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Marseille and Athletic Bilbao are the only two clubs across Europe’s top five leagues who did not complete even one signing this summer.

Olympique de Marseille and Athletic Club are the only sides in Europe’s top five leagues that failed to bring in a single player during the summer window. While Bilbao’s quiet market is explained by the club’s strict recruitment policy, Marseille’s lack of activity was driven by serious financial limitations.

A rare summer transfer situation

With the summer transfer window now shut, Olympique de Marseille and Athletic Bilbao are left completely isolated as the only two clubs in Europe’s top five leagues without one new arrival. Be it through permanent transfers, activated options, or loan agreements, neither club added to its squad during the window. Although a few other teams had initially depended only on loan signings or previously agreed clauses, Marseille and Bilbao stand out as genuine exceptions in modern European football.

Very different reasons behind the inactivity

Although both clubs ended the window without incomings, the reasons for their silence in the market are entirely different. Athletic’s inactivity is consistent with their long-established policy of relying almost entirely on players developed in the Basque academy system or footballers of Basque origin. Marseille, on the other hand, saw their complete lack of recruitment come directly from major financial problems that affected the Ligue 1 club throughout the summer.

A huge departure of key players

Marseille’s summer has been shaped much more by major exits than by any additions to the squad. The French side has seen a number of notable players leave, with Mason Greenwood joining Fenerbahce, Facundo Medina moving to Leverkusen, and Quinten Timber signing for Crystal Palace. There were further departures as Geronimo Rulli moved to Manchester City, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang joined La Coruna, Leonardo Balerdi went to Roma, while Bilal Nadir and Hamed Traore also left the club.

Facing a difficult season ahead

With the squad significantly weakened and no reinforcements arriving, Marseille now face a steep challenge in trying to compete both domestically and in Europe. The coaching and recruitment staff will need to depend heavily on internal options and youth development to get through the demanding months ahead. As the season moves forward, the French giants must show that their current group is capable of handling the pressure without any fresh additions.