{"id":454537,"date":"2026-02-02T23:31:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-02T23:31:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/454537\/"},"modified":"2026-02-02T23:31:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T23:31:08","slug":"transfer-deadline-day-live-blog-latest-news-jean-philippe-mateta-failed-move-why-is-cristiano-ronaldo-on-strike-biggest-moves-cristian-romero-social-media-post","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/454537\/","title":{"rendered":"Transfer Deadline Day live blog, latest news, Jean-Philippe Mateta failed move, why is Cristiano Ronaldo on strike?, biggest moves, Cristian Romero social media post"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Jean-Philippe Mateta\u2019s failure to secure a move away from Crystal Palace was the story of Deadline Day, while Cristiano Ronaldo also made headlines.<\/p>\n<p>Ronaldo has reportedly gone on strike at his Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr, missing Monday\u2019s league game against Al Riyadh due to being unhappy with the running of the club.<\/p>\n<p>\ufeffGet all the latest football news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com.au\/newsletter-sign-up?utm_source=FootballArticle&amp;utm_medium=TextLink&amp;utm_campaign=signup\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Sign up now!!!<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img class=\"i-amphtml-fill-content i-amphtml-replaced-content\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1768365730_454_poster-fallback.png\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Liverpool sealed a deal for a highly sought after young defender, but the Frenchman is unable to bolster their defensive stocks right away.<\/p>\n<p>Palace have secured another attacking weapon to challenge Mateta for a place in the team, while plenty of clubs have been busy recalling loan players to add more depth to fatiguing squads.<\/p>\n<p>Tottenham were also in the spotlight as their captain took aim on social media at an issue that is all too familiar from Ange Postecoglou\u2019s time in north London.<\/p>\n<p>Scroll down for all the biggest stories from Deadline Day!<\/p>\n<p>\u2018TRUE AND DISGRACEFUL\u2019: SPURS SKIPPER\u2019S STUNNING RANT<\/p>\n<p>Tottenham captain Cristian Romero slammed his squad\u2019s lack of depth as \u201cdisgraceful\u201d after their quiet end to the transfer window on Monday.<\/p>\n<p data-eom-bogus=\"true\" id=\"U28741346186jyL\">Romero was forced off during Tottenham\u2019s 2-2 draw against Manchester City due to an illness, taking the club\u2019s list of absentees for fitness reasons into double figures.<\/p>\n<p data-eom-bogus=\"true\" id=\"U67271043088QBq\">Tottenham boss Thomas Frank has endured a difficult first season in charge, in part because of the amount of key personnel sidelined for long periods, The north Londoners have won just two of their last 15 Premier League games and sit in a disappointing 14th place.<\/p>\n<p data-eom-bogus=\"true\" id=\"U02515664142wrD\">Even though Tottenham signed England midfielder Conor Gallagher from Atletico Madrid midway through January, they sold last season\u2019s leading scorer Brennan Johnson to Crystal Palace.<\/p>\n<p data-eom-bogus=\"true\" id=\"U62281855375yvQ\">Moments after the winter transfer deadline closed, Argentine defender Romero took to social media to air his frustration at their lack of new recruits.<\/p>\n<p data-eom-bogus=\"true\" id=\"U62212165573uck\">\u201cGreat effort from all my teammates yesterday, they were incredible,\u201d he said on Instagram.<\/p>\n<p data-eom-bogus=\"true\" id=\"U68832740072kcH\">\u201cI wanted to be available to help them even though I wasn\u2019t feeling well, especially since we only had 11 players available &#8211; unbelievable but true and disgraceful.<\/p>\n<p data-eom-bogus=\"true\" id=\"U08762058161FDo\">\u201cWe\u2019ll keep showing up and taking responsibility to turn this around, working hard and staying together. All that\u2019s left is to thank all of you for being there and for always supporting us, the fans.\u201d Romero\u2019s social media blast was liked by several Tottenham team-mates, including Pedro Porro, Xavi Simons and Dominic Solanke.<\/p>\n<p data-eom-bogus=\"true\" id=\"U12883625238reV\">Tottenham made failed approaches for Ghana forward Antoine Semenyo, who joined Manchester City from Bournemouth, and Liverpool defender Andy Robertson.<\/p>\n<p>They did announce the loan signing of Hearts teenager James Wilson on Monday with the option to make the move permanent, but the forward will only feature for the Under-21 squad initially.<\/p>\n<p>WHY MATETA MOVE BROKE DOWN<\/p>\n<p>Mateta\u2019s potential deadline-day move to AC Milan from Palace fell through for medical reasons, a source told AFP on Monday, confirming Italian media reports.