Manchester City were left scrambling to find a replacement for Vivianne Miedema, who is set to be out for at least the rest of 2026 with a knee injury. However, their attempts to sign Fiamma Benítez and Ornella Vignola were unsuccessful. Atlético Madrid view Benítez as a key player and a future national team star, and were not prepared to let the 22-year-old go.
A bid of about £400,000 for Ornella Vignola was also turned down by Everton, largely because they felt they would not have time to source a suitable replacement but also because of Vignola’s importance to Scott Phelan’s side.
Manchester City did complete one deadline-day deal, bringing in England’s Anna Moorhouse on loan from Orlando Pride until the end of January.