12 transfers you might have missed during World Cup knockout stage so far | OneFootball

The World Cup has finally paused for a breath – and no, we’re not talking about hydration breaks; there’s been an actual day without any games – so it’s time to get back up to speed with what’s been going on in the transfer market.

We’ve already caught you up with the transfers you might have missed during the group stage, but there have been some interesting moves while the round of 32 and round of 16 have been ongoing as well.

The biggest have been Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest to Manchester City), Sandro Tonali (Newcastle United to Tottenham Hotspur) and Mateus Fernandes (West Ham to Spurs).

Sure enough, things are starting to heat up in the transfer market. But here are some moves that may have gone more under the radar since the World Cup knockout phase began on June 28.

Sebastien Haller – Utrecht to Sanfrece Hiroshima

It’s a first move outside Europe at club level for the former West Ham striker, who’s joined Japanese outfit Sanfrecce Hiroshima on a free transfer.

Haller only scored once for Utrecht last season, making his often-criticised Hammers record look not so bad after all, but you have to respect his resilience after overcoming testicular cancer a few years ago.

Having recently turned 32, Haller was free to focus on his move after being left out of Ivory Coast’s World Cup squad.

He will now spend the 2025-26 season in Hiroshima.

Alfonso Pedraza – Villarreal to Lazio

Once a Leeds United loanee in 2017, Pedraza has now had to leave Villarreal permanently for the first time in his career at the age of 30.

The wide man will be trying his luck in a new league after joining Lazio.

The Serie A side are operating on a ‘net zero’ transfer budget which is effectively limiting them to free signings like Pedraza, who has signed a three-year contract.

Mathys Detourbet – Troyes to Manchester City

You may have missed this one because Manchester City themselves didn’t even announce it.

But Detourbet has subsequently signed on loan for Monaco, who named City as the club they’d taken him from.

A 19-year-old winger, Detourbet played 14 times last season for Troyes, another club in the City Football Group.

According to Fabrizio Romano, City’s signing of Detourbet is worth €25m.

Michael Svoboda – Venezia to Brighton

Brighton have been busy in these past couple of weeks. You’re probably aware they’ve bought Pascal Struijk from Leeds, but he isn’t their only defensive addition.

The Seagulls have also snapped up Svoboda from Venezia after he was part of a promotion-winning campaign in Italy’s Serie B.

Knowing Brighton, you might assume Svoboda is some young prospect, but the Austrian – who was an unused sub for all their World Cup games – is actually 27.

He’s signed a four-year contract for his first taste of the Premier League.

David Carmo – Nottingham Forest to Olympiacos

Carmo never actually got the chance to play for Nottingham Forest after joining in 2024 from Porto, instead being loaned to Olympiacos – where he’d already been playing on loan from Porto – after some intense negotiations between Evangelos Marinakis and Evangelos Marinakis.

However, Carmo didn’t stay at Olympiacos after his loan spell, instead spending the following season in Spain with Oviedo.

But Carmo is back in Greece now and this time it’s for good, having signed a three-year contract.

Billy Koumetio – Dundee to Charlton

A name Liverpool fans may remember, Koumetio spent six years on the Reds’ books, making one EFL Cup and one Champions League appearance before leaving in 2024.

After two years with Dundee, the defender is back in the English game after joining Charlton on a four-year deal.

Reports indicate the Championship side have paid around half a million pounds for the Frenchman, who’s still only 23.

Quilindschy Hartman – Burnley to Espanyol

Having suffered relegation by the end of his debut season with Burnley, Hartman has escaped to sign for La Liga outfit Espanyol on loan.

It probably helped that Burnley chairman Alan Pace is also Espanyol’s president.

Eliezer Mayenda – Sunderland to Rennes

Mayenda didn’t make a massive impression after Sunderland’s promotion to the Premier League, only scoring twice last season – the first of those being on his top-flight debut.

The Black Cats have still banked a decent fee for the 21-year-old striker. In fact, he’s now one of their three most expensive exports of all time.

Having played for Sochaux before Sunderland, Mayenda is now back in French football with Rennes.

Nathaniel Brown – Eintracht Frankfurt to Bayern Munich

Brown’s move from Eintracht Frankfurt to Bayern Munich was possibly overshadowed by the fall-out from Germany’s World Cup exit in the round of 32 a few days earlier.

The left-back had been playing in his first major tournament, but was able to complete a €55m move to Bayern a few days after that journey ended.

He was Bayern’s second big signing in the space of a few days after the capture of Ismael Saibari from PSV for €50m.

Myles Peart-Harris – Oxford United to Middlesbrough

Former Chelsea academy prospect Peart-Harris never quite made his breakthrough in the Premier League, only managing four appearances in it for Brighton.

The midfielder has had to work his way back up the ranks in the EFL and spent the past six months with Oxford United in the Championship.

He has quickly moved on after the expiry of his contract but is staying in the second tier after signing a four-year deal with Middlesbrough, who have just sold Hayden Hackney to Everton in one of the moves we’re guessing you haven’t missed. But there’s another if you have.

Harry Gray – Leeds to Sheffield Wednesday

Leeds have high hopes for Archie Gray’s younger brother Harry, who spent the second half of last season on loan in League One with Rotherham United.

The 17-year-old forward is set for another taste of the third tier after signing for Sheffield Wednesday on loan.

Jeff Ekhator – Genoa to Juventus

Ekhator has made the step up from Genoa to Juventus after his first couple of seasons in Serie A.

The 19-year-old made his Italy debut in June but that was as part of a squad that leaned heavily on under-21 players rather than being an accurate representation of where the forward is in the national team’s hierarchy.

Still, Juventus have latched onto his potential and have paid €16m to add him to their squad.