<\/p>\n<p>The French striker was left out of Palace\u2019s squad for their Premier League draw with Nottingham Forest on Sunday, in anticipation of a transfer to Milan.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAC Milan requested further tests on his knee, and they did not provide the necessary assurances to finalise the transfer,\u201d the source told AFP, adding that Mateta was previously slated to sign for Milan at the end of the season.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe decision had been made to bring his arrival forward by six months. The move has now been abandoned.\u201d Mateta has scored 56 goals for Palace since joining the London club, initially on loan from Mainz in January 2021, and was a key part of the side which won last season\u2019s FA Cup.<\/p>\n<p>The wheels have come off for Palace in recent weeks, with manager Oliver Glasner announcing he will leave Selhurst Park at the end of the campaign and defender Marc Guehi departing for Manchester City.<\/p>\n<p>The Eagles are on a winless run of 12 games in all competitions. The 28-year-old Mateta has netted 10 goals this season, but has scored only once in his last 12 appearances.<\/p>\n<p>Milan had been hoping to bolster their attacking options to help boost their bid to chase down city rivals Inter Milan, whom they trail by eight points at the top of Serie A.<\/p>\n<p>Italian media reported that Juventus could attempt to sign Mateta before the window closed, but nothing eventuated.<\/p>\n<p>Palace, meanwhile, did go ahead with their club-record \u00a348m deal ($94m) to sign forward Jorgen Strand Larsen from Wolves.<\/p>\n<p>Initially believed to be coming in as Mateta\u2019s replacement, the Norwegian is now going to create a selection squeeze.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think he is a good player, hence why there\u2019s been so much interest in him,\u201d Liverpool great Jamie Carragher said on Sky Sports.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople are not buying him based on this season\u2019s performances. He\u2019s playing for a really poor team. And he\u2019s not been playing a lot of late he\u2019s been on the substitutes bench, a lot. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think the club want to move him on and bring some money in.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI watched him last season and he looked like not a real top striker but certainly a striker you wouldn\u2019t associate with playing at the bottom. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe can definitely play for a team on the middle of the league. The big thing that stands out from last season is the goals \u2013 non-penalty goals. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo score 14 goals with no penalties \u2013 that takes some going.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf Strand Larsen comes in, I think Mateta will be on the bench. I don\u2019t think Crystal Palace are the type of team that play with two strikers. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey like those two number 10s, a big part of their system. It would be interesting to see them two going at it. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey would be a handful. Mateta for how much of a handful he is, his hold up is absolutely fantastic he does miss a lot of big chances.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Palace were also believed to have acquired winger Dwight McNeil from Everton on loan with an obligation to buy for \u00a320m ($39m).<\/p>\n<p>But Sky Sports News reported that it did not go ahead as the paper work was not submitted in time.<\/p>\n<p>According to Carragher, Palace may have dodged a bullet by missing out on the 26-year-old Englishman.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDwight McNeil to Crystal Palace surprises me. I think of their system,\u201d he told Sky Sports.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s a wide player, I don\u2019t think he\u2019s a wing-back. Where would he play in that system? He almost feels like a 4-4-2 man. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s not a player who is a regular for Everton. If you can get \u00a310-15m, that\u2019s a deal, I think you do if you are Everton.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Sesko rescues United as Spurs deny City | 01:17<\/p>\n<p>RONALDO\u2019S STRIKE EXPLAINED<\/p>\n<p>Cristiano Ronaldo\u2019s protest is not the only thing making a splash on Deadline Day in the Saudi Pro League.