, we’ve seen some dramatic twists and turns in the transfer market, with some more high-profile hijacking deals involving Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham.
1
Cristiano Ronaldo
Manchester United hijacks men’s city
In 2021, Cristiano Ronaldo is looking for a new home after spending three years with Italian giant Juventus.
The card back to England is being joined, and, interestingly, is moving to Manchester City. However, Sir Alex Ferguson, who worked with Ronaldo, won the deal and immediately gave the superstar a call to convince him to return to Old Trafford instead of Etihad.
2
David Beckham
Real Madrid hijacks Barcelona
David Beckham eventually left Man Utd for Real Madrid in 2003, but at the time, it seemed that the English legend would join Barcelona instead of their fierce rivals.
The Red Devils and Nou Camp even told the press that a deal was reached for Beckham, however, Madrid played a late game and managed to draw midfielders to the Bernabeu.
|
David Beckham’s Real Madrid Statistics |
|
|---|---|
|
game |
159 |
|
Target |
20 |
|
Assist |
51 |
|
Red card |
5 |
|
Trophy |
2 |
3
Eberechi Eze
Arsenal hijacking Tottenham Hotspur
In August 2025, Tottenham Hotspur thought they were about to sign with Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze for a big deal. But the teenage Gunners contacted Mikel Arteta before signing on the Spurs line to ask if it was possible to move back to the red side of north London.
A few hours later, Arsenal agreed to a £67.5 million deal with Palace, while Eze officially announced as Gunner a few days later.
4
Ronaldinho
Barcelona Hijackers
As Barcelona missed Beckham, the Catalan Giants will resume their return on the Red Devils in the same transfer window.
Man Utd considers Paris Saint-Germain star Ronaldinho a replacement for Beckham and is working to bring the Brazilian to Old Trafford. That was before Barcelona knocked on the door, and Ronaldinho moved to Nou camp where how would he win La Liga and the Champions League.
5
Alfredo di Stefano
Real Madrid hijacks Barcelona
One of the earliest major hijacking in the transfer window was Real Madrid’s defeat of Barcelona, defeating iconic striker Alfredo di Stefano.
In 1953, Barcelona thought they had signed Di Stefano, who would even compete in the preseason for the Catalan Giants. Unfortunately for them, the Spanish Football Association has blocked the transfer due to registration rights issues.
Real Madrid then joined the humiliating Barcelona, with Di Stefano scoring more than 300 goals and winning eight La Liga titles.
6
Paul Gascoigne
Tottenham Hotspur Hijackers
Paul Gascoigne has told the story many times, which was his proposal by Man Utd in 1988.
At the time, Gazza was the best British prospect around, which led to Sir Alex Ferguson taking action to bring him to Old Trafford. Even agreed to Gascoigne leave Newcastle for Man Utd, but Tottenham joined at the last minute to offer him and his family a house that seemed to be the dealer’s.
7
John Obi Mikel
Chelsea hijacking Manchester United
A bizarre transfer hijacking that lasted for a year took John Obi Mikel to join Chelsea, not Lyn from the Norwegian side.
In 2005, Man Utd announced Mikel’s move and had him hold a Red Devils shirt at a press conference, and Chelsea stepped on with the players’ consent.
|
John Obi Mikel’s Chelsea Statistics |
|
|---|---|
|
game |
372 |
|
Target |
6 |
|
Assist |
12 |
|
Red card |
4 |
|
Trophy |
11 |
Instead, Chelsea eventually settled with Lyn and Man Utd, paying £12m for the Nigerian midfielder, who will continue to win 11 years of honors at Stamford Bridge.
8
Moises Caicedo
Chelsea hijacking Liverpool
In 2023, Liverpool can certainly sign midfielder Moises Caideo from Brighton for a record £110 million fee.
Until the players heard about Chelsea’s interest, the Blues reached a £115 million deal with the Seagulls at the last minute and stopped moving to Anfield. Caicedo also signed an eight-year contract in London.
9
Robinio
Manchester City Hijacker Chelsea
In 2008, the first major signing at Man City in the Sheikh Mansour era was a big signing, with Atihad hijacking Chelsea’s move to move Real Madrid winger Robinho.
The Chelsea deal is so far away that the Blues have sold Robinho’s name behind, which angered Madrid’s plug, which he pulled the plug for the transfer and instead sold him to the city.
However, things were not fully planned in Manchester’s Brazilian plan, and two years later, he was sold to AC Milan.
10
Mykhaylo Mudryk
Chelsea hijacker Arsenal
Chelsea is known for hijacking the transfer at the last minute, which is exactly what they did with Mykhaylo Mudryk to Stamford Bridge instead of moving to Emirates with Arsenal.
The Gunners held talks with Shakhtar Donetsk Winger at the end of 2022 and reached personal terms with Arsenal in the January 2023 transfer window. The charges were almost consistent with Shakhtar, but Chelsea was everywhere and paid the Gunners for £62 million.
