For much of Europe, Friday midnight ended a period of frenetic transfer activity and rumour-peddling that had clubs buzzing with activity and fans on edge as the deadline neared.
And while some Nigerian players made moves, others missed the opportunity to do so. Here are seven who desired moves which, by design or not, failed to materialise.
Victor Osimhen
The Nigeria striker was one of the hottest subjects of the window, being at the centre of possibly the summer's longest-running transfer saga. It was no secret that Victor Osimhen desired to depart Napoli, with that resolve only intensifying as the weeks turned into months.
The club was resigned to losing him — and new Napoli manager Antonio Conte made clear his preference for a fresh option upfront, who turned out to be Romelu Lukaku — but for the right price.
Only Saudi club Al Ahli were willing to go anywhere near the nine-figure fee Napoli had inserted into the deal Osimhen signed late last year, but the forward held out for a dream move to Chelsea that ultimately fell through on deadline day.
A European destination is off Osimhen's radar, but with Saudi clubs still open for business a few more weeks, the reigning African Player of the Year may yet find a way out.
Ahmed Musa
The Super Eagles captain's contract with Sivasspor was mutually terminated in February this year, and with no communication from his camp about an immediate/imminent retirement, the expectation was that 31-year-old Ahmed Musa would find new employers before the summer ended.
It is still not entirely out of the question that some club in Turkey or Saudi Arabia — countries he has already played in — take a punt on Nigeria's most-capped player before their own windows shut, or, perhaps, another return to Nigeria's domestic scene where he would hardly lack suitors.
Stanley Nwabali
Stanley Nwabali, one of the stars of Nigeria's run to the final of the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), was coveted by quite a few clubs, both in South Africa (where he currently plays for Chippa United) and abroad (lower-tier English club Queens Park Rangers were reportedly interested).
In the end, though, Nwabali chose to stay with Chippa, renewing ties with a three-year extension announced this week, and being rewarded with the Chilli Boys’ captaincy for next season.
Francis Uzoho
Nwabali's rise with the national team has coincided with fellow goalkeeper Francis Uzoho's fall, and that has had a lot to do with the latter's struggle for playing time at his club, Cyprus’ Omonia Nicosia.
A move away, even on loan, would have done Uzoho's confidence and Nigeria prospects a lot of good, but that has not happened and he looks set for another difficult spell — thus far this season, domestically and in the UEFA Conference League qualifiers, he has appeared in none of seven games.
Ademola Lookman
Following his match-winning heroics for Atalanta in the 2024 UEFA Europa League final, it was almost inevitable that Ademola Lookman — who has 50 direct goal involvements in just shy of 80 games since moving to Bergamo — would attract interest from bigger clubs than La Dea.
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Arsenal were linked, and it was the French club that appeared favourites to pull off a signing relatively late in the window, with Lookman — who must have fancied the opportunity to spend his peak years as a footballer at one of the continent's truly elite sides — seemingly having had his head turned and his heart set on forcing an exit.
PSG's interest eventually cooled, however, and Lookman will now stay put — at least for a while.
Paul Onuachu
Following his move from Genk as one of a raft of mid-season signings brought in by Southampton in a bid to save them from going down in the 2022/23 campaign, Paul Onuachu failed to have the desired effect and could not deliver on the great promise he arrived with.
A loan move to Trabzonspor in Turkey revived the towering forward's form and got him firing again, with 17 goals in 26 games across all competitions.
That has not earned him a way into Southampton manager Russell Martin's plans, though, and the Saints losing their first two Premier League games of their comeback campaign makes it no likelier that Onuachu — who has not even made it as far as the bench for the club this term — would get a look-in.
Trabzonspor, however, are trying to bring him in permanently, and Onuachu would pray they push harder while there is still time for the Turkish outfit to seal a deal.
Umar Sadiq
Umar Sadiq's story at Real Sociedad has been similar to Onuachu's Southampton narrative: unfulfilled expectations after arriving with a big reputation.
In Sadiq's case, though, injuries — notably one to his cruciate ligament — are to be blamed for his woes, and even after recovery, he has simply not had enough chances to break into the starting XI.
A transfer, even temporarily, would have nudged Sadiq — whose preference was to stay in Spain, according to reports, and without taking a hit to his wages — back towards a trajectory of consistent progress, but his camp and Sociedad were unable to secure one.