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSpare a thought for Cristiano Ronaldo, who earns around \u00a3500,000 a day. But he\u2019s so unhappy at the moment that he didn\u2019t play for his club Al Nassr on Monday,\u201d Sky Sports News\u2019 chief correspondent Kaveh Solhekol said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere wasn\u2019t anything wrong with his fitness, he wasn\u2019t rested, he wasn\u2019t in the squad at all. The reason he didn\u2019t play is he\u2019s unhappy with the way Al Nassr have been run.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRonaldo feels that the PIF have been putting more money into Al Hilal, Al Ahli and Al Ittihad than they have into his club Al Nassr.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBear in mind, Ronaldo has been in Saudi Arabia and scoring goals for fun &#8211; but Al Nassr have not won the title in that time. He thought &#8211; in this window &#8211; that the club would dig deep, bring in reinforcements and strengthen their squad. He feels that hasn\u2019t happened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd that\u2019s why he\u2019s effectively gone on strike.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In other big news from the Saudi Arabia, former Brentford striker Ivan Toney turned down a move to Juventus and two Premier League clubs.<\/p>\n<p>The 29-year-old has scored 56 goals in 72 games for Al Ahli and believes continuing to bang in goals is his best way to earn a call up for England for this year\u2019s FIFA World Cup.<\/p>\n<p>Striker Karim Benzema, who was at odds with his club Al-Ittihad, has joined rivals Al-Hilal, the Saudi Arabian league leaders.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNegotiations are underway between the parties: Al-Hilal would like to sign Benzema for the remaining six months of his contract with Al-Ittihad, but the player\u2019s agent is demanding a one-and-a-half-year contract,\u201d the source told AFP.<\/p>\n<p>The French striker, the 2022 Ballon d\u2019Or winner, has scored eight goals in 14 league games this season with Al-Ittihad, but did not play in the last two matches.<\/p>\n<p>He is unhappy with a contract extension offer, according to media reports. Both Al-Hilal, who play in Riyadh, and Al-Ittihad, in Jeddah, are owned by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF).<\/p>\n<p>Benzema reportedly received an offer from Michael Emenalo, sporting director of the Saudi league, which he considered \u201cinsulting\u201d as it would amount to \u201cplaying for free\u201d, apart from his image rights, according to his entourage.<\/p>\n<p>The 38-year-old former France international moved to Saudi Arabia in 2023 after 14 seasons with Real Madrid. Last season he scored 21 goals as Al-Ittihad won the league.<\/p>\n<p>This season Al-Ittihad trail leaders Al-Hilal by 12 points.<\/p>\n<p>Al-Ittihad coach Sergio Conceicao declined to comment on Benzema\u2019s absence. \u201cYou have to ask the club\u2019s management and officials,\u201d he said last week adding that \u201cKarim is a top-level professional and an extraordinary player\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Foord strikes gold while Fowler returns | 00:37<\/p>\n<p>RED\u2019S NEW JACQUET<\/p>\n<p>Liverpool have beaten off competition from Chelsea to sign Rennes defender Jeremy Jacquet for a fee of up to \u00a360 million ($118 million), according to British media reports on Monday.<\/p>\n<p>However, the 20-year-old is not set to move to Anfield until the end of the season despite Liverpool\u2019s need for defensive reinforcements.<\/p>\n<p>Jacquet had been linked with a transfer to Chelsea earlier this month but was reportedly put off the move by the competition for places at centre-back in the Blues\u2019 bloated squad.<\/p>\n<p>Liverpool, by contrast, are desperately short on centre-back options. Captain Virgil van Dijk, 34, and Ibrahima Konate, who is out of contract at the end of the season, are the only two options currently available to Arne Slot with Joe Gomez and Giovanni Leoni sidelined by injury.<\/p>\n<p>French under-21 international Jacquet has only made 31 appearances for Rennes since breaking into the first team of the Ligue 1 side last season.<\/p>\n<p>Liverpool will reportedly pay an initial \u00a355 million with a further \u00a35 million contingent on add-ons.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJacquet is a similar profile to Konate. Can cover big spaces. Pace, Liverpool will play with a high line,\u201d Jamie Carragher said on Sky Sports.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt looks like Liverpool are really future-proofing the centre-back area because Konate looks like he\u2019s going to move on. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cAlso, the age of Virgil van Dijk. Let\u2019s not forget, next summer, he\u2019ll be off the back of the World Cup. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe young centre-back they bought in the summer, Leoni, will be coming back from an ACL. