City's late swoop for Iliman Ndiaye, agreed with Everton and the player after Tottenham looked set, shows how the richest clubs bend the market to their will.
A medical snag that both clubs agreed was nothing still cost Everton their top striker target. The way it fell apart shows the club can't manage a big signing under pressure.
The Ahanor deal is a case study in a growing Chelsea habit: lock up the asset first, worry about where he actually plays later.
A title-winning captain played just 35 minutes this season before deadline day sent him to a promoted club. At the home of cholismo, loyalty runs out fast.
The final was billed as a coin-flip. It wasn't close. Spain's control-football project suffocated Argentina, and it makes the case for a whole philosophy over the star-power model.
