Kiwis - European summer 2026 transfer window

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Alfred Johansson (new Motherwell manager): “I haven't caught up with Elijah yet. I think it's fair to him to be able to be in America and focus on the national team now. I've focused more on the guys that are actually here and had good talks with them. He's a good player and he's a Motherwell player. I think there's always going to be rumours and links. I guess that there will be questions about that pretty often, especially when the window is open. It's going to be a big thing, players getting linked right, left and centre. It's a part of the expectation so I don't focus too much about it.”

That was the new Motherwell coach when asked about Eli Just’s situation. Johansson’s been hired to replace Jens Berthel Askou who has taken up the gig at Toulouse in France, the Steelmen going Scandinavian for Scandinavian with their coaching appointments. Johansson seems like a really exciting young manager... but will Eli Just even get to play for him? Frankly, that’s doubtful. He was already looking likely to be prised away before he went and scored three goals at the World Cup where he was New Zealand’s top performer. Now it’s possible that even Celtic and Rangers might get squeezed out of any bidding war. Just has said all along that he wanted to park any questions about his club future until after the World Cup, giving his agent the big Do Not Disturb sign. Now that’s done and we’ll see how quickly things move.

The Celtic and Rangers stuff has been around since January. They were the first two teams on the list – and bear in mind that a Celtic move would come with Champions League possibilities. The other team we’ve gotta automatically consider is Toulouse since he’s already played under Jens Berthel Askou at Horsen and Motherwell plus JBA tried to sign him at Göteborg as well. Toulouse don’t have European footy next season like Motherwell do but they’re a very solid mid-table Ligue 1 club. Like, imagine playing against two-time reigning Champions League title holders Paris Saint-Germain a couple times per year. Southampton, in the English second tier, was specifically linked last week (albeit via a source of sceptical legitimacy).

Internet aggregators have thrown a few other names out, while the NZ Herald have offered a far more credible scoop: “there has already been interest expressed from top clubs in France, while he is being tracked by a number of British teams”.

Similar things are being said about Finn Surman, by the way. This comes from reporters on the ground and around the All Whites camp during the World Cup so it’s info worth paying attention to:

“The Herald understands that big clubs from the top five leagues in Europe are tracking Surman, along with outfits in the Championship, the second tier of English football. The top five competitions are the English Premier League, La Liga (Spain), Serie A (Italy), Bundesliga (Germany) and France (Ligue 1). It’s believed that one of the largest teams in France are among the potential suitors, while Premier League teams are also monitoring the Christchurch product.”

Gotta stress that World Cup performances help but both Just and Surman would have already been on the radars of any club willing to bid for them based on what they’d already been doing for their clubs. Those scouting networks are very sophisticated. The World Cup may have helped confirm some suspicions about their abilities to deliver at the top level but no club in the realms that we’re talking about here would have ‘discovered’ them via that tournament. Combining their ages, their club form, their World Cup efforts, and especially their playing profiles... Just and Surman are the two blokes who have the most potential to scoop up the best possible moves in the next few weeks/months.  

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But they’re not alone. Callum McCowatt, Sarpreet Singh, and maybe even Joe Bell (though he’s pretty settled where he is as a Norwegian champion) are primed for moves. Matt Garbett too, even though he wasn’t able to feature at the World Cup. Tim Payne (Olimpia) and Jesse Randall (Dundee United) have already gotten moves. Marko Stamenić, Liberato Cacace, Ben Old, and Max Crocombe made theirs within the past two years. Alex Paulsen and Tyler Bindon are contracted to Premier League clubs though may be looking at further loan moves before they get a crack at the big time. It’s not wishful thinking to say we should see plenty of exciting movement between now and the closing of the European transfer windows.

Just quickly on McCowatt, Silkeborg rejected offers from overseas (including Minnesota United) back in January, when their sports manager told media that he was too important to their relegation battle... but also that they wanted to wait until after the World Cup to sell him when they could demand a higher fee: “There is also an expectation that he will play for New Zealand at the World Cup this summer, so if his value is going to rise through that then it is also better to wait until the World Cup is played.”

Since then Tonni Adamsen (Rapid Vienna) and Nicolai Larsen (Vejle) have both left the club. Adamsen and McCowatt carried this team with their goals throughout a difficult season while goalkeeper Larsen was equally valuable at times. You’d imagine when they’ve already lost a couple key players they’d want to keep McCowatt but the thing about that is those two both left for frees. McCowatt, in contrast, would command a transfer fee. Silkeborg are a seller club and McCowatt is their top player asset. Club director Kent Madsen was asked about CM’s situation a couple days ago and this is what he said: “I'll be delighted if he's still here when the window closes, but it remains to be seen.”  

And a bit on Matt Garbett too, whose Peterborough chairman has a habit of sinking a few brews and responding to fans on social media. A few months ago he revealed that Posh had rejected a £1.7m bid for Garbs from a rival League One club in January. It was expected he’d probably be sold this offseason if the price was right in order for Peterborough to reinvest that money into their squad... but with the injury that Garbett sustained at the World Cup it now doesn’t look like he’ll be able to pass a medical until after the transfer window closes on 1 September. So it’ll be Peterborough for at least another six months then. Most likely. You never know with these things.