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cLiverpool will sign this lad in the summer but I think Liverpool will go and sign another big centre-back. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho I\u2019d say will replace Konate, alongside Virgil van Dijk and this new guy, will be the backup to those players.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Chelsea recalled Mamadou Sarr from his loan spell at Strasbourg to be reunited with Blues boss Liam Rosenior.<\/p>\n<p>Sarr, 20, was Rosenior\u2019s captain at Strasbourg after he joined the French club on loan last year.<\/p>\n<p>Rosenior was hired as Chelsea boss to replace Enzo Maresca in January. Senegal centre-back Sarr made 18 appearances for Strasbourg and has played just once for Chelsea, appearing off the bench against Esperance at the Club World Cup in July.<\/p>\n<p>Chelsea defender Axel Disasi is due to have a medical at West Ham ahead of moving to the London Stadium on loan for the rest of the season.<\/p>\n<p>The 27-year-old had been training separately from the Blues\u2019 first team for most of this season and last played for Chelsea in January 2025.<\/p>\n<p>Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips joined Championship side Sheffield United on loan for the rest of the season.<\/p>\n<p>Phillips, who last played for England in 2023, has featured for City just once this season, as a late substitute in their League Cup win at Huddersfield in September.<\/p>\n<p>Sunderland\u2019s Ivory Coast forward Simon Adingra has joined Monaco on loan for the rest of the season, the Ligue 1 club announced on Monday.<\/p>\n<p>The 24-year-old made 73 appearances for Brighton before joining Sunderland last summer.<\/p>\n<p>He has played in 14 Premier League matches and one FA Cup game this season, scoring one goal and providing one assist.<\/p>\n<p>An Africa Cup of Nations winner in 2023 and a starter in the final, where he was named man of the match, Adingra has 26 caps for the Elephants but he was not selected for the recent AFCON in Morocco.<\/p>\n<p>According to various sources close to the deal, Monaco paid 1 million euros ($1.7 million) to activate the loan through to the end of the season, which includes a non-mandatory option to buy for 17 million euros.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jean-Philippe Mateta\u2019s failure to secure a move away from Crystal Palace was the story of Deadline Day, while&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":454538,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[2620,1724,64,63,234517,12045,6233,86686,234531,234529,141447,234524,24929,2057,6246,2592,144830,86689,234516,46594,18897,234530,92141,50609,37576,52266,53071,234528,234525,67609,234180,2022,6255,28533,133787,211654,234527,85329,234519,3583,234522,48085,234520,1614,43269,14640,234515,146134,27750,234518,12005,85,234521,234523,234526,3586,36454,12000,2062,53046],"class_list":["post-454537","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-agence-france-presse","tag-asia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australian-striking-sensation","tag-benjamin-sesko","tag-british-media-reports","tag-centre-back-options","tag-chief-correspondent","tag-contract-extension-offer","tag-cristiano-ronaldo-dos-santos-aveiro","tag-day-strike","tag-defensive-reinforcements","tag-europe","tag-football-news","tag-france","tag-french-striker","tag-ibrahima-konate","tag-image-rights","tag-internazionale-milano-f-c","tag-italian-media","tag-italian-media-reports","tag-ivan-toney","tag-jamie-carragher","tag-jeremy-jacquet","tag-joe-gomez","tag-jorgen-strand-larsen","tag-karim-benzema","tag-kaveh-solhekol","tag-league-games","tag-league-leaders","tag-london","tag-manchester-united-football-club","tag-mary-fowler","tag-media-reports","tag-michael-carrick","tag-michael-emenalo","tag-mohamed-toure","tag-move-breaks","tag-northern-europe","tag-norwich-city-football-club","tag-oliver-glasner","tag-one-and-a-half-year-contract","tag-premier-league","tag-real-madrid-c-f","tag-saudi-arabia","tag-saudi-arabian-public-investment-fund","tag-scoring-goals","tag-selection-squeeze","tag-sergio-conceicao","tag-sky-sports-news","tag-sports","tag-substitutes-bench","tag-top-level-professional","tag-trail-leaders","tag-united-kingdom","tag-virgil-van-dijk","tag-western-asia","tag-western-europe","tag-window-closes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/454537","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=454537"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/454537\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/454538"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=454537"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=454537"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=454537"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}